Skip advert
Advertisement

Toyota C-HR review - Entertaining Qashqai alternative - Toyota C-HR design

Lacks the performance to do justice to a capable chassis, but there's still plenty to like about the C-HR

Evo rating
RRP
from £21,065
  • Impressive ride/handling balance, clever rev-matching tech
  • Engines lack performance and enthusiasm, claustrophobic rear cabin

Design

The C-HR’s exterior styling is the most dramatic we’ve seen since the Nissan Juke, and will be a love-it or hate-it factor for potential owners. We’re actually on the positive side of this divide; if manufacturers absolutely must offer crossovers, then they might as well be interesting to look at, and the C-HR is certainly that.

Advertisement - Article continues below

It’s hard to know where to start, but there are plenty of themes here: A squat, chunky stance, a fastback-style roof line, high-mounted headlights and tail lights, a nicely balanced profile, sharp lines, a “floating” roof, and a sharply rising waistline.

The side panels feature a dramatic swoop that starts over the front wheelarch, sinks to below the beltline and rises again towards the rear, while a contrasting black panel rises up from the sills to pinch the C-HR’s waist and remove some of its visual bulk.

It does get less weird the longer you look at it, and it makes the SEAT Atecas and Nissan Qashqais of this world seem a little bland. How well it will age remains to be seen, though the similarly unusual Nissan Juke looks no less dramatic today than it did the day it was launched.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Honda Civic Type R (FN2) – the car world's greatest misses
Honda Civic Type R FN2
Features

Honda Civic Type R (FN2) – the car world's greatest misses

Its lineage contains some hot hatch greats, but the late-noughties Civic wasn’t one of them
26 Mar 2025
Performance Link Mazda MX-5 R300 review – an MX-5 with Honda VTEC power
Performance Link Mazda MX-5 R300 – front
Reviews

Performance Link Mazda MX-5 R300 review – an MX-5 with Honda VTEC power

A screaming 296bhp Honda VTEC engine and a full chassis upgrade package turn the NC-generation Mazda MX-5 into something altogether more thrilling
25 Mar 2025
Used Audi RS6 Avant (C7, 2013 - 2019) review, specs and buying guide – family-friendly supercar slayer from £20k
Audi RS6 – front
In-depth reviews

Used Audi RS6 Avant (C7, 2013 - 2019) review, specs and buying guide – family-friendly supercar slayer from £20k

Audi’s C7-generation RS6 may lack ultimate involvement, but it’s still a crushingly effective and desirable super-estate
27 Mar 2025