My late uncle, a priest only did a blessing on the one car for me, that wasn’t his fault, it was mine. I found it hard to figure out the difference in him as my uncle and him as a priest, maybe I just thought all of his nieces and nephews where exempt and were automatically covered in some sort of a open driven holy policy.
The day he did the blessing on my car, he told me I was covered up as far a 60 mph after that I was on my own. A lot of them memories seemed to flood back to me this week as I drove the newest car out from Toyota the C-RH. It’s not the new car that reminds me of that blessing its the safety features that are now available, which in a way keep a watchful eye on its driver at all times.
Adaptive Cruise Control
It’s the first time I really got a chance to test out this system which is available on the C-HR and I was just amazed how well it really worked. Toyota Safety Sense’s Adaptive Cruise Control keeps you at a minimum preset distance from the vehicle in front. If this distance falls, the system reduces your speed and eventually the brakes will be applied and brake lights activated. If the distance increases again, it will gradually accelerate until you return to your chosen cruising speed.
The other great safety feature is Lane Departure Alert, this system uses a camera to detect the lane markings on the road ahead. It will alert you with and audible and visual warning if the vehicle starts to deviate from its lane with out an indicator being operated. It also gives a small vibration on the steering.
Lane Departure Alert. Photo by Brian McDaid
These two safety features have been available for a while but its the first time I have had a chance to experience them first hand. The car will steer itself back to safety if you head over the white line in the middle of the road. It was a bit daunting at first to put the car in cruise control and resist putting my foot on the brake as the car detected the slowing traffic and reduced the speed.
The much awaited Toyota C-RH has finally arrived in Ireland just in time for Christmas. Two versions are available a hybrid with and 1.8 petrol and a 1.2 turbo also petrol with no diesel version available.
Toyota Crossover type, concept looking C-HR might seem a bit late as Nissan and Honda have crossover’s are out already, but I think this Toyota is the start of a new era in car making.
Photo Brian McDaid
The 1.2 turbo petrol C-HR Luna version that we drove weighs in at €28,145 on the road. Ours was in white which showed off the futuristic lines of this car perfectly, kind of a bit like a Coke bottle design, the stance of the car looked as if it would evolve into something else like one of them transformer toys.
Photo Brian McDaid
To me, the car just says selfish fun. It is a four door but the door handle is hidden in the design for the rear doors. The car sits high but has a low stance which gives a near perfect driving position inside, the dash and centre console is built around the driver. And the LCD is just at the perfect height to look at it and still be very aware of the road ahead.
Big Sachs!
On the road the C-HR is one of the best sorted cars I have drove in years. Toyota say the have designed this car for the way Europeans drive, the tuning of this new platform which they have tested on race tracks in Europe really seemed to have paid off, Toyota have even fitted the famous Sachs suspension to the C-HR which matched up to their newly designed platform it feels really sharp to drive.
This 1.2 turbo is the future of car engines. The engine in this car can change it setup on the move and can develop around 116 BHP. You can get the best of both worlds because, on the economy side Toyota claim around 50 miles per gallon which is great news in the every day running of this car.
This car has a six speed gearbox which if it is used right makes this engine work so well to get the best out of the power range and also great figures in the economy.
The other big plus for this engine is how quiet it is. Having a look under the bonnet, it’s great to see and engine and not a cover to deaden the engine sound. The twin cam petrol Turbo Engine sits low in the C-HR giving the car a very good lower centre of gravity all of which helps in the overall handling of the car.
Summing up, this New Toyota looks very different on the road and its a head turner. Its safety features are all needed on the busy road and for me they just make so much sense in reducing the risk that we are faced with every day.
And finally… Ita’s got a new motor!
Congratulations to our neighbour on the backroad in Letterkenny, Ita Daly recently retired from Toyland and Donegal Stationary at Lr. Main St.
Ita Daly who was the lucky winner in the Letterkenny Credit Union Draw. pictured as she is congratulated by Danny Ryan who made the presentation pictured with members of the Letterkenny Credit Union board.
For years she would be very busy on the run up to Christmas helping Toyland’s Santa, the only Santa for Letterkenny folk like myself. She would be part of the team getting Santa’s treats ready for all of the children that visited Santa at the Toy Shop before Christmas.
This year as Ita celebrated her retirement she said now that she had more time to herself she thought she might get around learning to drive and get a few driving lessons. Life works in funny ways and it looks like Santa’s helper, Ita Daly only had to wish about learning to drive and part of her wish was granted when she got an early Christmas present, by winning a Toyota Yaris in the Letterkenny Credit Union Draw.
We are all looking forwards to seeing Ita going whizzing past us on the back road in her new Toyota Yaris soon.
Happy Motoring Folks
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