Quirky but quotidian, Toyota’s C-HR has brave looks but is a risk-free proposition

Toyota bills its C-HR as a ‘concept car for the road’, and it’s true that this high-riding two-tone confection does have more than a whiff of futuristic whimsy about it. As a plug-in hybrid, this mid-sized, mid-range machine rides the contemporary wave of love for PHEV technology, offering practicality, efficiency and reliability.

Toyota is oft-criticised for its tardiness in getting around to engaging with all-things pure electric. The company's success and expertise in the realm of hybrids is usual cited as the reason for this heel-dragging (the pioneering Prius range has sold over six million examples), as is its dogged pursuit of a hydrogen-powered future (witness the Mirai, practically the only hydrogen-powered car on the market).

Maybe the company has a point. All things hybrid are hot right now, as legislators dilly-dally around questions of tariffs and grants, infuriating those manufacturers who made early commitments to electrification, and thoroughly confusing the market. Even so, Toyota has still hedged its bets with the C-HR, offering in both a mild hybrid 1.8-litre version and a plug-in hybrid 2.0-litre. There are a number of different trim levels, all the way up to the flagship GR Sport model, which gets a JBL sound system and other benefits inside and out.

This is a very Europe-centric car, sized in a modest way that doesn’t feel overbearing whilst still offering a raised-up driving position that seems to instil confidence in the urban and suburban driver. Whereas the original C-HR offered an incredibly dark and confined experience for rear passengers, the new model feels lighter, helped out by the optional panoramic roof.

Behind the wheel, the C-HR is an easy, unthreatening drive. It’s not especially sprung, nor is it taut and responsive, but boosty acceleration (62mph comes up in a handy 7.4 seconds) and regenerative braking make it easy to live with. There’s 41 miles of pure EV range for the plug-in model, and Toyota have introduced ‘Predictive Efficient Drive’, which uses geo-fencing to switch to EV mode in flagged congestion zones, as well as using any pre-programmed trip data to balance the battery use to ensure there’s enough spare for zero emission driving towards the end of a route. It also has a manually operated ‘charging’ mode, to keep the battery topped up.

Whatever you think of Toyota’s overall aesthetic, the detail design is top notch, from the flush door handles to the two-tone rear haunches. The hatchback body offers masses of internal space with the seats down and there’s a useful scattering of charge points and internal storage around the cabin. There is more recycled plastic used than ever before, as well as synthetic leather and a more energy-efficient painting process. When you make as many cars as Toyota, such innovations really add up – the previous generation C-HR sold around 840,000 units in Europe.

That cabin gets enhancements like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, ambient LED lighting that changes in tone throughout the day, and a large 12.3-inch screen with plenty of customisation options. The lighting system even taps into the car’s ‘Safe Exist Assist’, glowing red if you try and open a door into the path of a cyclist or oncoming traffic. Toyota has also gone down the route of providing physical buttons for heating and cooling.

The C-HR continues Toyota’s quiet quest to transform the car into an appliance like any other, doling out just the right amount of amenity, character and quality to transform this clever car from a purely rational choice into something approaching an emotive one. If you’re blind to the intricacies of automotive brand hierarchies and histories and just want a straightforward machine that’ll deliver you from A to B without fuss or complexity for decades, then the C-HR is pretty peerless.

Toyota C-HR, from £31,300, Toyota.co.uk