Second-generation all-hybrid family SUV still refuses to blend in with the crowd On sale Early 2024 Price from £31,290
Will Nightingale will.nightingale@haymarket.com
A FEW YEARS ago, Toyota had a bit of an image problem. Sure, its cars were super-reliable and many of them impressed for fuel economy – but fashionable? Not really – at least not to anyone under retirement age. The C-HR changed all that with its wacky, coupé-inspired styling, and this new, second-generation model promises more tech, more fun and even a bit more space.
The new ‘hammerhead’ front end is reminiscent of that of the fully electric bZ4X, and the old boomerang-shaped tail-lights have been replaced by a single light bar stretching across the entire rear end. When you lock or unlock the car, this bar puts on a little light show, displaying the car’s name in red letters.
The driving position hasn’t changed much at all, and this means you still don’t sit particularly far from the road by SUV standards. All trim levels but the cheapest (Icon) give you a 12.3in digital instrument panel behind the steering wheel and an infotainment touchscreen of the same size; Icon makes do with a smaller, 8.0in infotainment display that we’ve yet to try. You get smartphone mirroring for Android and Apple devices either way, and while the larger screen isn’t the most intuitive we’ve ever tried, you get the hang of it quickly enough.
The interior is completely new, suitably more modern in design and trimmed in mostly appealing materials, including a suede-effect lining on the inside of the doors of GR Sport, Excel and Premiere Edition models. Meanwhile, cheaper Icon and Design models have seats trimmed in a fabric made from 100% recycled bottles. If you want genuine leather, you’ll need to go for the Premiere.
The C-HR still isn’t an especially practical family SUV; its sloping roof results in tight head room for adults sitting in the back, and leg room is closer to that offered by smaller alternatives, such as the Ford Puma, than in the similar-sized (albeit boxier) Skoda Karoq.
The C-HR’s boot has grown slightly, but it’s still much smaller than either of the aforementioned rivals’, and there’s no height-adjustable boot floor available to mitigate the big lip at the entrance.
A plug-in hybrid version is on the way, but the initial engine choices are regular hybrids: a 138bhp 1.8-litre and a 193bhp 2.0-litre. The latter offers noticeably punchier acceleration, although not by enough to
