OURCARS.Flash, fast, feasibleYou like the finer things in life but you also like rear doors and a boot.Chances are you're looking at one of these threeF THERE'S A connection it's real-world desirability; a headyblend of space, practicality, affordability and, from two of ourthree at least, a pretty compelling lick of speed.Let's turn to young Master Moldrich's bewinged, blisteredand butchered Type R first. During the 48 hours in which weturn swathes of Snowdonia into our private test track, everyonehates the way the Civic looks but returns to base time andagain wearing toothpaste-advert smiles.I think the Civic looks like a grotesque joke, inside and out,but eventually I succumb to the i11evitable, take the Honda outand wring it. It's good; if 3oobhp-plus front-drive hatches areyour thing, that is. Low-slung driving position, chunky andtactile steering, brilliant gearshift, heroic brakes and superbbody co11trol - they all support tl1at ma11ic blown engine perfectly,allowing the Civic to careen, scrabble and slither acrossthese punishingly sinewy Welsh roads with a level of driverengagement that sweats yourpalms and dries your mouth.But good enough to excuseits retina-scarring looks? Hellno, though others are moreforgiving. 'I really don't knowwhat all the fuss is about,'says Ben Miller, who's hadplenty of seat time in Curtis'sCivic. 'That said, I think theMercedes Unimog is a designclassic. The Civic is, however,a sensational car to drive;much of the precision, thrilland speed of a 911 GT3 for afraction of the money. The new Renault Mega11e RS, when itfinally shows up, will have to be extraordinary.'Chris Chilton's vRS 245 sits at the other end of the taste spectrumto the Honda. Primer-like Meteor Grey paintwork andflash alloys aside, it all looks and feels VW Group: crisp lines,spacious accommodation, generous levels of equipment and anintelligently configured dash layout. Very class-swot neat andtidy; very Skoda.And so it proves on the road. If the Civic is rash and brash,then the fast Octavia is mature and controlled. Irrespective ofpace and road conditions, it always feels delightfully poised andbalanced. There's enough power and torque to ensure you coverground at indecent -if sub-Type R -rates but then the Skodanever feels ragged or uncouth, even when you're squeezingevery last drop of go-faster juice from it. And on the roads thatvaricose-vein their way between Ffestiniog and Bala muchsqueezing is t1ndertaken.Zesty engine, satiny gearshifts from the seven-speed DSG,sound body control from the DCC adjustable dampers anda ride quality just on this side of firm all work harmoniouslytogether. Pity the hefty steering isn't chattier, but that electronicallycontrolled LSD means you can sling the Octavia throughcorners that would send open-diffed rivals into a wheel-turningorgy of understeer, and into the sheep-speckled Welsh countryside.It's a surprisingly compelling package.If I said the same about my new long-term Insignia, youmight have to coax your eyebrows back down from the ceiling.Bt1t in a very different way this big family estate - a veritablerarity in our SUV-obsessed times -has plenty going for it.The Vauxhall's playing to its core strengths when it waftsme up from Chichester to Wales in the pre-dawn dark in highspeed,low-stress comfort.With LED lights scythingthrough the gloom, muscularbi-turbo diesel ticking overat a lazy 2ooorpm, adaptivedampers on their plumpest-setting and the Bose audiopunching out Old Dominion,we cover the 300 miles in fourhours dead.And then when it arrives atthe other side of the country,this load-lugger puts its bestdynamic foot forward andmakes a pretty good fistof masquerading as something sporty. Sure, 110 one pouredthemselves out of its driver's seat begging to hold on to the keysfor another B4391 strop -such unseemly fawning was reservedfor the Ms -but the combination of entertainingly high levelsof wet-weather grip from its savvy GKN-sourced Twinstertorque-vectoring all-wheel-drive layout, and surprisingly tautbody control meant it isn't the understeering blancmange mostexpect. Needless to say, the return trip to the sun11y south coastthe following day was dispatched with equal ease.So, the11 - a determinedly unhinged hot hatch, a convincingand punchy estate, and a family car that's surprisinglyaccomplished when the roads get interesting. Three seemi11glydisparate cars united by embodying the best their makers haveto offer. Now, what's your poison? ►BEN WHITWORTH2018 I THE BEST CARS AS YOUR CHOICES 12
icult)comesn1inutes of. electricit-xiliM E egaEMEN MESNiliF.IONMSMll!EG Iii E E R I l!Miii 9M•TESLAMODELSThe future! (Withcaveats)✓•MERCEDESAMG C43The perfect AMG!(For most of us)' ,Ii ,J·,"I';,' ' ',,,f. .'', J,J. \ ' ' ., ' ' II. -"I"'-------- ___ .,I!•'I00-oacl years ofMere ctevelopment,versus tne very 21st- · -century.Model S11··,t"I I•·-'\\\2018 I THE BEST CARS AS YOUR CHOICES 13
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