THE NEW TOYOTA C-HR

Ready for another crossover? This is the Toyota C-HR, a new mid-sized member of the high seats ’n’ plastic arches club.

Looks a bit more dramatic than most crossovers, though…

That it does. The C-HR production car has stayed remarkably true to the original concept car shown at the 2014 Paris motor show, with a coupe-like styling treatment (made to appear even sleeker by a neat bit of black roof graphic trickery) which is ‘designed to stand out both within the Toyota line-up and in its segment’, the company says. Radical looks haven’t done Nissan’s Juke any harm, after all…

It’s more similar in size to a Qashqai than a Juke, at around 4cm shorter than a RAV4.

It’s a hybrid, you say?

The C-HR uses the same 1.8-litre petrol-electric hybrid setup as the latest Toyota Prius, promising ‘a level of efficiency previously unseen in the crossover segment’ (although Toyota hasn’t quoted any concrete figures just yet).

The current Prius can return a quoted 94.2mpg and 70g/km CO2; expect slightly less efficient figures for the taller C-HR, although Toyota says its CO2 emissions will still dip below the 90g/km mark, dodging UK road tax for the time being.

A straightforward 1.2-litre 113bhp turbocharged petrol model will be available too, borrowed from the Auris and available with a manual gearbox or a CVT, and front- or all-wheel drive. Platform is shared with the Prius too, built around the latest ‘Toyota New Global Architecture’ (TNGA) artchitecture. That puts the battery pack beneath the rear bench for a low centre of gravity and maximum boot space, and employs double-wishbone rear suspension.

Incidentally, Toyota plans to race an extreme version of the C-HR at the 2016 Nurburgring 24 hours in May. Should be interesting…

The Toyota C-HR made its debut at the 2016 Geneva motor show. Pricing is yet to be confirmed, but the C-HR is expected to go on sale in the UK in summer 2016.