Sunday Drive: Toyota C-HR hybrid

Friday, 6 March 2020

The C-HR concept from 2014 is remarkably close to the current production version.

**TOYOTA C-HR HYBRID

Base price:** $34,990 FWD, $37,990 AWD.

Powertrain and economy: 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol hybrid, 90kW (total system output)/142Nm, continuously variable transmission, FWD/AWD, consumption 4.3 litres per 100km, CO2 99g/km (Source: RightCar)

Even the AWD version of the C-HR is super-frugal.

Vital statistics: 4385mm long, 1795mm wide, 1565 high, 2640mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 377 litres, 16-inch wheels.

We like: Sharper pricing, hybrid integration, improved spec.

A few tweaks to the lights front and rear and a new set of alloy wheels are the biggest visual changes.

We don't like: Awkward oddment space, explaining rear door handle location.

Full-electric vehicles are the products at which today's trendsetters - and car makers - throw their money at with abandon.

While it might have a new drivetrain, not a lot has changed inside the C-HR.

Yet now is not yet the time to dismiss the hybrids that started our electric interest back in the late 1990s. With EVs still rather limited in range and generally expensive in price, the goal for electric-assisted petrol cars surely remains an open one.

No points for guessing which brand is patently keen to make the most of this potential scoring spree - Toyota's commitment to spreading hybrid powertrains across its global lineup is unmatched by any other maker.

The FWD version of the C-HR hybrid drops in at $3000 cheaper than the AWD.

The extra weight of the hybrid system actually helps settle the C-HR's ride.

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You get sick of explaining to people where the back door handles are.

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The C-HR has become the eighth Toyota model here with this kind of powertrain and could be more important for this courageously-styled crossover than the other adjustments – more variants, better pricing - arriving with its mid-life facelift.

Of the now five models, just two have the same Atkinson cycle 1.8-litre petrol, plus hybrid powertrain, as the Toyota Prius and Corolla. Yet with hybrids still figuring strongly in the national psyche, who's to say they won't become the strongest sellers?

The new powertrain certainly makes impact on the C-HR's driving character. Performance delivery is quite different to that out of the 1.2-litre turbo petrol; while hardly a slug, it's definitely less about fast frenzy.

Still, while this test began with reservations, it certainly didn't end that way.

Gotta say I quite took to this new vibe. In many ways, it actually makes the C-HR a better car and, since the premium over the 1.2 is quite modest, it's easy to see it winning more fans than the pre-facelift editions managed.

Accepting a larger capacity engine creating just 5kW more power and 43Nm less torque than its baby bro seems a big ask, yet it's less of an issue than it might seem on paper. Yes, the hybrid is less (ahem) electric in its immediate responses, yet in respect to mid-range oomph the gap closes and it feels quite strong enough for open road driving.

What also appeals, too, is that it is a lot less busy in operation. Don't get me wrong, I love the 1.2's effervescence, but for distance driving that high rev buzz becomes wearingly busy. The hybrid is far more polished. Indeed, it seems far more fully-rounded, amiable and likeable here than in its alternate applications.

A fair swag of my driving was done in a manner that hybrids once hated - at pace, on the open road. Where such driving would have badly tripped up an older hybrid, the C-HR handled it beautifully. Not just the powerplant. CVTs are so soul-sapping and it's always seemed a shame this transmission type has always been the only choice for the C-HR.

However, in this setting, I'd have to concede it could be worse. At least it has defined stepped change points, is amenable to hand-shifting and so long as you stay calm, it will too. Also, you cannot dispute the benefits for fuel consumption, in this instance an average of 4.9 litres per 100km.

You're never see anything so frugal from a 1.2. And that's when using the air conditioning, having a passenger for almost half the trip and favouring Sport mode. All this was with the all-wheel-drive Limited edition rather than the $3000 cheaper entry front-drive version driven subsequently.

C-HR's driver rapport sets it up as a great ambassador for the merits of the Toyota New Generation Architecture.

Placing a battery under the back seat and a more substantial drive set up front and underneath adds more weight, but the car still handles sweetly, with little body roll and almost neutral handling in all-wheel-drive format. If anything, the additional low-slung kilos help settle the ride.

The steering is intriguing; there's initially not much feedback through the rim, yet push on and it delivers an impressive accuracy and responsiveness.

A tinker with the head and tail-lamps and a change of alloy wheel styling is about the sum total of the 2020 styling revision, but that's okay. The car's design has settled in nicely; it's still a hugely abstract approach and still not for everyone – least of all those who are flummoxed by the rear door handles' being hidden in the C-pillar – but onlooker outrage seems to have settled.

A great driving position and a deceptively expansive (for the type) interior are C-HR strengths. Admittedly, entering and exiting the rear without hitting the door frame requires dexterity and the view out isn't brilliant for tall types, but it is an actual four-seater. Likewise, even with clear compromise for styling, the boot is pretty practical, too.

No argument, it'd be great to one day experience a Gazoo-fettled C-HR with a properly sizzling engine and suitable transmission. As things stand, though, the hybrid does a sterling job of lifting this car's status among small urban SUVs.