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

Porsche 963 RSP 2025 review – driving the ultimate one-off Le Mans racer for the road
Porsche 963 RSP review front
Reviews

Porsche 963 RSP 2025 review – driving the ultimate one-off Le Mans racer for the road

That the 963 RSP even exists is absurd. Driving it felt like a fever dream
13 Jul 2025
Save £30k on a new Range Rover and buy a Renault 5 with the savings!
Range Rover
News

Save £30k on a new Range Rover and buy a Renault 5 with the savings!

Discounts on new Range Rovers are so big you could buy a new Renault 5 with the money you save…
15 Jul 2025
£15k off Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio super SUV
Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio
News

£15k off Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio super SUV

If you have to have an SUV, a Stelvio QV is acceptable. Now it's being heavily discounted.
8 Jul 2025