Design
Companies have always found compact crossovers tricky to design, the original Honda HR-V was a bit of a style icon, but can still split opinions as to whether it is actually good looking, the Juke is a little cosmetically challenged and many other contenders in the market can easily be accused of merely being existing compact cars with a bit of cladding. Fortunately for us Toyota elected to stand out from the market rather than blending in when they conceptualised the C-HR, there is no way you will miss on in the streets. The C-HR is a genuinely good looking thing. Obviously designed to have more coupe lines than crossover, the swooping roofline blends into the rear in a ratio normally seen on modern four-dour grand-coupes rather than high-riding city cars. The front is aggressive and purposeful, managing to at the same time hide the height of the C-HR and keep its presence on the road.
Inside is no different story, with swooping lines that continue around the cabin (in our case swathed in black leather, with the lines an eye-catching shade of electric blue) and taking in an infotainment system that is genuinely focused on the driver and a piano-black set of dials and controls that never feel cheap. It’s a genuinely nice place to be, with no scratchy plastics to let it down in sight. Rear legroom is decent, although anyone of over 6ft, front or rear, may find themselves feeling a little claustrophobic, or just developing a crick in their neck.