Toyota C-HR engines, driving and performance

The old C-HR felt like it had split personalities. On the one hand it was a sensible, hybrid-powered commuter car, but Toyota had given it a surprisingly firm, sporty setup that felt at odds with its character.

Thankfully, the new C-HR feels much more coordinated. No, it's not exciting – far from it, in fact – but at least the latest car is calmer, softer and easier to use everyday. This impression feels much more in tune with the car's efficient powertrain and sensible billing, and makes it easier to drive without feeling fatigued.

Abandon your sporty pretences and the C-HR becomes an easy car to live with. The pedal tuning is superb, with the hybrid electric motor reacting immediately so you can nab gaps in traffic without waiting for the engine and gearbox to wake up. Similarly, the brakes are smooth and intuitive, with no obvious swap-over point between regen braking and the physical brakes.

This is one of the biggest changes for the new C-HR over its predecessor. The new car has a much softer, more grown-up nature to its ride quality. You get supple damping over big bumps and a reasonable reduction in high-frequency vibrations – all without the car feeling excessively roly-poly.

It's not quite pillowy soft like some of the comfiest-in-class, but the C-HR generally handles better than those wobbly alternatives. You sense Toyota has settled for a fair balance between handling and comfort.

Refinement is broadly good, especially in urban settings where the car can run mostly on electric power. However, sudden bursts of speed – such as a motorway slip road – will send engine revs soaring and cause a bit of a racket inside the cabin. This is one of the few unavoidable drawbacks of self-charging-hybrid cars.

While older C-HRs had a variety of engines, the new model simply lets you pick between self-charging-hybrid or plug-in-hybrid powertrains.

Self-charging hybrids are Toyota's bread-and-butter, and it's become very good at building them. Even the entry-level 140hp 1.8-litre model has enough gusto to confidently battle urban traffic, along with sufficient horsepower to potter along at motorway speeds without fuss.

There is also a 2.0-litre self-charging hybrid with 197hp, which was briefly offered only in GR Sport trim. This is noticeably swifter than the 1.8-litre version but, considering it still doesn't feel like a 'performance' option, it's probably not worth upgrading to from the smaller unit.

Finally, there's a 223hp 2.0-litre plug-in hybrid. This uses mostly the same mechanical layout as the self-charging hybrids so feels very similar to drive. However, a punchier electric motor and a bigger battery means it can drive on EV power alone for around 40 miles. This is only really worth considering if you can charge from home or work.

Toyota's regular lineup is more focused on efficiency than performance, so keen drivers probably won't find much to like here. Instead, what impresses about the C-HR's powertrains is their excellent real-world economy and how easy they are to use in day-to-day traffic.

In fact, outright performance when you mash the pedal down is probably the least impressive aspect of the C-HR's hybrid powertrains. On the rare occasion you do ask for full power, you'll find the engine spins up to high revs and lets quite a din into the cabin.

Stepping up from the 1.8-litre entry-level engine to either of the 2.0-litre models does bring some welcome extra grunt. It's not enough to transform the C-HR into a sporty car, but the additional muscle gives you more low-speed flexibility without having the engine kick in to support.