Meet the brand new Toyota C-HR. The new Toyota C-HR is especially for the European.
C-HR with Prius technology
Meet the all-new Toyota C-HR. It has been specially developed for the European market and looks at least as daring as its predecessor. It will be available with three electrified powertrains. Two of them are hybrids and for the first time the Toyota C-HR is also available as a plug-in hybrid.
Highlights Toyota C-HR
- Again brutal but according to a new design language
- For the first time as a C-HR Plug-in Hybrid
- Also as 1.8 Hybrid and 2.0 Hybrid
- Higher quality interior
- Around the turn of the year in the Netherlands
Former Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda was completely tired of the frequent criticism of the well-behaved and even somewhat boring image of his brand in 2016. Models from Toyota should not only become more lively in terms of design, but also in terms of technology. No more boring cars, was the credo. In 2016, Toyota injected itself with a good dose of freshness by launching the first generation C-HR. The first Toyota C-HR was an extravagantly designed crossover with Corolla technology that broke considerably with what you knew of the brand in Europe at the time. A successor has quite a few shoes to fill in terms of design and this new C-HR proves that Toyota has not lost sight of visual brutality.
Fair is fair: if you regularly visit AutoWeek, chances are that this second C-HR will look familiar to you. That’s just so crazy. Even before Toyota gave an accurate preview of the new C-HR in December 2022 with the C-HR Prologue, AutoWeek was able to show you the production version months earlier on patent drawings. That does not make the second C-HR any less interesting, not least because it is now also known what the drive is.
Toyota C-HR: at least as stubborn as the previous one.
Up to 66 kilometers electrically
Unlike the previous C-HR, the new model no longer comes with a powertrain without any form of electrical assistance. No more 1.2 T and therefore only electrified powertrains. Toyota is taking a significant step in that area. It gets two different hybrid powertrains and is also available as a plug-in hybrid for the first time.
The Toyota C-HR Plug-in Hybrid has a 2.0 four-cylinder engine that produces 152 hp and 190 Nm. The 2.0 is supported by a 163 hp and 208 Nm strong electro heart that gives the C-HR – just like the Prius Plug-in Hybrid – a system power of 223 hp. This makes it by far the most powerful C-HR ever.
The Toyota C-HR Plug-in Hybrid sprints to 100 km/h in 7.4 seconds and has a top speed of 180 km/h. More interesting is the electric range, which is 66 kilometers on a full battery. This plug-in version is able to automatically switch to electric power when you enter an environmental or low-emission zone with the C-HR.
Toyota C-HR: a clever trick with the color scheme.
Twice hybrid
In addition, the Toyota C-HR can be ordered with plugless hybrid powertrains. It comes as a 1.8 Hybrid with a 98 hp and 142 Nm powerful four-cylinder that, together with a 94 hp and 185 Nm electric motor, is good for a system power of 130 hp. The C-HR 1.8 Hybrid reaches 100 km/h in just under 10 seconds. Its top speed is 170 km/h. The average consumption is 4.8 l/100 km.
Again there is also a stronger 2.0 Hybrid. It has the same 152 hp 2.0 as the C-HR Plug-in Hybrid, but a less potent electric motor (111 hp). With a system power of 198 hp, however, you have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. The C-HR 2.0 Hybrid accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 8.1 seconds and has a top speed of 180 km/h. Just like the 1.8 Hybrid, the average consumption is 4.8 l/100 km. Outside the Netherlands, the C-HR 2.0 Hybrid also comes with four-wheel drive and an extra electric motor (41 hp) on the rear axle in the delivery range.
The new C-HR is a few centimeters shorter than its predecessor.
Dimensions and design
The new Toyota C-HR measures 4.36 meters in length and is remarkably 3 centimeters shorter than its predecessor. However, the new model is 1.83 meters 3 centimeters wider than the original. At 1.56 metres, the vehicle height is just a few millimeters the same as that of the previous C-HR. The wheelbase remains unchanged at 2.64 meters.
Less than the previous C-HR, Toyota’s new crossover has a steeply sloping shoulder line. The window line remains almost completely horizontal up to the end of the rear side window. Typical C-HR DNA such as the slightly sloping roofline and the relatively flat rear window remain intact, just like the high buttocks and the rear spoiler with two raised parts. Striking is the remarkably voluptuous rear bumper, with a large closed plastic panel that gives the impression of being an air vent. The new C-HR gets strikingly flat and wide LED taillights that are visually linked and interrupted only by an illuminated Toyota C-HR designation when stationary.
The new Toyota C-HR is also an interesting appearance from the side and from the front. We see recessed handles in the doors and a rear door that looks considerably shorter than it is because a part is done in black. In the front door we find striking angular creases and the side mirror moves from ‘the corner’ near the A-pillar to a place on the actual door panel. With its short front and quirky C-shaped headlights, the C-HR neatly matches the bZ4X and the new Prius. Here too a fairly closed top of the muzzle, the grille is lower in the front.
Toyota C-HR.
Interior and gadgets
Toyota says it has paid extra attention to the way in which the body parts connect to each other and calls out something similar about the interior. The C-HR workplace must therefore look and feel a lot higher quality than that of the previous model. The cockpit appears to wrap around the driver and co-driver and even exudes a somewhat sporty atmosphere with its round air vents on either side of the dashboard.
The new Toyota C-HR has a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster, an 8 or 12.3-inch infotainment screen, depending on the model, and a head-up display. Mood lighting with 64 colors and a mode that switches between 24 shades? Against payment of the party. The interior lighting also provides visual signals if you open the door while traffic is approaching from behind.
Do you spend a lot of time with your smartphone? Even then there is news. The C-HR recognizes the driver on the phone (via the app), gives a visual welcome through its lighting and automatically applies the preferred settings of the seats, the infotainment screen and the instruments. Also interesting: the C-HR can park itself automatically for the first time, even with the driver outside the car.
Toyota C-HR: including digital instruments.
More safety news: Toyota introduces Acceleration Supression that slows down input from a suddenly depressed accelerator if a collision with a vehicle in front is imminent. Also new is Proactive Driving Assist (PDA), which slowly slows down the car when the accelerator is released and a vehicle in front is approaching.
Of particular interest is the optional panoramic roof. Thanks to two special coatings, this does not require a physical sunshade. This not only results in a weight saving of 5 kilos, but also 3 centimeters more headroom.
Last but not least: no new model without a mention of sustainable material use, so Toyota proudly reports that twice as much recycled materials have been used in the new C-HR as in the previous one. You score points with that in 2023.
The new Toyota Prius comes to the Netherlands around the turn of the year. Prices will follow in the run-up to the market launch. We do know that the market launch is accompanied by two special Premiere Editions. The first is simply called Premiere Edition, the second GR Sport Premiere Edition. The latter is of course decorated with GR extras, including special 20-inch (!) alloy wheels.
The previous Toyota C-HR – pre-facelift – was part of our endurance test fleet.
Toyota C-HR in the Netherlands
The Toyota C-HR is available until the end of the year as a 122 hp powerful 1.8 Hybrid and as a more powerful 2.0 High Power Hybrid that kicks it up to 184 hp.
Since the Dutch market introduction of the Toyota C-HR in 2016, almost 22,000 copies have been registered in our country. In 2018, the C-HR had its Dutch top year. Then almost 700 pieces found a Dutch home. Last year, deliveries stalled at 2,057.
In 2022, Toyota sold 109,543 C-HRs in Europe. Of these, not surprisingly, no less than 108,950 were a 1.8 Hybrid or 2.0 Hybrid. Within the European Toyota ranks, the RAV 4 (113,297 units), the Yaris Cross (156,086), the Yaris (185,781) and the Corolla family (182,782) sold better in 2022. It remains to be seen whether this again extravagant, but with more electric power endowed second C-HR can shake up that ranking.