2024 Toyota C-HR Is Basically A Prius Crossover That We Can't Have

Photo: Toyota

The original Toyota C-HR wasn’t exactly a car we mourned when we heard it had been canceled. It wasn’t all bad, but it sure was slow, and a lot of the people who bought one anyway ended up regretting it. Not that a lot of people bought one. Both the Honda HR-V and the Hyundai Kona were significantly more popular with subcompact crossover buyers. But the 2024 Toyota C-HR looks like a much more desirable car. Unfortunately for us, Toyota has already said it won’t be coming to the U.S.

The New Prius Looks Way Better Than it Needed To

Looking at the photos, it’s clear the new C-HR’s design was heavily influenced by the recently redesigned Prius. Maybe just think of it as a Prius crossover that we’re banned from driving. It’s not quite as good-looking as the Prius, and the two-tone paint sure is a choice, but just based on photos alone, the new C-HR looks like a much more desirable car than the one it replaces. It’s also more adventurous than the Corolla Cross we get instead.

Photo: Toyota

Inside, you get a pretty straightforward Toyota interior with a 12.3-inch driver display and either an 8.0-inch or 12.3-inch horizontal infotainment screen. It also supports wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and the latest version of Toyota’s suite of driver-assistance and safety tech features comes standard. There are also a bunch of ambient lighting colors to choose from. Normally, that’s not exactly a useful feature, but the C-HR will turn the lights red to warn you if you’re about to open your door into a passing car or cyclist.

Under the hood, the C-HR has gone hybrid-only, further reinforcing the Prius comparisons. The base powertrain is a 1.8-liter hybrid, although there’s an optional 2.0-liter hybrid that can be paired with optional all-wheel drive. A 2.0-liter plug-in hybrid sits at the top of the range. The press release didn’t include power information, but Motor1 reports the base powertrain makes 140 horsepower, the 2.0-liter makes 198 hp and the plug-in makes 223 hp. The PHEV also reportedly has a 41-mile range. If it was sold here, the EPA would probably rate it closer to 35 miles, but that doesn’t really matter since, as we’ve mentioned before, Toyota won’t give the U.S. the opportunity to buy the new C-HR.

Photo: Toyota

Is it really the end of the world that we don’t get another subcompact crossover? Not really. If we had the ability to bring over some forbidden fruit, we’d definitely pick something more exciting such as the BMW M3 Touring. But compared to the Corolla Cross, the new C-HR looks so much more interesting. So we’re not going to pretend we’re not a tiny bit bummed that Toyota has no interest in letting us drive it.

Photo: Toyota