The Honda Civic Kind R bested the competitors and received Motor Authority Greatest Automobile To Purchase 2023 honors. It took on a area of wide-ranging opponents and received unanimously.

Every of the nominees featured tools and/or defining traits that we preferred.

The finalists ranged from the Ford Bronco Raptor with its unimaginable off-road functionality to the luxurious electrical Cadillac Lyriq to the wild turbo-5-powered Audi RS 3 to a trio of sizzling hatches, every with its personal strengths.

In an ideal world, the Honda Civic Kind R would incorporate points from every of our finalists. Name it a flight of fancy. We name it the Frankencar, and it’s rattling enjoyable to consider.

Be a part of us as we piece collectively the 2023 Frankencar, a automobile with the very best bits from the Motor Authority Greatest Automobile To Purchase 2023 finalists.

Powertrain

The powertrain for the 2023 Frankencar would marry the very best points of our inside combustion and electrical opponents. We wish the moment torque of the Cadillac Lyriq’s electrical powertrain, so begin with the Lyriq’s single electrical motor, however up the output to the Braptor’s 418 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque. Give it the Audi RS 3 turbo-5’s sound and fury and maintain the Lyriq’s EPA scores of 97 MPGe metropolis, 82 freeway, 89 mixed together with its 312 miles of vary.

We nonetheless #GiveAShift round these elements so we’d maintain the Civic Kind R’s slick-shifting 6-speed handbook transmission with its constructive engagement and brief throws. Although, we would make the clutch a bit heavier. Sure, we all know there’s no electrical powertrain that seems like a turbo-5 and comes with a handbook transmission. We mentioned this can be a flight of fancy, didn’t we?

Styling

That is completely subjective, however we’d in all probability must go together with the Braptor’s in-your-face brick design. The doorways come off. The roof comes off. Hell, it’s seven ft vast with 37-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain K02 tires. It’s onerous to overlook, and but, these not within the know may suppose it’s simply one other Bronco. Our winner, the Civic Kind R, is a really useful hatchback with a experience top that permits incredible dealing with. Perhaps our Frankencar might seem like the Braptor and maintain its tall experience top when off-roading, then sniff the pavement for dealing with. Somebody name Multimatic and get them engaged on one thing like this stat.

Dynamics

The Civic Kind R presents unimaginable cornering functionality, particularly contemplating it’s a front-wheel-drive automobile. We’ll persist with Kind R’s confidence-inspiring stability together with its surprising capability to hold velocity by means of esses. We’ll add the RS 3’s Drift mode for tail-out enjoyable, and go together with the supple experience high quality of the Lyriq.

However our Frankencar would have one other aspect to its character: the Braptor’s off-road functionality. This Bronco is just too rattling tall for the meeting line. We’d undoubtedly need entry to its loopy stance that sits 13.0 inches off the bottom and spreads 8.6 inches wider than a regular Bronco. Then we’d like its 13.0 inches of entrance and 14.0 inches of rear suspension journey, in addition to its disconnecting sway bar, entrance and rear lockers, and eight-mode four-wheel-drive system with a 2-speed switch case. Nothing might cease this 12 months’s Frankencar on street or off.

Inside

The Lyriq’s inside simplicity and wow issue can’t be ignored. It’s principally constructed from high-quality supplies and has essentially the most house, however there are a number of low cost plastics on low-set, out-of-sight surfaces. We will swap in a few of the higher supplies from the RS 3 to spruce it up. We’ll additionally add the Civic Kind R’s high-back bucket entrance seats and metallic shift knob, and faucet the sturdiness of the Braptor’s purpose-built inside. That’s roomy, sporty, luxurious, and utilitarian all within the one cabin.

Worth

The Civic Kind R prices $43,990, so it’s not the worth it was when it arrived within the U.S. for the 2017 mannequin 12 months. Our Frankencar could be a screaming deal, with the Hyundai Kona N’s value of $35,495. That might put it very near the 2017 Civic Kind R’s value of $34,775. Ah, the great outdated days.

Welcome to our fantasy. Now, somebody flip the switches, energy up the tubes, and get the metallic affected person on the desk to deliver this Frankencar to life.