I LIVE 180 MILES FROM THE EVO office. That means that while I'd love to daily drive the Fast Fleet Toyota GR Yaris or Caterham Seven (if I'm feeling especially bold), I'd be much happier commuting in either of these. I'm not a mountain biker, a dog owner or frequent IKEA customer, but I am a huge sucker for a stealthy, well-executed fast estate. There's just something about a spacious, plain-clothes wagon with serious performance that's endlessly appealing. For me, it's their ability to surprise. Some of the best moments on evo shoots are watching photographer Aston Parrott whipping our long-term Cupra Leon estate along at about Mach 9 between locations, followed by a crackle on the radio to ask why none of us can keep up in our sports cars.
Neither the Skoda Octavia vRS nor the Peugeot 508 PSE is as fast or conspicuous as Aston's Cupra, but they still pack hot hatch speed beneath their hire-car-spec appearances. We know the Octavia well- it's on our Fast Fleet and has already impressed with its ability to soothe on every journey and entertain when the moment allows. Its platform and 242bhp 2-litre turbocharged TSI engine are derived from the Golf GTI, but being a 1.5-ton estate car it's a little slower to 62mph with a time of 6.7sec. These Octavias have a reputation for punching well above their weight, but comparing these specs to the hybrid, fourwheel-drive Peugeot - which costs a massive £17,390 more than the £37,785 Skoda - I worry that this might be a bit of a mismatch.
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Esta historia es de la edición July 2024 de Evo UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop
HONDA ACCORD TYPE R
A liberal sprinkling of Honda Type R fairy dust on the late-'90s Accord produced an unlikely evo icon and a genuine performance bargain
TOY STORY
Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HO, of course...
POWER PLAY
It develops 819bhp. It has no turbochargers, no hybrid assistance. Ferrari describes it as the most complete GT it's ever made. And it’s so proud of its mighty V12 engine it’s named the whole car after it. This is the 12 Cilindri
THE FIRST SAMURAIS
Japan has been responsible for many of our favourite driver's cars of recent decades, but their ancestors are often much less well known. We take a look at where the big manufacturers began their performance car journeys
DEFINITELY. NO MAYBE
Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
1V3.0
F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
Thornley Kelham European RS
One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
