Bring on the CH-R: Toyota’s urban warrior has been well worth the wait

EXCITEMENT is evident when discussion turns to the Toyota CH-R, due to land here within the next week.

The stunning cross-over was launched at the Geneva Motor Show last year, and South Africans have had to be patient waiting for its arrival.

It definitely gives Toyota a new presence in the crossover market.

Designed to stand out, it represents Akio Toyoda’s determination to allow greater stylistic freedom and promote engineering creativity in order to achieve eye-catching designs and enhanced driving pleasure.

The unique character of the C-HR demonstrates the flexibility of the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) for vehicle developers in the three key areas of design, powertrain and dynamics.

This allows them to deliver a fresh take on the increasingly popular compact crossover segment.

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As a result, the C-HR remains remarkably true to the general features of the concept cars that attracted so much public attention at Paris in 2014 and Frankfurt in 2015.

The coupe-like lines are a testimony to the resolve of its designers to create a style that stands out in the Toyota range, and to establish a new direction amongst mid-sized crossovers.

C-HR is designed not only to be enjoyable when flowing through busy city traffic but also on the open road, independent of the surface condition.

The C-HR introduces a distinctive styling featuring a body with a diamond architectural theme with wheel arches projecting prominently at all four corners to emphasise the new crossover’s strength and rigidity.

Its modulated structure combines the powerful lower body and raised ground clearance with the slim and sleek cabin profile of a coupe.

The front represents a further development of Toyota’s design identity.

The slender upper grille flows from the Toyota emblem into the sleek, aggressive wing extremities of the headlamp clusters and wraps fully around the front corners of the vehicle.

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To the rear, the strongly tapered cabin integrates the back door while securing luggage space. This contrasts with the pronounced flaring of the wheel arches to give the new crossover a wide and extremely powerful stance.

It will be equipped with a modern 1.2 litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine punching out 85kW.

Employing direct injection and a relatively high (for turbocharged engines) 10:1 static compression ratio, this provides the C-HR with abundant torque at low engine speeds, achieving a peak of 185 Nm at just 1500 rpm and maintaining it all the way to 4000rpm.

Buyers will have a choice of a 6-speed manual gearbox or a continuously variable automatic transmission system.

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