Featured Toyota Debuts Stylish, Powerful 2026 C-HR Battery Electric Vehicle

Crickets - see post #14

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if they added liquid cooling, it would probably be a hundred grande

 

... and those huge (distracting) expensive multimedia displays that are consistently out of date (because Toyota wants too much for the map update). I don't want to run into a bus load of kids because I'm trying to go from yesterday's heater settings to today's AC settings (where I select the climate screen, change the HVAC mode,..)

 

There's one rea$on the auto manufacturers are trying to convince everyone touchscreen-for-damn-near-everything is the way to to.

 

The CHR is more like an old matrix, so kind of in between the SUV and the Prius.

I've parked my 24 prius next to a 21/22 era CHR here in Canada. Its a smidge longer, and a smidge lower roofline, but I wouldn't say the CHR is close to, for example, a rav4.

It's still, in the grand scheme of things kinda small, and still a hatchback. And it doesn't have tons more ground clearance, so I think its about as small as we're gonna get. Tesla seems to be the only EV maker with an actual sedan in NA.

 

Starting with a crossover or SUV chassis gives more space for batteries. It's why the Bolt was based on the Trax, and not the Sonic like the original prototypes.

How could you forget the lovely Ioniq 6?

 

You're right, the ioniq6 is a sedan I guess. It seems bigger in photos, you don't really see them here. I see the HI5 often.

 

I looked at an Ioniq 6 in Billings last December.It's a brand new, top of the line 2023 model and is listed on Autotrader for $35K. I'd probably be putting in an offer if there were a Hyundai dealer within 100 miles, but it's more like 300 miles, both to the north and to the south.

 

Here I thought someone would be talking about how all the newly announced Toyota and Lexus BEVs like this C-HR are now going to the North American Charging Standard (NACS) - SAE J3400 (AKA Tesla) and how they'll have to change out their J1772 charging connectors or get an adapter.

 

I have a prius prime, so no matter what EV I get moving forward, I'll need an adapter one way or the other. That's what happens when an actual standard is chosen. In our case, its the NACS. Same thing happened when we all moved from old ipod to the lightning connection, and when phones went from USB micro to USB C.

This happens, and its okay. A minor inconvenience, at the end of the day honestly. At home we only use a wall plug cable right now, and we had planned to eventually get a 2 cable load balancing L2 Charger (that can share charge or charge 1 then the other when the first is full). Leaving an adapter permanently on one of two cables in the latter example, isn't so bad honestly.

 

We saved all our J plug to Tesla adapters when we sold our tesla's. So the only the one we dumped was chademo to Tesla adapter. Just as time since - that sucker now is way out of Vogue

 

Many do, but definitely not all.
For me, better than dials and knobs are well implemented voice controls. Most EVs have that.

The C-HR checks a lot of boxes for me. I’ll have to take a look when it is available.

As for sedans, I hear that the Polestar 7 is expected in 2027.
It is supposed to be a small car (maybe a hatch?).
I’m a big fan of small cars, but there is a severe lack of them in the US market.

 

I hear you! At times I feel forced to drive SUV's the kind of vehicle that makes zero sense to me.

But the great majority of people don't understand how aerodynamics affect efficiency, and car manufacturers aren't going to educate their potential buyers on the subject because they can generally charge more for something that looks like an SUV than for a sedan. It also seems that most people have lost their interest in fuel (or electric) efficiency too. And the ones who determine the car landscape are the rich, those that make about double the median wage or more since they are the ones who tend to buy new cars.

So the SUV, crossover and pickup are the most popular vehicle designs in this day and age. Who knows when that will change, but probably not for a while. And when it does, who knows which way it will go.

 

I'm pretty sure that's not a big reason. The bigger reason is the fact that I mentioned above. More bigger means more money. So whatever manufacturers can do to convince people to buy as big as possible is their goal.

 

They are not mutually exclusive.
A larger chassis does give more room for a larger, easier to maintain battery pack.
And, manufacturers have been favoring larger vehicles for decades. That goes for BEV, PHEV & ICE.

The two factors blend nicely for the manufacturers.
Not so well for us small cars lovers

 

Apparently the youngsters here don't remember the olds 88, GMs 58 Eldorado & Impalas, the 60s Galaxy 500, Lincoln Continentals etc

Giant sized vehicle started after the end of the Korean war. We were a washed in Surplus gasoline & considered such a thing as smog devices, until the invention of the crank crankcase ventilation/recirculation which stopped oily engine blow by from dumping on the streets..

 

Oh sure, there were lots of boats. But there were also a lot more small cars than are now available.
When the regulations for fuel efficiency ignored ‘pickup trucks’ is when, in my mind, the explosion in sales of truck based SUVs took off.

 

Most CUVs have shorter wheelbases than their sedan cousins. The battery height can take up more room vertically, which CUVs and SUVs have more of.

And apparently the older ones don't remember the effect the VW Beetle first had on the younger generation of the time. Instead of vehicles being exclusive to well-off, older adults, more people could own a car, as well as the freedom that came with it. I'm not saying that Woodstock was a good or bad thing, but it and similar liberties wouldn't have ever existed without small cheap cars.

I'd say both big and small vehicles have a place. Being limited to just one or the other doesn't fit everyone's lifestyle, wants, dreams, needs, etc. At work I drive huge trucks with 18 speed manual transmissions. I couldn't imagine a world without them. But that doesn't mean I want one for a grocery-getter.

I often feel a bit of jealousy of other countries. Just crossing the boarder into Mexico and there are brand new Honda Citys, Mazda 2s and Toyota Yarises, including the GR Yaris. Other than the GR Yaris, most of these other cars start at or even under $16k USD (about $300,000 Mexican Pesos for a Mazda 2 or Toyota Yaris).

Looking at Hondas, Mazdas and Toyotas for around $16k within 200 miles of my home shows either cars that have been in a major accident with a salvage title, sometimes still undriveable, or something with 150k miles or more.

If I needed a car right now, I'd be hard pressed not to get a brand new Nissan Versa with a stick shift. But this is the last year for the Versa, so if I needed a car next year, I guess I'd have a lot of fretting to do trying to get something reliable and economical.

And this doesn't even address how hard it is getting economically for use younger folk. When my take-home pay after insurance and retirement is at or sometimes less than $3,000, and rent for a small apartment is $2,000, how am I supposed to be able to afford a land-yatch and food for not just me but also my kids?

I mean, if you're going to suggest that we 50-year-old youngsters are looking at the wrong vehicle, then what on earth are we supposed to choose? My limit is $10,000 for a car that gets 40 mpg or better and holds 4 people or more. Or it needs to be cheaper to compensate for fuel mileage. And stuff that makes the insurance and maintenance costs go up, like AWD, are kind of a turn off for me.

That was one reason. Trucks are more profitable. They are cheaper to make because they don't have to meet the same safety and fuel consumption standards as smaller vehicles, yet they can be sold for a lot more.

Add to that the COVID pandemic that showed those who buy new cars are willing to pay anything if that's their only choice.

 

people buy what they want to buy. there are plenty of camry's and corolla's on the road. sure, marketing has an influence, but a lot of people need/want large vehicles.
most people don't think about efficiency until gas prices spike, and then it's short lived.
i myself drive an ev that costs more per mile than our hycam, at current gas prices.

 

People that have enough money buy what they want to buy.

I'd love to buy something with a stick shift, but I cannot due to finances and limited supply.