Since its launch, the Toyota CH-R has been a definite sales success. It’s a stylish family hatchback that offers something different to what else is out there. Recently updated, the range-topping GR Sport made its way up north this time the company car friendy plug-in version. Here’s how we got on.
Engine & performance
The plug-in hybrid comes with a 13.6kWh battery pack, 220bhp, a top speed of 112 mph, a 0-62mph time of 7.4 seconds & a claimed all-electric range of up to 41 miles.
Specifications & model range
The C-HR is offered in four specifications. First up is Icon, with 17″ alloys, an 8″ touchscreen, 7″ driver information screen, Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, a reversing camera, LED headlights & best of all Toyota Safety Sense, which includes adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist & road sign assist.
Design comes next adding 18″ alloys, wireless phone charging, a 12.3″ digital instrument cluster, heated power adjusted front seats & front & rear parking sensors, a necessity thanks to the C-HR’s massive C pillars.
Next is Excel, with larger 19″ alloys, 8″ touchscreen display, LED adaptive headlights, part artificial leather & suede upholstery, a panoramic glass roof, a 360-degree camera system & a driver monitoring system.
Above this sits the GR Sport which is the only version offered with the 2.0 litre engine. Goodies include 20″ alloys, a contrasting roof colour, 64-colour ambient interior lighting, GR Alcantara heated front seats, with power adjustment & lumbar support & a 9-speaker JBL sound system. It’s the most expensive option at over £40,000.
MPG & CO2
Coming as it does with just 19g/km of CO2 the plug-in offers a combined range of 353.1.mpg. Take this with a pinch of salt though as the 41 miles battery range is in our experience closer to 34 miles, so a few short local journey’s can be had on battery power alone. Once we factored in the petrol engine our average for a 300 mile week was 60.1mpg.
Safety
Every model gets autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, road sign recognition, lane-keep assist & blind spot monitoring. Design adds rear-cross traffic alert & Excel front-cross traffic alert. GR includes Safe Exit Assist.
Warranty
3yrs/60,000 miles & up to 10yrs/100,000 miles with routine franchised dealer servicing.
Outside
The updated C-HR looks like the old C-HR but better, which is good thing. The front & rear ends have been updated but the most noticeable change is that the rear door handles are now in the door centre & not high on the door near the roof. The door handle also pop out when you unlock the car.
In range topping GR Sport you benefit from a two-tone colour way or can add this for extra on lower spec versions. The C-HR still features a low roofline which gives it a five-door coupe-look. At the back, the roof has a rear overhang on it, the rear lights are narrow & placed high across the hatchback centre with a cool C-HR light in the centre that comes on when you open the car. And the new even more aggressive front is finished off nicely by two highly placed narrow LED headlights & two Z shaped strips that work their way down to the fog lights & front grille.
Inside
It’s much more modern than before. & the build quality is up a notch or two. Design spec & above feature a large centre dash mounted 12.3″touchscreen, lower specs get an 8″ version. All versions come with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay with our GR Sport also featuring a wireless charging pad. In front of the driver you now have a digital drivers display that replaces the old twin oval set up. The gear lever sits to the drivers left with the drive mode switch, Sport, Eco, Normal or Custom are offered. Alongside this is the EV mode switch as well as a B regen option on the gear selector to help you eek out some extra electric miles. Cruise control & infotainment switches are located on the steering wheel.
Practicality
The glove box is small, but you do get two centre cup holders & space underneath the armrest with good sized front door pockets. There are twin USB’s in the front & one in the rear with just single cup holders in each rear door. The C-HR’s 447-litre boot is generous with a high boot lip. Choosing the plug-in hybrid though means that you only get 310 litres a significant drop.
Driver & front passenger have good head & legroom & in the rear despite the sloping roof head room is good, legroom less so. Overall, it feels a little cramped inside, especially in the back. This claustrophobic feeling in the rear is heightened by the jet black roof lining, narrow rear windows & chunky rear C-Pillars which obscure your view when reversing around a corner or into a parking space. The addition of a glass roof does let some brightness in, but overall it’s quite dark inside.
Ride & handling
The C-HR offers both a comfortable ride & decent handling, with all four passengers benefitting from the supple suspension & lack of body roll that’s on offer. The relatively high driving position offers a good view of the road ahead, but you may need the reversing camera to get past those massive C-Pillars when reversing. On our test cars’ large 20″ wheels, road noise was noticeable at speed.
Driving
All versions come with a choice of Sport, Normal or Eco modes or you can custom your own. These alter the weight of the steering, the throttle response & CVT gearbox strategies to suit your mood & the road conditions. I tried all three, choosing in the main to drive with Eco on the motorway in cruise control, Normal around town & Sport on the open road. In all honesty, the difference between all three isn’t massive with Sport definitely the most enjoyable.
On the motorway, the useful adaptive cruise control made longer journeys just that bit easier & of course far more relaxing especially on any Smart motorways I encountered. In town there’s often enough power in the battery for electric only driving & the car will pull sharply away in silence. At a constant 20-30mph, we were averaging the best part of 85mpg whilst adding motorway driving saw this even out at 60 mpg. More good news is that the latest CVT gearbox is much improved, so gone is the slow response going up hill & the whining noise has also reduced too. Because of the latest 2024 car safety regulations, you’ll want to find out quickly how to turn off both lane assist & speed limit warnings, or face a constant series of bongs as you hit 32mph. Annoyingly, this has to be done every time you restart the engine.
Pros
Still looks different. Outside & inside it’s much more on trend. The latest CVT gearbox is better & quieter. The PHEV is a no brainer company car choice.
Cons
The cabin still feels a little gloomy. Rear legroom is tight. GR Sport is expensive.
Conclusion
The updates to the C-HR have definitely improved it. It still looks great but now comes very well equipped, with the latest tech & safety featuring across the range. Fleet customers will be happy with the plug-in hybrid’s fuel economy & lower emissions, equating to low BIK. The only compromise is a small boot & tight rear legroom. .
A Space 1999 4/5
