SUNDAY BEST

Could this be the best way to go for a hedonistic Sunday drive in 2023? Piers Ward dons his finest waterproof, windproof and sandproof outfit

- Piers Ward

I've got thermal underwear on, jeans, waterproof trousers, a T-shirt, a shirt, a woollen jumper, a gilet, a down jacket, gloves, a scarf and a full-face helmet. And I'm still freezing cold.

Matt Prior is obviously made of tougher stuff because it doesn't look like there's quite so much ice coursing through his veins, but then that's because he's used to this frigid transport malarkey, on account of his bike licence.

The reason we are suffering for our art, dear reader, lies underneath us, as Matt and I are sitting in the Polaris RZR and Segway Villain respectively, two off- and on-road buggies that are aiming to change the way we feel about these previous farm and forestry workhorses. We're here to answer a very simple question: in the age of ever costlier cars and ever more crowded roads, could these be the Sunday 'cars' for the 2020s?

There's no doubt that they do offer something different, as evidenced by their specs. The Segway Villain is the all-new offering, from the same company that built the funky two-wheeled 'personal transporter' of the early 2000s - but if you're expecting something electric with a clever gyroscope, you'll be disappointed.

It hails from the US, like all these things, and is most definitely not powered by electricity. Not if the raucous engine noise is anything to go by. This is a 1000cc four-stroke twin-cylinder petrol developed and built by Segway. It doesn't produce much power or torque (104bhp and 69lb ft, fed through a CVT transmission with high/low ratios) but then it weighs only 860kg.

Besides, acceleration and top speed aren't what these are about. No one is going to commute in a Villain, especially not with the usage conditions (see accompanying story, p53).