Toyota baffles me sometimes. They seriously do. They've actually have generated quite a bit of buzz with the C-HR Concept of theirs. It's both aggressive and modern looking, something that could easily bring in the younger crowd. It's no wonder it was originally meant to be a model for the Scion marque before Toyota decided to call it a day on that brand. Hell, I was half considering looking at getting one with the wife when her current car kicks the bucket. I just got around to reading Autoblog's coverage of the official reveal last night and any interest I had in the car disappeared as soon as I read about the powertrain options. To quote Toyota's press release directly . . . The Toyota C-HR will be equipped with an engine-range that is designed to deliver exactly the fluent driving behaviour that its customers are looking for. This finds its full expression at the wheel of the hybrid version, the intrinsic characteristics of which guarantee a smooth, jolt-free ride. Fitted with the latest-generation hybrid power plant, the C-HR has CO2 emissions of less than 90 g/km, unrivalled within its segment. Delivering 122 DIN hp, this new hybrid powertrain is more efficient and lighter, and offers sharper performance than the previous system. Detailed design changes to the engine have resulted in a thermal efficiency of 40% – a world-beating performance for a petrol unit. Other hybrid system components have been made lighter and smaller, and have been repositioned for optimum packaging, further contributing to the car's lower centre of gravity. And finally, a 2-litre CVT-only model will be available for certain markets. Fucking seriously? You're gonna make a car look that aggressive and give it a pissy ass powertrain? Fuck. Good luck getting anyone to buy that car, dumbasses. It's too aggressive looking (possibly even ugly) for the geriatric crowd and it's too neutered for the younger crowd. When a Kia Forte SX looks more tempting by miles, you know you have a problem.Responsive and Frugal Powertrains
Dude. It's a Prius. Think of it as a Prius that doesn't look like a Prius and you're there. It's an AWD Prius with two hidden doors that actually has some ground clearance. Considering Nissan can't keep Jukes on the lots and you totally understand why they're making it a Prius. Ever driven a Juke? The connection between your foot and the road is more distant than the connection between a Reaper drone over Pakistan and the pilot in Vegas.
Yeah. That's the thing. Even the new 2016 Prius still looks like a Prius. If you really want to, you could make it look sharp, but at the end of the day it'll still be a Prius. The C-HR though, it looks more than half decent, like you could actually have fun with it. It's kind of like the whole Hyundai Veloster all over again. The styling of the car is advertising something the car just won't do. Like I said, I've written it off.
I didn't know the C-HR was a thing until just now. For me, the meager power train is just fine. I want something a little more practical for stuff and people than a Civic, and I want AWD for sketchy snow and dirt (doing more hiking, and trailheads are often quite rural). But I also want good gas mileage for all the day to day stuff I do. My comparison spreadsheet has the Honda HR-V, Maxda CX-3, Subaru Impreza five door and then bigger stuff like the CX-5 and Kia Sportage (two rentals I had that I loved). There are no clear answers. I also want to enjoy driving. I wish Subaru would make a five door WRX again. I was actually looking at BMW 2 series (coupe but maybe ok) online last night. I'd like to keep it under $30k but am also not discounting anything. I have another year or 18 months before I plan to make a purchase, but I'm shopping online for now to get some ideas of what I want and what options there are.
Ha! What'd you get instead? I'm 35 and feel like I'm in this gap between a small car as a 20-something and either an expensive car or a bigger car in middle age or with kids. I want fun, practical and economical. It seems there's a big compromise on one of the three.
Nah. It's a four door. The handles for the rear doors are at the top, rear corner. If you wanna see an odd SUV, I present the Nissan Murano Coupe Cabriolet (no, I don't know what they were thinking) and the Isuzu Vehicross (which I kind of want).
Vehicross was designed by the same guy who designed the Juke. They're terrible on the road; it handles like an Isuzu Amigo except you literally can't see anything out the back. In Japan they had a rear camera but rear cameras aren't DOT legal. As a consequence, it's side mirrors or bust.
Another really cool fact about the cars, per the Wikipedia page for them. It's crazy to think they had such a small production run. Even if they're a bit crappy to drive, that makes seeing one at a cruise in a pretty rare treat.Sales were intentionally limited, with only 5958 vehicles being produced between 1997 and 2001; 1805 were produced for the domestic Japanese market and the remaining 4,153 sold in the United States. Japanese sales were limited by the fact that the exterior width dimensions were not in compliance with Japanese Government dimension regulations, and the engine displacement obligated Japanese drivers for higher levels of annual road tax. The vehicle had a base price of $28,900.
The Fiat Multipla must be the long-term effects of Fiat's affirmative action program for the visually impaired. Though their hearts are in the right place, the good people of Fiat seem to be too heartbroken to tell the man that his work is absolutely appalling to the common senses, and instead have rushed the car into production. The Multipla looks like an aborted fetus glued to another aborted fetus developed through a Deadpool-esque eugenics program.. This program, which obviously lost funding before reaching acceptable production capability, had only learned how to develop children you could see through, and ended up as Fiat's main glass supplier.