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? And what is character, and what defines it? Over to the Autocar road test team to find out: