SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.


Riding highish: 2017 Toyota C-HR 1.2 Turbo Plus

Styled to be different

Posted: 7 July 2017

The numbers
Price: R345 000
Engine: 1197 cc, DOHC 16-valve, four cylinder, direct injection, turbocharged
Power: 85 kW at 5600 rpm
Torque: 185 Nm between 1500 and 4000 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 10.9 seconds
Maximum speed: 190 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 6.8 l/100 km
Tank: 50 litres
Luggage: 377 litres behind seats
Warranty: 3 years / 100 000km
Service plan: 5 years / 90 000 km at 15 000 km intervals

Universal truth: People do not always fit into neat little moulds so it’s risky to state that a new car model is aimed specifically at a particular demographic. Take Toyota’s small city crossover, the C-HR. It’s intended, they say, for Millennials, those who used to be lumped into Generations X, Y and possibly Z. And they are? Short answer: Any young adult born after 1980.

That means if you’re over about 35, you should stop reading immediately and look for an article on the latest Prius. It’s built on the same GA-C (Global Architecture, C-segment) platform and may suit your old fashioned outlook better. In fairness, the hybrid has become nicer too, but we’ll get to that later.

On the other hand, if you’re older and still have enough soul to appreciate a solid, well-built and sweet-handling little car, stay with us. It also has sufficient gadgetry to keep up with the Nakamotos, but isn’t excessive about it. Unlike certain competitors, C-HR is not loaded down with unwanted gadgets or features you already have on your phone.

Apart from the odd name, it looks funny to some eyes. Honestly, Nissan Juke and this? Almost twins. Toyota tells us that C-HR is “styled to be different in an increasingly commoditised crossover segment.” They got that right; there are dozens of choices and hopefully the under-35s will choose this one.

Its styling is four-door coupé on top, over a sturdy SUV base featuring flowing lines, prominent wheel arches, a skeletal roof spoiler and prominent tail lights. Looks good, but does function follow form?

Because you’re burning to know, C-HR stands for Coupé High Rider (or possibly Crossover High Rider, Compact High Rider or even Cross Hatch Runabout. That’s according to Wikipedia). The high-riding part refers to its 160 mm of ground clearance - higher than most city cars but not quite Off Road material.

But, you say, tall cars with sufficient ground clearance to tackle steep driveways with gutters across the bottom are inherently wobbly. No. The platform is designed with a low centre of gravity so it won’t be top-heavy. Further, its McPherson strut front end was redesigned to steer even more easily and smoothly while the sophisticated multilink rear suspension handles well and is comfortable over rough stuff. Prius has those things too.

There are three models in the local range; a Plain Jane 1.2 turbopetrol with most of what you need and a pair of fancier Turbo Plus models – one in six-speed manual and one with CVT.

The basic car gives you two airbags, powered windows and mirrors, a rear fog lamp, supportive fabric-covered seats with manual adjusters, split rear seatback, a shift position indicator that works properly, kid-proof locks, ISOFix, electric handbrake, auto-on head lights with follow-me, automatic door locking, ABS brakes with brake assist, EBD, hill start and vehicle stability control.
 
The road wheels are 17” steel with a full-size spare, the air conditioner is manual, and so is the interior rear view. The six-speaker music system includes an RDS radio with standard information display and Bluetooth with USB and auxiliary. The steering wheel is tilt-and-reach adjustable and has buttons for multi-information display and audio.

Plus models add cruise control, leather trim for the steering wheel that adds ‘phone buttons, alloy wheels, fog lights in front, auto-dipping rearview, dual channel climate control, a 5.5” colour touch screen and rain sensing wipers. Our review car was Plus with manual gearbox.

Its 8NR-FTS, 1200 cc, turbocharged engine develops 85 kilowatts of power at 5600 revs and 185 Newton-metres of torque in a band stretching from 1500 rpm to 4000.  It features something from the Lexus 200t’s two-litre mill; VVT-iW, or Variable Valve Timing - intelligent Wide. It works on the intake valves while plain VVT-i operates the exhausts.

The intake side has a mid-position cam lock to retard the timing and create bigger valve-opening angles (wide). That enables the engine to operate in modified Atkinson cycle at low rpm for improved economy with lower emissions and in normal Otto cycle at high rpm for better performance. Freeway cruising in sixth at 120 km/h uses only about 2500 rpm so there is always enough in reserve.

It steers smoothly and easily, the ambiance is restful and the short-throw gearbox shifts as smoothly as a student lying about an overdue assignment. Toyota also put in a feature called iMT that adds a few revs when downshifting to make changes smoother, and generally makes upshifts cleaner too.

You push a button to select and it defaults to “off” on restart, so you’ll probably forget it pretty soon –it isn’t really necessary. Another gadget we had doubts about was a G-meter that shows how hard you are accelerating, braking or cornering. On a racecar perhaps, but on this, it’s a waste. Or maybe we’re just over 35 and know nothing about Cool.

The hatch opens down to dining table height but, unusually, there is a slight step upward to accommodate the full-size alloy spare. Some overseas models don’t have emergency wheels but Toyota SA believes in doing things right. The seatback splits 40:60 with release catches you can get to from behind.

Tall rear passengers will find sufficient headspace, just enough knee room and plenty of clearance for big feet. There are three each of seat belts and head restraints, no armrest, no seatback pockets and door storage suitable for cups or small bottles only. But who needs storage when everything you need is on your phone? Stash space, for stuff that will never be used again, is for old people.

There’s only one thing wrong with the C-HR. That swoopy coupé-like styling, with too-wide 'C' pillars and narrow rear side windows, makes it almost impossible to see what’s coming at you from obliquely behind, as in approaching a major thoroughfare from an angled side road. Style isn’t always practical.

Test unit from Toyota SA press fleet

We drove one with CVT in 2020

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What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

Comments?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.

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