Modest bills are on the cards as this small SUV gains a plug-in hybrid option for the first time On sale July Price from £39,145
Doug Revolta doug.revolta@haymarket.com
WHAT’S BETTER THAN one 3.5kW charger? Two 3.5kW chargers, of course. We’ll explain why this is relevant later, but it’s to do with the fact that Toyota’s funky C-HR small SUV is, for the first time, being offered in plug-in hybrid (PHEV) form, as an alternative to the regular 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre hybrid versions.
In this new guise, the C-HR pairs the 2.0-litre engine from the regular hybrid with a slightly more powerful electric motor and a much bigger (13.6kWh) battery that you can plug in and charge up. While the regular hybrid C-HR is able to cover short distances on electric power alone around town, the PHEV has an official electric range of up to 41 miles and average fuel economy of 353.1mpg, although you’ll have to plug it in regularly and do mostly short journeys for the latter figure to be achievable.
The C-HR PHEV faces competition from the practical Kia Niro Plug-in Hybrid and the Mazda MX-30 R-EV, our current favourite PHEV. The C-HR can travel farther on a full charge than the Niro (38 miles) but falls a little short of the MX-30 R-EV’s 53-mile range. However, with a combined power output of 220bhp, it’s much quicker than those cars off the line.
The C-HR still suffers from the same droning engine noise as the regular hybrid under hard acceleration, because the CVT automatic gearbox sends the revs soaring when you ask for a burst of acceleration and holds them there until you ease off the accelerator. Otherwise, the C-HR is impressively quiet, and the transition between power sources is smooth.
With retuned suspension to cope with its extra weight (compared with the regular hybrids), the PHEV handles in a similarly competent, grown-up manner; the steering is well weighted and accurate, while body lean is tightly contained through corners. However, it isn’t as sharp or fun to drive as a Ford Puma, and the front tyres soon run out of grip if you go around a corner in a spirited manner.
Despite the slightly firmer set-up, the ride is still comfortable on the motorway but tends to trip up when going over potholes in town.
Anyway, why two 3.5kW on-board chargers? Well it’s so this C-HR can accept a charging rate of 7kW, compared with a measly 3.3kW for the Niro PHEV. Plugging into a home wallbox will get the battery from 0-100% in two and a half hours. However, it can’t
