Welcome, once again, to the wonderful world of self-caprice: never before has a note of introduction of a car tested by me provoked so many comments (see note). So much controversy at the announcement of the test of a car that, without a doubt, is not indifferent to anyone: the recently launched Toyota hybrid crossover for Segment B: the C-HR, a vehicle that has been sold abroad for some years , but only now and after the arrival of several more rational proposals within the portfolio of the same brand makes its appearance with an important price (44 thousand dollars) and modest sales expectations (from 300 to 400 units per year). It was definitely the opportunity to take a few kilometers and ask yourself: “Why do they bring it? What do they bring it for? And who do they bring it for? ”
In my case, and by way of clarification, I must tell you that the comparison parameters changed recently: the noble Tracker 4 × 2 that occupied the permanent garage of Leov (de la Patrona, strictly speaking, I spent some time on two electric wheels and Chinese) left its place for a brand new Renegade Sport (line 2018, model 2019, patented in 2020) with which at the time of writing this note I did many kilometers less than with this C-HR.
And it is that a critic usually consists of the withdrawal of a unit and its subsequent delivery after a week of tours, which may include - depending on the type of vehicle - in urban, road and off-road sections, until completing the distance of two tanks of autonomy or three-circumstances that can be stretched during the travel season, or shorten if they are a bit limited by an event (as happened recently with the Hyundai Ioniq, read review).
In this case, it was the opposite. For family and work issues I had to make the journey Buenos Aires - Bahía Blanca (in the company of sister and nephew), and then Bahía - Córdoba - Buenos Aires (in the company of my partner Maxi, with whom we installed some Innobatterys in a telco, which clearly I will not name), the criticism of those almost 2,500 kilometers between city, route and some unpaved roads is reproduced below.
OUT
Design is everything in this car. While other vehicles incorporate forms that within the trends of each era can be more or less disruptive (but ultimately they are subordinated to the function or limitations of the Engineering department), here the functionality yields a bit of prominence and we find the Toyota more aesthetic of recent years.
Although it asks for some “borrowed” lines - notably to the European Renault Clio and the 10th-generation Honda Civic at the rear end - it is a unique car where the concept of “crossover”, which C.C. He was responsible for explaining in each note, it takes its maximum expression: it is a car that crosses or crosses several market segments.
If someone thought it was impossible to lift a badly called “four-door coupé”, to put under it an own scheme of an SUV and that the result of the set was harmonious, it was simply wrong: this CH-R, based on the platform / philosophy TNGA (the same of the new Corolla, read criticism) is responsible for ratifying in each corner that it is a different car, a true caller of looks, to which they contribute their hybrid condition and fundamentally their exoticity, something that the buyer who Choose is guaranteed, considering the low sales volume projected by the same brand.
Above, a mixed concept where the trunk is absolutely prominent, and the rear doors are concealed in very small windows and handles that hide in its vertex: it is an idea closer to that proposed by the Hyundai Veloster than its sister Kona, for considering two examples within the crossover philosophy. Underneath, identical rolling and wheelbase dimensions very similar to those of my brand new Renegade, although with a slightly smaller clearance. Likewise, it is a vehicle that allows you to go quietly and without touching unpaved roads.
The Fastback type fall of the back, although it is not ideal in terms of visibility, does not generate the discomforts that I could appreciate in both the Prius and the Ioniq. It does not obstruct road and city driving perfectly complements the rear view camera and the surrounding sensor system.
The color of the unit received was a whole theme: it is a blue (Toyota calls it “Eclipse”) furious and metallic, which contributes - as if necessary - to its condition as a vichazos magnet.
The cost of so much magnetism is that it turned out to be very fussy with the dust and the bugs - I take advantage of the hand of the faithful sous tester Tano02 and its magic box of products to leave it impeccable - to the point that it forced me to use a resource that did not I usually incorporate in the photo session: a circular polarizing filter, which allows me to have parasitic reflections in your car under control
The tires incorporate a very conventional design of five star-shaped rays, which together with a very common roll these days (215 / 60R17) complement each other very well with the clearance, the suspension scheme, and the need to eventually replace the covers.
Would it have been better with larger and more striking tires? Probably, but the result is very balanced. It is a car that does not need more resources to get attention, but it will capitalize on the convenience of that tire measure when it comes to grabbing a well by mistake or having to make a replacement without requesting a Non-Automatic License.
At some point in the test I thought that some conceptual features or ideas had seen them elsewhere, that although it was a Toyota made and right (as we will see in the next sections) it could well have been an Scion, the sister brand that was marketed between 2003 and 2016, focused on the US market, young people and a promise of sportsmanship. I was not mistaken: originally this CH-R was destined to be sold with that brand in the North American market, although its premature end prevented such a situation.
INSIDE
When you open the doors, several things attract attention. The leather sports seats -very similar to those equipped by the Prius- dominate the scene and clearly emphasize that greater comfort is intended for the occupants of the front seats, setting a sort of 2 + 2 in the interior habitability, much more similar to a coupé or hatchback than to an SUV.
However, the space of the rear seats is not as limited or claustrophobic as it seems. I would even say that, with 60 millimeters less wheelbase than the Prius / Corolla, but 15 millimeters wider, the dimensions are closer to those of a Segment C than those of a Segment B. With a seat adjustment For people between 1.70 and 1.80 meters, those traveling in the back seat will do so in a very comfortable way, although they will certainly not have the most panoramic view of the vehicle.
And much less can they think of carrying a lot of luggage, because although the declared capacity of the trunk is 377 liters (117 liters more than the Renegade, for example) in practice they are occupied by an aid of the same size and tire as the holders, which in turn is flanked by two large high density expanded polystyrene separators (also known as Telgopor in these parts, retro-acronym for TELa GOmosa PORosa, did you know?), which in fact end up reducing the useful space to a place symbolic covered by a light cover that looks more like a sun visor than a rear window.
The options are then, or dispense with the help for urban routes (and cover the interior with a carpet, for example), leaving a trunk a bit uncomfortable in the access but wide, or carefully negotiate with all passengers the luggage to accompany any journey. The rear seats are lowered in 2/3, but folded only on the cushion instead of moving it, which would give a contingency solution with more space. In summary: the trunk also pays the theory of 2 + 2.
And everything in this car is at the service of the concept of sportsmanship, perhaps not understood as extreme performance, but a recreational style of young people - probably alone or couples without children - who do not want to accept the extreme sacrifices of a coupe, but They prefer to leave ultra-rational decisions for a little later. This is reflected in a lot of subtle, but forceful details: the interior walls and the fabric that covers the ceiling cut with the usual white or ivory that dominates the contemporary scene, in search of greater amplitude and perceived space, by a color dark gray with some decorative moldings that complements the aesthetics of the rest of the interior, loaded with piano black details, or novel materials on the interior panels of the doors with textured plastics in a dark copper color. In all cases, the quality of the materials is one of the great surprises of this car imported from Turkey, with a quality that surpasses all the Toyota that I tested so far, and that undoubtedly puts it within a shot of the ranges more premium segment losses, with which it competes for price and also conceptually.
This idea is also seen in the dashboard, which dispenses with the comfortable multifunctional display dominated by a large screen that combines the new Corolla and the RAV4, to incorporate a much more conventional concept, with two large clocks inside “tubes” (at better style alfista), and an indicator of Regeneration / Consumption / Power that without being totally a tachometer office to emulate that sporting attitude that we indicated previously.
The multimedia equipment is in an elevated position but extremely comfortable, to the point that it does not affect the visibility