On paper, the 2018 Toyota C-HR doesn't sound like much: front-wheel drive, 144 horsepower, subcompact crossover. It sounds exactly like what performance-car enthusiasts would derisively call a "grocery getter." We dare you to call it that.
The C-HR was engineered by Hiroyuki Koba, a competitive driver who just happens to work for Toyota's Vehicle Manufacturing Division as his day job. He and his team spent three years developing the American-designed crossover in Japan, before striking out on the twisting roads of Europe for more intensive handling refinement.
This process included racing it through over 150 laps of the infamous Nürburgring circuit in Germany. With its hairpin turns, patchy pavement, and strenuous elevation changes, Nürburgring requires an experienced driver and a responsive car to conquer it safely.
So, while the all-new C-HR may not have the most horsepower, its sport-tuned suspension and impossibly-fast steering response make it a joy to throw through winding mountain passes as if you were driving a nimble little sports coupe.
