2024 Premiere Edition

[AndyRC]

After a 7.5 month wait our Premiere Edition has finally arrived , affectionately named “Tony” by the CEO  (someone will work it out why she came up with that)  and has gone straight to a local company for a paint correction and full Gtechniq Ceramic coating. I requested the car be unmolested other than the few bits of plastic transit film removing to avoid the detailer having to remove scratches imparted by the “highly skilled” car cleaners dealers employ. 

Having spent an afternoon on the drive getting used to things I got our iPhones , Apple Car play , Waze and Spotify all sorted in a few minutes. The amount of customisation on combimeter will take time to decide which layout  we prefer. The short drive to the detailer was a total vindication on going all in with the PE. The looks are marmite , but we love them including the bi-tone paint, the Sulphur really pops in sunlight and the panoramic roof lifts the interior. The JBL sound system is great , infotainment screen big and clear and the whole car feels much more refined than our old 2.0 Excel, the extra bit of width in the cabin now makes it feel “just right” for us. The Head Up Display is very useful and the digital rear view mirror a vast improvement, but you do need to recalibrate your brain to a totally different rear view perspective. I’ll admit to not having much idea yet on all of the “Driver Assistance” systems , despite having read the manual, time will tell what I like / dislike. 
 

After being without a CHR for nearly 9 months it’s a pleasure to back in the new model and initial impressions are that it was well worth holding out for what will hopefully be a long term keeper. The new CHR is now a lot more expensive than the outgoing model , but deals are there to be had on CarWow, and IMO it does feel like a significant improvement over the outgoing model, which it ought to. 
 

 

[MC1216]

Lovely car and i hope you got a good discount as you are right there are some cracking deals...Motorfinity which is a broker for ex forces 999 staff etc was offering this exact model/colour a few weeks ago for 7k off list.

The only issue i have is that it is in the expensive car tax bracket £600 plus for 5 years.

Keep us updated as i could be tempted with one with the discount i can get.

The only other issue is let us know how you get on without a rear wiper...i have always found visibilty poor without one.

[APS]

It looks great Andy! 

They really need to adjust that 40k limit for the 'luxury' tax. 

Looking forward to getting updates about how life with the new CHR is. 🙂 

[AndyRC]

27 minutes ago, MC1216 said:

Lovely car and i hope you got a good discount as you are right there are some cracking deals...Motorfinity which is a broker for ex forces 999 staff etc was offering this exact model/colour a few weeks ago for 7k off list.

The only issue i have is that it is in the expensive car tax bracket £600 plus for 5 years.

Keep us updated as i could be tempted with one with the discount i can get.

The only other issue is let us know how you get on without a rear wiper...i have always found visibilty poor without one.

Thanks. Unfortunately the tax is what it is and I doubt any Govt will change it. I’ve had several coupes without a rear wiper and TBH if you keep the glass clean , I use AutoGlym “Fast Glass” cleaner and never had any problem.  The digital rear view mirror is a massive improvement and should help a lot with rearward visibility 👍😎

[AndyRC]

2 hours ago, APS said:

It looks great Andy! 

They really need to adjust that 40k limit for the 'luxury' tax. 

Looking forward to getting updates about how life with the new CHR is. 🙂 

Thanks Will post some updates 👍 on the 9 miles to the detailer the computer said 62.8mpg so let’s see how frugal Tony is , I’ll be filling up on Saturday then won’t refill until I’m on reserve as I want to know what the reserve capacity actually is. 😊

[TonyHSD]

Very nice car, enjoy 👌🚙

[Marjan]

Congrats. Enjoy the ride👍

[Chas G]

Beautiful. The whole car looks much sharper and the seats look very comfy. 👍

[Jimota]

Striking is the term that I would use.  I really like it.

[APS]

On 4/25/2024 at 11:39 AM, AndyRC said:

CEO  (someone will work it out)

That'll be the wife/partner/better half. AKA as the federal government.

[Jimota]

How are the seats in the CHR?  I currently have a Yaris Cross Design which I really like but would prefer more lateral support for the drivers seat.  I did promise myself that my Yaris Cross would be my last car as I would take full advantage of the 10 year warranty.  However, after seeing the new CHR, I might change my mind.

[AndyRC]

4 hours ago, Jimota said:

How are the seats in the CHR?  I currently have a Yaris Cross Design which I really like but would prefer more lateral support for the drivers seat.  I did promise myself that my Yaris Cross would be my last car as I would take full advantage of the 10 year warranty.  However, after seeing the new CHR, I might change my mind.

TBH we spent more time on the demo drive in a GR Sport than our PE so far but we found them more comfortable than those in our old Excel. Hoping to get a lot more miles on it next week 👍😊

[AndyRC]

We now have Tony back complete with Gtechniq  Crystal Serum Ultimate, ceramic coating and he’s now looking 😎. It’s not cheap , around double the price of the paint protection coating Toyota dealerships offer, BUT , the car has had a full clean (I requested the dealer delivered it unmolested) , paint correction polish and then a coating , a 2 day process in total , part of which is letting the coating cure. Time will tell how good the coating is and if it was worthwhile. I like the bi-tone paint but black is notoriously had to look after and it shows the slightest of scratches/swills which the coating should help prevent. I’m still getting to grips with the plethora of safety systems the PE has , what they do and how to switch them on/off. The tank is now full to the brim and we’re planning some long drives next week. 
 

 

[Cyker]

Looking good and hopefully will have a long-term scratch resistance!

 

What company did you use out of interest...?

[AndyRC]

2 hours ago, Cyker said:

Looking good and hopefully will have a long-term scratch resistance!

 

What company did you use out of interest...?

Thanks 😊 They are called AR detailing in Hull, approved Gtechniq installers so the coating comes with a 9 year warranty , time will tell if it’s needed or of real value 🤔

 

https://guarantee.gtechniq.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Crystal-Serum-Ultra-Terms-11.11.22.pdf

[Jimota]

The more I look at the CHR, the more I like it.  I’ve also used paint protection applications in the past but never really been impressed with the finished result.  Haven’t heard of Gtechniq but I think their website is worth a view so I’m tempted to take a fresh look at a new car.

[AndyRC]

12 hours ago, Jimota said:

The more I look at the CHR, the more I like it.  I’ve also used paint protection applications in the past but never really been impressed with the finished result.  Haven’t heard of Gtechniq but I think their website is worth a view so I’m tempted to take a fresh look at a new car.

It’s my first time I’ve had a  coating applied by a specialist company, so time will tell if it was worth double what dealers ask. The new CHR is a big step up in refinement over the outgoing model. I’d advise an extended test drive in both a 1.8 and 2.0 if they have both,  there is a massive difference in the refinement of the two drive trains. The looks are marmite but we 😍  them including the bi-tone. 

[AndyRC]

The weather has given an opportunity to see the ceramic coating with plenty of water on it. Just to say that there was no coating applied to the glass , other than the pan roof.  IMO the  Sulphur still looks good on a very gloomy day 😎. The CEO has gone shopping so will get some feedback on the OEM wipers fitted , which on our old CHR were rubbish and soon got changed for Bosch. 

 

 

[Trewithy]

16 hours ago, Jimota said:

The more I look at the CHR, the more I like it.  I’ve also used paint protection applications in the past but never really been impressed with the finished result.  Haven’t heard of Gtechniq but I think their website is worth a view so I’m tempted to take a fresh look at a new car.

I had a ceramic coating applied to my car more than 3 years ago.  Initially I was disappointed with the finish but after a few weeks I gave it a polish and then it looked great.  I polish it one a year, I have just given it this years polish even though it didn't really need it, the rain was still beading on the bodywork.  My Corolla is in white and still looks good and has no chips or swirl marks.  I would say that ceramic coatings are good for solid colours as it gives the car a hard Shell, maybe not so important for metallic finishes as they already have a clearcoat applied at the factory.

[AndyRC]

Starting to get to grips with the Combimeter settings and the various “assistance” systems and whilst I’ve not put that many miles on the MPG  figures are looking impressive. I’m always sceptical of the on board computer until I’ve checked it against a manually calculated MPG figure on a full tank of fuel so time will tell. So far not much to dislike , other than the 2 blue screens on start up. The 360degree camera is fantastic and I like and digital rear view mirror but it can sometimes get wired reflections under some light conditions. So far so good and very happy. Next step is to see if I can get the smart key on the phone to work 🤔

 

 

[CassUK]

Nice looking car - when my GR Sport arrives, my first trip will be to my local Gtechniq detailer for a full new car detail. I had both my white VW Touareg and my wife’s black Aygo done and the results were spectacular, even on a white car ✨ 

Surprised you didn’t get the glass coated with G1 as the water just glides off and the windows open/close with a thunk, it’s so slippery 👍

[AndyRC]

3 hours ago, CassUK said:

Nice looking car - when my GR Sport arrives, my first trip will be to my local Gtechniq detailer for a full new car detail. I had both my white VW Touareg and my wife’s black Aygo done and the results were spectacular, even on a white car ✨ 

Surprised you didn’t get the glass coated with G1 as the water just glides off and the windows open/close with a thunk, it’s so slippery 👍

TBH a I prefer not to have coatings on glass , happy to keep it clean myself.  With the digital rear view mirror so long as you give the camera lens a regular wipe the back window is not an issue.  The guys who did mine said the paint was far better than many “premium German brands” they work on 👍

[Vainona70]

On 4/28/2024 at 12:01 PM, Trewithy said:

I had a ceramic coating applied to my car more than 3 years ago.  Initially I was disappointed with the finish but after a few weeks I gave it a polish and then it looked great.  I polish it one a year, I have just given it this years polish even though it didn't really need it, the rain was still beading on the bodywork.  My Corolla is in white and still looks good and has no chips or swirl marks.  I would say that ceramic coatings are good for solid colours as it gives the car a hard shell, maybe not so important for metallic finishes as they already have a clearcoat applied at the factory.

Solid paint is also clear coated these days, probably since water based paints have been used.

[Corolly Poly]

On 4/28/2024 at 12:01 PM, Trewithy said:

I had a ceramic coating applied to my car more than 3 years ago.  Initially I was disappointed with the finish but after a few weeks I gave it a polish and then it looked great.  I polish it one a year, I have just given it this years polish even though it didn't really need it, the rain was still beading on the bodywork.  My Corolla is in white and still looks good and has no chips or swirl marks.  I would say that ceramic coatings are good for solid colours as it gives the car a hard shell, maybe not so important for metallic finishes as they already have a clearcoat applied at the factory.

Do you polish with a ceramic polish? I understand ordinary polish being slightly abrasive will eventually remove a ceramic coating.

[AndyRC]

11 hours ago, Corolly Poly said:

Do you polish with a ceramic polish? I understand ordinary polish being slightly abrasive will eventually remove a ceramic coating.

No , just wash carefully. I always use a wash mitt and two buckets , one soapy one clean water , dry off with microfibre towel.