The Toyota C-HR: real crossover appeal

A funky hybrid? An offbeat and eye-catching crossover? Can there be such things? And if so, is it possible that a company as staid and conservative as Toyota would be capable of manufacturing such a thing? Declan Colley says the Tpyota C-HR has the answers.

Well, yes, yes, yes, and yes is the response to all of the above, as Toyota really has chucked its normally implacable demeanour well and truly out the window and come up with something which is not only very different from the pack, but also embraces the Japanese giant’s long-standing love affair with the hybrid format.

Welcome to the world of the Toyota C-HR. Yes, the Coupe High Rider. We may scoff at the beautiful naiveté of this car’s name and we may whitter on about the ultimate fruitlessness of the whole hybrid-as-saviour-of-the-planet argument, but this car is going to be a serious player on the Irish market before long.