Presentation and test drive Toyota C-HR 2020, the expected renewal of the hybrid SUV

Toyota has updated the C-HR after almost three years on the market. The Toyota C-HR was the Japanese brand’s bet on design and hybrid technology, an urban SUV that has been very well received in the market and that is now being renewed with minor changes, but keeping its personality and incorporating a new 184 CV hybrid engine.

To get to know it first-hand, we travelled to our neighbouring country, to Lisbon, where we got behind the wheel of the Toyota C-HR with the 184 CV hybrid engine.

New exterior design for the 2020 Toyota C-HR: subtle changes while maintaining a unique personality

When a design works very well and people like it, it is difficult to update it. I don’t know whether for this reason or others, but the Japanese firm has been conservative in renewing the new C-HR, introducing small changes to the exterior design that give it a more modern image while keeping the avant-garde design as its basis.

Among the novelties, the first thing that stands out are its LED front headlights, as well as the new design of the front grille, while also debuting a new front bumper.

At the rear there are new LED-technology lights, a black moulding that outlines the rear and gives continuity to the lights, and a double exhaust outlet – trim – in the case of the 184 CV engine. Finally, it debuts three new colours and a new alloy wheel design.

More hybrid power: New 2.0-litre Dynamic Force hybrid system with 184 CV

When the C-HR was launched its good handling and chassis tuning called for more power, and now more power finally arrives for the C-HR with the incorporation of the new two-litre engine and 152 CV, combined with a 109 CV electric motor which together deliver a total output of 184 CV. The new two-litre VVT-i dual and Atkinson cycle block is modular, so that most components are shared, standing out for its thermal efficiency level of 41%, the highest in the world for a petrol engine produced as standard.

It also debuts a new 4th-generation hybrid system that improves performance in electric mode, allowing it to run in electric mode for longer in the city and even up to 120 km/h. In addition to the 184 CV engine, it is also available with the well-known 1.8 hybrid with a total output of 122 CV. What there will not be is a petrol version; this engine is available for other markets, but the Japanese firm has opted only for hybrid powertrains for our country.

Dynamically, the Japanese engineers have worked to give greater body rigidity, and a new suspension system for the C-HR models equipped with the two-litre engine has also been introduced. Finally, acoustic performance has been improved, reducing the noise reaching the interior and improving engine insulation, which can be noticed inside, where it is quieter.

Behind the wheel of the new Toyota C-HR

During the first contact near Lisbon, we got behind the wheel of a Toyota C-HR with the hybrid set capable of delivering 184 CV, without doubt the biggest novelty of this C-HR. The first thing we noticed compared with the previous generation is a considerable improvement in interior soundproofing; the first kilometres are on the motorway, and the good interior insulation is clear.

Behind the wheel of the new 184 CV engine, we see in urban driving how we run most of the time in electric mode (much longer than in the previous generation), and the most notable thing is the smoothness of the hybrid set.

The route they had prepared for us, from Toyota Europe, included roads full of bends to test the chassis and the engine’s behaviour. The new block is noticeable: the C-HR has more liveliness, and we can press the accelerator pedal with the certainty that it will respond, while maintaining more than adequate agility on bendy routes; in fact, the feeling at the wheel is one of agility and lightness.

On a route of more than 150 km on roads, driving in a completely carefree way, this C-HR surprises with its combination of smoothness and agility, while we obtain an average consumption of 5.6 litres per 100 km. I can only find one fault, and that is the steering feel, which does not communicate very much and, in my opinion, is too assisted for a car that does stand out for a certain dynamism.

Connectivity and new equipment

On the technology front the C-HR has also been updated, with a new multimedia system that incorporates smartphone connectivity (Android Auto and Apple CarPlay), as well as the possibility of downloading an app “MyT” that provides information about the car, plans journeys and sends them to the car’s navigation system, locates where we have parked, or improves our driving with the hybrid driving assistant.

Depending on the version, it can be fitted with the JBL Premium sound system with 800 W of power and nine speakers, with a notable sound quality. In fact, depending on the version, a conventional JBL system and the JBL Premium are available in the top range (a nice detail, since it comes as standard on the Dynamic version).

In terms of safety, it comes as standard with Toyota Safety Sense: pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, automatic high beams and traffic sign recognition.

In the better-equipped versions it incorporates elements such as adaptive lighting, blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, parking assistant, among others.

The range is structured in several levels:

• Active: Toyota Safety Sense, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, 19-inch multimedia system, partially LED rear lights, dual-zone air conditioning, mobile integration in the multimedia system, among others.
• Advance: 18-inch wheels, tinted glass, blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, parking sensors, among others.
• Advance Plus: SIPA, full LED front headlights, LED rear lights, sequential rear indicators, JBL audio, among others.
• Advance Luxury: Directional front headlights, heated seats, electric lumbar adjustment, leather upholstery, two-tone exterior paint.
• Dynamic: Directional front headlights, Nano-e interior air purifier, JBL Premium audio system, two-tone exterior finish and leather upholstery.
• Launch Edition: directional front headlights, orange two-tone exterior, JBL Premium audio system, leather upholstery.

As for the price, Toyota has not yet revealed the official prices, but it has announced a launch offer, under which we can have a Toyota C-HR with 184 CV from 270 euros a month with a deposit of 5,700 euros, for four years, and at the end you can exchange it for another, keep it or return it. Initially only the launch version will be available, and at the beginning of 2020 the remaining versions will arrive at a price similar to the current C-HR, according to the Japanese brand.

Photos | Diego G. Moreira and Toyota Spain

Technical specifications of this car

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