05/03/2024 The stock Toyota C-HR is an excellent and stylish crossover – read our main review here: http://motorhub.ie/?p=367 Toyota has added a plug in hybrid / PHEV option to the new generation five-door crossover and we’ve tested it at its European launch.
The standard hybrid car is economical on fuel but can only do a few kilometres in pure electric mode before the engine needs to kick in and replenish its small battery – so this is a problem for some drivers who would like to do the majority of the short journies in a greener way but aren’t ready to go full battery electric / BEV. The C-HR PHEV has a bigger rechargeable battery than the hybrid that can power the compact car as an EV for a significantly distance, up to 66km – yet when the need arises for doing longer journies the PHEV C-HR can step up without the hassle of being a fully battery powered electric vehicle an dget power from its petrol engine. The PHEV is the most powerful C-HR you can buy and never feels short of zip.
Out test car featured Toyota’s new Predictive Efficient Drive system with geo-fencing function – that is part of its built in navigation system. This function will be of use to those travelling in and around cities/towns with low emission zones goes – there are none in Ireland at the minute but in time the will come. The system optimise battery use across the entire trip by analysing the planned route and automatically switching between EV and hybrid vehicle (HV) modes when travelling outside low emission zones (LEZs). This maximises the EV driving range available when entering an LEZ. One pedal driving is possible too in the PHEV with up to 80% of the braking requirement available when you lift off the accelerator – just like a BEV. There are adjustable settings of gentle, medium and strong braking.
Four drivetrain modes are selectable: EV, auto EV/HV, HV and charging. The default setting is EV mode. The car will continue to operate in EV mode up to the limit of its EV driving range, regardless of how hard the accelerator is used. Auto EV/HV mode, allows the engine engage when extra power is needed. HV mode helps maintain the battery’s state of charge and is engaged automatically when battery charge runs low. The driver can set this manually too. Charging mode is best used when the driver wants to charge the EV battery (while driving), using power generated by the engine.
The Toyota C-HR PHEV will be relatively expensive to the entry hybrid 1.8 litre model. The PHEV has a 2-litre petrol engine and an electric motor that combine push out 223hp and 190nm. 0-110km/h takes 7.4 seconds. The recharge battery has a 13.6kWh capacity and the car has a 7kW onboard AC charger. Toyta quotes it as able to deliver 15kWh consumption per 100km – a figure it says is better than direct rivals. CO2 is an impressively low 20g/100km and average fuel consumption is listed by Toyota at a remarkable 0.9L/100km (313 mpg). The boot has a 313 litre capacity. The Toyota C-HR PHEV will be liked by those with the cash to affford it as it offers bags of style with EV-like credentials in the urban environment. Michael Sheridan
