You have to admire Toyota’s bravery and confidence in its design: just as we all get used to the original C-HR’s blatantly weird styling, along comes a new one and that leans even harder into “what the hell is that?” territory.
You would always struggle to call the C-HR an SUV with a straight face and now the lower and more aggressively angular styling of the new one muddies those particular waters even further.
Then you get the GR Sport model you see here. And let’s get one thing straight immediately: yes, GR is Toyota’s sporty brand and, no, the C-HR Sport is most definitely not sporty.
You see, the key there is that “Sport” bit on the end of its name; it is similar to the old trick of adding “Line” to the end of your performance brand name (think BMW’s M-Line or Hyundai’s N-Line) to denote not-hot cars that look a bit like the properly hot cars, but offer nothing much in the way of extra performance.
So while “GR” in front of the model name (a clever little trick there) means it is a properly sporty car (GR Corolla or GR Yaris), when it comes after the model name and adds “Sport” into the mix (Yaris Cross GR Sport), it’s pretty much just a dress up job.
Except… the C-HR does actually break that mould. Sort of.
You see, while the standard C-HR range gets a 103kW/142Nm 1.8-litre petrol hybrid engine driving the front wheels, the GR Sport actually gets a totally different powertrain: a 145kW/190Nm 2.0-litre petrol hybrid driving all four wheels.
But this is basically just a quirk of the New Zealand model range, as the C-HR is available with multiple powertrains across a much wider range of models overseas, with an even more powerful plug-in hybrid version in the European-spec GR Sport, as well as FWD models with the 2.0-litre.
Let’s get one thing straight immediately: yes, GR is Toyota’s sporty brand and, no, the C-HR Sport is most definitely not sporty.
Either way, a bump of 40kW or so may sound impressive, but the addition of AWD (and the fact it is still just 145kW) means that the GR Sport version of the C-HR feels remarkably like the lesser 1.8-litre cars to drive.
However, while this may sound like I am knocking the GR Sport, I’m really not, because the bog-standard C-HR is actually great to drive, particularly given the addition of that special Toyota hybrid black magic that makes them ridiculously frugal, even when you aren’t trying.
And that certainly applies to the GR Sport as, despite the fact it has a bigger engine and AWD, it has a 3P-WLTP combined fuel consumption that is just 0.1L/100km more than the 1.8-litre FWD entry level C-HR GX. That’s 4.5L/100km compared to 4.4.
There is no real secret to how it achieves this, however, as like a lot of modern AWD hybrids, Toyota’s “E-Four” AWD system is pretty much just an extra electric motor on the rear axle, so there are no complex, weight-adding mechanical connections involved, just more electric running.
Which means a surprising amount of electric-only running for something that doesn't have a plug and, in traditionally Toyota hybrid-fashion, the C-HR really doesn’t care much how you drive it and will simply return close to or even less than the official claim.
Even the base GX C-HR is impressively well equipped, but the GR Sport pretty much gets everything thrown at it.
In day-to-day driving, the GR Sport feels remarkably similar to its less powerful FWD siblings, but dropping it into Sport mode does perk it up, with a slightly more eager response to throttle inputs. It’s all incremental stuff, however.
So while performance and economy is fairly similar to the FWD cars, one area the GR Sport brings some serious differences is in the amount of standard gear it packs and the quality of materials used in the interior.
Even the base GX C-HR is impressively well equipped, but the GR Sport pretty much gets everything thrown at it, including a nine-speaker JBL audio system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice recognition, wireless phone charging, power-adjustable (8 way for the driver, 6 way for the passenger) GR branded synthetic leather and suede heated sports seats, a synthetic leather heated steering wheel, a head-up display, dual zone climate control, a big 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, a powered tailgate, LED lights all around and 19-inch alloys, to name but a few.
There is also Toyota full suite of safety and driver assists, which are impressively well tuned in the C-HR, with minimal nagging and little in the way of frustration intrusions to daily driving.
Of course, if you are spending $55,990 on a small SUV with the lot, then you would be silly not to drop an extra $1000 and get the two tone paint finish.
Where previously this was just the roof, the new C-HR now expands this to take in the rear C-pillar, rear guards and, indeed, the entire back end of the car. And it looks fantastic, particularly in our test car’s red base colour, emphasising the C-HR’s aggressively angular design.
The C-HR may have a brave design, but it is a remarkably cohesive one. Get it in a bright colour (with the two tone finish) and it looks brilliantly wild, or go for grey or black and it almost looks conservative. Almost.
Throw in an impressive ride, predictable handling and a remarkably high level of tech and you have a very compelling small SUV indeed. Or is it a hatch? Or something else? It really doesn’t matter though, because it is just very good either way.
What are the key statistics for the Toyota C-HR GR Sport?
While the rest of the C-HR range packs a 1.8-litre hybrid FWD powertrain, the GR Sport model gets a more powerful 145kW/190Nm 2.0-litre petrol hybrid powertrain. The GR Sport also gains AWD thanks to the addition of a rear electric motor as well.
Is the Toyota C-HR GR Sport efficient?
It's a Toyota hybrid so, yes, of course it is efficient. The C-HR GR Sport has a combined fuel consumption of 4.5L/100km (3P-WLTP), which is just 0.1L/100km more than the 1.8-litre FWD entry level C-HR GX, and it is almost ridiculously easy to see figures like that (or even lower) in real world daily use.
Is the Toyota C-HR GR Sport good to drive?
In the same way that a Corolla is always a pleasant surprise to drive enthusiastically, the C-HR is impressively capable on a winding road, with predictable, composed handling and a comfortable ride. It is also extremely comfortable and easy to live with around town. Again, it's a Toyota, so it does what you expect.
Is the Toyota C-HR GR Sport practical?
While its swoopy, angular looks may make you think the C-HR could be a bit cramped and impractical, it really isn't. The biggest bugbear is the relatively miserly rear legroom, but this is a drawback across all of Toyota's small SUVs, Yaris Cross and Corolla Cross included.
What do we like about the Toyota C-HR GR Sport?
It looks fantastic. All that aggressively angular business going on all over it is bold, but works extremely well, elevating the C-HR above the mundanity of the small SUV segment. And because it's basically a Corolla underneath all of that, it drives, handles and rides very well too.
What don’t we like about the Toyota C-HR GR Sport?
While it doesn't use significantly more fuel than the standard FWD C-HR, neither does it offer anything more in the way of performance. Also, this isn't really a criticism of the GR Sport, but it's not a full-fat GR model that packs the fantastic snarling little three-cylinder engine that makes the GR Yaris and GR Corolla so brilliant. Come on Toyota, give us a proper GR C-HR. That may be a lot of letters randomly grouped together, but the resulting car would be brilliant...
What kind of person would the Toyota C-HR GR Sport suit?
Someone who wants a small SUV, but doesn't want to be stuck with a bland box on wheels. Granted, there are some interesting options available in the small SUV segment, but the C-HR offers up some seriously distinctive looks with the advantage of proven and very well regarded underpinnings.
