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In this year's evo Car of the Year, we return to northern Scotland with eight of 2021's very best performance cars and seven esteemed judges to determine our 2021 winner. The contenders: BMW M3 Competition Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition BMW M5 CS Lamborghini Huracán STO Ferrari SF90 Stradale Hyundai i20 N Porsche 911 GT3 Touring Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition https://linktr.ee/evomagazine Follow us: https://twitter.com/evomagazine https://facebook.com/evomagazine https://www.instagram.com/officialevomagazine/ https://www.tiktok.com/@evomagazine?
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0:00
I always love coming back to do this stuff because this is sort of where I
0:15
learned to do what I do and Car of the Year is always just epic fun
0:19
They're the best cars we've driven of the year. They've either won group tests or
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someone has come back from the drive and said that has to be included. It's the best car I've driven and it gets picked
0:30
I mean, it is quite incredible that we've managed to assemble such a big group of cars
0:35
Being no doubt there were quite a few vehicles up in Scotland, and there were quite a few other people there as well
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There's a f***ing camper van, of course there is. But it didn't matter. You get up early enough, there's no one around
0:49
You just get those roads in those cars, and it kind of blows your mind
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Undeniably, one of the aspects that makes it such a special week, These are not just colleagues, they're friends as well
1:00
They're people that share the same passions as you and usually the same sense of humour as well
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So there's a great spirit on Evo Car of the Year. And that's the bit about Car of the Year that I suspect every one of us enjoys
1:12
and then misses so very much once it's all over. That and watching Meaden get eaten alive by mosquitoes
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F***ing midges. They're all in my ears. Should we do it in the pub
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Our first rendezvous point was south of the Cairngorms National Park, in the quiet town of Dunkeld
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From here we went north-east up to Balleter, to the east of the Cairngorms
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And from there we headed north-west, past Inverness and out towards Braymore and eventually Ullapool
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up to the most spectacular sections of the NC500, to the famous Calescu Bridge and beyond
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Every time I get into that combination of engine and box
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it gets better and it gets better and it gets better and the more downsized turbo hybrid stuff you drive
2:13
the more you just want to experience that engine again and again
2:18
Once you understand what it is and what it can do and more to the point what it can't do
2:23
The Lambo is just a really pure car to drive. I think that is probably the reason why we all seem to love it so much
2:41
It's a track car, it's a super trofeo sort of homologation car
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and it shouldn't work on the road. But it does and it's just fantastic fun
2:49
The more you put into it in terms of your focus and your concentration
2:53
the more you get out of it. To experience that is something that is literally
2:59
an unforgettable experience. I mean, what more do you want from a vehicle than that
3:12
Actually, you want a lot more, and the SGO really does deliver it
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The steering is quite heavy. It's quite meaty. But I love the steering wheel
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and I love the throttle response when you've got it dialed up into the maximum attack mode
3:29
Lamborghini have brought this car so far since it was the original Huracan, which I wasn't
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a massive fan of, I have to admit. It's so much more refined mechanically in engineering terms
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They've dialed out all the understeer that was there in the original versions
3:47
What you're left with is just a brilliant, sharp, focused, mid-engine supercar
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It's so rude. I promised myself I wouldn't talk back to you
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I wouldn't talk about the engine, but... I mean, it's impossible not to talk about it
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It's so good. The gearbox is so good. But what about the chassis
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Obviously, away from the racetrack, we have bumps and cambers and we've had bits of drizzle
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We're on the Bridgestone Sport tyre, not the race one. So you've got all this ability, even in low temperatures
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temperatures, this thing's just eaten up all of the conditions. The front end is nailed
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Like, such minute precision to the way you can turn this in
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And the rear can live with it. It's got four-wheel steer in this car
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Obviously, it's lighter than the four-wheel drive cars. It's still not light compared to a McLaren 765LT, but it feels it
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I don't think a Lamborghini has ever won probably here. This one has the best shot of anyone I've driven
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It's possible not to enjoy this car. As we get presented with these cars
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becoming ever more sophisticated, to a point where quite a few of us here are struggling
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to understand what they're about, why they're about, why they are, how they are. This thing
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is just easy. You jump in it, you put it in the maximum mode, you light it up, you smile
6:00
Simple as that. It is a very fast, focused, dynamic driver's car. If you have an ounce
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If you have an ounce of petrol running through your veins, you are going to fall for this
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thing in a big way. I'm so pleased that we got the Civic Type R Limited on Car of the Year this year
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this year. Of course, the regular FK8 Civic Type R was a sensation over last year, and
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rightly so. It has always been the ultimate hot hatch in its class since it was launched
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It's a car that divides opinion because of its looks, and I admit they're not to my taste
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but if you can get through that, you'll find no better engineered hot hatch out there
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Everything about it, brake pedal feel, steering response, damping, ultimate performance of
7:01
and of course, this glorious manual gear shift. All of us seem to just climb into this car and think the same thing, which is fab driving
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position, fab pedals, just the whole, all the basic architecture and it's really good
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And ironically, the engine itself is probably the least good aspect of the car
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It pulls like a train and there's nothing wrong with that and it's got massive torque
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really good power as well for a 2 litre turbo but it doesn't make a particularly nice noise
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What defines the Civic is the chassis, is the steering, is the response from the brakes
7:48
the lack of weight just means you stop faster. faster. This is a car that thrives on a dry road where you can really attack, but sometimes
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it does feel very, very firm. The Michelin Cup 2s on the Limited don't find the wet weather
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grip that the Continental or the standard cars are. Some people don't like this weighty
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steering. I've got to be honest, I do, but I get why the standard car's rack is so good
8:20
And some people feel that you just don't need the added weight
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One of the questions we get asked the most about Evo Car of the Year is how can you be comparing a hot hatch with say a half a million pound supercar I mean how does that work and you know what it a really good question but actually
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it's relatively straightforward to answer and the reason is we're not judging anything here on an
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empirical basis we're not measuring anything against the clock we're not taking cornering
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readings in G's instead this is about how the cars make you feel it's an emotive test
8:59
and I think also a certain fitness for purpose because a hot hatch that really fulfills its brief
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that is the very best hot hatch it can be compared with, say, a supercar
9:11
that leaves the driver feeling a bit cold, not connected to the action
9:16
maybe it doesn't sound that good, etc., etc. Well, in those two scenarios
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I'd say the hot hatch will score higher every single time. But look, if you want the ultimate hot hatch at this moment in time
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This is it. I think there's a danger when you bring hot hatches to this sort of test
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It can feel like it's tokenism a little bit or we need to have something affordable, but
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genuinely every time I've driven the Hyundai I've had more fun than the Ferrari
9:47
I've got more from myself. I've got more out of the road
9:51
It puts me back in touch with the things I really enjoy about driving, which is connecting
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with the car and making it work with the road, all of those things it does brilliantly
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It's very hard to sit down and think, well, am I really going to put a Hyundai ahead of
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a Ferrari or an Aston Martin or a, but you know, that's the sort of decision you have
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to make with this test
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It just looks so good on paper and everything I'd read about it was so positive
10:24
I'm almost at overload with 1,000 horsepower cars just dominating everything you read and everything you see
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And it just seemed to be a perfect car for this moment
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But the beauty of being on lots of different roads and in lots of different weathers
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and jumping in between all of the cars constantly is it sort of doesn't matter
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all the value and the horsepower figures and everything almost disappears as the days go on
10:57
and it boils down to how much fun you're having simple as that and there's a strong argument that
11:05
a hot hatch that you can extract 90 of its potential pretty regularly can deliver just
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as much fun as a supercar that you spend more time braking than you do experiencing the full
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800,000 horsepower, you know? So that's where these cars start to worm their way into your
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affections over the days when the shock and awe of the supercar performance subsides
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and you start concentrating on what's going to make me laugh, what's going to make me smile the
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most. It's not super mobile and playful like maybe a PS4-ST could be, but it beats that car in other
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ways. I think it's got better body control. I wish it had slightly better steering feel. That's
11:52
maybe its biggest weakness, which doesn't quite give you the detail. The gear shift's a tiny bit
12:00
lightweight, and it's nothing like as good as the Civic Type R's, which is unbelievably good
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better than the Porsche's. Overall, the car has performed really, really well, and the magic
12:13
moments of Evo car of the year are when the cameras have been put away and it's dark and
12:19
we're heading back to the hotel and the pace just starts to click up and the Hyundai lives with
12:27
everything. What's the thrill of driving all about? It's the powertrain I think it's how you interact
12:35
with the machine and that is generally through steering that has plenty of feel, a nice manual
12:41
transmission and a really exciting petrol engine and it's under threat isn't it we're clinging on
12:47
to it by our fingernails. I hope and pray there's enough people who want the stuff that we love that
12:54
this all survives there is a future for us we just have to all cross our fingers pray sacrifice
13:01
whatever things you've got lying around to all that's good and holy and yeah let's think about
13:07
out today because we've got a Lambo and a M5 and loads of other cool things. But yeah
13:12
the future looks uncertain. There are some very clever people out there who will still want to build these cars and
13:17
there will still be a need to build these cars and there's always a desire to enjoy driving it. It is still something that people get a lot of pleasure from
13:26
The beauty of this test is that your views evolve over a number of days, so you might
13:32
start off day one okay it's pouring rain and one car is awesome it destroys everything else and the
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next day it drizzles a bit but it's mostly dry other cars start to creep up on you so you get
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this really big rounded picture which is what i love about it and jumping between the cars
13:48
you learn different things on different days there's always a few surprises i think in car
13:52
of the year this year the m5 it was the car that i least expected to do well and then my first drive
13:58
it just blew me away. A proper genuine wow moment. I think we all know there is people or an individual at BMW M
14:06
who is turning this latest generation of M cars into top class cars and M5 has proven again that there is someone there who gets this stuff
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and we're benefiting from it. When the guys at Evo sent me through the list of cars
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that were being included in this year's Car of the Year and I saw that there was a BMW M5 on it
14:29
I couldn't quite believe it. I thought, what on earth are they doing
14:33
They've lost the plot. However, having spent a bit of time in the M5 CS
14:41
I am completely blown away by this car. It is so totally different from the regular M5 competition
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in everything it does. its steering, its chassis, its damping particularly, its brakes, its throttle response, the gear
15:06
change, everything it does. It does not just a little bit better than an M5 competition
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not just quite a bit better than an M5 competition, but massively better
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This is a fantastic car. It's a brilliant M5. It's what an M5 should be. It's what the
15:29
best M5s always have been. Why? Well, if we were to look at its direct competitors, the
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AMGs, the Audi RSs, I mean, it just runs rings around those. It's substantially lighter
15:46
thanks to those weight saving measures. It feels so much more nimble and the way in which
15:52
it drives is truly exceptional. So it's those changes to the chassis I think, the different
15:59
damping, the suspension geometry, the steering, the work that the M department has done there
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make this such a fluid, natural car. I mean you feel it from the moment you start driving
16:14
It is substantially more comfortable in terms of ride comfort than say the M5 Competition
16:20
which can be pretty hard and fidgety on some surfaces. And yet, when you really want to drive, the steering is fantastic
16:28
It turns in so well. You know exactly what the car's doing
16:31
Yes, it's sending power to the front wheels as well, but it never really feels four-wheel drive
16:37
It's always very obviously rear-wheel drive, but with added traction, which really is a masterstroke
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The engine's a belter, it could sound better, true, but it's got bags of torque and it revs
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out at the top end and, of course, it's monumentally rapid. I mean, it's an awful lot of money, this car
16:59
130, 40, whatever it is, a lot. A lot more than an M5 competition But I think here what I think if they made this the standard M5 and charged 130 grand for it if it was this good I think people would buy it and that would then allow them to make even more hardcore versions and stick CS badges on them and stick competition badges on them
17:27
Imagine this thing, a couple hundred kilograms lighter. Maybe with no back seats and plastic windows
17:36
Maybe it shouldn't go that far. I'm not sure there'd be a huge audience for the 200 grand M5
17:43
But you know what I mean. This thing, it is bloody marvellous
17:57
Photography on Ecotic is so important. We're really fortunate that we have a great roster of photographers
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to call upon a mix of staff in Aston Parrott, who is a leading light for someone so young
18:11
Makes the whole story come to life on the page. And the last couple of years, Aston has been joined by Andy Morgan
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who was Evo's first staff photographer. And the pair of them just have two contrasting styles that are pretty unique
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It just means they come back with amazing stuff. So when we spend a week in Scotland, it looks like we spent a week in Scotland and the reader gets to come along on that journey
18:31
Now if you're someone who's dismissed the new BMW M3 because of the way it looks, you
18:56
need to probably go back and rethink that. You are missing out on a phenomenal M car
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one of the very best again. Following on from last year's M2 CS winner from E-Koti
19:07
the straight-six engine is wonderful. So much grud, so much pull, but it's got a lovely top
19:13
end as well. Proper old-fashioned M engine that wants to rev, enjoys being revs, and gives you
19:18
something back. Yes, we're like a double-clutch gearbox rather than the eight-speed auto it's got
19:23
But the shifts are so intuitive and quick, you don't really miss it that much
19:28
Maybe on track, yes. On the road, not at all. But it's the poise and the balance this car has
19:34
It just flies down the road. It's so composed. It rides so well
19:41
I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed by the M3 in Scotland
19:45
It's still got stacks of appeal and it's a big return to form compared with the previous M3
19:52
but for whatever reason I thought this car felt a little bit heavy and cumbersome on the road
19:58
besides some of the other cars and even the engine seemed a little bit ordinary in this
20:03
company same goes for the gearbox which is absolutely fine in isolation but when you
20:08
change gear in the M5 CS all of a sudden it makes the M3 gearbox feel really slow and not that great
20:16
I knew all about the car before I went to Scotland but it really grew on me during the week
20:22
I think where it really crept up was when it rained. It seemed to have a sixth sense because it would work over bumps as well
20:29
It would catch that before it developed, which gave you a huge amount of confidence
20:35
I was amazed by it. And that was what helped it climb back up the order during the week
20:52
didn't have that shine it lacked that real luster and in the end it just felt a bit mediocre and
20:59
dare i say it a bit forgettable it was probably the car out of everything that i was least
21:06
bothered about driving so why is it not being a universal here with all our judges
21:14
well you've got to remember that anything that gets invited on this has made the shortlist, so it is one of our favourite cars of the year. The trouble
21:24
is when you turn up and you're staring down the barrel of a GT3, a Hurricane STO, an M5
21:31
CS, etc, etc, that's a really tough company to try and stay with and the Aston just doesn't
21:39
quite make that grade, I don't think and none of the other guys think. It's not the most
21:45
dynamic car here by a long shot, despite the massive wing, the crazy paint and the absolutely
21:52
enormous road wheels, one of the problems with the Aston is that it does feel rough
21:59
steep. I mean, I know this is the one that's super focused, maybe you take it to a track
22:06
and I have driven this thing on a track and it is very good. I think it's probably better
22:11
But look, it's still an Aston Martin, and I genuinely think it should be more comfortable and quieter than this
22:17
On the other hand, there ain't much wrong with the way it
22:21
goes, and there is definitely nothing wrong with the way it sounds. All the way it changes gear
22:27
all the way it changes gear. Some of these roads have
22:45
some quite challenging surfaces, big bumps, and it just starts to feel a bit heavy over those
22:53
a bit lead-footed. It's lost quite a lot of its appeal as a tourer in the steering weight and the ride quality
23:03
It feels a bit sticky. I find the weighting too heavy for me. I feel like I'm working against it even when I should be cruising
23:12
The car should just be flowing along. I still love the engine. Hugely characterful, hugely powerful
23:19
It sounds great from outside as well and the gearbox is pretty good and there's plenty of grip
23:27
As I say it seems to have sacrificed a fair bit of usability which is why it's not as
23:34
high up the order as I'm sure Aston would have liked it to be
23:49
So it couldn't be an E-Coti without the Porsche and particularly a 911 GT3
24:16
If you're a regular follower of Evo then you'll know that it's almost a bit of a cliche and
24:23
an in-joke that if you have a GT3 at car of the year it's going to win and to be fair
24:31
it is that way more often than not. But the GT3 has changed a lot in the last 20 years, never more so than this 992 Touring
24:44
which combines all that race proven track day spec powertrain and chassis
24:50
but just dresses it a little bit more discreetly and gives you a more habitable
24:56
less full on kind of driving environment. It is flipping marvellous
25:17
All right, yes, it's a little bit bigger and I think six or seven kilograms heavier than
25:26
a 991 Gen 2 GT3, but I think the front end, it just feels quite a lot more hooked up, more
25:35
connected, just more precise than the old GT3. I not quite sure what it is There a bit more rubber at the front You got more width across the track I not sure why that is There a bit more rubber at the front You got more width across the track Whatever it is it pretty special But the really strong things with this car are the engine
25:55
Is the manual gearbox, is the chassis. Yeah, it's quite firm, but you can use this car every day on the road
26:07
But you can use this car every day on the road if you want to
26:12
It is quite stiff. But look, you don't just kind of find yourself in a 992 GT3 and suddenly go
26:19
oh, I didn't realise I was buying quite such a focused sports car here
26:23
You know what you're doing when you get one of these things. And all the positives that you get with the chassis, with the steering setup
26:33
with the brakes, which are just awesome. just textbook, reference point brakes in the GT3
26:42
And the way it looks. I kind of go slightly weak at the knees with the way this thing looks
26:48
I think it is absolutely beautiful, especially without the wing. So it's just the package, and that is why it's here in the first place
27:07
Sorry, there's one other thing about the GT3 that I'd kind of like to demonstrate. It is
27:14
what it sounds like when you do this in second gear. And like you, I'm sure I've read eulogies about how good the car is, how different it
27:28
Like you, I'm sure I've read eulogies about how good the car is, how different it is from its predecessor
27:36
The thing that is impossible not to fall in love with, with this car, is its purity and its simplicity
27:44
It's so nice just to get into a car which feels familiar and doesn't really require much in the way of learning how everything works
27:52
It's so nice to have a manual gearbox. It's so inspiring to have a naturally aspirated engine that revs to 9,000 RPM and sounds as good as this one does
28:04
It's not as exciting maybe as the Lamborghini. It's not as shouty certainly, but actually I love it because it blends in a little bit more
28:15
it doesn't make quite such an extreme statement to everyone else. And I like that more than I thought I would
28:23
So that adds another dimension to the GT3 experience. The Ferrari is unbelievably complex
28:46
On paper potential is so high, but to me it doesn't feel resolved
28:52
It feels like real first generation effort to create a hybrid car that we all want to drive and it doesn't quite hit the spot for me
29:01
Unless you've never driven a supercar or a hypercar of the past before, then perhaps if this is your first connection with one, it's going to impress you because it's a remarkably fast car
29:12
It's the most complex car we've got here which a few of us are struggling with getting our
29:25
head around. It's a lovely thing to be in, it's more GT car a lot of the time and it
29:30
does have a phenomenal amount of performance. It's just really hard to actually try and
29:35
get it. We're in hybrid mode now, switch to performance, the V8 fires up, it's not a
29:41
a smooth transition from electric to internal combustion engine, if I'm being honest. There's
29:47
a little bit of lag as one system shuts down and another system kicks in. But once that
29:52
V8 is running, it is what you expect and what you want from a Ferrari
29:56
It's the quickest car here in a straight line, but it's not the most involving. Yes, it's
30:04
the first attempt. The 296 GTB will benefit from everything that they learn from this project
30:09
of the moment. The SF90 just seems to be a little bit of a work in progress, an amazing
30:15
piece of work and mind-fryingly complex to get your head around, but it's just falling
30:23
short here. People are struggling, we're all struggling to actually kind of try and get
30:27
to the nub of what this car is about. I honestly think that the more time you spend with it, the more you drive it, the more you
30:37
learn its modes, the more you get a certain understanding for it. I'm not saying I love
30:41
it, I don't love it, but it's more than just a car in a way, it's a new thing and that
30:46
takes time to get to grips with I think. I think it's all about the integration. We've not really blended electric and combustion
30:55
in a way that makes it feel like a driver's car. It feels more like an electric car assisted
31:01
by internal combustion. I think for a Ferrari that's the wrong way around
31:08
It's the first Ferrari I can remember driving where it's a point and squirt car. I don't
31:13
want to and don't enjoy driving it quickly through corners which is a pretty damning
31:18
testament but the car's so big and it's so heavy and the way it deploys its power is
31:22
so intense that it's completely changed the complexion of what a Ferrari is. It's not
31:28
as much fun as a number of the other cars. It's all about this V8
31:37
It's fantastic. So addictive. More culture than the Lamborghinis. Not as vocal by any sense
31:47
I don't think anything is. Just this V8. This V8 is all we want at the moment
31:54
We're not going to be able to have them for long, so let's enjoy them. So after five long days and nights, driven over several thousand combined miles, some
32:12
pretty heated group discussions and a secret ballot by all seven judges, we came up with
32:18
an order, and more specifically, of final three. GT3, M5CS and the Lambo
32:28
And our winner? Well, who would have thought it? There's many things we look for in a winner-free Koti
32:40
and I think there's also different things you look for personally. Koti is not about the biggest giggle factor, there's more to it than that
32:48
The top three were very close. You go into it thinking that a 911 is always going to be there or thereabouts
32:55
and that's what the internet tells us as well. I think this year the surprises, the M5 and the Lamborghini, from early on, I think there was a general consensus across the board that those were two outstanding cars and the M5 came top
33:11
I can't believe I'm saying that, that the M5 has won our car of the year
33:24
But it has. The voting is universal. And the M5 wins. Insane
33:37
Most of us put this top, a couple of us put it second
33:44
It's just such a good car, it really is. It's absolutely, epically good, this car
33:54
I don't really know what else to say other than that. We don't do these things lightly at Evo, and I tell you, this thing wins easily
34:03
There you go
#Motor Vehicles (By Type)