Review: Toyota C-HR Sport 1.8 Petrol Hybrid (2016-2023)

As tested: €30,000- €31,000

For what is considered a conservative county, Ireland has taken a shine to the Toyota C-HR. With its funky interior and alien design, how does the original C-HR stack up almost 10 years after its launch? 

The Design 

Well, where do I begin. The C-HR looks like it came out of a Halo level. While it is a very fussy design with creases and angles everywhere, I don’t hate it. It manages to look striking, rather sporty and when you consider this is Toyota we are talking about, quite bold. It certainly doesn’t look almost 10 years old. The rear doors feature a stealthy handle place to make a coupé look, although they create an issue if you were to use this as a family vehicle. Shorter children will not be able to let themselves into the back seats as the handles are placed basically by the roofline. In a similar vein, once said children are in the back they may find it rather dark and claustrophobic. The last point of contention is the rear three quarters visibility. The rear design with its spoilers and high window line create large blind spots, that can annoy when reversing or shoulder checking. 

The Interior 

The C-HR continues its swooping design as you step inside. All the main buttons and steering wheel controls are angled, almost as if they are melting. The melting theme continues as you look at the bezel around the infotainment, which features an updated version of Toyota’s “Entune” system. This version was only available in the final 2 years of production, but it’s a great system and is a huge step up to the two previous generations seen in pre-facelift cars. This “Sport” trimmed example features all the possible features you would ask from a car in the class, including dual zone climate control, a reversing camera, a suite of driver safety aids and even heated seats. 

Other than the aforementioned issues I have with the older versions of the infotainment system, I found the steering wheel and its buttons to be a pain to use. The design means that pressing the inner most buttons on each side requires stretching your thumb an uncomfortable amount or taking your hands off the nine and three position. In a similar vein, something that does age the C-HR is its separate cruise control stalk. Unlike almost all other new Toyotas it can’t be done on the wheel. 

The Drive

The C-HR shares both its 1.8 and 2.0 petrol hybrid drivetrains with the Corolla, Corolla Cross and Prius. With this comes the benefits and drawbacks that those other models have. If you come at the C-HR with the mindset that you have a fun, interesting looking car with a normal, commuter drivetrain, then you’ll enjoy it. It is a smooth powertrain that has no gearshifts, is silent around town and sips fuel. Toyota's legendary driving aids mean you will always feel safe on the road. The lane assist, radar cruise control and forward collision warning are all present and work well unlike some rivals I have driven. Again, a sign of the C-HR's age shows through here, with it not being able to do semi-autonomous driving, unlike the newer cars in Toyota's range.

On the contrary, if you are expecting the coupe styling is a sign of the driving experience to come, then you will be sorely disappointed. The C-HR has around 200kg more to lug around then its smaller Corolla hatch cousin and you can feel it, or should I say hear it. The 1.8 engine wines and moans its way to an 11 second 0-100kph time. On paper it isn’t much slower but there is a definite lack of midrange shove and the frequency at which the engine has to kick in is noticeable compared to the lighter Corolla. The handling and steering is almost identical to the Corolla, with a higher up driving position allowing for better visibility ahead.

Hidden in a menu in the gauge cluster screen you can turn "Sport" mode. The hybrid system becomes more egger, but all this means is even more engine moan, courtesy the CVT gearbox. The steering does weight up a surprisingly amount but there is no feeling and its heaviness detracts from the vibe of the rest of the drivetrain. As mentioned the rear visibility is not great, but the C-HR does get a back up camera and parking sensors to ease this problem. 

The Verdict

The first generation C-HR is proof that a bold design and incremental updates can keep an aging car current. However, with a lot of the C-HR rivals now already half way through their second generation, it was the right decision to redesign it for 2024. Even with it being a bit "mature" at this point, I still do think the first gen C-HR is worth a look if you are buying in that 2020 to 2023 range. You get Toyota reliability wrapped up in an interesting design, a great commuter powertrain and only subtle reminders that is an aged vehicle. If it were my money I would seek out the 2.0 hybrid version, you get more power, a less strained feeling powertrain, and it goes some of the ways to curing the boring driving experience.