TOYOTA C-HR

Eye-catching family crossover has been a huge success in Europe, so the Japanese brand is now doubling down on everything we love

- JAMES ATTWOOD

TESTED 7.9.23, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM ON SALE JANUARY 2024 PRICE £38,000 (EST)

It's fitting that the development work for the new Toyota C-HR was led by the firm's technical centre in Brussels, the de facto capital of Europe. It may be the product of a Japanese manufacturer, but this is a machine that has been developed in Europe, is focused on pleasing European drivers and will be built in Europe.

Eschewing Toyota's previous strategy for 'global cars', the original C-HR was developed to help the brand grow its share in the European market - and it clearly worked. It's Toyota's fourth-best-seller here, helping the firm's rise up the sales charts. Most significantly, it's been by far Toyota's most successful car in winning over new customers: 59% of C-HR drivers switched from another brand.

Key to that success has been how well the C-HR was placed for the European market. Its mix of sharp styling and coupécrossover shape helped it to find a genuinely rare space at the small end of the C-SUV market (think VW T-Roc and Kia Niro) and stood far apart from Toyota's previously stodgy designs, attracting buyers who wanted a bit of edge to their high-riding family runabout.

So Toyota has doubled down on its approach, both in terms of European-focused development and styling, with this second-generation C-HR. Chief engineer Toshio Kanei led development from Toyota's Belgian technical centre and much of the styling work was done by the firm's ED² design studio in Nice, France.