Toyota C-HR. A Car That Doesn't Follow the Crowd.

2 Nisan 2017 Pazar

Toyota C-HR. A Car That Doesn't Follow the Crowd.

Toyota C-HR. Crossfit Skylight, Istanbul/Turkey.

Toyota C-HR was my test drive last weekend and we put C-HR inside a CrossFit box for the photo shoot. Yes, you read it correct. We didn't put the car in front of the building, but literally inside. :) The process of getting C-HR inside the building was another story to tell, but let me explain the idea behind photo shooting inside Crossfit Skylight this time. But first, let's talk about C-HR and its purpose of living.

What is C-HR's Purpose of Living?

C-HR was designed in Europe with young European people in mind and it certainly is a critical product to the company's future financial performance. It will help Toyota attract younger buyers and this will eventually make the brand younger, more profitable and more sustainable in a business sense. Mercedes-Benz did this with A/B/CLA/GLA compact cars a couple years ago and lowered average buyer age by 11 years! Today, Toyota makes the same move with C-HR.

Toyota C-HR & Crossfit Skylight

Toyota C-HR's design is really eye-catching and noteworthy to look at. Young people mostly love it. Even if you're 50, I bet you will be impressed by its design. However, there is a confusion about C-HR's positioning in the market. Some say C-HR is a rival for Nissan Juke. This is not totally wrong if you look from design perspective only. C-HR has a really similar divisive and funky design like Juke.

On the other hand, some say C-HR is rival for Nissan Qashqai. I partly agree with this view for two reasons. If you consider exterior dimensions, you'll directly say that C-HR is actually a rival for Qashqai. (Qashqai, 4377x1806x1595mm; C-HR, 4360x1795x1565mm; Juke, 4135x1765x1565mm) Nonetheless, parents don't take notice of C-HR's claustrophobic and dark back seats and small cargo space. In other words, C-HR does not try its best to be a perfect family car like Qashqai.

Confusion about C-HR's segment continues when you get behind the wheel. Even it's a crossover, I felt like driving a compact hatchback. Center of gravity is lower than many crossovers on sale today -which is a good thing-. As a result, handling is far better and so satisfying.

The Idea Behind Photo Shooting C-HR Inside Crossfit Skylight

Toyota C-HR is a like winning combination of driving skills of a compact hatchback and impressive look of a crossover. After all these discussions, everyone can easily agree on one statement: No matter which segment it belongs to, C-HR is a car for the young generation, for people seek having new experiences. And that also explains why we had photographed it inside Crossfit Skylight.

Mert Motro performing handstand walk next to Toyota C-HR.

CrossFit is not just an ordinary sport nor a different type of weightlifting activity. It's more of a way of life. You eat well, you train hard, you push yourself. It teaches you much about yourself. Unlike any traditional gym, CrossFit runs on "leave your ego at the door" principle. There is no big mirrors for you to form and posture in front of. That's not needed at CrossFit. You usually work with a partner whose job it is to help you with form and there is always a coach on patrol making sure everyone got it right. By this way, a strong community is also created in a natural way. Furthermore, the vast majority of CrossFit members are between the ages of 24&34. Are all these sound familiar to Toyota's C-HR case? Well, I guess so...

Many Thanks to.... :)

As of wording part getting to an end, now please enjoy exquisite photos of C-HR taken at Crossfit Skylight. Thanks to Burak Kebapçı and Erdil Aras for the magnificent photos. Thanks to Canon Eurasia for providing a top-of-the-line Canon M5. Thanks to Serkan Heper and Ferhat Eren, co-owners of Crossfit Skylight, for letting us get inside the box. And a very special thanks to coach Mert Motro for doing some cool moves in front of the camera. :)