Despite an uptick in the popularity of electric vehicles, and low gas prices, the number of hybrid car models is increasing. Even the government is pushing a change from traditional fossil-fuel vehicles to those with that use alternative fuel.
For 2019-2020, one such vehicle is the Toyota C-HR or the Toyota C-HR Koba Hybrid. It is fitted with a hybrid engine and has an average cost of about $37,000. Popular competitors of this vehicle would include the Honda HR-V, Kia Seltos, and Hyundai Kona.
The Appearance
Looking at the C-HR, you will see that it’s just like a classic. Unlike futuristic designs of other cars today, this one exudes somewhat of a traditional yet stylish vehicle. Even if it looks like a classic, there are still some futuristic elements to it that make it look great. It has a two-tone finish that some people love but there are also others who are not a fan of it.
The interior also looks great and there are a few noteworthy accents like the diamond-shaped trim found on the doors. There are also heated seats with leather accents that make it look good and feel comfortable. A well-designed center console plus a steering wheel that’s comfortable to hold adds to the functionality and overall appearance of the vehicle.
The Performance
This vehicle from Toyota is a fuel/electric hybrid combination that feels good to drive. It drives smoothly and handles well. Like other cars with an electric motor, it is silent when you start.
It is fitted with a 1.8-liter engine that has four cylinders. It functions when you reach higher speeds so it can get a bit louder but it isn’t too noisy as well. One common comment about this vehicle is the sluggish acceleration, the four-cylinder engine may not produce enough power for smooth acceleration. However, it does have a nice 4.3L/100km fuel consumption average. This is definitely lower than other vehicles powered by fuel engines only.
Although it is sluggish in acceleration, the car is easy to stop smoothly. The steering wheel is also easy to turn and control. That makes it easy to do a U-turn or control the vehicle to make it easy to successfully use tight parking spots. Fitted at the rear end is a reversing camera that clearly shows a 360-degree view. There is also a forward camera that greatly helps with the parking.
The Interior Space
It’s easy to get in and out of the vehicle because of the elevated seating position. The front area offers a lot of headroom for the passengers but the rear seats do not. Although it can fit regular sized adults comfortably, the roof pillars make it look and feel stuffy and small.
Aside from the rear seats, the storage space is also limited. It only has about 19 cubic feet of rear trunk space, which is the average size for that class of the car. When the rear seats are folded, you get 36.4 cubic feet.
For information and entertainment, an 8-inch touchscreen is used to read and scroll through the menus. It is compatible with both Apple and Android. It is also fitted with a good audio system that provides decent quality of sound for songs but for louder volume levels and those with thumping bass, the sound quality may not be as good.