More Compact Greatness: The 2021 Toyota C-HR

The popular Toyota C-HR may be the smallest in Toyota’s SUV family, but it hasn’t stopped the adoring public falling head over heels for it. With bold and unique urban style, irresistible lines, and a sporty, streamlined aesthetic, the Toyota C-HR holds its own in a very competitive compact SUV category.

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It’s nice to see, therefore, that the C-HR will receive some updates and improvements for the 2021 release. It’s not receiving any kind of facelift or major styling change, but there are important differences to the car’s safety specifications that really help to up its game against its many competitors.

Changes to the 2021 C-HR:

The most significant change in the 2021 Toyota C-HR will come with its safety features. In the new line-up, the much-acclaimed Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 will be present, ensuring great safety and ADAS features regardless of which trim level you get. These features include (but may not be limited to):

• Lane-keep assist
• Road-edge detection
• Automated high beams
• Adaptive cruise control
• Automated emergency braking
• Lane trace assist
• Pedestrian detection

More safety features make it an even more attractive choice as a family car, but there’s more to this story. The 2021 model will welcome a new Toyota C-HR to the family --- the Nightshade Edition. This is essentially an aesthetic upgrade, which will feature black colour styling on the exterior trims, including ultra-cool 18” black alloys.

What we hoped would change

Fans of the C-HR may be disappointed to learn that 2021 will not yet bring any upgrade to the car’s overall performance. Current owners of the Toyota C-HR no-doubt love the looks and feel of the car, but may wish that the 4-cylinder engine also came with a turbocharger, for example. Even the 2021 model will only be able to manage 0-60 in around 11 seconds or so --- it’s hardly world-beating.

Another area we’d hoped may be addressed is the suspension, which is comfortable over individual bumps in the road, but not so much when travelling over rough surfaces. The lack of damping makes the cabin noisy when traversing rougher surfaces, even in the newer edition.

None of this detracts significantly from the many plus points that the C-HR offers drivers. The 2021 version is still a fun, dynamic version to drive. In addition, it’s among the most fuel-efficient in its class, which is very important for families choosing a car on a budget. In testing, the XLE model has managed an amazing 44.4mpg over a 200-mile drive.

Still the C-HR We Love

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Besides the few details we hoped would be enhanced in 2021, including a bit of cheap plastic still present in the interior materials (centre console), the 2021 Toyota C-HR is shaping up to be another fantastic and competitive addition to the eclectic Toyota range. So, load up the car, connect your music onto the 8” touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and let’s start 2021 with a bang.