Talking further on Toyota’s compact SUV the CH-R – CH-R standing for compact high rider – its radical in style yet in many ways very appealing, its edgy styling best in lighter colours – a compact SUV positioned at the premium end of the segment, importantly with a five–star crash safety rating. The base Toyota CH-R front driver starts at $26,990, 28,990 in auto, in all-wheel- drive auto $30,990. All Models come with active cruise control, lane departure warning, pre-collision warning and autonomous emergency braking, a reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, seven airbags and hill start assist. Higher grade automatic Koba variants in front and all-wheel- drive introduce some nice luxury touches like full leather trim heated front seats, 1-inch large alloys, keyless entry and start and LED headlights and taillights. My choice would be the front drive auto Koba at $33,290, a very complete compact SUV. All CH-R models are powered by a 1.2-litre turbo four-cylinder, it’s no fire breather but very refined. What surprises with this compact Toyota SUV is the refined ride level. All CH-R models offer two drive modes in addition to normal, favouring fuel economy in Eco and performance in Sport mode. Yes the styling’s divisive but my family loved it – in yellow stunning and vibrant. Some vehicles are just pleasant drivers and the Toyota CH-R is one, effortless to drive and very satisfying. I’m David Berthon

2017 Toyota C-HR Koba with optional black roof

Download this podcast here