Rakishly Styled Toyota C-HR Nightshade… Scores With Fuel Economy

Several years ago when most American auto brands were scrambling to eliminate slow selling sedans and small cars, the comment of a Toyota exec at their NY Auto Show display about the withering march of SUVs and Trucks, proved to be prescient.

Fishing for a compelling quote I both commended and questioned Toyota’s rock solid “full line” strategy offering small cars, sedans, mini-vans, SUVs and trucks, when only the latter two were standout sellers. The exec smiled cautiously to avoid talking out both sides of his mouth and said “The volatility of fuel prices is always a factor.”

Today the aggressively styled 2021 Toyota C-HR $24,000 sub-compact hatchback SUV crossover, introduced in 2017 in the midst of a steady run of low fuel prices, may be in for a more auspicious sales reception.

With US fuel prices in the $3 and $4 range, and the orgy of big SUV and pickup truck sales in the last several, the fun-to-drive 144 horsepower 2 L 4 cylinder Toyota C-HR Nightshade is worth a look for comprehensive standard amenity, performance and tech features and of course impressive 27 city / 31 highway EPA mileage stats.