I’ve always viewed the Toyota C-HR as a terrific car with a problem, a problem that needs a little bit of context. It’s clearly and squarely aimed at young people. Also aimed at young people, at the very least to generate interest in Toyota, is the GR brand.

These badges are on the rumps of the excellent Supra, the forthcoming 86 replacement, the GR86, a few race cars that win little-known races like, say, the Le Mans 24 Hours and the three-cylinder screamer that is the Yaris GR.

The problem with all this youth focus is that I don’t see many young people in Toyota C-HRs. To me, they appear to be bought predominantly by the people who bought the Rukus, itself aimed at yoofs and instead bought by Toyota adherents who are rather older than Toyota might hope.

I mean, a sale is a sale and the C-HR does alright thanks very much, but as cool as it looks, young folks aren’t exactly treading on each other to buy them. It’s a problem all car companies face as young people have a lot more things competing for their meagre incomes. And they all know how powerful that first car brand imprint is. My first car was a Honda and I still like Hondas, despite, well, you know.

When it first arrived, the C-HR had a deeply ordinary media system, a high-tech but slow choice of either a 1.2-litre turbo or (later) the hybrid engines and it wasn’t nearly as exciting as it looked. Never a company to give up easily, Toyota is having one more go to attract a younger audience by making a very genuine attempt to make the C-HR cool. And the C-HR GR Sport is what we’ve got. The GR badge promises excitement. With a hybrid badge on the boot. Hmmm.

Pricing and Features

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At its core, the GR Sport is based on the now entry-level GXL 1.2-litre turbo that starts at $30,915 before on-road costs. That means you get a six-speaker stereo, dual-zone climate control, reversing camera, keyless entry and start, front and rear parking sensors, active cruise control, sat-nav, LED headlights (upgraded to “high grade” for the GR Sport), fake leather on the steering wheel, shifter and seats, power windows and mirrors, reverse cross-traffic alert and a space-saver spare.

The 8.0-inch touchscreen is better than it used to be but it’s still well below par for a company the size and weight of Toyota. It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but the hardware is very ho-hum, with a stretched, washed-out look and a bitty sat-nav display that partly redeems itself with a clever breadcrumbs feature, meaning that when I got lost I could retrace my steps.

So for a hefty jump to $37,665 + ORC, matching the price of the top-spec Koba hybrid, you get the hybrid engine (more of that later), a new Yaris GR-inspired front bumper that looks terrific, 19-inch alloys wrapped in Yokohama Advan Fleva tyres (not the low rolling resistance nonsense on the other cars), white brake calipers and a few GR badges inside and out. The GR Sport treatment also lowers and stiffens the car and, again, more on that later.

Only Hornet Yellow is a free colour, with Ink Graphite, Crystal Pearl and Feverish Red adding $500 to the cost. If you want a black roof, it’s $775 with the yellow and $1350 in combination with the other colours.

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Toyota is having one more go at attracting a younger audience and the C-HR GR Sport is what we’ve got. With a hybrid badge on the boot. Hmmm.

The C-HR comes with seven airbags (including a driver’s knee airbag), ABS, stability and traction controls, blind-spot monitoring, high- and low-speed auto emergency braking with pedestrian detection (day and night) and cyclists (day only), forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, lane trace assist (this keeps the car in the centre of the lane with gentle steering help), speed sign recognition (which can also change the cruise control speed if you want it to) and reverse cross-traffic alert.

A nice little addition is intersection assist, which tries to stop you from getting wiped out at junctions by traffic you haven’t seen.

The youngsters get three top tether anchors and two ISOFIX points. The C-HR scored five ANCAP stars in 2017. The rules have changed somewhat since then, however, and it’s unlikely it would keep that rating if tested again today due to some ANCAP vagaries.

Comfort and Space

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If you didn’t already know, C-HR stands for “Coupe – High Riding” which is, you know, a pretty terrible name. However, the interior space is definitely reminiscent of a coupe. While it does have the cabin volume of a compact SUV, the styling very much dictates how it feels inside.

At first, it does feel a bit strange to be sitting so high but the view out the front over the broad, stubby bonnet is good and the big side windows ensure it’s easy to place. It all sort of falls apart a bit, however, when you want to look over your shoulder. The pronounced upsweep of the window line shrinks the rear side glass, with a small, shallow opening section and a little quarter window. Basically, you can’t see much out of there and it’s the same for rear seat occupants.

If you are in the front, you have two cup holders separated by the shifter and function buttons for things like the handbrake and auto hold. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially as the GR Sport is only available as an automatic, so you won’t be knocking over your chocolate thick shake with your elbow when you’re shifting into second.

I really like this interior, with its elliptical motifs scattered around the place, most inventively in the headlining. It feels beautifully built and is one of the first Toyotas to rid itself of the common switchgear that hadn’t changed since (seemingly) the mid-90s.

The piano black of the console might try your patience if you don’t like dust or fingerprints and the screen’s housing and buttons do appear a little cheap, but that’s the only blip. Even the Toyota parts bin steering wheel is fine.

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The rear seat is quite dark because of the already-discussed window line and it does mean it’s hard for smaller kids to see out of, or even adults of my height at 180cm.

There is room, though, and it’s quiet and comfortable. Even though the doors looks small, it’s reasonably easy to get in and out of, although loading kids into baby seats might be more difficult. It’s actually easier to get into than a Corolla hatch, which has a tiny aperture.

A lack of rear central armrest means no cup holders in the middle so it’s a bit sparse back there, especially without rear air vents. Having said that, there’s a little surprise and delight feature when it comes to cup holders – they’re built into the door armrests and make a lot of sense.

The boot is an acceptable 318 litres and there’s no official figure for the space with the seats down, but I’d say it’s around 950 litres.

On the Road

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There was a collective intake of breath when we heard a C-HR GR was coming because the regular version is actually a good car to drive.

The 1.2-litre turbo fails to be exciting because it’s so slow, battling with breathless cars from a segment down. The base car’s chassis, though, is sweet and you know there’s plenty of scope for more power.

And, oh, yeah, did we get more power. Just not very much of it. It’s kind of baffling that Toyota didn’t go raiding its absurdly large portfolio of engines for something a little more appropriate.

We weren’t expecting a supercharged V6 or anything nuts, but a 90kW hybrid with a CVT – lacking even paddleshifters – doesn’t really fit with the R in GR. And certainly doesn’t supply any grrr. I mean, it’s slightly quicker than the 85kW turbo four, but that’s like saying Joe Biden is less smug than Donald Trump.

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The upside of the hybrid is the little electric jolt you get off the line, with the 1.8-litre dutifully kicking into life and the CVT tightening up so you can streak to 100km/h in, er, 11 seconds. The second upside of the hybrid is that even with me trying to extract as much as I could out of it, it drank abstemiously at the rate of just 5.5L/100km and unlike the turbo, it uses 91 octane. Look, you can’t argue with that.

I could complain about this for many more words, but speed has never been the point of the C-HR. It is what is. So now we turn to the chassis. Spring rates are up, anti-roll bars sturdier and the ride height is down by 15mm, making a mockery – a mockery I tell you – of the “high riding” bit of the name. Okay, not really, it’s still reasonably high. Instead of the mithering low rolling resistance Dunlops fitted to the standard cars, the 19-inch alloys wear more aggressively treaded Yokohama Advan Flevas, which are a middle specification sports tyre.

Having fun in the C-HR is all about the momentum you can maintain as you make your way along your favourite bit of road.

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These changes have certainly done the trick. Having fun in the C-HR is all about the momentum you can maintain as you make your way along your favourite bit of road. It hangs on for dear life where the standard car’s front tyres would squeal (entertainingly, it must be said) and wash into understeer.

The grip is much higher, mostly down to the tyres, but the improved body control and better steering feel mean you feel like you’re really pushing on. While the hybrid’s torque has well and truly fallen off by the time you’re really into it – and it’s never a fan of hills – you can get more physical with the GR and push it through the corners.

It’s just that it’s the wrong engine. I’d have cheerfully swapped for the potentially slower 1.2 turbo with paddleshifters or, better still, a six-speed manual to give me better command over the engine and just to have a bit more control.

In the daily suburban grind, the C-HR’s ride has lost none of its finesse, which is greatly cheering to me. That is one of the car’s great strengths; a cushy, quiet ride as you get around. Yes, it’s firmer, but the quality is still very high and even with the big wheels, it remains composed at all times. It’s quite impressive, really.

The hybrid is obviously more suited to urban errand-running than performance driving, so it will be entirely unintimidating for anyone who might just buy it to feel a bit racier than in the Koba.

Ownership

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Toyota offers a five-year warranty with unlimited kilometres and if you stick with Toyota’s servicing regime, the driveline cover goes out to seven years and the battery has a ten-year warranty. So far so good. What’s the catch?

Well at $200 for a service every 12 months or 15,000km, there doesn’t appear to be a catch. That’s an absolute bargain by any measure and I have no idea why nobody else can do it this cheaply. The C-HR itself is not massively more expensive than its rivals and none of them offer a complex hybrid powertrain.

VERDICT

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On the face of it, the C-HR GR is a puzzling car. It isn’t all show and no go – the tauter, grippier chassis is genuine substance in an already impressive package. The styling tweaks are subtle yet effective and the price isn’t bonkers, even though it could – and probably should – be lower with the turbo engine and the option of a manual.

The GR brand’s target market isn’t going to take a single bit of notice of this car. And that’s when it suddenly makes sense. It doesn’t matter that it’s not a hissing, spitting sports car and even if it was, the kids would stay away from it in droves.

While I can drone on about its performance not befitting the GR badge, that’s complete nonsense, like people whingeing about M Sport badges on a 118i. The GR Sport badge is about putting a smile on your face, a little bit of a halo effect and a car you know is different to Bev and Greg from number 22’s white GXL.

In the end, I guess, a sale’s a sale, whether it’s a Boomer or a Zoomer. The Zoomers have the GRs Yaris and Supra and 86 to dream about. I don’t mind that this car exists and it’s good that it exists and I am not going to get mad about it.

2021 Toyota C-HR GR Sport Specifications

Officials from the United Kingdom are in talks with Rivian to build a new factory on its shores, with a package of incentives offered to help sweeten the deal.

According to the Financial Times, Rivian is being lured to create a manufacturing base in the UK by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his government’s ministers, as the American electric carmaker looks to choose a European site.

If the proposed Rivian plant was to go ahead, it would all but guarantee a right-hand-drive production line of the company’s fully-electric R1T pick-up and R1S SUV – a crucial step in bringing the models to the Australian market.

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It’s understood Serbia and at least one other unnamed country are also angling to be the home of Rivian’s new factory, which is said to be worth more than £1 billion (AU$1.88bn).

Representatives from the UK Government have put together a deal which includes training facilities and a new freeway junction, along with reinstating an old railway from the proposed site in Somerset.

But while a British Rivian factory is promising for Australian new-car buyers, it’s unlikely the vehicles would arrive onto the local market before 2024.

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That timeline matches with a recent filing Rivian submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which stated the company intends on pursuing “Western European markets in the near-term, followed by entry into major Asian-Pacific markets”.

The Rivian R1T and R1S offer up to 650km of range from a single charge, with four electric motors delivering up to 550kW and 1124Nm, allowing for a claimed 0-100km/h time of around three seconds.

Since the company was listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange last month, the company has overtaken both General Motors and Ford to become the sixth highest-valued carmaker by market capitalisation, sitting behind Volkswagen and Daimler in fourth and fifth respectively.

Ford’s electrification strategy is unlikely to deviate from its preset path, despite a surge in demand for its electric vehicles in the United States.

The Blue Oval’s CEO Jim Farley has said the American manufacturer still has a sizeable market to cater for with its internal combustion engine-powered vehicles, something which is holding back the brand from going all-electric in its home market over the next decade.

In an interview with Automotive News, Farley told the publication Ford’s unique customer base made it tricky for it to accelerate its electrification strategy to come into play over the next decade, with a small portion of the market dictating what happens for the company as a whole.

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“We have a lot of rural customers at Ford that a lot of other brands don’t have,” said Farley.

“We have Super Duty customers who do heavy-duty towing: horse trailers, people in the energy business who are towing big-time loads over very long distances. It’s hard for me to imagine that all those customers will go electric in the next 10 years.

“They’re actually as interested in the technology as anyone, it’s just their use case is different than how we’ve designed the vehicles so far. It does feel, at least for Ford, the transition’s happening faster than we thought. But again, it’s the first inning of a maybe nine-inning game.”

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While U.S. President Joe Biden has been pushing for American manufacturers to agree on a 50 per cent production volume target for electric vehicles by 2030, Ford’s worldwide target remains at 40 per cent by the same year, in line with Farley’s prediction of rural customer adoption.

The reveal of the F-150 Lightning earlier this year has seen Ford receive just under 200,000 reservations for the electric pick-up in the United States, with production targets increased from 40,000 to 80,000 by 2025 thanks to an extra AU$1.173 billion in investment.

This added investment pales in comparison to the money Ford is spending on its ‘Blue Oval City’ manufacturing facility for electric pick-ups and batteries, with Ford and SK Innovation expecting to invest AU$15.7bn in the new facilities, opening in 2025 for the launch of the second-generation F-150 Lightning.

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In Australia, the local arm of Ford has been tight-lipped on its electrification strategy, telling WhichCar in October it plans to introduce five electrified vehicles by 2025 but wouldn’t specify whether they will be fully-electric or hybrids.

Out of the five vehicles set to come to Australia, the two confirmed so far are the fully-electric E-Transit van and the Escape plug-in hybrid, although it’s expected a hybrid variant of the new Ranger will also bolster the line-up before the 2025 cut-off date.

The European arm of Mazda has revealed its first ever self-charging hybrid vehicle, announcing the arrival of its Mazda 2 Hybrid.

Essentially a badge engineering effort in collaboration with Toyota, the model is a Yaris Hybrid with Mazda logos – even retaining the Toyota styling inside and out.

Just like the Yaris Hybrid, this variant of the Mazda 2 is powered by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine producing 69kW, and combining with a 59kW electric motor on the front axle to bring total system power to 87kW.

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As opposed to mild-hybrid models in Mazda’s range such as the Mazda 3 and CX-30, the system in the Mazda 2 Hybrid can run in fully-electric mode, automatically doing so at start-up and in urban areas, while the petrol engine can either act as a conventional source of drive or as a generator to the lithium-ion battery.

The hybrid system is designed with efficiency in mind, dividing power delivery between the internal combustion engine and electric motor to deliver fuel consumption ratings around 3.1-3.3L/100km, depending on whether the car is riding on the available 15- or 16-inch wheels.

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Mazda claims the hatchback’s 2560mm wheelbase and 3940mm overall length provides ample room for four adults, while the 286 litre boot can hold 16 litres more than the Australian-spec Yaris ZR Hybrid.

Retaining the Yaris Hybrid’s five-star Euro-NCAP safety rating, the carmaker will put the new hybrid model on sale next year alongside its revised, regular Mazda 2 line-up – despite both models featuring completely different styling.

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The inclusion of the new hybrid to Mazda’s range is a part of the Japanese manufacturer’s electric push, having announced earlier this year it is aiming for every model to be electrified in some form by 2030, with at least 25 per cent of those being fully-electric.

At the time of publication, Mazda Australia has not confirmed to Wheels whether we can expect the Yaris-based Mazda 2 Hybrid locally. But given the model was introduced to help the carmaker meet strict European emissions and fuel consumption laws, it’s unlikely we’ll see the vehicle any time soon.

The first Porsche designed specifically for a video game has been unveiled, with the debut of the brand’s Vision Gran Turismo concept.

After a long absence from the racing series, the brand signed up in 2017 with the release of Gran Turismo Sport, and now Porsche’s first-ever digital supercar is set to appear in Gran Turismo 7 – the eighth iteration of the main game.

The latest concept from the Porsche joins a number of concepts revealed in recent years by various manufacturers – such as Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Mazda and Hyundai – with the idea first brought to life in 2013’s Gran Turismo 6.

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Created purely for the virtual world, the Porsche Vision Gran Turismo is an all-electric racecar with mid-engined proportions, constructed to showcase a purist design for the German manufacturer.

Taking inspiration from the Taycan and Mission R Concept, the Vision Gran Turismo includes quad-LED headlights with integrated air intakes up front, and a thin light strip at the rear – as seen across the majority of the current Porsche line-up. It also has a wide track, with pronounced fenders that rise over the low bonnet and a set of bulky wheels.

The body structure is said to consist of a mixture of carbon and titanium materials, helping to reduce the weight burden associated with EV batteries and motors in order to increase performance.

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Although exclusive to the digital realms, Porsche says the interior of the concept car is entirely made from vegan materials. There is also a curved hologram display tailored for driver information, positioned to look as if it is floating above the racing steering wheel.

Porsche hasn’t released any powertrain details for the Vision Gran Turismo, apart from the confirmation of full-electric power. However, a dual-motor setup with a two-speed transmission mounted on the rear axle is likely to feature underneath the low-slung body of the concept, just like the Taycan.

No specific information surrounding in-game availability has been released, but fans of Gran Turismo 7 will likely be able to race the concept car on March 4, 2022, with the racer featured on the cover of the PlayStation-only game – alongside the Mazda RX-Vision GT3 Concept.

The 2023 Genesis GV80 Coupe could be close to becoming a reality, with what appears to be a scale model of the vehicle appearing in the background of a video.

The eagle-eyed folks over at The Korean Car Blog spotted the GV80 Coupe on the far right of a shelf during an interview with the Genesis design team, along with what could be a GV90 hidden on the lowest level.

Rumours of the GV80 Coupe emerged out of South Korea in February, with the model expected to be a competitor to the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe.

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While Hyundai has had its sights on displacing Toyota – with performance arm Hyundai N going after the likes of Volkswagen and BMW – the company’s luxury brand Genesis has been looking to break up the party held by BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

According to Korean website Naver, Genesis is planning to launch an all-electric large SUV named the GV90 in 2023, likely developed alongside the Hyundai Ioniq 7 and Kia EV9.

The 2023 Genesis GV90 would be an alternative to the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, which is expected to be unveiled in early 2022 before a launch late in the year.

Mazda has recalled a total of 90,363 vehicles built between 2017 and 2019 due to a potentially faulty fuel pump impeller.

The recall includes the Mazda 2 (DJ/DL), Mazda 3 (BN), Mazda 6 (GL), CX-3 (DK), CX-5 (KF), CX-9 (TC), and MX-5 (ND).

According to a recall notice published by the Department of Infrastructure, the impeller fitted in the low-pressure fuel pump used across all seven models “may become deformed and cause [it] to stop working,” resulting in a vehicle stalling.

Mazda will contact affected owners, but the company can be contacted directly by calling 1800 034 411 or visiting a dealership, found here.

You can check a list of all 90,363 VINs related to the recall by clicking here.

The Mitsubishi Mirage will be removed from the company’s Australian line-up, following the introduction of new safety rules.

Mitsubishi has confirmed to Wheels the Mirage will end its run when the final batch of vehicles is depleted, though it’s expected supply will last for months to come.

As reported by sister publication MOTOR in September, the Mirage fails to meet the latest side-impact laws, introduced in November under the Australian Design Rules.

While the new ADR 85 law was first introduced in 2015, manufacturers had until last month to update older models. However, vehicles manufactured prior to the November 1 date can continue to be sold, according to the Department of Infrastructure.

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As Australia’s cheapest new car at $14,990 before on-road costs in ES trim, the Mirage is one of a number of notable vehicles to fall victim to ADR 85. Lexus removed its CT, RC, and IS models from sale, while the Alpine A110 and Nissan R35 GT-R were also axed.

Since 2017, overseas rumours have suggested the next-generation Mitsubishi Mirage would be based on the Renault Clio, as part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, which allows the three carmakers to share platforms.

Introduced in 2019, the latest Renault Clio is based on the CMF-B architecture, which also underpins the Nissan Juke. But while the Clio is no longer available locally (for commercial reasons), Nissan continues to offer the Juke in Australia in compliance with ADR 85.

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If you’re in the market for a budget-focused new car, the departure of the Mirage leaves the Kia Picanto S manual as the cheapest factory-fresh car available in Australia, starting at $15,690 before on-road costs. You can check out our reviews of the South Korean city car here.

Other sub-$20,000 new vehicles include the MG MG3 Core automatic ($17,990 drive-away), the Suzuki Baleno GL manual ($18,490 before on-road costs), Fiat’s 500 Lounge manual ($18,950 before on-road costs) and Kia’s second entry, the Rio S manual ($19,090 before on-road costs).

The 2022 Nissan Z is edging closer to its arrival, but Nismo has just shown off one of the first racing variants – designed especially to tackle the iconic Japanese Super GT Series next year.

Nissan and its motorsport arm Nismo have unveiled the new Z GT500 – complete with a wide body-kit, large goose-neck rear wing and finished in dark grey with a large black ‘Z’ design forming the livery.

The new Z will replace the R35 GT-R in the Super GT Series, which took over from a V8-powered 350Z back in 2008 – a 13-year run in the category.

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The Nissan Z will be the newcomer on the scene, having to race against the Toyota Supra and Honda NSX, which have been competing since 2020 and 2017 respectively.

Since 2014, all GT500 vehicles in Super GT have been restricted to a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine and six-speed sequential gearbox, with a total output of 485kW.

When the road-going 2023 Nissan Z does arrive in the middle of next year, it will use a 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 producing 298kW and 475Nm, with either a six-speed manual or an optional nine-speed torque-converter automatic transmission.

UPDATE, December 6: Adding to concerns surrounding an autonomous emergency braking system software fault, Subaru is recalling 3769 units of the 2020-2021 Outback over a separate issue.

The latest recall is due to concerns with the software logic within the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system, which may cause the vehicle’s post-collision brake function to not operate as intended.

If this occurs, the brakes could fail to automatically apply after an incident – potentially resulting in a secondary vehicle collision.

The original recall notice with a full list of affected VINs can be found here.

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The story to here

December 1: Subaru Australia has recalled 5402 examples of its 2020-2021 Outback all-terrain wagon due to concerns with the software for its ‘EyeSight’ autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system.

The issue is isolated to the current sixth-generation Outback that went on sale in early 2021, marketed as a model-year 2021 vehicle.

According to the recall notice published by the Department for Infrastructure, a software issue within the EyeSight system could lead to an unexpected activation of the vehicle’s autonomous emergency braking feature.

The issue could result in a vehicle accident, with the risk of injury or death to occupants and/or other road users.

Subaru says it will contact affected owners, and will rectify the issue via a software update free of charge at a dealership.

The company can be contacted directly by calling 1800 226 643 or by visiting a dealership, found here.

A VIN list for the affected vehicles can be found here.