Toyota C-HR (2023 - ) review

While the new Toyota C-HR isn’t the cheapest car in its class — even taking rival hybrids into account — it will almost certainly be one of the most economical. Whether you choose the basic 1.8-litre hybrid, or the 2.0-litre version, you’re going to find it easy to average 60mpg. There’s potential for even better if you’re driving mostly around town and making the most of the frequent short bursts of electric-only running. Toyota has tempting finance offers in place to keep the monthly repayments low, while first-year VED/road tax is ultra-low thanks to the car’s low emissions rating – so long as you can resist the temptation of the GR Sport and Premiere Edition models.

While this is clearly a new model, there’s nothing all that new about the mechanicals under the C-HR’s body. Both the 1.8- and 2.0-litre hybrid systems are shared with the likes of the Toyota Corolla , and are well-proven already. The interior fixtures and fittings, such as the touch-screen, are also shared with other models in the Toyota family, including high-end Lexus models, so should prove trouble-free, and the infotainment system can receive over-the-air software updates, which ought to take care of any minor niggles. Toyota has an enviable reputation for reliability and quality and offers a standard three-year warranty for all its cars. If you keep it serviced yearly with a franchised Toyota dealer it will then be extended for another year, up to ten years and 100,000 miles.

The new C-HR has not yet been tested by the independent safety experts at Euro NCAP, but the Corolla, with which it shares a platform and engines, got a full five-star rating when it was tested in 2019, so we’d expect the C-HR to perform similarly. The C-HR comes with a substantial list of standard safety equipment across the range, including radar-monitored cruise control, a blind spot alert, a system that warns you not to open your door if a cyclist is approaching and lane tracing steering, as well as the usual emergency automatic braking, traction control and stability control.

The C-HR scores well for cabin comfort, as long as you’re sitting in the front. The front seats get a high-backed, bucket-style design and have an excellent combination of comfort and support, while there’s plenty of adjustment in the steering wheel, so both tall and short drivers should be able to find a good position. The only downside, really, is that those seats are set a touch high up for taller drivers. It’s also good that, in spite of having an impressive touch-screen, Toyota has kept a set of physical buttons for the heating and ventilation controls which means it’s so much easier to get comfortable, and to keep things adjusted to suit, when you’re on the move. The interior fabrics are a mixture of ‘animal-free leather’ and cloth made from recycled plastic bottles, all of which help to trim the C-HR’s lifetime carbon emissions, as well as proving to be both pleasant to touch and — hopefully — hard-wearing. The news in the back isn’t quite as good. Just as with the old C-HR, there is actually reasonable space in the back — even six-footers should find that they have enough legroom and headroom — but the shallow windows and high sills mean it feels dark and claustrophobic, which isn’t going to be good news if you’re trying to put kids back there. Overall refinement is very good, though, with little noticeable wind or tyre noise, but the engine — as is common in hybrid models — can rev intrusively when you need to accelerate, especially up a long incline. Ride comfort is mixed. On the optional 20-inch wheels, there’s too much thump and bounce, so try to stick to the standard 18-inch rims. Find a sufficiently twisty road and the new model rises to the challenge, feeling agile and zippy in a way that most rivals just don’t — with the possible exception of the Ford Puma.

The C-HR will be offered in Icon, Design, Excel, GR Sport trims and the range-topping Premiere Edition. All come with digital instruments, using a 12.3-inch screen with plenty of information, but without the display looking cluttered or confusing. The touch-screen in the centre of the dash uses the latest Toyota software, which is a massive improvement over the previous C-HR. The graphics are crisp and clear, and the menu layout reasonably sensible and easy to find your way around. There’s wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and a wireless phone charger too. Meanwhile, the standard-fit navigation system is cloud-connected and able to provide live traffic information and agile re-routing. Higher-spec models get faux-leather seats and synthetic suede on the door panels, but all C-HRs get a pleasant faux-leather steering wheel wrap, which feels expensive. Buyers can specify a handy head-up display, which projects the speed and navigation directions on the windscreen.

For now, the C-HR comes with a choice of two hybrid engines, with a plug-in hybrid capable of around 40 miles of electric-only driving to follow. The entry-level hybrid engine is really the best. The 1.8-litre system will be familiar to anyone who’s driven a Corolla, and while the 9.9-second 0-62mph time doesn’t look all that impressive on paper its 140 horsepower feels entirely adequate on the road. A slight tendency to harshness when you’re revving it hard has to be offset against its excellent 60mpg real-world economy. Is it worth upgrading to the more expensive 2.0-litre hybrid? Not really, to be honest. While you do get more power, and it is a little faster, the difference seems greater on paper than it does on the road, so you’re better off saving a few pounds and sticking with the basic engine. At least there’s no fuel economy nor emissions penalty — the 2.0-litre proves to be just as economical in the real world, and it’s only a couple of g/km worse off in terms of emissions. Because the C-HR is a hybrid, there is a regenerative braking system which helps to keep the small battery topped up as you drive, but it’s mostly keen to let the car coast as much as possible when you lift off. That is until the front-facing camera spots another car in front of you, and then the system ramps up the regenerative braking to help slow you down, giving you a modicum of electric-car-style ‘one-pedal’ braking.