Review: Toyota’s C-HR hybrid has lots going on behind the curves

But one of the good things to coincide with the surge in demand for them has been the ability to design some extraordinary looking vehicles: shapes that would have been unimaginable and impossible to let loose on the traditional four-door saloon. Remember saloons?

The fusion of form and function with SUVs and crossovers has generated a veritable feast of doing what once looked impossible with metal.

One of the prime mainstream examples of that is the Toyota C-HR (Coupe High-Riding).

When I first saw it at the March 2016 Geneva Motor Show, I was startled. Firstly because it had design lines showing off its curvaceous exterior. Second, because it was a Toyota and up to then the Japanese giant trailed its more colourful rivals.

I loved it. Then I saw it when it arrived on sale in Ireland and I had a reservation that it was overdone. Then I drove it and the reservations flew out the window.

But too much of a good thing can affect other elements in a car. The C-HR was criticised for having little space for visibility out the rear screen. Basically, its upswing of lines and curves cumulated across the back of the car to such an extent the screen was almost obliterated.

I’ve been driving the latest version, with a 1.8-litre hybrid system, and I got used to scarcity of daylight at the back. It was not an issue. Neither was the excellent performance of the hybrid drive.

Toyota must be thrilled it stuck with hybrids all down the years. People are turning to them now more than ever as they kick the EV choice down the road.

However, the system in the C-HR invoked a long-time reservation. There was a bit of lag in pick-up time, as if the continuously variable transmission (effectively a near-infinite number of automatic gears) took a momentary breath before getting up to speed with the engine when I hit the accelerator pedal hard.

I’m not so sure too many would drive it as hard as I did, so 90pc of the time the lag is not going to be an issue. It handled well in an understated fashion. That’s in some way due to the fact it was designed, engineered and tuned in Europe to better suit our local driving preferences.

A good job well done, as it happens.

I hadn’t much of a problem with parking, but that rear screen did affect my visibility a bit.

As part of my trawl through the spec-lists, I unearthed an area I hadn’t dealt with, or ignored, before: warranty. It’s an issue likely to become an important one as battery power of some description or another is used to propel cars, be they hybrid or full electric.

As well as the usual general warranty (manufacturer’s three-years/100,000km; surface rust/paintwork, three years/unlimited mileage; and 12 years/unlimited mileage on corrosion perforation), the C-HR has other reassurances.

For instance, there is a five-year/100,000km warranty on all hybrid components (including the battery); and up to 15 years/unlimited hybrid battery warranty so long as the car has been serviced with a Toyota dealer. Without doubt, that’s a reassuring figure.

We shouldn’t forget that the C-HR is a compact family car, but I would have liked a bigger boot. The C-HR’s extends to 388-litres (with tyre repair kit). It’s not meagre, but I’d have liked more.

This latest iteration of the crossover benefits from a distinctive lift to the instruments and touchscreens. They compete on an equal footing with rivals now (they include the Nissan Qashqai and a host of other compact crossovers).

While the outside takes the design plaudits, the mix-and-match plastics and textures of the interior work well. It not only looks better but feels more premium. It can still be a bit dark in the cabin due to low roofline, high body metal and smaller side windows.

Of course, the sloping roof affects the headroom comfort of tall rear-seat occupiers too, but I had no complaints from the front. I hadn’t my usual coterie of long-limbed passengers in the back, so I tried it myself and leg room wasn’t bad at all.

There is also a two-litre version and a two-litre plug-in just on the market.

Would I buy it? Yes, I’d be happy with this latest 1.8-litre, especially with its (claimed) frugality of 4.6-litre/100km (that’s 60mpg).

I couldn’t quite manage with my driving, but I wasn’t much over five litres/100km some of the time. It’s a family car particularly suited to getting you around suburbia where its hybrid system is most effective at saving fuel.

This is one for the shortlist.​

​Factfile

Toyota C-HR hybrid

From €40,520, Sport+ €42,920

1.8-litre petrol; 140hp; 108g/km; 4.8litres/100km; €180 tax; eCVT (continuous variable transmission).

Sport trim: Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (sensors, road sign assist, intelligent adaptive cruise control); dual-zone; LED front fogs; front sports seats; 8ins Toyota Touch 2 multimedia system; wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto; 18ins alloys.

Sport+ (tested) adds 12.3in Touch 2 with embedded navigation; wireless phone charger; panoramic roof; two-tone exterior.