Is this a Toyota C-HR, All-wheel drive, turbo, hybrid or manual testing in the desert?

Considering all of the comments we received about the fact that the Toyota C-HR we recently sampled had no all-wheel drive (AWD) option available in the United States, seeing this Toyota C-HR testing recently is a head-scratcher. Overseas, the Toyota C-HR has an AWD and manual version available among other options not available in the USA. When we posted that story which you can read (here) several viewers commented on what the Toyota wannabe crossover is lacking.

For those of you who do not know, the Toyota C-HR is a small crossover-like hatchback that is slated to compete in the red-hot small crossover segment, despite the fact that we were not offered an AWD option. As such, I consider the model I tested in Texas a tall hatchback. My interpretation of a “crossover” usually means it has an option for 4WD or AWD.

Toyota wants the C-HR to compete against the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX3, Jeep Renegade, Fiat 500X and Nissan Juke – amongst others. In its current form, it competes against the Kia Soul and Fiat 500L. This is where many of you suggested that Toyota bring over the options others enjoy overseas; namely, AWD, a manual transmission offering, maybe a hybrid (it is based on the new Prius platform) and – possibly a turbo.

What do you think? Why is Toyota clearly testing after already introducing it to the public? Let us know what you think!

Special thanks to Chris Calleri for the photos!

Here’s our video review.