Meet the Toyota C-HR, an all-new car on the U.S. market, an ’18 model, quirky as can be, yet it drew all sorts of interest in fun drives all over the area.

It’s considered a subcompact sport utility vehicle, yet offers no all-wheel-drive option, only front-drive.

Toyota says the C-HR naming is for Coupe High-Rider. Coupe? It’s got four doors, even though the handles for the rear doors are hidden up high in the C pillar near the roofline.

Created to be a Scion, the C-HR was still in conceptual stage when Toyota killed its Scion youth division, then directed the new “coupe” to its (Toyota’s) powerful stable. The C-HR is built in a Toyota assembly plant in Sakarya, Turkey.

A bright exterior finish, “iceberg/radiant green with white top,” is an eyecatcher, along with the funky style at the SUV’s rear – where a spoiler overhangs a lightly sloped rear window and bulky looking hatch.

The car’s bright finish and nontraditional styling attracted comments wherever I parked it.

For its style, the Toyota probably competes most closely with the Nissan Juke. Among others in the subcompact field are the Mazda CX-3, Honda HR-V, Jeep Renegade, Mini Countryman, Fiat 500X. To be competitive in Colorado, I would think the Toyota will be forced to add an AWD option, which the others already have.

Wheelbase for the C-HR is 103.9 inches, with overall length of 171.2, width 70.7 and height 61.6. Its track is a narrow 60 inches and ground clearance only 5.9 inches. Curb weight around 3,300 pounds is a couple hundred heavier than most competitive models.

With a 141-horsepower, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine and continuously variable transmission, acceleration is somewhat slow off the line, then comes on stronger through midrange. The ride is good and handling is impressive, with little body lean. A steering-assist system lightly guides the car back into its lane if it wanders near the striping. Front struts and double wishbone rear make up the suspension. It rides on Dunlop Sport 225/50R 18 tires.

With a 55/45 split of highway/city driving, the C-HR averaged 26.9 miles per gallon. Its EPA estimate is 27/31.

Front seats are supportive and comfortable; the rear seating area offers good headroom, though legroom and footroom are tight. A tablet holder ($99 option) is mounted to the back of the front passenger headrest for use by a rear-seat occupant. Cargo space under the rear hatch is 19 cubic feet, which expands to 36.4 feet with the rear seats folded.

The C-HR XLE carries sticker price of $25,364, which includes hands-free phone capability and music streaming via Bluetooth, dual-zone automatic climate control, rear-window wiper and defogger, electric power-assisted steering, 7-inch touchscreen display for audio. It had no satellite radio.

One of the biggest hits in car country three years ago was introduction of the redesigned Volvo XC90 crossover; thinking today in terms of compacts, I would suggest the guys from Gothenburg have done it again with the 2018 XC60.

The Inscription T6 model, which is both supercharged and turbocharged, delivered Jan and me to Denver International Airport for an early flight to Phoenix and a drive on to Palm Desert, and I winced in handing the keys over to the valet at DIA – the smaller one seems so good and so enjoyable to drive.

The T6 model is the most-advanced level of XC60 with a 316-horsepower, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, 8-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The super and turbo combination develops a more flat torque curve, minimizing the lag-thrust moments with many turbocharged engines. Torque rating for the Volvo is 295 lb.-ft., with a strong tow capacity of 5,290 pounds.

The new five-passenger XC60 is 3.5 inches longer in wheelbase and 2 inches longer overall than last year’s model. It is 184.6 inches in overall length, with a wheelbase of 112.8 inches. Curb weight is 4,175 pounds.

Oh, my, that Bowers & Wilkins premium sound might be the best we’ve heard this year. With 15 high-fidelity loudspeakers and 1,100 watts of amplification, you’ll think you’re in the middle of the Gothenburg Concert Hall. The B&W option came at a cost of $3,200.

The XC60 competes with classy competitors in the luxury SUV/crossover segment, including Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Lexus NX and a couple of newcomers in the Jaguar F-Pace and Land Rover Velar.

The Volvo’s advanced semi-autonomous driver-assistance system is effective, its lane-keeping performed satisfactorily in maintaining position around several curves with my hands off the steering wheel (though ready, if needed).

Four drive modes – comfort, eco, dynamic or offroad – adjust response of steering and throttle, and four-corner air suspension guarantees relatively smooth ride under most road and terrain surfaces.

Fuel usage measured out to 23.2 miles per gallon; its EPA estimate is 21/27.

Swing a foot beneath the rear bumper and the liftgate opens, measuring out to 22.4 cubic feet of space; lower the rear seats and that expands to a spacious 63.3 feet.  It has Nappa leather seats, heated and cooled and perforated, and trims of driftwood decor.

All those high-tech options pushed the XC60’s price from a base of $44,900 to sticker of $63,290, and also included 9-inch touchscreen Sensus navigation, park-assist pilot, electric-folding rear headrests, head-up display and panoramic moonroof.

Pricing for the least-expensive Volvo XC60 Momentum AWD begins at $42,495.

Opening a rear door on the 2017 Chevrolet Suburban, I placed an iPad on the seat, closed the door, then opened and crawled into the driver’s seat. We drove in to Denver, on out south, and upon parking the vehicle, its message center posted this: “Rear seat reminder, Look in rear seat.”

The reminder alert is one of only a few new features on the ’17 Suburban, which even with few updates continues relatively strong in sales. There is not a better ride in a large sport utility vehicle than that of the Suburban; complementing its cushiness is smooth performance from its V-8 engine.

It’s been around forever, it seems. Dating back to 1935, when it was introduced as a Suburban Carry-All, it’s the oldest model name sold in America.

The drive I made with the Suburban was for the grand opening of the Mike Ward Maserati/McLaren/Alfa Romeo/Fiat on Lucent Court in Highlands Ranch.

The Suburban, still of body-on-frame truck-type build, handled well, even on the return along construction-narrowed C470, where two narrow lanes with concrete barriers along the edges kept drivers alert. Zipping along at 65 miles per hour in heavy traffic, the Chevy made no unusual moves.

The Suburban competes with the Ford Expedition, Toyota Sequoia and Nissan Armada, in addition to the Tahoe and Yukon from its own General Motors stable.

It has long boasted the best ride of its class. A direct challenger to the Suburban from the mid-1950s to mid-1970s was the International Travelall, which competed well with the Chevy in toughness, but yielded competitive ground in ride quality and maneuverability.

The launch of the Suburban in 1935 with an all-steel body on a commercial chassis was the answer to a need for a heavy-duty, truck-based wagon. Power came from Chevrolet’s “Stovebolt” inline-6 that produced 60 horsepower for the half-ton chassis. The model, which offered its first V-8 in 1955, has prevailed through more than 80 years of style changes and performance demands.

Next oldest model names, after the Suburban, are the Ford F-series trucks in 1948, Volkswagen Beetle in ’49, Toyota Land Cruiser in ’51, Chevy Corvette in ’53 and Mercedes SL in ’54.

For 2017, a smooth-shifting 6-speed automatic transmission is tied to the Chevy’s 5.3-liter V-8 (355 horsepower, 383 lb.-ft. torque). Cylinder deactivation will cut use to V-4 at times cruising t\he highway, and even occasionally in town. My overall fuel-mileage average was 19.6; the Suburban’s EPA estimate is 15/22.

It rides on Continental P275/55R20 tires; 22-inch wheels are available, but that may bring harshness to the normally soft ride.

Only the extended-length Ford Expedition will out-tow the Suburban, which has max of 8,000 pounds. Same with Suburban’s 39-cubic-feet of cargo space behind the third row of seats; only the Expedition EL exceeds that among competitors. Fold the rear seats and the Suburban’s cargo area expands to 76.7 feet.

Pushing a button inside the power rear liftgate will fold the third row of seats, and a button inside the side doors will flip-fold the second row for ease of entry to the far-back.

From a base price of $58,155, the four-wheel-drive Suburban LT  half-ton climbs to sticker of $66,020 with the addition of numerous options, including color touch with navigation and audio, power sunroof, remote keyless start, power tilt and telescope steering column, heated steering wheel, lane-change alert and side-blind-zone alert.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration are standard in the Suburban, which has five USB ports in the cabin. The rear seat alert is tied to safety as a reminder to check for child occupants before leaving the vehicle.