Toyota C-HR (2024) plug-in review – why the price is a little surprising

The Toyota C-HR will also be available with a plug-in in the future. This means that the C-HR is not fully electric, but a plug-in hybrid. After the first driving impression, we sincerely wonder if the more robust version of the hybrid still has a right to exist, especially given the price of the new PHEV version.

What is interesting about the Toyota C-HR PHEV?

For the first time since its launch, the Toyota C-HR has a plug. This means that the crossover of the future is not fully electric, but a plug-in hybrid vehicle with an electric range of 66 kilometers (WLTP). The drivetrain comes from the latest Toyota Prius and has a system power of 223 hp.

The battery of the Toyota C-HR 2.0 High Power Plug-in Hybrid Automatic, as the name of the model sounds in full, has a capacity of 13.6 kWh. With a built-in 6.6 kW charger, it takes about 2.5 hours to charge an empty battery to 100 percent. If you plug in the fan, you rarely have to refuel.

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What’s so great about the Toyota C-HR (2024) plug-in hybrid?

We have climbed and before hybrid version of the Toyota C-HR and again it’s amazing how well the electric motor (162 hp, on the front axle) and the 2.0-liter gasoline engine (152 hp) work together. You have to check the EV symbol on the digital instrument panel to know who is working and who is resting. It remains quiet inside at all times, even wind and tire noise remains well in the background.

We also have nothing to complain about the driving characteristics of the car. The Toyota C-HR has a well-proportioned chassis that offers comfort and sportiness. You can take corners more confidently than you are used to, because the car remains nice and stable. An additional benefit for those who frequently press the accelerator deeper: a powerful electric motor means that the drivetrain is less likely to rumble.

We are also happy with the physical buttons that you find in the interior, including seat heating and climate control. And luckily there are no touch buttons on the steering wheel. The quality look is good.

What can be improved about the Toyota C-HR plug-in hybrid?

It annoys us with every new car: the EU-approved warning sign for exceeding the speed limit. But in the Toyota C-HR, the activation is greater, because you have to go deep into the digital instrument menu to turn off the system temporarily.

What’s missing is a rear window wiper. A conscious choice by Toyota, this reduces wind noise and improves airflow. That may be true, but on a rainy day we drove the C-HR, we were bothered by a lot of water droplets on the rear window and looked, out of habit, but to no avail, for the rear wiper switch. the window. A rear windshield wiper is also available at an additional cost.

Leg and head room in the back is quite adequate (but not spacious), but the door opening is too small for comfortable ingress and egress, especially for tall people. In addition, when passing short bumps in the road surface, such as narrow, bad speed bumps, you will notice that the rear suspension has some difficulty with this and jumping.

Anyone looking for a spacious interior should give the new C-HR room a chance. The interior is black, the center console is higher and the rear is blacker than during the blackout in Amsterdam because of the small side windows. Although the rear side windows are slightly larger than the first generation. The rear view is poor because of the wide C-pillar, but know that a rear camera or a 360-degree camera (depending on the version) is standard.

There’s something strange about the price of the Toyota C-HR plug-in hybrid

Toyota is asking 42,495 euros for the plug-in hybrid version of the C-HR. Anyone who sleeps with the C-HR price list under their pillow knows that this price is the same as the most powerful hybrid version, the 197 hp High Power Hybrid. This applies to all versions.

For the same money you’re driving a plug-in hybrid that’s also more powerful. Previously the price difference was 3500 euros. Toyota says this is done to make the version and plug stage more attractive to consumers.

Who still buys the classic hybrid? The answer from a Toyota spokesperson is that there are still consumers who don’t want a car with a charging cable, although range compression is not a problem due to the petrol engine available.

What do I think of the Toyota C-HR plug-in hybrid?

The new Toyota C-HR has more striking lines than the first generation and is hard to miss. I have doubts about the design. But at least it’s original. And I think the car looks better in real life than in the pictures. But the car drives very pleasantly and has a beautifully finished interior with comfortable seats.

I’m behind the wheel and rarely have a passenger in the back seat, so it doesn’t matter to me that it’s a dark thing in the back seat. I would like to have a rear window wiper.