TOYOTA C-HR 1,2T PLUS MANUAL

The usually conservative Japanese automaker goes out on a limb with this attention-grabbing compact crossover

R345 000

T11,19 sec 85 kw/185 N.m 190 km/h OYOTA has had another moment. It had one with the FJ Cruiser, another with the 86, and once again with this strikingly styled SUV crossover it’s labelled a Coupé-high Rider. With a hard-earned reputation for reliable, well-engineered and conservatively designed vehicles, these moments are both few and far between, and hardly surprising given the success this automotive giant has enjoyed with its bread-and-butter line-up. Yet, peppered among this long roster of stalwarts are mould-breakers like the 2000GT, MR2 and Supra that, along with the two mentioned earlier, have displayed an atypically playful side to this straight-laced autobrand. 7,44 L/100 km 141 g/km

It’s a particularly signi - cant move, too. Whereas these anomalies have usually been niche-segment sportscars, this C-HR enters what is becoming one of the most competitive automotive market segments around: the compact crossover/ SUV. And, when going after volume, Toyota’s usual default is the complete opposite to this riot of owing lines, sharp creases, rounded curves and at planes you see on these pages.

This new Sensual Speed-cross design language has what Toyota calls a “diamond architectural theme”, with details that have been sculpted and chamfered to represent the facetted surfaces of a precision-cut gemstone. Call it what you will, but it certainly makes a statement, with a nose and rear treatment dominated by big, bold headlamps and protruding rear lights. The cinched waist is a neat visual trick, too, and both elongates the C-HR and accentuates that audacious front/ rear design.

Climb inside and the theme continues with an asymmetrical, driver-focused and multi-level facia that’s bisected by a at plastic