The new Toyota C-HR should also become an ‘icon’ (but not an electric one) | Car

“The new Toyota C-HR is not for families,” said Toshio Kanei, vice president of Toyota Motor Europe. “If you want space, you better buy a Corolla Cross.”

A surprising statement, as the ‘Coupé High Rider’ (C-HR) with some complacency from the driver and his co-driver turns out to be surprisingly roomy in the rear seat. If your child hasn’t hit puberty yet, the C-HR is a great car. Now we understand Kanei a little bit. He means that the C-HR is focused on dynamics and driving pleasure. And that’s exactly what’s hard to find in the Corolla Cross. Although both cars are based on the same platform, their driving experience and character are as different as night and day.

During the presentation of the new C-HR in Hamburg, Toyota spokespeople praised the old C-HR, which appeared six years ago. “The car has become our icon,” Kanei told the media. “A car where design and driving pleasure take precedence.”

In total, over 750,000 C-HRs were built, of which nearly 22,000 ended up in the Netherlands (thanks in part to early tax breaks). So it’s not surprising that Toyota is now coming up with a sequel to this success story.

For this, the designers stayed close to the original. In keeping with Toyota’s new design language, the nose is probably the biggest change. But the expressive interplay of lines around the thick rear roof pillars is even more eye-catching than on the previous model. This is due in part to the combination of colors shown on the models in the show: golden yellow or silver with black. You can also opt for a single paint color or a combination with just a black ceiling. The C-HR comes standard on 18-inch wheels, but if you opt for the introductory GR Sport Premiere Edition, you get 20 inches under the car.

Looking inside, it’s surprising that Toyota’s designers didn’t opt ​​for the same dashboard layout as the new Prius and the electric bZ4x, with the digital instruments above the steering wheel. In the new C-HR you’ll find all the information behind the wheel as usual. “We opted for a solution that influences the driving experience as little as possible”, says Kanei, “so that the driver can feel all the information and switches where you expect them and, in this way, can concentrate on the road”. to hold. With the Prius and the bZ4x, buyers expect high tech to stand out.”

Increasingly, we get the impression that the C-HR is the adventurous, expressive sibling of sporty Toyotas like the GR86 and GR Supra. Because everything has been done in wheel suspension and steering to take the driving experience to a higher level. “However, integrating the plug-in hybrid technology was a much bigger challenge for us than refining the driving characteristics,” says Kanei.

In addition to the two hybrid versions, the C-HR is now also available as a plug-in hybrid. And an all-electric version? “For now, we are fully focused on the hybrid and plug-in hybrid version,” said Kanei with a broad smile.

For plug-in hybrid technology, Toyota could buy in-house: The C-HR PHEV shares its combustion engine, electric motors, transmission, battery and control unit with the new Prius. The 13.8 kWh battery is located under the rear seat, the power of the powertrain system is 223 hp. This accelerates the C-HR PHEV to 100 km/h in 7.4 seconds. Toyota gives a WLTP consumption of 1 to 111.1.

The two hybrid versions (without rechargeable battery) of the C-HR have the same technology as the Corolla and Corolla Cross: as a 1.8 with 140 hp and as a 2.0 High Power with 198 hp. Even with motorcycles, you can easily drive fully electrically in half the time in practice. The average fuel consumption of both versions fluctuates between 1 in 20.8 and 1 in 18.8. The new Toyota C-HR will be in dealerships later this year.