![ESTATE OF PLAY](https://cdn.magzter.com/Evo/1676377638/articles/XuXP4Wtt01676533798148/ESTATE-OF-PLAY.jpg)
UNWITTINGLY, THE DAY BEFORE we shoot the Audi RS6 Avant and BMW M3 Competition Touring on the rolling roads that thump and yump over the North York Moors, I remind myself just why the fast estate car is such a special concept. My first sight of the RS6 is at 6am. It's shrouded in thick ice and the air is so cold that my clothes crackle as I walk towards it. A few minutes later I'm thawing in heated seats and pointed towards Brands Hatch, some 100 miles south. The miles accrue easily and the 4-litre twin-turbocharged engine slips almost silently into the background. It's just the start of a very RS6 sort of day.
The track is perilously slippery but the Audi barely notices. It's acting as fast chase vehicle, photographer and video team taking turns to lie in the boot to capture an old race car with 900bhp or more. Once I've removed the baby seat, of course. The Group C car tiptoes where the RS6 claws and I'm pretty sure the Audi would give it a real run for its money in these conditions. Then, when the sun sets and the temperature plunges again, I head north. Way north, to Kirkbymoorside, a solid 250 miles away, taking in the hell of rush hour M25 and mile upon mile of oddly dilapidated A1. It's after 10pm when I arrive, fuelled by burger and McFlurry, and the last 20 miles or so are cross-country, straights punctuated by bursts of tight corners. The big Audi morphs from refined cruiser to relentless, unstoppable force and delivers me to the hotel feeling remarkably fresh. I almost wish there was another hour to run.
This story is from the March 2023 edition of Evo UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2023 edition of Evo UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![RENAULT SPORT MÉGANE R26 R](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/497/1729599/KOZp9GVGo1719580459588/RENAULT-SPORT-MGANE-R26-R.jpg)
RENAULT SPORT MÉGANE R26 R
It's possibly the greatest hot hatch ever made, but it took true dedication and extreme measures to create it. This is the story of how the Mégane R26.R came to be
![THE ART OF THE ESTATE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/497/1729599/VSgo8_Qtu1719580040649/THE-ART-OF-THE-ESTATE.jpg)
THE ART OF THE ESTATE
Fast estates have always been cool, but today they can take many forms. We pitch Peugeot's updated hybrid 508 PSE against Skoda's more conventional but equally compelling Octavia vRS
![HYBRID WORKING](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/497/1729599/1SiRufgXE1719579694828/HYBRID-WORKING.jpg)
HYBRID WORKING
Bentley's new Continental GT will be its most powerful and most advanced road car to date. A drive of a pre-production example provides our first taste of its new V8 hybrid powertrain
![THE LONG GOODBYE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/497/1729599/xzLAkL30P1719579344706/THE-LONG-GOODBYE.jpg)
THE LONG GOODBYE
After powering Bentleys for more than 20 years, the magnificent W12 engine has finally ceased production. We go for a farewell drive in the model where it all began - and look forward to the new Crewe generation
![A DESIGN FOR LIFE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/497/1729599/yLdW-8NPB1719578929092/A-DESIGN-FOR-LIFE.jpg)
A DESIGN FOR LIFE
As a star of the very first issue of evo, Audi's design icon is a car entwined with this magazine's history. But now it's no more. We drive an early Mk1 quattro alongside a late Mk3 RS to find out if it enters retirement with grace
![BACK ON TRACK?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/497/1729599/3qtwz9vln1719578442633/BACK-ON-TRACK.jpg)
BACK ON TRACK?
After the slightly under-achieving M4 CSL, could the new M4 CS be the sweet-spot in the M3/M4 range?
![FAMILY AFFAIR](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/497/1729599/c80nnlMDz1719577433639/FAMILY-AFFAIR.jpg)
FAMILY AFFAIR
Thirty years ago, the McLaren F1 set new benchmarks with its speed and purity; now Gordon Murray's latest supercar, the GMA T.50, promises to do the same. We drive them back to back
![Aston Martin DBX707](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/497/1729599/SucLLaR361719577157110/ASTON-MARTIN-DBX707.jpg)
Aston Martin DBX707
Much-needed interior overhaul, plus other mid-life updates, ready the DBX for its second act
![Radical SR1 XXR](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/497/1729599/2739w8U_r1719576641015/RADICAL-SR1-XXR.jpg)
Radical SR1 XXR
Radical's entry-level racing car has been re-released in enhanced XXR guise. We find out just how good it is in the most revealing way - by racing it
![VW Golf R](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/497/1729599/5AsPZ0qLc1719575987646/VW-GOLF-R.jpg)
VW Golf R
The Mk8 Golf R has never really wowed us. But can the Mk8.5 change all that? A drive in a prototype version provides some clues