Toyota C-HR: Anyone have experience or knowledge of this animal?

Starting to do some research on this little thing. What better place to go but a Taco Forum, Rrriiiight?

We've been eyeballing Rav4's for sometime but in the current car/economic climate, they are growing beyond my willingness to spend the $$. Not yet ruling them out but I have been noticing these little C-HR's running around and knew nothing about them. Took my Taco to dealer to make appt today and my wife and I saw a new one and she really likes it. We're driving it on Tuesday just to try.

2021 is the last year for them so whatever is out there or coming to a lot is all there will be. It's being replaced with the Corolla Cross. She needs something to commute to work and be a good grocery getter. We have the new Taco for heavy lifting and travelling though I wouldn't mind a secondary vehicle for some cross country coming up as we find a new state to move to...but that a couple years down the road.

Any experience and info for those in the know would be appreciated. I'll continue to seek out a forum but I'm really looking to find out about known issues, pitfalls, and the like. Good stuff is appreciated as well.

 

Nothing terribly exciting or bad, it's definitely an appliance car.

Less trunk space than you think but still decent, packing for a weekend trip with a family of 4 will get tight and the back seats are on the smaller side. Fine for kids and anyone under 6ish ft.

My experience with it is just over a year so no long term knowledge.

 

Was in the market for another vehicle, just leased a VW Taos. Regardless, everybody was asking MSRP or more. They appear to be getting it, very little inventory on the lots I visited.

 

It's just me and my wife and a Labrador. I'm done with working, she's nearly there. We knocked the backseats down in the one we looked at and find it to be plenty of room for our needs. It's a Corolla on steroids so yeah, a inexpensive daily driver. I'll drive the Taco and not put a lot of miles on it and I will still have my cherry '98 Ford Ranger SCab 4x4, as well.

 

I need two for new Teen drivers!

 

Yeah, I'm uber familiar with how things are having just bought the TRD OR on July 31. They have a $3k "Market Adjustment" on this one on the lot. I'll pay MSRP if that's what I have to do even though I got a couple points off that on Taco but that was then and I was lucky. This one we have no trade in so I can't enjoy making out on that side of the equation like I did on the last transaction. I'll only buy a Toyota at this point. Done with all the rest.

 

I recall hearing that the purpose of the car was intended for college kids or recent grads who wanted a cool looking car but didn't care about driving dynamics.

 

Funny, the "kid" that I was talking to had one for 3 years and just graduated from UCIrvine! He's in a Taco, now. Sound's like the demographic. A reminder of the '14 Focus my wife had for 4 years till I got Ford to buy the piece of shit back. We made out real well on that one! Drove it 4 years, 54k and it only cost me a bit less than $3k afterall.

 

My mom has one of these. I've driven it a few times while house sitting. I find it to be rather loud at freeway speeds, but could be hushed with different tires, and some undercoating around wheel wells.
Rear view mirror is a little low for taller drivers. Im always crouching my head to see street signs or making right turns.
Transmission is blah, but I'm not into CVTs.
Not a fan of the electronic parking brake either. Only used it when parked on hills.
All I got.

 

GAWD...I despise these E-Brakes but almost everything has them, now! My first jump in a Taco, I was pleasantly surprised to see a solid, old school lever-style brake that actually is useful. I take my Taco in on Tuesday so we're driving the C-HR and who knows what else at that time.

 

Never drove one and think they are good cars. Rear visibility might not be the best. Can't recall if AWD is an option on those. I think I would rather go with a Corolla HB or sedan. Unless somebody is entertaining a good deal on a C-HR, I wouldn't go out and buy one, but I don't see any reason not to buy one.

 

I would choose the RAV4. AWD would be the first reason, also I like being able to see over the road a little more. I did have my fair share of lowered vehicles growing up tho.

 

While I've never driven one, there other competitors I'd look at first if you're not a brand loyalist. Car and Driver has it kinda low on their list: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/g15383346/best-subcompact-suv-ranked/

Mainly the Subaru Crosstrek and Mazda CX-30 (which is actually made in the same factory as the Corolla Cross)

 

Talk about segment saturation. I got tired of looking at all those uh-cars. Yes they are cars, why does the automotive industry have a problem calling them cars?

Now those rankings, never mind I'm confused. They were ranking them from the worst to the best? The Fiat was ranked higher than the Toyota? Then they wrote the Buick got wose mpgs and cost more than the Chevy Trax, but that makes it a better car or buy, when its the same car.

 

Edit: I forgot to mention that the Nissan Kicks, used to come with standard rear drum brakes. This should appeal to Tacoma drivers, and be their go to selection of crossover vehicles.

 

I've been perusing some C-HR forums and I'm seeing a pretty high rate of transmission failure issues. The common thread appears to '18-19 model years, very little anything regarding '20-21. The very common thread regarding tranny is significant noise right at the end or shortly after the 60k powertrain warranty. The common cost of replacement is $9000 bucks! Geeeezuz!

It's a CVT and I'm gonna guess this is the one that does NOT have the ingenious "launch gear" that Toyota's known for that really helps in longevity. Suddenly, the coolness factor just got a whole lot lower!

 

The Car Care Nut just posted a video review of the C-HR explaining the features and the features available in other countries and the reliability experience of several years, and what he likes and dislikes about this model. AMD is a Toyota Master Diagnostic Technician working at a dealership in the Chicagoland Rust Belt, so he's my go-to channel for all things Toyota. https://youtu.be/0_qyb9LED3o

 

Yep, he's on my subscription and notifications list so I watched that this morning just for grins and giggles. I think the car is pretty danged cool looking. As he said, it's got minimal pep. Hardly a speedster. It's very noisy inside and isn't particularly confidence inspiring in the handling depth. I doesn't drive as good as it looks.

He gave it a decent review but I noticed he mentioned nothing about the fact that '21 is the last model year available. Whatever is on the lots or in allocation is all that we'll see. I've removed it from my list of considerations.

 

AMD's review sounds like it was designed for young Turks, and that country has the best variants available. It's a shoebox, and speaking of shoeboxes Vice Grip Garage has a good 'un as he was getting a 1974 Saab Sonnet III ready to run. Interesting watching him bent over under the roof into a driving position, much less talking to the camera as he tries to dodge equipment during laps around the barn in the dark. (Best time to do that, I suppose...)

 

Saab Sonnet?!! I haven't thought of one of those in decades! When I was a kid, our very close family friend that was a big wig attorney for a huge investment firm in L.A. came home in a brand new one. Kind of a hideous pumpkin orange with flat black bits as I recall. He was a big strapping dude at probably 6'5+ and watching him get in and out of that thing was pretty funny!

Edit: The memory just beckoned a look-up. This was pretty much the machine he had. 1973 would be right on the money, too.