“Although cars are better in every objective way than they were only 10 or 15 years ago, being so efficient and competent inevitably comes at the expense of character,” says James Ross. And he was onto something.

“It’s a car’s shortcomings, and the unique compromises that manufacturers were previously obliged to make, that help create character. But such challenging compromises are no longer necessary. Things tend to become more bland as a result. Better, but blander. The price of progress.”

So is there such thing as a car with character anymore? What cars have bucked the trend over the past couple of decades? And what is character, and what defines it? Over to the Autocar road test team to find out: