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The Toyota C-HR is a funky small SUV which arrived in Australia in February 2017. C-HR stands for ‘Coupe High Rider’ and the surprisingly adventurous styling for the usually-conservative Toyota is intended to attract younger buyers.
It sits roughly half-way between the Corolla and RAV4, and was updated in late 2019 with availability of a petrol-electric hybrid version of the top-spec Koba model.
The range, offering 2WD and AWD models, currently extends from the C-HR GXL Hybrid which arrives at $42,990 and reaches up to the C-HR GR-Sport HYB + 2 TNE Plus + PR which lists at $57,690. The only transmission option is a CVT auto.
This vehicle is also known as The Toyota C-HR is also known as Toyota IZOA (China FAW-Toyota) in markets outside Australia..
The 2024 Toyota C-HR's base GXL is only available in shades and tints between white and black, or a dark green, while the Koba and GR Sport are available with brighter colours and each with an option for a black roof.
The colours available are: Glacier White; Stunning Silver; Emeraldine; Frosted White; Graphite; Ink; Feverish Red; Sunglow.
The 2024 Toyota C-HR’s interior is intended to appeal to a European audience and comes with synthetic suede and leather touch points, plus controls and screens angled slightly towards the driver.
Seat style is different across the range, with the top-spec GR Sport featuring the suede/leather combination in sports styling.
Ambient lighting and a large sunroof also help illuminate the cabin.
There are two engines in the 2024 Toyota C-HR range, both with hybrid assistance. Toyota’s 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine aided by a front-mounted electric motor is found in the GXL and Koba to produce a 103kW output at the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission.
The GR Sport gains a rear electric motor and a larger 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine making a total 146kW - also via a CVT.
Standard in the 2024 Toyota C-HR is a 12.3-inch touchscreen and a 7.0-inch driver display, though a 12.3-inch driver display and head-up display are available in the higher grades, while each variant gets wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, rain-sensing wipers, USB-C ports and 12-volt plugs.
A wireless phone charger, a nine-speaker JBL sound system and 64-colour ambient lighting are available in the Koba and GR Sport.
With the 2024 Toyota C-HR’s rear seats up, the boot has a claimed VDA capacity of 388 litres in the GXL and Koba, or 362L in the GR Sport. Total volume with the seats down is 1154L and 1490L respectively.
Mobility scooters don’t just take up volume, they can also be rather odd shapes. So the actual luggage capacity in litres is not going to give you the full answer here. Instead it comes down to whether the physical shape of the Volvo’s luggage area will work for you.
There’s really only one way to find out. And that’s to take your scooter and actually see if it will fit in the Volvo, allowing for the action of the lift and its mechanisms. You need to check things like the loading lip height and whether the Volvo’s roof is high enough to take the scooter without having to partly disassemble it before each trip. Make sure the rear door closes properly, too, without anything trying to poke through the rear window.
On the surface, there’s not much in it. The current model C-HR has 388 litres of luggage space, the Volvo CX40 410 litres. But, again, given the odd shape of a scooter and its lifting mechanism, the difference might be much greater than that in practice.
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The default purchase for somebody looking for a mid-sized hybrid SUV is the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. But if that’s too big, there’s the Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid, C-HR Hybrid and even the Corolla Cross Hybrid which sounds like the marketplace is getting crowded but is really just a reflection of the appetite right now for cars like these. And that’s the catch; the waiting times for a brand-new example of some of these cars is out to many months and even years. So your plan to shop second-hand makes plenty of sense, but don’t expect any bargains in a market currently being dominated by lots of demand and less supply.
Beyond the Toyota brand (which has been doing hybrids longer than just about anybody else) there’s also the Mazda CX-30, Subaru XV Hybrid, Haval Jolion Hybrid, Kia Niro, Subaru Forester Hybrid, Nissan Qashqai e-Power, MG HS, Honda HR-V e and more. For something a bit bigger, try the Kia Sorento or Hyundai Santa Fe hybrids. There are others out there, too, that are probably bigger or more expensive than you need, but it's very much a growing scene in the Australian marketplace.
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You don't need to spend $30,000 to get a great small car to run around town in. A Suzuki Swift GL Navigator from $17,690 plus on-road costs ($1000 more for the auto) makes for an excellent choice, with a surprisingly roomy interior, a refined, frugal and lively engine, great handling and superb reliability. Great value for money, in other words.
Moving on from there, to the next size up and in our order of preference, are the Mazda 3, Ford Focus Active, Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Corolla Hatch, Honda Civic (turbo only) and Subaru Impreza. All are quality small cars that should fit the bill perfectly.
There's also merit in considering a small SUV, chiefly because their higher roofline and loftier seating positions make them easier to get in and out as well as see out of. Our value pick is the Kia Seltos S with Safety Pack. The Mazda CX-30 and Toyota C-HR are also high-quality and refined choices, though they're right at the cusp of your budget so you may have to search for a discounted demo model. Going small SUV does mean extra outlay, but they do generally offer better resale value, as their popularity seems endless.
As you can see, there's lots of choice, so take your time, drive the ones you like the look of, and see which feels best. Out of scores of alternatives, these 10 are our top recommendations at under $30K.
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The 2024 Toyota C-HR has five seats, with different upholstery depending on the variant, with the rear bench seat being a standard 60/40 split. The second row seats don’t feature a fold-down armrest.
An acceleration claim for the 2024 Toyota C-HR hasn't been stated, but don’t expect to be much faster than 9.5 seconds from 0-100km/h in the GXL and Koba, or about 8.0s in the GR Sport.
The 2024 Toyota C-HR’s 43-litre fuel tank and 4.0L/100km claimed consumption figure mean, on paper, it should be able to travel up to 1075km on a single tank, though in the real world it’ll be far less than that. The GR Sport’s claimed 4.1L/100km figure shouldn’t mean it gets much less out of a tank in terms of range than the GXL and Koba.