THE RECKONING

The votes are in, so let the countdown to 2022's evo Car of the Year begin

- PETER TOMALIN

MERCEDES-AMG SL55 4MATIC+

8th We went on a hunch with the new SL55, based on AMG's track record and the fact this is the first SL to be designed and developed wholly by Mercedes' go-faster division. We were hoping for the dynamism and engagement that marked out the old AMG GT, with perhaps just a little more polish. But the SL isn't that car.

'It can't seem to decide if it's an SL cruiser or the fired-up supercar replacement for the AMG GT,' said Gallagher, 'and as a result it fails at being either. Its damping impresses, so too the four-wheel-drive system, but you feel distant from everything that's going on and it lacks the punch and spark of a pure-bred AMG and the sophisticated confidence SLs have always delivered.'

David Vivian praised the way its chassis actively contained body roll and always seemed a step ahead of sudden compressions 'which it rides with almost spooky equanimity', while its all-drive grip and fairly neutral balance allowed the SL55 to comfortably keep up on most roads, albeit feeling oddly numb and remote.

Somewhere in the new SL there's a good car - but it has to decide what it wants to be. 'When I finally fathomed the dynamic modes, it came to life a bit more, but it still felt cumbersome and somewhat flat-footed,' said Meaden. 'Too much emphasis on brute force, with dynamics honed to try and contain the performance and mass.' When the scores were in, all of the judges put it a resounding last and, as a result, it's the first to fall.

7th BMW M4 CSL

Great things were expected of the M4 CSL, particularly after the brilliance of the M2 CS and M5 CS on the two previous eCotys, and most of us could recall memorable drives when it all came together, but as Gallagher said, those moments were too fleeting to make it a contender.