SA-BOUND TOYOTA C-HR AWD

THE FUNKY-LOOKING TOYOTA C-HR WAS INITIALLY DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE EUROPEAN MARKET, AND IT IS HERE WHERE FERDI DE VOS ENCOUNTERED THE LATEST MODEL TO BE IMMINENTLY RELEASED IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Since its launch last year, the C-HR was enthusiastically received in Europe, with over 60,000 sold within its first year of production – making it the fifth most popular vehicle in its segment, and Toyota’s top-seller in the region.

Other markets (including the US) also showed interest in the Compact Hi-Rider and the small crossover reached our shores in June last year. Here it was made available with a 1,2-litre turbocharged petrol engine (85 kW and 185 Nm of torque) coupled to either a six-speed manual transmission or CVT only driving the front wheels, in standard or plus specification.

Since then Toyota has sold 809 C-HRs locally, but sales were limited by supply, as the model is fully imported from Turkey. However, in response to pent-up demand and a market swing towards 4x4, Toyota South Africa now plans to introduce some extra models here, including the all-wheeldrive version.

FIVE-STAR NCAP RATING

The C-HR recently also secured a top five-star rating in independent Euro NCAP safety tests. It achieved a 95% score for overall adult occupant protection; 77% for child occupants; 76% for pedestrian protection performance; and 78% for safety assist performance.

Euro NCAP commended the new C-HR on its excellent result in the frontal offset test and for achieving maximum points in both the side barrier test and the more severe side pole impact.

Overseas the C-HR is also available with a full range of Toyota Safety Sense equipment fitted as standard across the range. This includes a Pre-Collision System (PCS) with Pedestrian Recognition, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Lane Departure Alert (LDA) with steering control, Automatic High Beam (AHB), and Road Sign Assist (RSA). However, these systems are not available on local models.

On a recent trip to Europe, it made sense to source an all-wheel-drive C-HR