Toyota C-HR Excel long-term test: hybrid SUV’s safety tech is accidentally put to the test

The C-HR is already proving to be one of those cars you can just jump in and drive; little touches such as the wireless phone charging pad and a memory function for the driver’s seat position make for a quick getaway with the minimum of fuss, while the premium sports seats offer decent support and are comfortable.

Toyota offers the C-HR with either a 1.8-litre or 2.0-litre hybrid engine, or as a plug-in hybrid. Mine’s the smaller hybrid version with 138bhp and, after the near 800 miles I’ve completed across various A-roads, B-roads and motorway driving, I’m wondering about the benefits of the extra oomph that’s on offer with the 197bhp 2.0-litre model. 

My car’s perfectly fine around town and at a cruise, but it huffs and puffs a little when you put your foot down to overtake. Things aren’t helped by the CVT automatic gearbox, which creates the infamous drone from the engine under hard acceleration. However, I’m seeing excellent fuel efficiency, with my current average of 54.4mpg edging towards Toyota’s 57-60mpg claim.

So, with all that said and done, I probably need to explain the picture on the right. I haven’t been involved in an accident, nor do I feel the need to warn you off the C-HR. Quite the opposite, in fact. My car’s Excel spec comes with Toyota Safety Sense, which is a full suite of active systems designed to help prevent the worst happening on the road – and when I say full suite, I mean everything but the kitchen sink. I have never driven a car that has as much safety technology as the C HR. It’s staggering. 

The system has already saved me from a car-park prang – not just by alerting me to an unseen bollard, but by automatically braking when I nearly reversed into it. I can see Safety Sense being a strong theme in my ongoing reports. Yes, it’s intrusive, but I still appreciate it being there. It’ll be interesting to see if we’re still friends in a few months.

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.