Opinion: Toyota is the king of making normal, sensible cars
Car changing is a big deal
Medium-sized family SUVs aren’t very interesting cars, by and large, but do they need to be? Senior reviews writer Mario Christou doesn’t think so, especially after a week with the excellent Toyota C-HR+.
There are the (occasional) days in the life of an automotive journalist which are full of excitement, driving high-performance cars on high-speed roads, full of adrenaline and focus. And as much as I love thrashing around in a sports car, I do need to get home afterwards, at which point the last thing I want to do is to clamber into a bucket seat and listen to a loud exhaust for two hours on the motorway.
No, the car I want to waft home in after a long day is this, the Toyota C-HR+, one of the most comfortable and cosseting cars I’ve ever driven.
It’s also not a car I’m embarrassed to be seen in, because the Japanese brand happens to pen some pretty handsome motors these days. It’s no sports car, of course, but the C-HR+ is full of sharp creases, interesting lines, a tidy nose and tail and a set of pronounced wheel arches. It’s far easier on the eye than a Skoda Elroq or Renault Scenic E-Tech.
Shame the interior is pretty dull to look at by comparison, but again, after a long day I just want a car with a posh, expensive-feeling cabin to relax in and easy-to-understand controls and displays. The C-HR+, in that regard, is ideal, with physical heater control knobs, a real volume dial for the audio and plenty of soft-touch plastics. You don’t need a PHD in computer science to turn on the heated seats.
I have issues with the interior space, however. The lack of a glovebox is annoying and it sure could do with more headroom in the back – but let’s be real. Buying a coupe-SUV and complaining about the roofline is like buying a flat above a nightclub and complaining about the noise. If you need more room, go for a bZ4X or a Kia EV3 instead.
My favourite thing about the Toyota is the way it drives, because it really is one of the most comfortable cars I’ve driven all year. I live in a part of London with particularly nasty roads, and the C-HR+ did a phenomenal job of ironing them out. The driver’s seat is great, too, and after a whole day of motorway mileage I felt fresh as a daisy getting out.
Peace of mind isn’t a factor you can measure, but range is, and they’re inextricably linked. Considering the C-HR+ claims 345 miles of range and I saw 87% of that (300 miles) in the real world across mixed roads, it’s nice to know that road trips aren’t out of the question – without having to stop to charge all the time.
Price is always a factor, and starting at £34,500 (£42,000 in top-spec trim) the C-HR+ isn’t cheap, but considering the sweet spot, the big-battery Design version costs £38,000 with plenty of standard kit – it’s not overpriced, either.
There’s a time and a place for silly, exciting cars – but most of the time all I want is a comfortable, sensible car to waft about in. Toyota is the king of the hill when it comes to that sort of car, and the C-HR+ just so happens to be the best of the bunch.
Car change? Carwow!
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*Savings are made up of the maximum dealer discount off RRP – subject to dealership, location and trim. Prices correct at the time of writing.