The ongoing Toyota C-HR preview finally made its way to 1 Utama Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya starting from 6 September until 10 September. The C-segment compact SUV that will take on the likes of Honda HR-V and Mazda CX-3 will make its official unveiling to the Malaysian market in February 2018, as informed by one of the exhibitor on site.
Let's start with a disclaimer. The car you see here is not a full representative of the spec Malaysian market will receive. This is instead an Australian model. A quick chat with an exhibitor on why the Australian model was chosen for preview in lieu of the Malaysian model revealed that there's no difference in exterior design language between Malaysian and Australian model. In other words, what you see from the outside is what you get. The difference, according to the exhibitor I had a word with, lies on the interior fit and finish.
Technically, question marks are still floating around on what the actual spec Malaysian customers will get. The preview model seen here is equipped with Toyota Safety Sense suite of safety features which include Pre-Collision Safety, Active Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning and Automatic High Beam. Whether these features will see the daylight in Malaysian model is anyone's guess.
On to the interior side of things, we can see dual automatic climate control, fabric seat and multi-function steering wheel, but as always, it's anyone's guess if these features will appear when the compact 'Coupe-High Riding' SUV makes its premiere in the Malaysian market. According to the exhibitor I struck up the conversation with, the interior fit and finish might be subjected to change, so take the information with a pinch of salt.
While the Malaysian C-HR remains shroud in mystery, the only bit that has been confirmed to make it to 'Boleh' land is the oily stuff. The preview model carries an 8NR-FTS 1.2 litre turbocharged four cylinder mill paired to a CVT transmission. The Malaysian model will instead be motivated by a 1.8 litre naturally aspirated Dual VVT-i petrol (JPJ wants to make more money??) also mated to the CVT transmission with sequential shifter.
Details are still largely scarce though, including retail price and whether or not a hybrid model (either in CBU or CKD form) will be introduced to the Malaysian market in the near future.
What do you think of Toyota's HR-V and CX-3 fighter? Will it win the hearts of Malaysian consumers enough to steer them away from Honda and Mazda's compact high-riding people carrier? More importantly, how much do you think the asking price should be? Do leave your comment below.
