2016 Toyota C-HR First Ride Review

Hopefully this is what eventually turns into a Lexus crossover since it can be said that the NX and RX aren't enough and the NX doesn't go down segment enough. Even Acura is a bit onto this with a new crossover that rides on the HR-V platform. One of the best things Toyota/Lexus can do is create a rival.

The only problem I can see with the C-Hr and what the review hasn't mentioned is the rear view. The rear window has a dramatic slope and it looks tiny, add in the rear seat headrests and you could be looking through a matchbox opening in the rear.

I think this would be ideal to completely replace the Rav, there's no reason to have both and this is definitely a step-up in design

iRRegular said:

I think this would be ideal to completely replace the Rav, there's no reason to have both and this is definitely a step-up in design

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I know what you mean. When you take the Rav4 out of the picture and just look at the C-HR and then what's above it, the 4Runner, the C-HR is different enough from anything else they sell to slot in perfectly.

Then they have the iM which can act as the next step right below the C-HR.

But sometimes it happens that 2 vehicles close enough to each other can coexist.

True, I just think it's pointless lol. I'm sure there's some sort of advantage to it that I'm not seeing though

To us that seems to be the case and it might be. Sometimes an overlap needs to happen just to wait out the production cycle of a vehicle. Who knows, we'll just have to wait.

True .. I mean I can see an overlap to slowly phase out the Rav. Wait until the majority has warmed up to the C-HR and then phase it out

It seems quite possible. The Rav4 as an idea came out a while ago and it might not make sense to continue it in these drastically changing times in the industry. C-HR resonates deeper with consumers and being a consumer I can say the C-HR appeals to me more. If I needed more then a 4Runner would be it.

Now a days with the rush of all these new vehicles across the manufacturers line-ups, it only makes sense to get out with the old, and drop something new. It's what people want to see.

It does and it frees them up to be relevant to the market. Plus there are all the things impacting it that we don't know, like what the platform can and can't do.

That's true. Every platform has it's give and takes. But the relevancy thing is really key here.

iRRegular said:

Now a days with the rush of all these new vehicles across the manufacturers line-ups, it only makes sense to get out with the old, and drop something new. It's what people want to see.

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Well that's not the only underlying reason, if that was it would be insane for a company to operate that way. It comes down to what they do well with, what they need to improve on and where the market is going. There has to be real logic behind these decisions.


GM has been running the Express/Savana beyond the average vehicles production time frame throughout all these drastic changes in the industry. And it's not just them or that product.