Toyota C-HR+ Mid+
Toyota took its sweet, sweet time before it finally entered the electric vehicle (EV) marketplace with the underwhelming
bZ4X. But it hasn't left it so long for the difficult sophomore album, bringing us an (ever so slightly) smaller EV that's called the C-HR+. That single mathematical symbol at the end of the model name is an important signifier, because this is an all-new car and not just the existing
Mk2 C-HR with its hybrid powertrain stripped out of it.
As with the bZ4X, there's a
Subaru analogue of the C-HR+ which is called the Uncharted (terrible name, unless you're a big fan of Naughty Dog), but obviously Toyota still took the lead on development here. So is the 'Plus' in the, well, plus column? Or is it a major negative?
Styling
The Toyota C-HR+ takes a pinch of C-HR aesthetics and a soupcon of bZ4X flavouring, and comes up with something that - visually speaking - is about bang in the middle of the pair. It's smoother, swoopier and less angular than the bZ4X, with front-light clusters that are a little more C-HR-ish in their aspect, but ultimately it's a handsome-enough creation... without being in any way standout.
Physically, it's not much shorter than the bZ4X (170mm overall, with 100mm less in the wheelbase of the newbie, courtesy of a 2,750mm figure) and when it's parked next to a second-gen C-HR, it looks massive. It's a slippery beast, mind; a 0.26Cd figure speaks weighty volumes about how aerodynamic the new Toyota's shape really is.
Interior
Build-quality-wise and in terms of the interesting sculpting of the fascias, there's precious little wrong with the C-HR+'s cabin. There are some interesting fillets of trim, too, such as that lined material that swathes the upper surface of the passenger-side dash. Similarly, with a good mix of buttons and digital real estate (14-inch touchscreen with excellent physical climate dials integrated into it, seven-inch driver's instrument cluster which is less impressive but fine enough), Toyota has served up something ergonomically very correct here.
Yet by no means perfect. The wheel's boss and buttonry looks a bit ugly, although it's OK to hold and operate, while we wish Toyota would not insist on repeating the grey on grey on grey interior finishing across the board; it's quite dour inside, doubly so for those sitting in the back seats where not much light filters in through rear windows pinched by the flourishes of the exterior designer's pen. Also, if you don't drop the driver's seat right down, you can feel like you're perched up on the car, rather than properly sitting down in it.
Practicality
It's a shame that the second row of seating is so gloomy in the C-HR+, because in terms of actual space it's not too bad back there at all. Very tall people will find the headroom is a touch restricted by the flow of the Toyota's roofline, but everyone else will reckon the space back there is most agreeable. And while a 416-litre boot lags behind a few key rivals, it's only about 36 litres off that found in the bZ4X - a car supposedly from the class above, remember. Anyway, factor in plenty of useful stowage spaces throughout the cabin, a good supply of USB sockets dotted about the interior, and great visibility out of the windows, and the C-HR+ has to be considered a hit on the practicality front.
Performance
Toyota is going to do a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive version of the C-HR+ which has 343hp as a peak output. Enthusiasts might recall (depressingly) that that is exactly the same figure as the regular model of the now-legendary
E46 BMW M3. Or note, with some alarm, that the C-HR+ AWD is 3hp more powerful than the
3.0-litre straight-six Supra.
The AWD is fitted with the 77kWh net, 72kWh usable battery pack, but Toyota UK isn't planning to take that variant here any time soon. It's not a definite 'no' on the AWD ever appearing here, you understand; it's just that you might as well focus on the two single-motor, front-drive models instead, in the first instance.
One of these will use a smaller 57.7kWh (gross, 54kWh usable) power pack and a 167hp motor, delivering an 8.4-second 0-62mph time and a maximum range of 283 miles. The most important, though, is the long-range FWD we're focusing on here, with 224hp and the 77kWh battery, leading to a theoretical maximum range of 378 miles.
And honestly, this is the sweet spot of the C-HR+ range. The AWD is ridiculously, almost needlessly quick for what it is, but on 20-inch wheels its (official) range drops right down to 313 miles. Whereas the FWD long-range is more than quick enough for anyone's needs, while it should easily do 250-300 miles in most real-world situations without needing to be hypermiled or driven with all its electrical drains switched off.
Ride & Handling
Again, the FWD long-range is the best car in the C-HR+ family. Both it and the AWD ride superbly, while keeping the passenger compartment quiet at all road speeds - it's only if the tarmac surface becomes rougher that some tyre cavitation presents itself in the back of the Toyota's cabin.
In the corners, the engineering team made big noises about the SUV's e-TNGA chassis and this being an EV for enthusiasts, but that was rather overplaying the C-HR+'s dynamic hand somewhat. It's fine, of course, and here is where we prefer the front-drive model because it's that bit lighter on its feet and a little less hefty through the steering wheel than the AWD, without sacrificing a lot of traction due to just two wheels being driven. But the kinematic experience the C-HR+ serves up is in no way memorable or particularly thrilling; it is, however, very civilised, easy-going and discreet throughout, which is exactly what a midsized, family SUV with electric power needs to be first and foremost.
Value
Official prices aren't confirmed, but the belief is that the Toyota C-HR+ range will start from around £34,000, with as many models and trim specs to sit under the £37,000 barrier as possible, in turn allowing interested buyers to benefit from the government's electric-car grant. That makes the well-equipped C-HR+ seem like good value, for a near-400-mile (claimed) EV, and would let it compete reasonably with something established in this sector like the
Kia EV3.
Verdict
There's nothing drastic nor massively daring about the new Toyota C-HR+, but it has eradicated the range and electrical efficiency issues that plagued early bZ4X models. As such, it's a stronger, more likeable second EV offering from the Japanese giant. It's suitably polished and carefully inoffensive, and provided the pricing is set fair then the C-HR+ looks like it ought to be a real winner with buyers.
