any new car will be a compromise. choose a sleek sports car for dealing with and performance and you miss out on practicality and often comfort. pick something bigger for practicality and you’re likely to have to sacrifice running costs. but what if you didn’t have to compromise? We’ve chosen the best characteristics of some of
our preferred cars to create the ideal model – and our main image shows how it would look.
Front exterior styling: new Audi TT
The rest of the third-generation TT’s exterior might look as if it’s been photocopied from the last model, but the front end makes a bold new statement.
The sharp-edged grille and flared nostrils combine aggression and modernism in just the best measure – something that Audi has always excelled at. There are hints here to the next-generation A4 and a new family of SUVs from the brand, albeit with a much more three-dimensional form for the grille.
Ride quality: Land Rover Discovery
Air-suspension is a must-have for the supreme luxury ride – it’s impossible for steel springs to emulate the smooth, wafting progress it provides. That’s why numerous limos offer air-suspension, but it really comes into its own in the Land Rover Discovery. The long suspension travel implies the SUV is not only comfortable when cruising, but also irons out the worst potholed streets and speed bumps. Plus, you can lower the car to improve access, or raise it for off-roading.
Performance Porsche: 911 GT3
Nearly every maker has a great engine in its line-up these days – whether it’s petrol, diesel or hybrid. but the Porsche 911 GT3’s flat-six is one of the best, and not even the recent recall can detract from its appeal. This amazing 469bhp 3.8-litre revs to a heady 9,000rpm, plus it stands apart with its spine-tingling sound. From a gruff mechanical idle to a full-blooded race car yowl at maximum revs, it’s like conducting
a six-cylinder orchestra with your best foot.
Equipment: Mercedes C-Class
The new C-Class benefits from a lot of the tech that’s already featured on the S-Class, and the most significant and many welcome change comes in the equipment included inside. The compact exec is one of the first cars to feature Apple’s CarPlay system, which gives iphone owners a sleek in-car interface using the tablet-style screen found in other Mercedes. This makes it simpler than ever to control music streaming, hands-free calls and even navigation, and we want it in our Frankencar. We’d love its trendy rear lights, too.
Practicality: Fiat Multipla
Decent practicality often requires lots of space – not something all cars are blessed with. So inside, our Frankencar would take inspiration from a model that went off sale in 2010. The Fiat Multipla launched in 1998 to a mixed reception, mostly on account of its bizarre looks. but they hid an innovative layout of two rows of three seats, which implied room for six from an MPV based on the Brava. The idea was later copied by the Honda FR-V, and is still probably the best way to squeeze a lot of people into a small car.
Reliability: Toyota Yaris
Reliability would be hard to gauge if it wasn’t for the annual car express chauffeur Power complete satisfaction survey. A total of 46,000 readers took part in 2013, and voted the latest, MkIII Toyota Yaris Britain’s many reliable car, with a score of 98.40 per cent. All Toyotas are popular for being durable, but as the Yaris topped one of the most robust and respected customer complete satisfaction polls, this was the only model we’d want to donate its reliability record to our Frankencar.
Rear styling: Citroen C4 Cactus
The C4 Cactus is Citroen back to doing what it does best: innovative style. and it has one of the best rear ends in the business. A much more apparent choice might be a supercar, with wings and diffusers, but when you’re reversing in a busy car park, which would you prefer:
a car with no rear visibility and oversized dimensions, or the Cactus’ squared-off tail with bubble wrap-style Airbumps to safeguard you from wandering shopping trolleys? So the Cactus is useful – it also features a 358-litre boot – but it still looks great, too.
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