WHY DIDN’T YOU INCLUDE THE…
SOMEONE IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED WHEN IT
comes to the cars that don’t make it to ecoty. Absentees include the cars that we wanted but weren’t available, as already explained, but what of the cars that were ready to go, the ones that we’ve driven, tested and recommended throughout the year? Cars such as Audi’s latest RS3 or Caterham’s 420 Cup.
For the Audi it came down to a couple of key things. Firstly, while it’s arguably the most impressive RS3 we’ve yet seen from Audi Sport, it’s not a car that we absolutely yearn to drive. Yes, it’s more engaging than those that have come before, its straight-line speed no longer the dominant factor. There’s some genuine feel and engagement when you start to get into a flow, but it only really comes alive on track and when fitted with the optional Pirelli Trofeo R tyres. The fact that these are not available on UK cars was the second factor that ruled it out.
The M240i xdrive is a brilliant compact BMW with strong punch from its straight-six and some credible M DNA flowing through it. But for all the delights it offers on a daily drive – grip blended with feel, poise and adjustability – it lacks that final ten per cent that makes it a standout driver’s car. Like the RS3, the M240i is a car that ticks so many daily use boxes but doesn’t quite engage you when you want to drive just for the sake of it, not the way the very best do.
The same could be said of Aston Martin’s DBX707, though it remains best in class for being an SUV that focuses more on how it drives than how it makes you look on social media. It also makes a compelling case for being a modern-day GT car, and one of the best too. In many ways it’s even closer to a high-performance estate car than the regular model. Its ability to carry itself without making the driver feel like a spare part in the process is a remarkable feat: both its size and weight are well masked, its steering direct, its body controlled and its powertrain superbly matched to its chassis technology. But it’s a car you’d have as well as one our eight finalists rather than instead of.
In contrast, 2022 also saw us drive the simply superb Caterham 420 Cup and the fastest car we have ever lapped at Anglesey, the BAC Mono R. Driving enjoyment doesn’t come any purer than with these two machines that thrill like few others on track. But while they have number plates and have paid their VED, their focus and limits are at such a level that to bring them to ecoty for a week of road driving would be setting up two spectacular cars for a challenge they would stumble over.
Excitement pours from every detail of the Cup, its race-refugee vibe the appetiser for a full-of-flavour main course that, when the conditions present themselves, few cars can touch for undiluted thrills. The Mono R is the Cup wound up tenfold. It’s a single-seater you can drive on the road but it is at its brilliant, captivating, indulgent and exciting best when you’re leaving the pitlane for the laps of your life. You’d want either in your garage but you’d definitely need a daily driver, too.
The same could also be said for Lamborghini’s last hurrah for the Aventador, the remarkable Ultimae. In today’s world of mid-engined supercars it feels exactly what it is – a generation behind, and further still compared with the very best. But it remains an enigma, a riot of excess that’s as exciting to drive as it is to look at. It’s Lamborghini being Lamborghini and you wouldn’t want it any other way.
Other honourable mentions? Morgan’s Super 3 we adore, but it’s firmly in the Caterham/mono camp. Porsche’s 992 Carrera is improved in GTS or T form, and best with a manual gearbox, and Toyota’s 3-litre Supra is better with its new manual too. Or if you need a family car, Mercedes-amg’s C43 would be a good place to start. Until next year…