The best cars Autocar lived with in 2023

Each twelvemonth a drawstring of cars we tin concisely telephone 'our own' get astatine Autocar towers, acceptable to beryllium tested implicit a acceptable of months and subjected to the rigour of a journalist's mundane life.

In getting getting to unrecorded with them arsenic if they were ours, we tin excavation into the less-obvious high-points and gritty flaws that lone rise their heads aft an extended play of testing.

Some of our cars supply a overmuch much memorable acquisition than others. Without further ado (and deliberation), then, present are our picks of Autocar's 2023 fleet.

The long-distance award

For the car we’d astir privation to instrumentality connected a precise agelong journey

Winner: Bentley Flying Spur

Runner up: Toyota GR Supra

No request for a play-off oregon penalties here: the Bentley Flying Spur was conscionable a azygous ballot distant from having much nominations than each different car connected this year’s fleet enactment together. 

Steve Cropley looked aft Crewe’s finest and – unsurprisingly – “enjoyed each mile”. Chief sub-editor Kris Culmer enjoyed speechmaking astir Cropley enjoying it truthful overmuch that helium voted for the Bentley without ever having driven it… 

Deputy roadworthy trial ed Richard Lane marvelled astatine “the magical operation of transportation to the instrumentality but isolation from the road”, portion Mark Tisshaw (that’s me, by the way) said “nobody does seats similar Bentley” portion pondering the grammatical protocol for quoting oneself successful the 3rd person. 

Lane’s roadworthy trial table workfellow Illya Verpraet, ever the iconoclast, was 1 to enactment guardant the Toyota GR Supra “for its fantabulous driving position, bully seats and bully aged ‘dumb’ cruise power that doesn’t person a caput of its ain and which helps to marque this a precise relaxing long-distance car”. 

I was amazed not to spot much votes for the Alpina D3 S, though successful voting for it, Cropley’s My Week In Cars podcast co-host (new episodes each Wednesday from your favourite podcast provider) Matt Prior possibly explained why: “The Alpina D3 S, truthful agelong arsenic it was connected the continent truthful I didn’t person to accent astir potholes.”

The 'I'd bargain it' award

For the car we’d beryllium astir apt to walk our ain wealth on

Winner: Alpina D3 S

Runner up: Range Rover PHEV

Less than 5% of cars sold successful the UK this twelvemonth were diesel-powered.

That information is acold much a reflection of paucity of options successful today’s marketplace since a definite German shaper did you cognize what than it is the underlying method prime of these machines. But erstwhile done right, diesel tin beryllium truthful genuinely compelling. Presenting grounds A: the Alpina D3 S.

Special contributor Al Clements, who you would hope, arsenic editor-in-chief of Classic & Sports Car magazine, would beryllium capable to spot a exemplary with enduring appeal, was 1 of those to enactment guardant the D3 S. 

“Never caput limiting my prime to the ‘Our Cars’ fleet,” helium said. “I tin deliberation of fewer cars that I’d alternatively unrecorded with each time fixed a wholly escaped choice. Surely determination is nary different car that volition execute similar this – some successful a consecutive enactment and cross-country – portion returning 40-50mpg and carrying my dogs and kids.”

Several cars got a notation successful this category, including Toyota’s Supra and Toyota Land Cruiser and adjacent the Ford Focus (Matt Saunders: “Comfy, versatile, affordable and real-world businesslike – and a Ford Focus, truthful inherently worthy preserving successful aspic if astatine possible”) but the Range Rover PHEV ran the Alpina closest.

“This model’s superb styling and luxury, positive its genuinely astonishing electrical range, marque it a precise appealing choice,” said Steve Cropley. “Would play good with the different half, too.”

The 'winner takes it all' award

For the astir applicable car for immoderate task to which it could reasonably put

Winner: Toyota Land Cruiser

Runner up: Volkswagen Multivan

Only 2 cars were ever successful the moving here, adjacent if the Supra erstwhile again, remarkably, recovered itself not having to instrumentality its deposit successful a class focused connected practicality.

Culmer, the Land Cruiser’s keeper, gets to springiness the acceptance code for the legendary 4x4: “It had abstraction for 7 adults, the footwear was tremendous capable for my upland motorcycle with some wheels attached and it adjacent had a toolkit recess successful its side-hinged footwear door.”

Felix Page besides chose the large Toyota contempt lamenting that helium “didn’t person much outlandish requirements for it than moving a soft crossed London”.

Prior enactment guardant the benignant of lawsuit for the Volkswagen Multivan that would person swayed galore a floating voter: “It moved lensman Max’s set and the contents of my friends’ house, it’s a podcast studio, I utilized it arsenic an bureau extracurricular the infirmary my lad was in, and ’cos it’s a PHEV you tin spell for chips astatine the seaside successful wintertime and the artillery keeps the compartment lukewarm portion you instrumentality successful the view. You could campy successful it, too.”

The 'yeah, but isolated from that' award

For the undeniably flawed car that charmed america anyhow

Winners: Kia Niro EV, Renault Megane, Volvo XC40 Recharge

What bash these compact household electrical cars each person successful common? No vigor pump. As our EV lexicon grows, truthful does our cognition that a vigor pump for the strategy is indispensable successful bid to bask an electrical car successful colder weather.

The Mégane E-Tech Electric, Kia Niro and Volvo XC40 were each fantabulous all-round machines that could yet ne'er shingle the asterisk adjacent to their names.

The Mégane is present offered with a vigor pump successful the UK aft aboriginal cars didn’t person one, portion connected the Niro it’s an enactment – and 1 you indispensable tick. Our XC40 didn’t person a vigor pump either (although 1 is included successful immoderate trim levels), which acting mag ed James Attwood noted “really affected the range, which was a shame due to the fact that it’s truthful bully successful astir each different way”.

The Supra got immoderate votes (again, arsenic it did successful each 1 of these categories), though present it appeared much for nit-picking reasons of subjective idiosyncratic sensation alternatively than a cardinal flaw.

A real-world scope of lone 240 miles counted against the Audi E-tron GT, an different fabulous electrical expansive tourer, for Page arsenic it did for the Lexus RZ for Saunders, portion Lane wanted a amended thrust from the Peugeot 408.

Clements enactment guardant the BYD Atto 3’s “entire electrical system” for this award, possibly confusing it for an MGB.

The 'head turner' prize

For the car that gained the astir interest/attention from friends, household and strangers

Winner: Ora Funky Cat

This twelvemonth has had plentifulness of daze results: governmental by-elections defying the pollsters, England losing to Afghanistan astatine the Cricket World Cup, Scotland qualifying for different large shot tourney (love you really, Scotland).

But each are eclipsed by a landslide triumph present for the Ora Funky Cat (sadly since renamed the GWM Ora 03). It’s the Chinese electrical supermini’s archetypal large honour acknowledgment to it turning much heads than the Bentley Flying Spur, Jaguar F-Type and adjacent a Kermit-the-Frog-green Audi TT RS.

“It’s probs the Funky Cat, innit, due to the fact that ‘WTF is that?’” said the usually rather eloquent, feline-loving Prior, who was truthful dazzled by the Funky Cat’s wonderment and enigma that helium resorted to younker text-speak.

“In the abbreviated clip it was connected my drive, a drawstring of radical asked what it was,” said Attwood. “They each thought I was making up the name.”

“Some thought it was cute, immoderate thought it was hilarious and immoderate thought it was conscionable sinfully ugly,” said Page, archetypal sanction Felix – and no, we’re not going there. “None knew what it was, due to the fact that Great Wall Motor decided to motorboat it present with nary badges connected the rear.”

Hmm, there’s a spot of a taxable processing here. Maybe it hasn’t won for the close reasons. Why did you ballot for it, Richard Lane? “Mostly for the incorrect reasons, it indispensable beryllium said. My sister took the piss retired of it relentlessly.” Ah.

The 'miles of smiles' award

For the car from which we derived the astir driving pleasure

Winner: Toyota GR Supra

Runner up: Peugeot 408

He voted for it successful each category, truthful it’s lone close we springiness the archetypal connection connected the Supra to Verpraet: “Duh.”

That truly is each helium offered successful enactment of wherefore the Supra got his ballot here. So let’s elaborate connected his somewhat concise appraisal by repurposing immoderate lines from his nominations for the Supra to triumph each of the different awards.

Practicality? “It has a hatchback. That’s each I need, really. If I had a Range Rover, my worldly would conscionable rotation astir successful the boot.” 

Head-turner? “Took it to Belgium, and successful the onshore wherever driving amusive goes to die, being successful a reddish two-seat sports car is akin to moving bare done the streets.”

And yet the Best Feature: “The Supra’s manual gearbox. It’s the aboriginal (it’s not, but I privation it was).”

Saunders was connected manus to champion picture wherefore truthful galore of america chose the Supra here. Simply put, it “lit up galore a commute successful the summer”.

The different sports cars connected our fleet featured successful the voting, including the TT RS to which Page gave the motion due to the fact that helium “was addicted to the sound much than anything”.

The lone mundane centrifugal to people a ballot was the Peugeot 408, courtesy of Culmer: “I truly enjoyed this crossovery happening overmuch much than I had expected. It nicely blends comfortableness and control.”

The 'best feature' award

For our favourite feature, strategy oregon innovation connected a car

Winner: Citroen C5X

Unsurprisingly determination were galore antithetic nominees here, adjacent 1 from Saunders that drifted beyond the confines of the Our Cars fleet: “I’m a parent, truthful thing beats the Stow ’n Vac built-in vacuum cleaner I recovered successful a Chrysler Pacifica airdrome taxi connected a sojourn to Italy earlier this year. Amazing. All homes – well, each cars – should person one.”

Back to the vehicles really present astatine Autocar, and Cropley raved astir the latest mild-hybrid developments to the Ford Focus’s 1.0-litre triple engine, yours genuinely chose the Nissan Ariya’s heavy carpets that treble arsenic sound-deadening, Attwood picked the rotating infotainment surface successful the BYD Atto 3, Prior the VW Multivan’s “mint” Harman Kardon stereo, Page the buttons successful the Range Rover’s footwear that little the loading tallness and unit writer Jack Warwick couldn’t unrecorded without the Lexus RZ’s genu warmers.

The lone car with much than 1 ballot was the Citroën C5 X for its hydraulic bump stops and camera-based adaptive suspension. “Delightful” is however integer exertion Murray Scullion succinctly enactment it.

Meanwhile, Culmer marvelled that a shaper “had travel up with the absorbing thought of making tyres thicker and suspension softer truthful arsenic to marque a car’s thrust really not uncomfortable”. Detecting a hint of sarcasm there...  

The 'pick your own' awards

Made-up honours we would springiness a car connected our fleet

Steve Cropley: Toyota Corolla Commercial

It wins my Modesty Award (aka my Great Proposition Award) for the car that offers nary pretensions oregon sophistication but which is much refined, smoother, much durable, much economical and much comfy than galore here. 

James Attwood: Ford Focus

No different car is much deserving of a Why Would They Stop Making That Award. The Ford Focus is spacious (and particularly truthful successful property form), frugal, affordable and bully to drive. It’s capable to marque you miss it earlier it’s gone.

Mark Tisshaw: Skoda Enyaq iV

The Skoda Enyaq iV wins my coveted Who Signed Off Those Heater Controls Award. I had to propulsion implicit fractional a mile into driving for the archetypal clip conscionable to enactment retired however to marque the compartment warmer. A hole can’t travel soon enough.

Murray Scullion: Lexus RZ

The RZ should triumph a Worst Battery Management Award. Despite the improvements implicit the Toyota bZ4X, I’ve ne'er had the RZ get adjacent adjacent to its WLTP fig – oregon adjacent the scope fig the car itself displays connected the dashboard.

Felix Page: Volkswagen Multivan

The Not Just For Christmas Award. The Multivan is successful effect a tiny gathering that drives similar a car – and a beauteous decent one, astatine that. A alternatively resounding reply to the full “if you could lone person 1 conveyance forever” debate.

Illya Verpraet: Alpina D3 S

A deserving recipient of the Tyre Fitters’ Award for a dependable watercourse of business.

Sam Phillips: Audi E-tron GT

I’d springiness a peculiar All-Rounder Award to the Audi E-tron GT. It’s refined, fast, highly susceptible and fantabulous some to beryllium successful and simply to look at. The information that it’s electrically powered is astir incidental.

Kris Culmer: Ora Funky Cat

The Please Shut Up Award goes to China. Felix Page was ‘rewarded’ for his four-star archetypal thrust verdict of this EV with 4 months of being patronisingly told to ‘please brake’ each 2 seconds. Poor bloke. 

Alistair Clements: Alfa Romeo Tonale

Never caput the Funky Cat, our You Called It What Award had to onshore here. How this car managed to get done endless absorption groups and selling meetings without idiosyncratic mentioning: “Yeah, but successful the UK everyone is conscionable going to telephone it the Toenail.” And they do.

Jack Warrick: Ssanyong Korando E-Motion

The Exclusivity Award. No, not a Bentley nor an Alpina, but the Ssangyong Korando E-Motion, which was truthful exclusive you couldn’t adjacent bargain 1 erstwhile we ran it, though this wasn’t wide to america until we took delivery. Ssangyong blamed logistical issues and decided not to officially motorboat the car oregon adjacent truly admit its beingness for the duration of our test.