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.
Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av Evo UK.
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Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av Evo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BEST BUYS RENAULT SPORT
OF ALL THE MANUFACTURERS THAT HAVE PULLED OUT OF the hot hatch game recently, Renault is the one we'll probably miss the most. Its Renault Sport division churned out a stunning run of performance cars over the past three decades, more often than not setting the benchmark by which others were judged.
THE ANATOMY OF A FORD SIER RA RS500
Group A was a golden era in touring car racing, and nothing captured hearts and minds quite like the wild, bewinged Sierra. We look under its skin
ZERO TO HERO?
Great British Sports Cars (GBS to its friends) isn't a household name, but that could change. We visit its HQ and drive the Zero, its modern take on a Lotus Seven, to find out if it deserves a bigger audience
Hot Shot
How designer and car nut Craig Callum found his dream job as head designer at Hot Wheels
PAST FORWARD
Singer's latest restomod offering is a unique take on the revered Porsche 930 Turbo. Is it as good to drive as it is to look at?
MONSTER MUNCH
Inspired by a brake-eating 1970s Le Mans racer and packing a 705bhp twin-turbo V12 and a manual transmission, the Valour is an Aston Martin for modern times but with bags of old-school appeal
CYBER ATTACK
With exotic looks, 496bhp and 0-62mph in 3.2sec, the all-electric MG Cyberster GT has the on-paper firepower to take the fight to the ICE opposition. But does all of this result in a new age for the sports car?
PUTTING IN A SHIFT
Can the addition of a manual gearbox and a raft of chassis mods transform BMW's Z4? And does it have the measure of its manual Toyota Supra cousin?
FAST AS F1
Red Bull has revealed its first 'car', the 1184bhp, V10-hybrid, track-only RB17 - and it's faster than the team's own F1 machine
McLaren Artura Spider
The launch of the Spider has given McLaren the opportunity to take the Artura to a new level of brilliance
