Toyota C-HR Hybrid - Interior & comfort
The Toyota C-HR Hybrid’s dashboard looks good, feels well made and is easy to use
Some cars look impressively characterful from the outside, but leave one distinctly underwhelmed once aboard; not so with the Toyota C-HR Hybrid, as its designers clearly put as much work into its dashboard layout as they did its angular exterior lines. It’s a comfortable car, too, with the well judged suspension rewarding keen drivers while simultaneously ensuing passengers don’t feel jostled about unduly – a fine balancing act.
Toyota C-HR Hybrid dashboard
The C-HR’s large (and standard) central eight-inch infotainment screen is neatly integrated into the dashboard with a BMW-esque swoop of curved plastic. While in an ideal world Toyota would fit a retracting screen, most manufacturers are building fixed screens these days and the C-HR’s looks better than most.
Below this rest physical rocker switches for the heating and air-conditioning – no fiddling with the touchscreen for these – while material quality is excellent: the C-HR has the best interior Toyota has made for years.
Equipment
The C-HR Hybrid is available in the same three trims as the 1.2-litre model: Icon, Excel and Dynamic.
All are well equipped, with Icon including 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, traffic-sign detection, adaptive cruise control (which will match the speed of the car in front), an alarm, the Touch 2 infotainment system mentioned above, an electronic parking brake and a colour information screen between the dashboard dials.
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That’s a good amount of equipment, but stepping up to Excel trim costs £3,000 – a not-insignificant sum. For that extra outlay, the C-HR Hybrid comes fitted with 18-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, sat nav, keyless entry and go, heated power-folding wing mirrors and a self-parking system.
Top-spec Dynamic is a further £1,500 and brings LED headlights, nattier 18-inch alloy wheels and a two-tone roof. We should also point out that cool anodised blue trim strip running along the dashboard comes only with Dynamic trim – it’s grey or silver with Icon and Excel.
Options
Be prepared to be offered a lot of packs when specifying your C-HR – although some of these are only available with certain trims. There’s no need to add the Parking Pack to Excel or Dynamic trim, for example, as these already come with it.
The Premium Pack adds a JBL stereo and leather seats to Excel and Dynamic trim, while six coloured Accent packs cost roughly £400 and add red, green, brown, white, chrome or ‘metal stream’ detailing to the front bumper, foglamp surrounds and side sills.
The SUV Pack brings stainless-steel side bars, a rear diffuser and a guard for the bottom of the front spoiler for around £1,000, while the Sport Pack brings similar but less pronounced visual garnish.
