I posted the initial news about the C-HR last year – the look was stunning and I couldn’t wait for it to arrive here.

Well it’s going to be sold soon, and while it’s lost some of the stunning design shown before, it still looks like one sharp SUV – even if the press images show a grey car.

C-HR SUV to go into production – and coming to New Zealand?
Original press photo from Paris Motor Show

There may be a few manufacturers out there with models already in the small SUV segment that will be concerned…


Toyota’s all-new C-HR will ruffle feathers in the small SUV class when it arrives in New Zealand early next year. With its beautifully sculptured crossover design, the all-new Toyota C-HR offers engaging driving dynamics and a premium quality interior that will set it apart from its rivals.

The five-door crossover will enter a segment of the market where sales have grown threefold in the last five years, from 11 to 22 different models.

Combining a coupe-like upper body with the powerful underpinnings of an SUV, the production vehicle remains remarkably true to the concept car’s exterior which was first shown at the Paris Motor Show in 2014 and registered extremely well with target customers.

image-2017-toyota-c-hr-rear-three-quarter-supplied-by-toyota-global

“Every market wants this car,” said Steve Prangnell, Toyota New Zealand’s General Manager of Sales.

“It looks dramatic being driven but is equally eye-catching when parked and its compact size makes it an inspired choice for urban lifestyle use.”

The C-HR will arrive in a singular, highly specified form, available as 2WD or AWD. Powered by a four –cylinder 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine, the C-HR is responsive with peak torque of 185Nm available from just 1,500rpm all the way to 4,000rpm.

Using the latest Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform, the C-HR not only benefits from a highly rigid chassis – delivering responsive handling, agility and stability – but the new platform also allows the engine to be placed low and angled slightly rearward, securing a low bonnet line as well as contributing to a low centre of gravity which helps minimise body roll and movement during cornering.

image-2017-toyota-c-hr-front-three-quarter-supplied-by-toyota-global

Expected to appeal to young professionals and those with an active lifestyle, the C-HR ticks the boxes of practicality, advanced cabin ambience and comprehensive safety equipment.

The C-HR adopts Toyota Safety Sense, a full suite of technology designed to assist the driver and occupants including; a pre-crash system with autonomous emergency braking, all-speed adaptive cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist, automatic high beam and a reversing camera.

Full specification details and pricing will be announced at the time of launch.

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How on earth to start this? I've been car/bike/truck crazy since I was a teen. Like John, I had the obligatory Countach poster on the wall. I guess I'm more officially into classic and muscle cars than anything else - I currently have a '65 Sunbeam Tiger that left the factory the same day as I left the hospital as a newborn with my mother. How could I not buy that car? In 2016 my wife and I drove across the USA in a brand-new Dodge Challenger, and then shipped it home. You can read more on www.usa2nz.co.nz. We did this again in 2019 in a 1990 Chev Corvette - you can read about that trip on DriveLife. I'm a driving instructor and an Observer for the Institute of Advanced Motorists - trying to do my bit to make our roads safer.

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