Toyota C-HR Limited long-term test: suits the commute

Report 1 07/02/25 - Report 2 06/03/25 REPORT 2: (6th MARCH 2025) Mileage: 2685km There’s a little game we like to play with hybrids, especially Toyota hybrids and ideally Toyota long-term hybrids (this isn’t our first one). It’s called "What’s the Best Fuel Economy You Can Get on a Commute to Work?". So we do need a catchier title. But it’s only right our C-HR Limited long-termer joins in. We’ve been doing this ever since we tried an impromptu challenge with a RAV4 long-termer a few years back, in the heady days before Covid-19 when we all came into the office, all the time.  Yeah, we start early a lot of the time. You're welcome. My all-time time record is a one-off 2.9l/100km in a Yaris, achieved in ideal conditions in a very light car with the then-latest (2020) lithium-battery hybrid setup. Advertisement Advertise with NZME. Ideal conditions: what are they? Well, Toyota hybrids are consistently very thrifty in multiple driving scenarios; they tend to arrive at an average and stay there regardless of what you do with them, which is the genius of the technology. You get some sweet, sweet regen on a hill like this. But if you want to stack the deck completely in a hybrid’s favour, you need low speeds and heavy traffic, with lots of stopping and starting. As we know, a hybrid of the type Toyota uses has a tiny battery and electric motor that can propel the car for very short distances in EV mode, albeit only 1-2km (at best) on a full charge. What the technology is really for is to recapture energy normally lost during coasting, deceleration and braking, so that  the electric motor can do its best to take the load off the petrol engine. It’s a simple idea that Toyota has honed to perfection in many models over nearly three decades. 'HEV' is Toyota's new branding for hybrids. Plus a gradient circle-thingy. The basic principle hasn’t changed, but we’ve noticed newer Toyota hybrids getting ever-better at regenerating their batteries during every little lift of the throttle, meaning optimum battery assistance at all times in traffic. Which in turn means optimum fuel economy. Yes, yes, I know you’re desperate to learn the results for our little urban-SUV. Well, my morning commute is 13km (so 26km daily, using maths) and an even mix of urban (30-50km/h) and motorway (80-100km/h). But always pretty slow, despite relatively early starts. Like, it's dark and everything. We don't drive with the Energy Monitor on all the time, honest. It's just nice for pictures. For a week, I reset the trip computer each leg (to keep all the other day-to-day driving out of the picture) and averaged the results, which got us 4.3l/100km. That's staggering in heavy traffic, especially when you consider it was achieved in complete leather-upholstered comfort and with excellent early-morning sounds from the Limited’s grunty JBL audio system. I would like to qualify that result with a couple of things. First, it was skewed a touch by a couple of inexplicably high figures (in the 5l bracket); my single-best was 3.1l/100km and on that day, I didn’t really even feel like I was trying. The EV driving ratio (the C-HR can measure that for you) was 75% for the trip, which shows you just how much work that regen is doing. All tucked up at work. Dark-coloured Toyota hybrids are very popular here. Speaking of which, I didn’t try too hard generally, beyond being mindful of smooth driving. Not sure how much difference the C-HR’s various drive modes really make, but I ran it in Normal rather than Eco because I wanted the drive to be… normal. With the cruise control preset to the appropriate limit, I even flicked the C-HR onto auto-pilot a few times to really relax the right foot. Which all we know isn’t the most economical way to operate any car. What I’m saying is, I’m very confident in calling this a real-world result. Weird bums can be cool bums. Look carefully and you'll see what we mean. So eco-tick, but what irks at this stage? Well, Toyota has fallen into that old trick of pretending its curvaceous SUV is a “coupe” by leaving off the rear wiper. And that’s a pain, because when there’s early-morning moisture on the car it’d be nice to to be able to wipe it off, because it really collects on the glass at that extreme angle. There’s also a thing called winter that comes around every year. And while the EV-style flush door handles look fancy, they're quite hard to get hold of when you have your hands full. When you drive away, they also clunk shut with a jump-scare noise. Takes some getting used to. It really does look two-tone in some light. Annoying. We’ve also previously expressed disappointment that our car doesn’t have the Two Tone Plus paintjob that’s available as an option on the Limited (although not in our specific Graphite paint finish). We’ve noticed several times that in certain light, the wacky rear-quarter panel shape does actually make it look like there’s a different gloss-black finish on that part of the car. It looks great... which is even more annoying. REPORT 1: (7th FEBRUARY 2025) Mileage: 2000km The Toyota C-HR is the latest addition to our long-term fleet. It was an easy choice, because it’s officially New Zealand’s best city SUV. And they’re not our words, remember, but the words of… oh hang on, they are our words. There's city commuting, and city commuting. Guess which kind we like? We awarded the C-HR Best City SUV of 2024 in our Car of the Year awards, which was probably the quickest panel decision in the history of COTY. No arguments whatsoever, and it even made the top three finalists for the overall award. Our C-HR is the Limited version. While it would be not-exactly-correct to suggest we get to pick and choose these cars down to the fine details, for our purposes this is perfect So yes, we like the C-HR very much. And speaking as city commuters, we like the size and fuel efficiency, but part of this exercise is also to find out what it’s like to live with the C-HR longer-term and over longer distances. Take it out of the city-SUV comfort zone. All in good time. Limited is the fanciest C-HR you can have without going into GR Sport territory. Our new C-HR is the Limited version. While it would be not-exactly-correct to suggest we get to pick and choose these cars right down to the finer details, for our purposes this is perfect. Our COTY class-win was based on road-test experience of the entry-level GX and top-flight GR Sport, which are very different cars (engines, FWD versus AWD) but uniformly impressive. Limited adds heating for the steering wheel, head-up display, leather-accented seats and a panoramic roof. None of it strictly necessary. So something nearer the middle fills out the review programme nicely. There are four C-HR versions: GX, GXL, Limited and that GR Sport. Our Limited is not exactly cheap at $52,990, especially when you consider the GX’s $45,990 sticker. But it’s a remarkably luxurious little car, which is part of the point: it’s 2025 and we’re in an era where premium doesn’t have to mean an oversized package. Nor does it have to mean a luxury badge: Toyota is now quite an aspirational brand to many and the C-HR is a cool thing to be seen in. Designed and built in Europe, dontchaknow. C-HR hybrid even has a few EV-like design details, like these flush pop-out doorhandles. So, what are you getting in the Limited for the extra $3k over the GXL? All three non-GR Sport models have the same 1.8-litre hybrid powerplant, with lithium-ion battery and electric motor. The safety setup is also the same, with the full Toyota Safety Sense package standard across the range: autonomous braking with the latest pedestrian, cyclist and pedestrian detection, Intersection Turn Assist and Emergency Steering Assist; all the very latest stuff, including the dreaded Driver Monitor Camera, although we’ve found it well-calibrated and decidedly non-annoying in the short time we’ve been driving the car. That’s a rarity. The C-HR appeals because it’s not entirely sensible (neither are we, in case you hadn’t guessed). Adaptive cruise and a clever self-parking feature is also standard across the range. But more about those as our time goes on. Controls neatly arranged, actual buttons. Note driver distraction camera atop steering column. Anyway, Limited. The GXL picks up a fancier full-colour instrument panel (all models have the 12.3in infotainment with wireless projection, though), wireless charger, heated front seats, 18-inch alloy wheels  and “wraparound” daytime running lights. Our Limited adds heating for the steering wheel, head-up display, leather-accented seats and a panoramic roof. None of it strictly necessary (in which case, you might be happy with the GXL), but all nice to have. And 100% of the editorial team agree that the Limited’s higher-powered 9-speaker JBL audio is an absolute must. Lots of weird details to be discovered. Weird in a good way. We’re also pretty happy with the powertrain, even though the GR Sport seems to offer a lot more on paper, with a larger 2.0-litre engine, more power and all-wheel drive. Know what? It doesn’t feel that different to drive (nor does it use any more fuel, to be fair). Really, all we’d like to add to our Limited is the awesome Two Tone Plus paintjob that’s such a feature of this new model. It’s the rather striking livery that combines the body colour with glossy black finish of everything aft of the rear doors (plus the roof, maybe that’s the “plus” bit). It might not look wacky because it's quite familiar, but it is quite wacky. Two Tone Plus is only available on Limited and GR Sport ($1000), which is another to reason to step up to the higher-priced model. To be fair, it’s only available in certain combinations and it’s not offered with our car’s dark Graphite paint colour, which is a shame because it would look awesome: dark with even darker is an interesting effect. We know this to be true because you can have the C-HR Limited Two Tone Plus in Dark Teal, as well as Silver Rush, Frosted White and Sulphur, which is that lurid hue used for a lot of the promotional material. Heated steering, automatic parking, lots of cameras and a wireless phone charger. Luxury. It’s a slightly different palette for the GR Sport Two Tone Plus: same Silver Rush and Frosted White, but also Ash Grey and Emotional Red (which is borrowed from “real” GR cars like the Yaris and Corolla, cheeky). So we’re just getting started with our new C-HR, but it appeals because it’s not entirely sensible (neither are we, in case you hadn’t guessed). The original C-HR of 2016 was conceived as a more aspirational small-car that put design and driving dynamics ahead of practicality. Toyota even went all out to ensure that the cabin touchpoints were different to other models, right down to some bespoke switchgear – a massive decision from a company that’s legendary for its cost-saving component-sharing. Rear-seat space not a priority in C-HR, but it's not bad in this second-gen version. The new second-generation version shares a lot more with other Toyotas, but that individualistic spirit is still evident. The wacky exterior styling continues and yes, it does compromise rear-seat space and cargo-carrying ability, but much less so than the previous model. There are a few EV-style techy touches on the outside, too. The flush doorhandles pop out automatically (but why such a “clunk” from inside the cabin when they close?) and there’s something approaching a light bar at the back with an illuminated “Toyota C-HR” logo in the garnish. 'HEV' is Toyota's new way of saying 'hybrid'. That C-HR logo lights up, you know. The cabin is arguably the nicest and best-finished of any mainstream Toyota crossover, with an extremely high level of build quality and some lovely detail touches. It’s supposed to feel just a little indulgent (yes, yes, we know it’s just a small Toyota), because it’s a model designed around want rather than need. It’s larger than a Yaris Cross but smaller than a Corolla Cross and really, it doesn’t need to exist at all. But it does, and it’s been successful enough globally to warrant this second-generation model. Bit bigger than Yaris Cross, bit smaller than Corolla Cross... the C-HR is just its own thing. Where to from here? Driving, living with the Cross-Hatch Runabout, Compact-High Rider or Coupe-High Rider (all have been mooted as the real meaning behind the C-HR’s mysterious name). We’ll keep you posted. What is the Toyota C-HR? A Toyota compact-SUV with hybrid technology that's supposed to be as much about fashion as function. Why are we running it? To see how well those two things really go together in day-to-day driving.

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