What is hidden under the striking design?
The Toyota C-HR is a compact crossover and that such a car sells well should no longer be a surprise. From the first moment the model was a hit in the Netherlands and since then more than 21,000 have been sold in our country. The successor is now in the starting blocks and the question arises: what did Toyota do well and what should they really do better with the new C-HR?
The Toyota C-HR is particularly known as a hybrid, in the beginning about 75 percent of buyers opted for this powertrain. In addition, until the facelift in 2020, there was a conventional 1.2-liter four-cylinder turbo engine with manual transmission and 116 hp. No less than 49 owners and drivers of a Toyota C-HR left a review on AutoWeek.nl and for this article we selected stories with a reader rating of 66 percent or higher. So you don’t read the best experiences here, but the best recorded. It is a coincidence that this only concerns cars with 1.8 Hybrid (122 hp) and 2.0 Hybrid (184 hp) powertrains, although these are the most relevant.
Toyota C-HR: space and seating comfort
When you look at the Toyota C-HR you might conclude that it must be tight. That sloping roofline simply does not do much good. In practice, it turns out to be quite good with space. “Leg and headroom are sufficient with my 1.90 meters,” writes a fairly tall owner. “Even in the backseat, but bend your head well when getting in. From 1.95 meters, I think it will be tight with headroom in the back seat and co-driver’s seat.”
“Another important point for us as a family with three (pubescent) children,” writes the owner of a C-HR from 2019. “And that is the space in the front and back. My wife and I are around six feet tall. My eldest son has already passed me, so sufficient space in the back is a must. Despite the sloping roof, my son can also sit comfortably, both in terms of knee and head room. They can also sit properly with three people, but three adults in the back for a longer period of time is going to be a bit difficult.”
The space is fine, although the perception of this space seems to be a different story. “The feeling of little space is mainly due to the tinted windows and the fact that the rear seats are positioned level with the rear pillars,” writes the owner of an early 2016 C-HR First Edition. “You can’t easily look away, which makes this feeling arises.”
The Toyota C-HR – pre-facelift – was part of our endurance test fleet in 2017.
Handling Toyota C-HR
If you write about a modern Toyota, it is difficult not to mention former Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda and his statement ‘no more boring cars’. Despite the now somewhat jaded quote, this C-HR has nicely sprung from this philosophy. Users notice this not only from the design, but also from the handling. “The car has 122 hp, which is not much for such a heavy car, but I still think it is enough. After all, I chose the hybrid with the idea of driving economically,” said the owner of a 2019 copy. “The car still has a very good chassis that sometimes yearns for 100 hp more. At higher speeds, the C-HR corners very tight and I experience little roll.”
It is endorsed by a driver from the very beginning. “The sporty chassis invites you to take the corners a little faster than necessary.” Of course, you don’t just do that for fun: “This has the advantage that fuel is also saved, because you now need less energy to get back up to speed.”
The C-HR therefore behaves quite sporty, but according to drivers it is comfortable enough. However, several drivers note that the car is not the quietest at highway speed. “In the city and on country roads, short distances can be driven largely and quite quietly electrically, on highways above 110 km/h there is still a lot of wind and road noise due to the limited insulation,” notes the owner of a 1.8 Hybrid from 2018 Owners of a 2.0 Hybrid, which became available after the facelift in 2020, notice a significant decrease in driving noise. An owner who made the upgrade from 1.8 to 2.0 Hybrid writes: “The car is a lot quieter and that will have to do with the better insulation in addition to the heavier engine.”
Hybrid powertrain
Not only road and wind noises are present, the engine also likes to be heard. “The C-HR is still great. I just still can’t really get used to the roar of the engine when you really accelerate,” says the owner of a C-HR 1.8 Hybrid Premium. “The Toyota has 122 hp in sport mode, but you just notice that the car with a weight of 1,500 kg has a hard time with it,” says another. “You almost have to floor it to get a little bit of torque and power to get on the highway, for example. And you hear that. A lot of roar to get up to speed a bit.” The 2.0 driver has an advantage again: “What a nice car it is, with always more than enough power available. Driving away at the toll gates with a big dot of gas continues to enjoy. Even uphill, the engine remains much quieter than with the C-HR 1.8.”
Infotainment and controls
We have already seen that Toyota does not excel in infotainment systems with the RAV4. The system of the C-HR also receives the necessary criticism. “The infotainment/navigation/radio system is just too slow and doesn’t respond as quickly as you’d like,” reports an owner. “The car is from November 2018, but the navigation is 3 years old. Just a pity.” He shares the experience with several drivers: “The infotainment system is very dated. Everything works, but that’s about all. For a car of 36,000+ euros, Toyota could have put a little more effort into this.”
And, yes, there’s the 2.0 Hybrid driver again: “I always found the multimedia on the previous C-HR a bit slow when starting up, but it’s now a lot faster. With Android Auto added it is absolutely great.” The owner of another copy after the facelift shares the same experience. “The navigation is simple and fast and can be updated at home. The screen is pressure sensitive in a good way. You don’t have to press too hard, but you don’t have to press too soft either.” He points out another advantage: “For the important functions, there are still physical buttons. The buttons don’t feel cheap either. The blue interior lighting does not disturb while driving and looks good.
Disturbances and irritations
The C-HR does not have any really big problems. The most common issue appears to be the DAB receiver. The digital radio signal drops out for many users and the external antenna offered as a solution offers no solace. In at least one car, an external cause could be identified: “The loss of signal turned out to be caused by the 12v to 5v USB power supply of the dash cam supplied by Toyota, which, incidentally, appears to be of (inferior) Chinese quality. are. I had to find this cause myself. My dealer has installed a different, working power supply without discussion, and I have had perfect reception ever since.” As with the RAV4, one C-HR driver experienced a flat 12-volt on-board battery, which prevented the car from starting.
The Toyota C-HR is a great success, and if we are to believe owners, it is not for nothing. The car appears to be more spacious than it looks and drives exemplary. There is, however, wind and engine noise, especially with the 1.8 Hybrid and copies from before the facelift. After the facelift, not only has the insulation improved, the infotainment system no longer causes irritation. If Toyota continues this line, the new C-HR also seems to have a glorious career ahead of it.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl