[pt542]

Which engine has everyone chosen or will choose?

I figured it would be easier to see the breakdown of engines instead of model grades because they're different around the world.

I have a feeling it will be one sided but we'll see

 

[lee789]

A 2.0L turbo petrol with a DCT gearbox would be nice, or even the 2.5 petrol CVT hybrid from the Lexus NX. If you are going to end up paying the same road tax for whichever variant you choose, you might as well have the option of of an engine that compliments the sporty looks of the CHR. It still amazes me that the 1800cc petrol engine has such a feeble power output.

 

[Perrinss]

There's more to it than road tax. The low CO2 emissions are great for company car drivers, which is why I went for a hybrid. Also the environment is an issue. I appaud a company who avoids diesels and continues to push the boundaries with hybrid and electric technology.
My only gripe is that the 1.2 petrol engine has very high emission levels for its size.

 

[lee789]

Yes it does. There are bigger petrol engines with much lower emissions than the Toyota 1.2. I too applaud Toyota for their continued development of the hybrid technology, but I don't applaud them for stubbornly sticking with CVT, and I certainly don't applaud the idiots in Government who decided to penalise conscientious owners with the same annual rate of road tax as cars with much higher emissions. As you say there is more to it than road tax, but WTH were they thinking?

 

[Perrinss]

Yes, the road tax changes are ridiculous. My wife just bought a small car that only costs £20 this year, but then almost immediately they change the rules and we will be back up to £140 next time.
As regards the CVT I think their argument is that it is a more fuel efficient option.
Not sure the pros outweigh the cons though.

 

[lee789]

Toyota could improve fuel economy of their hybrids by installing lithium ion batteries instead of the cheaper and less efficient nickel metal hydride packs we get over here. The increased electric range could then be offset with a decent DCT or auto gearbox that would eliminate that horrible droning you get from the CVT. It is particularly noticeable in the CHR because it has less insulation than the Prius. I think that is why the majority of the press recommend the 1.2 manual, although it isn't supposed to be selling very well. In fact, the CHR isn't exactly flying out of showrooms at all, and most of the dealers I have spoken to have only sold about 15% of their first year allocations since the order books opened. The CHR is a great little vehicle, but that's the point, it's little, and certainly not practical enough for a lot of people looking for an SUV. For others who just want a better view of the road, only have one or two kids, and don't lug half the house to Cornwall every summer, it's great. Fortunately I fall into the latter group, so it's great to be able to own a reasonably practical small SUV that is very economical, and doesn't look like a box on wheels. Now if Toyota could retune that 1800 engine to produce something nearer 150bhp, I would gladly sacrifice some fuel economy for the extra performance.

 

[Alexr]

I dont think its very easy to do other than CVT with a hybrid due to the power sharing needed with the elecric motor. It is probably why they have stuck with CVT.

 

[pt542]

I'm not surprised so far. Like I've said given the choice, I would choose the Hybrid. They just aren't that popular in Australia and are more expensive because there aren't incentives or subsidies. Is this the reason why you chose the Hybrid?

The 6 speed manual looks like it won't last either considering Toyota Australia dropped it from half the Corolla range...

I completely forgot about the

 

[Alexr]

No incentives in UK for ordinary hybrids, I'm afraid.
Do tell us what you forgot about!!
Alex

 

[pt542]

No incentives in UK for ordinary hybrids, I'm afraid.
Do tell us what you forgot about!!
Alex

Then it is the hybrid drivetrain that people love!? My argument goes out the window Australia then! How much more is the hybrid over the 1.2L in the UK?

...I forgot about the 2.0L petrol turbo that's available in the US... :lol:

 

[lee789]

Hybrid is £2500 more than the 1.2 manual FWD. £1300 more than the 1.2 auto FWD, and the same price as the 1.2 auto AWD.

 

[pt542]

I can see why people would go for the Hybrid then. Especially if it's the same as the 1.2L AWD.

 

[Karmalakas]

Cheapest same package choices in Lithuania:

1.2 Turbo Manual 20 830,00 €
1.2 Turbo 22 330,00 € (+1500)
1.2 Turbo AWD 24 410,00 € (+2080)
1.8 HSD 24 990,00 € (+580)

 

[JulianoG]

Interesting. In my country manual 1.2t is available with the lowest trim levels. As for the prices, the Hybrid is definitely the preferred choice as the difference is negligible:

1.2 Turbo Manual 21 980 €
1.2 Turbo CVT 23 514 € (+1 534)
1.2 Turbo AWD 25 560 € (+3 580)
1.8 HSD 24 280 € (+2 300)

The difference between FWD CVT turbo and Hybrid is less than 800€, half of which is only the tax difference. Plus the hybrid system in Bulgaria comes with 10-year warranty in addition to the standard 6-year / 200 000 km of the car. My previous car was Lexus and I had the big battery replaced at 8th year and 250 000 km.

 

[Karmalakas]

the hybrid system in Bulgaria comes with 10-year warranty in addition to the standard 6-year / 200 000 km of the car.

We get only 5 yr for hybrid parts and 3 yr standart warranty. Both just for 100 000 km

 

[pt542]

Following Karmalakas' lead

Let's see if the new members change the results!

 

[LemonTwist]

A 2.0L turbo petrol with a DCT gearbox would be nice

Stronger 2.0 engines are available in the US and Ukraine markets. Think no hybrid models nor 4x4 in the US. You might want to expand the engine survey.

 

[pt542]

An update on the Australian prices, all models come with the 1.2L turbo:

C-HR MT 2WD $26,990
C-HR CVT 2WD $28,990
C-HR CVT AWD $30,990
C-HR Koba 2WD $33,290
C-HR Koba AWD $35,290, contrasting roof is $450 extra on specific colours

Pricing was predicted to be this. Toyota Au have priced similarly to the CX-3.

 

[RHC]

Toyota could improve fuel economy of their hybrids by installing lithium ion batteries instead of the cheaper and less efficient nickel metal hydride packs we get over here. The increased electric range could then be offset with a decent DCT or auto gearbox that would eliminate that horrible droning you get from the CVT. It is particularly noticeable in the CHR because it has less insulation than the Prius. I think that is why the majority of the press recommend the 1.2 manual, although it isn't supposed to be selling very well. In fact, the CHR isn't exactly flying out of showrooms at all, and most of the dealers I have spoken to have only sold about 15% of their first year allocations since the order books opened. The CHR is a great little vehicle, but that's the point, it's little, and certainly not practical enough for a lot of people looking for an SUV. For others who just want a better view of the road, only have one or two kids, and don't lug half the house to Cornwall every summer, it's great. Fortunately I fall into the latter group, so it's great to be able to own a reasonably practical small SUV that is very economical, and doesn't look like a box on wheels. Now if Toyota could retune that 1800 engine to produce something nearer 150bhp, I would gladly sacrifice some fuel economy for the extra performance.

This on the engine choice. In my opinion the low performance is holding back sales. Honda appeared to have the same issue with the Crz.

Incidentally, someone above mentioned that you couldn't have a hybrid engine with a manual box. That is exactly what the Crz had:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_CR-Z

Whereas there's no proof of what killed the CRZ, many say it was engine output. You'd have thought manufacturers would have realised that people expect sporty performance from Sporty looking cars. With the CRZ, Mugen remapped it for 200bhp with better economy than the standard car. However, the flaw in that in my opinion, is most people don't want modified vehicles because of insurance and resale implications, which is where Toyota's TRD dept option falls down in the UK in my opinion. My opinion is the current engines are fine if combined with a sporty higher powered version of the hybrid with 4WD, as an option. That's assuming it isn't already too late to attract buyers back.

The other thing Toyota need to address in my opinion, is the price. £28K buys several other larger 4x4's with a whole host of toys including navigation. No offence to Toyota, but when you look at the size, practicality and how much car you get for your money from those others, the others wins hands down on practicality and value in my opinion, at least against the top model. That's why I think the C-hr needs to win on price - it's more of a bachelors than a family car.

The C-hr is great as a compact car, however, it fails in boot room, performance and value for money. A bigger boot, a higher performance option (middle of the road, not extreme performance) and a price around low twenties WITH 4WD and it's more of a winner. As it is, £28K + with many options makes it a very expensive toy for it's main target audience of the younger / middle aged buyer, many of whom in my opinion would also want performance to match the looks. Personally, I'm not that young but I like futuristic cars not boring boxes. However, I have the same issues with performance and price. I also don't want CVT and would want a 4WD performance manual with a 0-60 of around 7.5-8.5 secs. I also wouldn't want pay £28K for the 4WD version or would want an inefficient higher performance engine. Just my 2 cents though.

The C-Hr also needs a glass roof instead of the black gloss roof as it's dark inside.

 

[pt542]

A 2.0L turbo petrol with a DCT gearbox would be nice

You might want to expand the engine survey.

Done

Although it reset the results...