Due to arrive here early next year (2017), Toyota has released interior images of its new C-HR SUV.

THE TOYOTA C-HR SUV will sit between the Corolla and RAV4 and give Toyota some firepower in the compact SUV playground. The C-HR for the Australian market will be powered by a new 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine that produces 85kW and 185Nm of torque. It will be available in front-drive and all-wheel drive configurations with the choice of either a six-speed manual or CVT.

Toyota isn’t well-known for its interiors, but it’s claiming the interior of its new C-HR “delivers a modern and sensual style that stands out in the Toyota range and sets a new direction for its segment”. We’ll see.

Chief designer Kazuhiko Isawa said the C-HR will give Toyota a powerful new presence in the growing small SUV segment, creating a new frontier with a vehicle that is full of originality.

“That newness comes from SUV robustness and strength. But we’re not trying to make an SUV that’s dynamic; rather, a dynamic vehicle with SUV-like properties,” Mr Isawa said. 

Toyota claims the spartan looking dash creates “an airy, expansive cabin” which is obviously intended to make the tiddler SUV feel bigger on the inside. The design of the dashboard and layering of the controls looks pretty good in pictures, but it will all come down to the quality of the plastics Toyota uses. It’s not famous for choosing good quality or soft-touch plastics.

Australian models will feature a 6.1-inch touch-screen that dominates the dashboard and juts up from it, similar to that of Mazda or even Audi. “Designers focused painstakingly on component quality and the consistency of grain, texture, shape, colour and illumination in every element, even the stitch groove radii of the seats,” Toyota said.

The blue highlights across the dash and door trims for European models will be replaced by cool-grey inserts for Australia, but that could be a mistake… the blue looks good and grey might make it look too stark… Local models will feature advanced safety features including a pre-collision system with autonomous braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure alert with steering control, automatic high beam and a reversing camera.

Other available features include heated seats, a smart entry and start system, privacy glass, 18-inch alloy wheels and bi-tone metallic paintwork. Pricing still hasn’t been released, but given where the C-HR will sit in the line-up you could probably hazard a guess at pricing.