UMW Toyota Motor has launched the upgraded Toyota C-HR in Malaysia and it is the company's latest compact SUV. The C-HR sets itself apart from other traditional Toyota models in terms of its styling and it promises greater driver engagement all around. 

The C-HR or Compact High Rider is built on the latest Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform and Toyota have offered it only in one variant. The Toyota C-HR 1.8L is fully imported from Thailand and it is priced at RM 150,000.

The measurements are 4,360 mm length, 1,795 mm width, 1,565 mm height, and weigh 1,405 kg with a wheelbase spanning 2,640 mm.

The Toyota C-HR 1.8L portrays an aerodynamic, masculine and sporty exterior with a front bumper that is very fierce looking. Paired with a streamline style lower bumper that gets a pair of sporty angular shaped air-inlets at both ends. It also gets silver trim detailing around the air inlet and across the lower bumper.   

The back layout, the Toyota C-HR 1.8L gets edgy and sporty curves for the overall design. It’s paired with a sleek roof edge spoiler and a fin-like antenna at the top. It has an upswept style rear that is designed with a minimalist ducktail-like spoiler middle hatch. The rear bumper is fitted with large black cladding material that has a diffuser-like essence and it also gets silver trim detailing across the lower bumper with a racing brake light integrated into the middle. 

It gets a pair of sporty, sharp and slim angular-shaped wraparound headlamps that come with Bi-halogen projector units and LED Daytime Running Lights. The pointed and striking design gives the front a more focused and athletic look.

At the back, the tail lamps get LED combination units. The large wraparound V-shaped tail lamps have a design that compliments the edgy and fierce design that the rear layout is portraying. The sharp and angularly shaped style has a very commanding presence at the back.  

The side mirrors are power adjusted and power folded with turn signals and puddle lamps.

The Toyota C-HR 1.8L is equipped with 17-inch silver and black shaded, 5 twin-spoke design alloy rims with 215/60 Dunlop Enasave EC300+ tyres.

The dashboard design is modern and practical. It features a multi-layer wraparound design, angled towards the driver, which incorporates soft padding materials and finished in silver ornament with a touch of piano black as a detailing finish. The material quality is high, with a mixture of soft-touch and hard plastic that gives an overall premium feel.

The Toyota C-HR 1.8L gets an Optitron, 4.2-inch color Multi-Information Display (MID) instrument cluster. 

The seats are finished in a black shade of full leather upholstery. It gets a powered adjustable driver’s seat with 2 way power lumbar support and a manual adjustable function for the front passenger seat. 

The Toyota C-HR 1.8L offers plenty of head, shoulder and legroom thus front and rear occupants get ample space. The space is very generous overall even in the back, considering the slanted coupe-like roof design. 

It has fairly equipped storage areas including medium sized door pockets, side door armrest pocket, a couple of storage areas in the center console including a cavern storage space in the center console armrest and a decent-sized glove box.

There are 2 cup holders located in the front center console, as for bottle holders it gets 4 with one located in each side door panel. 

The Toyota C-HR 1.8L gets one 12-volt power socket which is located in the front center console and 2 USB ports also located in the front. 

With 377-litres of boot space it is able to fit up to 2 medium suitcases and also 2 pet carriers at the same time with ease. 

The Toyota C-HR 1.8L features Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRC), Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC), Auto Cruise Control (ACC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA).

Passive safety includes 7 airbags which includes front, side, curtain and driver’s knee, seat belt anchors, reminders and pre-tensioners, front and rear parking sensors, reverse parking camera, ISOFIX, front impact beams, side impact beams, electronic parking brake with automatic brake hold, tyre pressure monitoring system and security alarm with immobilizer.

Three drive modes available – Eco, Normal and Sport.

The Toyota C-HR 1.8L features a 6.75-inch Capacitive touchscreen infotainment system. It supports Wi-Fi, voice recognition, Hands Free Telephone Function (HFT), Bluetooth and AUX connectivity and is paired with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The 2ZR-FBE 1.8-litre, naturally-aspirated, 4-cylinder 16-valve, DOHC with Dual VVT-i petrol engine produces 140 PS of max power at 6,400 rpm and 171 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. 

The Toyota C-HR 1.8L gets a 7-speed CVT automatic with Sequential Shiftmatic manual mode transmission.

Power is sent to the front wheels.

The Toyota C-HR 1.8L can go from 0-100 kph in 12.3 seconds and hit a top speed of 183 km/h. 

The fuel tank capacity is 50-litres and it is capable of delivering a combined fuel consumption figure of 7.7-litres for every 100 km.

It has smart keyless entry with engine push-button start, remote powered boot operation, dual-zone automatic climate control, multi-function steering wheel, steering tilt and telescopic functions, powered driver’s seat with 2-way lumbar support, rear view camera with front and rear parking sensors, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, portable tyre pump, auto headlights and rain sensing wipers function.

It is spacious and the ride quality is good. The Toyota C-HR 1.8L soaks bump effortlessly, gliding through the road in grace. The rear seats are comfortable even with the low roof-line and handling is more stable, agile and sturdy. Overall it is comfortable and wonderfully smooth to drive.

The Toyota C-HR 1.8L has good sound insulation. It has a noise level of 68 dB at 110 kph. The cabin is able to suppress wind, road and tyre noises well and make them barely noticeable.