Toyota C-HR

Smart coupé styling ensures the C-HR is the momost distinctive model on test. But is that enough?

TOYOTA might be better known for its hybrids, but the 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol unit in this £24,065 C-HR Excel (although our pictures show a top-spec Dynamic model) offers a worthy alternative to the Vauxhall and Peugeot. There’s plenty of style thanks to its coupé-like design in an SUV body, but does it back this up with substance?

DESIGN & ENGINEERING

THE C-HR is based on Toyota’s New Global Architecture chassis that also underpins the brand’s Prius eco car. As a result, the platform was designed with the acceptance of hybrid powertrains in mind, but we think this turbocharged 1.2 is the more worthy choice of the two engines on offer.

It’s a four-cylinder unit linked to a six-speed manual box that only drives the front wheels. Rated at 113bhp and with only 185Nm of torque, it’s slightly down on performance compared with its rivals here, but it is also around £500 cheaper as a cash buy.

You don’t have to pay a price when it comes to equipment though, as the Toyota is loaded with kit that includes adaptive cruise control compared with the standard systems on its rivals, parking sensors and a reversing camera, sat-nav, DAB, Bluetooth, LED lights and keyless go. This Excel model matches the Grandland X in Sport Nav guise and the Allure 3008 as a result.

However, in terms of the engineering underneath the C-HR actually trumps its rivals. Macpherson strut front suspension is paired with double wishbones at the rear, which is a more advanced set-up than the others’ torsion beam rear axle, so should deliver more when it comes to ride and handling.

DRIVING

WHEN you get behind the wheel of the C-HR, it instantly feels sportier and more dynamic than the two Emp2-based machines it’s going up against here.

The steering is nicely weighted and although there’s not much connection to the front wheels, it’s easy to place the car where you want on the road. It helps that there’s less roll than in its rivals, while the body movement you do feel is better controlled.

Toyota’s chassis feels firmer than either the Vauxhall or Peugeot, but the damping is nicely judged, so it ties the body down well for faster cornering yet still manages to take the edges off bumps smoothly, delivering a composed and controlled, but comfortable, ride.

The car’s performance and sense of dynamic ability stems from this chassis set-up rather than the engine, though. It’s down on power compared with the Grandland X and only weighs 30kg less, so it was no surprise that the Toyota was the slowest machine at our test track. It accelerated from 0-60mph in 11 seconds flat, while it trailed its rivals for in-gear performance as well – particularly in fifth and sixth.

The engine’s power delivery isn’t the smoothest, either. It doesn’t rev with much punch, while there are some noticeable steps and jerks in the power delivery as the needle spins round the rev counter. You have to work it hard to extract the performance that’s there, too, but at least that task is made easier by the sweet six-speed manual transmission. Compared with the crunchy and imprecise action in its rivals, which both use the same six-speed box, the Toyota unit is much slicker and more precise.

PRACTICALITY

THE C-HR’S styling has a massive impact on practicality. While it looks good, the 377-litre boot is way down on the two SUVS it’s up against here. The same is true with the seats down, because the 1,160-litre load bay is around 500 litres smaller than both its rivals.

That rising window line at the rear means visibility is poor, so the standard fit reversing camera and parking sensors are a big help. Yet these don’t help when changing lanes on the motorway and can’t counteract the claustrophobic feel in the rear.

It feels cramped because it is. There’s less legroom and the rakish roof impacts headroom, too. In the front it’s a bit better, but small oversights such as the deep cup-holders, which are hard to get drinks out of, and a few ergonomic foibles hamper usability.

OWNERSHIP

AT least Toyota was the highest-ranked brand of these three in our Driver Power 2017 owner satisfaction survey, finishing in 11th place. Safety is strong, too, because the C-HR scored a full-five star rating in its Euro NCAP crash-test earlier this year.

That’s thanks to seven standard airbags, autonomous braking and collision warning with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning and lane keep assist, auto high beam for the standard LED lights, traffic sign recognition and adaptive cruise control. This is a strong list for a family SUV that should offer peace of mind.

RUNNING COSTS

HAVING to work the Toyota’s engine harder to extract the performance meant it wasn’t as economical as its rivals in this test. It returned economy of 39.6mpg, which means you’ll spend £1,665 per year on fuel – or £120 and £156 more than the Vauxhall and Peugeot respectively based on our figures.

A flat rate of road tax at £140 per year after the first year means this cost will be the same for all three models – although it’s still worth considering – while the Toyota’s servicing fees of £705 over the first three years mean it’ll be the most expensive car here to maintain.