Toyota C-HR assessment: funky hybrid SUV stands out from the group

The Toyota C-HR impresses with wonderful real-world effectivity, an opulent cabin, and an inside stuffed with tech that’s straightforward to make use of. Being a contemporary Toyota, it comes as normal with many security options, and – like the unique – its all-hybrid engine lineup means low emissions. And credit score must be given to the designers for preserving the identical daring styling that made the Mk1 such successful, as a result of this Mk2 model appears to be like simply as dramatic.

The two.0 Hybrid we’ve pushed up to now offers loads of efficiency for on a regular basis driving, but it surely solely comes with GR Sport trim, making this hybrid choice very costly in contrast with rivals. Choosing the well-equipped Design trim can be higher worth for cash, even when you would need to go for the much less highly effective 1.8 Hybrid.

Toyota C-HR: worth, specs and rivals

Do you know that the title Toyota C-HR stands for Coupe Excessive Rider? Nicely, now you do. The C-HR is now in its second era, following on from the favored first-generation Toyota C-HR, bought between 2016 and 2023. It is an environment friendly hybrid SUV out there in full and plug-in hybrid varieties, and it competes with the likes of the Hyundai Kona, Honda HR-V, Kia Niro, Nissan Qashqai, Renault Captur, and Suzuki S-Cross.

For the primary time, the hybrid C-HR features a company-car-friendly plug-in hybrid model, following the lead of its greater Toyota RAV4 sibling. The PHEV C-HR comes with a 13.6kWh battery pack that must be good for an all-electric vary of as much as 41 miles. 

There are two conventional full hybrid decisions, beginning with a 138bhp 1.8 Hybrid, after which a 194bhp 2.0 Hybrid. All engines include a CVT computerized gearbox.

All C-HRs are well-equipped. The entry-level Icon trim will get 17-inch alloy wheels, an eight-inch touchscreen show with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a reversing digital camera, LED head lights, and a seven-inch multi-information show for the driving force. Toyota Security Sense additionally comes as normal, which incorporates adaptive cruise management, lane departure warning with lane preserve help, and highway signal recognition.

Mid-range Design is the decide of the vary as a result of it provides entrance and rear parking sensors to ease the stress of slotting it into a decent automobile park bay, together with a number of different niceties. You get 18-inch alloys, heated entrance seats with energy lumbar adjustment, wi-fi cellphone charging, rear-cross visitors alert, and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. 

The poshest Excel trim provides 19-inch alloys, LED adaptive headlights, half synthetic leather-based and suede upholstery, a panoramic glass roof, a 360-degree digital camera system, a driver monitoring system, and entrance cross-traffic alert.

These in search of one thing with a sportier look (and the extra highly effective 2.0-litre) would possibly take into account the GR Sport, which will get 20-inch alloys, and a contrasting roof color. There are some extra goodies from the 64-colour ambient inside lighting, a extra superior Naneo air filtration system to filter out finer particles within the local weather management system, and an uprated nine-speaker JBL sound system.

The one main draw back of the C-HR is the fairly stiff pricing. This Hyundai Kona-sized automobile begins close to the place that rival stops, at slightly below £31,500. Fancy the extra highly effective 2.0-litre? Then you definately’ll want over £40,500 for a GR Sport mannequin. Pricing for the plug-in hybrid is barely extra affordable, at simply over £39,000, however for related cash, you may have our most well-liked model of the Kona Electrical that’ll be even higher for firm automobile drivers paying Profit-in-Variety (BiK) tax.

Being based mostly on the identical TNGA platform because the Toyota Corolla means the newest C-HR begins out with some wonderful qualities relating to the driving expertise. 

Round city is the place the C-HR impresses most, with a well-judged experience that, whereas slightly agency at occasions, nonetheless has sufficient compliance (even in range-topping GR Sport with the most important 20-inch wheels) over city pace bumps and sudden impacts with potholes to provide it a extra comfy experience than a Nissan Juke. If consolation is your principal precedence, then we reckon the smaller 17-inch wheels of Icon trim, or the 18-inch wheels of mid-range Design are the best way to go. The C-HR is well-controlled by way of physique actions as a result of it doesn’t lean fairly as a lot as a Hyundai Kona or Honda HR-V.

The total hybrid system you get with the 1.8 and a pair of.0 (the latter being the one one we’ve skilled up to now) excels round city. There’s greater than sufficient electrical shove for the automobile to drag away well and in silence – and trundling round at 20mph or 30mph, the C-HR is completely in its consolation zone.

Going past town limits is the place the outdated C-HR struggled as a result of the revs used to soar everytime you requested for greater than reasonable acceleration, and making an attempt to take care of pace up a hill would typically turn out to be fairly a loud affair. This newest C-HR (admittedly within the extra highly effective of its two hybrid varieties) appears rather more comfy with life. Certain, the engine nonetheless drones in the event you ask for optimum acceleration, however its additional energy means you’ll stand up to hurry faster, and you will get again to cruising sooner.  

As soon as as much as motorway cruising pace, wind and highway noise examine nicely with speedy rivals. We discovered that highway noise was noticeable, however that could be a widespread grievance with vehicles sporting massive 20-inch wheels, so we anticipate lesser trim ranges with smaller wheels to be quieter.

On the entire, the C-HR is an honest hybrid SUV to drive. We’d by no means go so far as to counsel there’s a lot enjoyable or real driver involvement available, as a result of there’s simply an excessive amount of occurring between you and the engine itself for that. You’d want a extra historically powered petrol small SUV, just like the Ford Puma, utilizing a guide gearbox, with a purpose to really feel concerned within the driving expertise. Nonetheless, it’s potential to lean on the physique management afforded by the TNGA underpinnings, use clever accelerator inputs to make the transmission behave extra like a standard auto, and you’ll keep genuinely swift progress on a twisting highway. 

One phrase of warning, although. As a result of C-HR having to adjust to the newest 2024 security laws requiring extra help expertise comparable to pace restrict warnings and lane preserving help, you’ll discover many extra warning ‘bongs’ throughout your drive. We reckon you – like us – will turn out to be fairly bored of all these alerts and wish to flip them off. It’s potential to do that utilizing a menu within the digital instrument cluster, but it surely takes many button presses and should be accomplished each time you restart the automobile.

All the engines within the C-HR line-up have hybrid expertise, so once we talk about which model is thirstiest, it’ll nonetheless be way more frugal than rivals utilizing solely petrol energy. Technically, the two.0 Hybrid in GR Sport type is the least environment friendly model, managing ‘solely’ 57.7mpg and 110g/km emissions. That’s nonetheless leagues forward of the bottom 1.0-litre Hyundai Kona that averages practically 10mpg much less. 

The most effective mannequin that isn’t the plug-in hybrid mannequin is the smaller 1.8 Hybrid. It has a mixed WLTP economic system determine of 60.1mpg (precisely the identical because the equal Kona Hybrid) and emissions of 115g/km. 

Primarily based on our expertise with hybrid vehicles, the gas economic system will enhance in city circumstances, not like a standard petrol, the place the economic system would undergo. It’s not unusual for the automobile to report that it has spent greater than 70 per cent of brief journeys working on electrical alone – and that’s with the powertrain left in Regular (fairly than Eco) mode. 

And, after all, you by no means must plug in both the 1.8 or 2.0 Hybrid fashions – a significant profit to anybody seeking to go electrical however doesn’t have prepared entry to plug-in charging at residence. The C-HR PHEV does require you to plug it in, and doing so recurrently ought to see you get much more stellar common gas effectivity numbers – even in the event you’re unlikely to see something near the 313.8mpg mixed quantity in the actual world. Its emissions of simply 19g/km are spectacular, and imply low highway tax prices.

The plug-in mannequin makes use of a 13.6kWh battery, which ought to present as much as 41 miles of electrical vary, permitting it to sneak right into a decrease Profit-in-Variety (BiK) tax band than the Renault Captur E-Tech PHEV.

Insurance coverage teams

The C-HR begins in insurance coverage group 20 for the entry-level 1.8 Hybrid Icon, rising to group 22 for the 1.8 Hybrid Excel. The extra highly effective 2.0 Hybrid in GR Sport trim jumps to group 27. 

In contrast with different hybrid small SUVs, the C-HR will value extra to insure than the Kona, which sits in group 16 for the 1.6 Hybrid Advance mannequin. Nonetheless, in the event you want one thing that’ll value even much less to insure, take a look at the entry-level SEAT Ateca 1.0 TSI SE as a result of that’s in group 10.

You may get personalised automobile insurance coverage quotes quick with our comparability software powered by Quotezone…

Depreciation

Residual values are more likely to be good fairly than excellent for the C-HR. The vary averages between 48 per cent of its resale worth over three years and 36,000 miles for the 1.8 Hybrid Excel, and 54 per cent for the entry-level 1.8 Hybrid Icon. Our favorite small SUV, the Hyundai Kona, averages between 53-56 per cent over the identical interval, whereas the less expensive Volkswagen T-Roc is value practically 60 per cent over our identical timeframe.

To get an correct valuation on a particular mannequin, try our valuation software…

Credit score must be given to the designers at Toyota for not taking part in it protected and watering down the placing appears to be like of the unique C-HR. As an alternative, the newest C-HR appears to be like much more arresting than earlier than, with the GR Sport mannequin coming as normal in two-tone paint to essentially exhibit the appears to be like in one of the best gentle. 

Different trim ranges could be had with a contrasting roof color for a further £350. There’s one free Pure White color, 4 metallic colors that may be optioned with a ‘Bi-Tone’ distinction roof, and two premium colors – though the latter can value practically £1,300 when specced in two-tone type.

Inside, Toyota hasn’t deviated a lot from the stylised components that scored so successful with the primary C-HR. There’s a completely digital instrument panel, a whopping 12.3-inch infotainment system touchscreen in greater spec fashions (lesser C-HRs make do with an eight-inch show), and wi-fi smartphone integration. 

High quality plastics and thick padding are in all the key areas of the inside, whereas sensibly positioned toggle controls within the centre of the sprint govern the air flow system and heated seats. We favor having precise, bodily controls as a result of they’re simpler to make use of on the transfer in contrast with the purely touchscreen-based methods used within the DS3 and Peugeot 2008, which could be very distracting as a result of you need to look away from the highway to seek out the appropriate space of the display to press.

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

The entry-level Icon C-HR has a smaller 8.0-inch display, whereas every little thing from Design trim and above will get the bigger 12.3-inch display we’ve tried in different Toyota vehicles, together with the Toyota bZ4X.

The earlier C-HR had an outdated-looking infotainment setup. The newest display is way improved, not simply by way of format, however the pace of its responses. It nonetheless can’t fairly match the extremely spectacular infotainment system featured within the Hyundai Kona, which is quicker nonetheless.

A wi-fi charging pad comes as normal on mid-range Design trim vehicles, in addition to sat-nav. All variations include Android Auto or Apple CarPlay if you wish to bypass the built-in apps and infotainment system in favour of your cellphone.

A six-speaker sound system comes on all vehicles, however this may be upgraded to a nine-speaker JBL system on Excel trim. The highest-of-the-range GR Sport will get this stereo improve as normal. 

The modern roofline of the Toyota C-HR can idiot you into considering it’s a a lot smaller automobile than it truly is. When it comes to size, it’s slightly bit longer than a Hyundai Kona, and simply shy of a SEAT Ateca. The C-HR can also be taller than a Kia Niro, however doesn’t fairly attain the ‘lofty’ heights of the Renault Captur. 

Get inside, and also you’d suppose that you just have been driving one thing extra akin to an MPV. The windscreen’s base appears to be in a distinct postcode from the driving force, stretching past a really deep dashboard. The bonnet forward of the windscreen slopes away, making gauging the automobile’s extremities troublesome. That’s why we expect going for a mid-range Design will probably be worthwhile to get entrance and rear parking sensors that will help you. There are large aspect door mirrors to help when altering lanes on the motorway, and blind spot monitoring is normal to tell you of something hiding in your blind spot.

House within the again is nice and compares nicely with what you’ll discover in lots of small SUVs, such because the Jeep Avenger, Peugeot 2008, and Vauxhall Mokka. Two ISOFIX factors are supplied on the outer rear seating positions, though mother and father could rue having to place youngsters within the again as a result of the angle of the rear roof pillar means you’ll have to duck down with a purpose to lean in. The door opening isn’t the biggest round, making putting in a toddler seat troublesome. If you happen to want extra practicality, you’ll have to look in direction of the extra conservatively styled Nissan Qashqai with its close to 90-degree rear door openings, or step as much as one thing just like the Toyota model’s bigger RAV4 SUV.

The C-HR’s 447-litre boot is rather more beneficiant than the 319-litre Honda HR-V, however trails the 466-litre Kona and 479-litre Qashqai. It doesn’t include the latter’s intelligent dividing panels to cease gadgets sliding deeper into the boot, that means you don’t have to lean in fairly a lot in the event you’ve solely packed a few procuring luggage. 

One phrase of warning, identical to within the common Toyota Corolla hatchback, selecting the two.0 Hybrid means you’ll pay a practicality penalty. That’s as a result of the 12v battery must be positioned within the boot, robbing you of round 17 litres of capability. Hardly a deal-breaker, but it surely’s one thing value contemplating.

One thing else value contemplating in the event you’re excited by towing is that no model of C-HR can pull greater than a 750kg braked trailer. If you happen to want one thing extra succesful, a Kona Hybrid can lug as much as 1,300kg, or you may return to conventional petrol or diesel energy, and get one thing just like the Volkswagen T-Roc 2.0 TDI. That’ll pull as much as 1,700kg.

The newest C-HR has solely simply come out and, as such, hasn’t been examined by security consultants Euro NCAP. We anticipate it ought to get a very good total score as a result of it comes filled with security tech as a part of the Toyota Security Sense bundle. Hopefully, it’ll get full marks, not like the disappointing four-star out of 5 outcomes for the Hyundai Kona and Honda HR-V.

Each mannequin will get autonomous emergency braking to assist forestall or mitigate low-speed collisions with pedestrians and cyclists round city. At greater speeds, there’s adaptive cruise management to take care of a protected distance from the automobile forward, and lane departure warning and lane-keep help to assist preserve you inside your lane. Blind spot monitoring will warn you of different autos alongside you on the motorway. 

Highway signal recognition can also be normal, and helps to warn you of pace restrict modifications to avoid wasting you from getting a rushing wonderful. There’s additionally an emergency eCall system to alert the emergency companies of your location do you have to get entangled in a severe collision. 

Additional up the vary, Design comes with a rear-cross visitors alert system to let you realize if autos are crossing your path when reversing onto a highway. Excel comes with a front-cross visitors alert, which does the identical on the entrance. The latter is especially useful within the countryside when overgrown hedgerows hinder your view at junctions. 

We don’t have any reliability information but for this era of C-HR as a result of it’s so new, however the earlier era C-HR did very nicely within the 2023 Driver Energy proprietor satisfaction survey, coming in twenty fifth place out of 75 vehicles, and we have now no motive to suspect that this can later for the present C-HR. As a model, Toyota got here in twelfth out of 32 producers, forward of fellow hybrid SUV makers Honda and Nissan.

Having your C-HR serviced yearly on the vendor not solely helps with extending the guarantee as much as 10 years or 100,000 miles, but it surely additionally implies that a Hybrid Well being Verify could be carried out. It will lengthen the guarantee for the battery pack by 12 months between each service, as much as a most of 15 years.

Must you purchase a Toyota C-HR?

In order for you excessive styling, admire lengthy gear lists, and wish one thing extremely environment friendly, the Toyota C-HR is a wonderful hybrid SUV selection. The very fact it drives nicely and might now be had with a plug-in hybrid choice simply makes the deal sweeter.

Nonetheless, the identical compromises as earlier than stay, with a dark inside for these within the again and a restrictive rear door opening that makes it tougher to reside with as an on a regular basis household automobile. What’s extra, it’s costlier than the extremely achieved Hyundai Kona, and though there will probably be a PHEV mannequin, firm automobile drivers will probably be higher off choosing the equally priced all-electric Kona Electrical that’ll prevent much more cash.