Toyota C-HR 2021 review: Koba AWD off-road test

The Toyota C-HR Koba turbo petrol in all-wheel drive form has a Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $36,690. Our hornet yellow test vehicle has the two-tone exterior (read: black roof, costing $450), so total MSRP ends up as $37,140.

As standard it has LED headlights, an 8.0-inch colour touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, reversing camera, panoramic-view monitor, active cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure alert, lane-keep assist, trailer-sway control, and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

As standard it has an 8.0-inch colour touchscreen display. (image: Marcus Craft)

It's sort of practical.

Because this is a small SUV that leans much more towards style than practicality, it follows that its interior is – if I'm being polite – snug; if I'm not being polite: it's smothering.

But it is a premium space and looks good with a plethora of nice touches such as grippy textured surfaces here and there, as well as patterned material on the inside of the doors. There are soft-touch surfaces around the cabin, leather accents with stitching, two-tone colours, gloss piano-black sections, and that tablet-style touchscreen. It's all very nice and impressive but it's a squeezy cabin. (More about that a few paragraphs below.)

It’s all very nice and impressive but it's a squeezy cabin. (image: Marcus Craft)

Up front, in terms of storage, there is a shallow glove box, small door pockets, cup-holders, plus small trays for your everyday carry gear. The centre console is narrow but at least its lid looks cool.

There's only one USB charging point, almost entirely hidden from view, and a 12V socket.

The cabin feels rather squeezy for passengers, especially those in the back seat. But those back-row seats are comfortable, with adequate all-round room. However it is a spartan space back here: there is a cup-holder in each door arm-rest, but there are no air vents, no USB ports, no fold-down arm-rest Wirth cupholders, no grab handles... you get the idea.

The cabin feels rather squeezy for passengers, especially those in the back seat. (image: Marcus Craft)

My kids sat in the back row on a few trips and complained that the rear windows were too high and too small – they're correct, as always.

The second row is a 60/40 split fold set-up and fold down.

It feels squeezy everywhere in the C-HR, but in the boot: cargo capacity back there is listed as 318 litres.

The area has a cargo cover and tie-down points.

Overall, the Koba's fit and finish look and feel right up there with its rivals at this price-point.

Choosing the all-wheel drive version of the Koba should be considered a decision in favour of being able to use more controlled traction at driving speeds in tricky conditions (i.e. heavy rain, snow etc) – so it'll be safer – rather than a decision that will yield performance gains in terms of general driving.

Anyway, the C-HR, any variant, should really only be used for very light off-roading* due to its low ground clearance (137mm off the dirt), 18-inch wheel-and-road-tyre combination, and ordinary wheel travel. Besides. it's not intended for use as anything other than a light-duty AWD. (By "very light off-roading" I mean driving on well-maintained gravel roads and dirt tracks in dry conditions.)

Also, I'd certainly avoid driving the C-HR on any sand, other than very firm-packed sand – and even then I'd probably only do it if I had no other choice.

The C-HR looks nice, feels classy and well put-together. (image: Marcus Craft)

Having said that, it is a stable and surefooted drive on loose, imperfect terrain.

Because it's more stylish than practical, packing space is limited, so its viability as a touring vehicle is rather limited, unless you're looking at it as a weekend camping SUV for two people.

The Koba's braked towing capacity is listed as 600kg.

It has a space-saver spare tyre, hidden under-floor in the rear cargo area.

The interior is a premium space and looks good with a plethora of nice touches such as grippy textured surfaces. (image: Marcus Craft)

The C-HR has a five-star ANCAP rating from testing in 2017.

Safety gear includes seven airbags, AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking), Toyota Safety Sense (with lane departure alert, automatic high beam, all-speed active cruise control and more), as well as blind spot monitor, rear cross traffic alert, reversing camera, lane-keep assist, trailer-sway control, and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, and front and rear parking sensors.