There is such a Toyota car, it is synonymous with personality, but after the honeymoon period, the presence of this car seems to be somewhat unsatisfactory. The average sales of a few thousand units per month does make it a big gap with the big brothers in the family, but I believe that the addition of hybrid models will make it change the current dilemma.
The model we are going to test drive today is gac Toyota C-HR dual engine version, when C-HR was just introduced in China, I was very much looking forward to this hybrid system, but unfortunately Toyota only launched a fuel version of the model at that time. The C-HR, which was originally introduced in China, was not equipped with a hybrid system, but it also successfully conquered me with its stunning appearance, excellent chassis texture and safety. Last year, the new model was also added to the hybrid version of the model, so today we will get up to feel how the C-HR dual engine performs as a complete body.
Appearance is the killer
GAC Toyota's new C-HR dual engine has not changed significantly compared with the old model in terms of design. But with its bold and avant-garde design, even in today's era of youthful supremacy, there is no sense of violation, and even you will feel that it was born for this era.
Even if the front face design is not too much adjusted, it still has a strong visual impact compared with the same level of models. The main changes of the new car are the lower intake grille and the fog light position, the lower intake grille has been blackened, and the tail lights on both sides have also been adjusted to the upper part of the side air intake, thus further enhancing the sense of movement of the whole vehicle.
The body side shape has not been adjusted too much, but it still retains a very smooth line. In terms of body size, the new car has a length, width and height of 4390/1795/1565mm, and a wheelbase of 2640mm. And this concave and convex shaped surface design, even after many years, can make your eyes shine.
The rear design of the vehicle can be said to be a combination of sport and elegance, through the concave and convex shape design, so that the tail shape is more in line with the taste of young people. In addition, the rear is equipped with aerodynamic twin tail wings, including a skeleton roof spoiler, which helps to optimize aerodynamic performance while increasing the visual tension of the tail.
The interior wins over the texture
Interior design, the new car is still a continuation of the style of the old model, but in the center console to add a penetrating blue decorative strip. If this interior had a strong sense of technology a few years ago, it can only be a decent performance now. But its interior texture is outstanding, including the leather feel, black piano paint and quilting process, which make it more advanced than its peers.
The three-spoke multi-function steering wheel feels very delicate, and the physical multi-function button design is relatively large, so it has better convenience to operate. Some of the new cars on the dashboard have also been equipped with 7-inch meters, and the tachometer on the fuel version of the model has also been changed to an energy display, but there is still some room for improvement compared with the current mainstream models.
There is also a wealth of storage space in the front and rear rows of the car, which can be neatly arranged regardless of the size of the object, ensuring that the interior space is as clean as new. And the trunk space is not a big problem for daily travel, because the rear seat support ratio is put down, to a certain extent to improve the practicality of the space, but due to the design reasons, the trunk platform is high, and it will be more difficult to lift heavy objects.
Make up for the power shortage
In the power part, GAC Toyota C-HR dual engine is equipped with a 2.0L hybrid system, and this is also the first time that Toyota has introduced the TNGA 2.0L hybrid engine into China, from this point of view, the importance of the new C-HR dual engine is self-evident. The total maximum output of the whole system is 135 kW, of which the maximum power of the 2.0L naturally aspirated engine is 107 kW, the maximum torque can reach 188 N·m, due to the use of the most advanced engine technology, the compression ratio of this engine is as high as 14:1, the thermal efficiency reaches 41%, with high reliability and strong power output performance.
In actual driving, the new car has significantly improved in the power part, and the power performance is very brisk. The first is that the power response and power reserve are better than the fuel version of the model, and it can be said that the C-HR equipped with this hybrid system is complete. The addition of an electric motor in the initial stage will make it have a better power response than the fuel version. The rear section also has a relatively sufficient power reserve, even if you step on the accelerator at high speed, the engine can bring a certain sense of acceleration. Secondly, this E-CVT gearbox is very smooth in the acceleration process, and this tuning will also bring a better sense of premium to the whole vehicle.
In addition, the new car also offers ECO, NORMAL, SPORT three driving modes, in the sport mode, because the system enhances the acceleration response to the accelerator pedal operation, while the desired gear range can be manually selected, so the power response becomes more active and fast, which can also make the car have a more sporty dynamic performance.
In addition to the improvement of power, the chassis performance and NVH performance of this new C-HR have also improved, and in terms of chassis, C-HR is the first TNGA architecture model to be introduced in China, and the handling performance has refreshed my understanding of Toyota. The suspension of the front McPherson and rear multi-link makes its chassis texture more heavy, whether it is in the face of fine vibrations or large bumps, it is very calm, so this is also the reason why this car has a sense of high-end driving.
Finally, the NVH performance of this car, because the starting and low speed stage of this car uses motor drive, so at this time can not feel the engine vibration at all, and the wind noise suppression within the speed limit is also excellent, there is no obvious wind noise within 120km/h into the car, the overall performance is better than the same level of models.
Write at the end
Toyota C-HR has always been a car I am looking forward to, whether it is from the appearance or driving level, it can be said to be the best in the same class of models, and this hybrid version of the model is undoubtedly more competitive. Although its cost performance may not be high, and the rear view is more general, it has to be admitted that it will make a person who likes to drive like it from the bottom of his heart. So the Toyota C-HR is a personality car that pursues a sense of quality, and if you are a person who pursues refinement, then it must be your "best choice".