A BUSY motoring year has ended as it started - with the same car - one which I've selected as my pick of the year.

But more of that later, because 2006 proved to be an automotive dip into a lucky bag of far from mainstream cars, ones which made me realise that driving can still be a pleasurable experience, despite the incursions of speed cameras, toll roads, congestion charges and the looming threat of road pricing.

The cars that lifted my motoring spirits were a different take on the usual - the family hatchback, for instance - or others that were a bold statement of intent.

In the former category, the Dodge Caliber put some muscle into the hatch pack, while the Chrysler 300C Touring's emphatic, architectural lines drew attention wherever I drove. If you wanted plenty of pose for your pound, the big Chrysler had it to spare. With imposing looks (as one chap asked, "Is it a Bentley?") and the smoothest of engines - a three-litre turbo diesel from Mercedes - the car was a big, laid-back pleasure to drive.

With 120 car launches in the past year, there is no doubt that the industry is battling to beat the gloom-and-doom-mongers like never before, and none more so than the ambitious South Korean firm, Kia.

Their new Sedona seven-seater people carrier combines the interior space of a marquee with the price tag of a pup tent and drives pretty well, too.

Renault loomed large for me this year, with almost every variant of the Megane finding its way on to the drive, as the French company tweaked their popular model, with the two-litre diesel engine that is a product of the alliance with Nissan coming into play to good effect.

My choice of the range was the Grand Scenic, for being so clever at what it does. But back to the motoring bookend - the car that topped and tailed the year.

A product of Skoda, whose Roomster MPV I much enjoyed, the Turner Prize 2006 goes to the Octavia VRs diesel estate. It's a rocket that won't see you out of pocket, a truly sophisticated wolf, in only slightly sheepy garb, with bags of power, pace and handling.

I tested the petrol-engined hatchback version in January, heading up from Barcelona towards Andorra, on roads that barely saw another vehicle, and revelled in almost every aspect of the car.

The diesel estate, a very recent test-drive, I rated even better, with so much well-delivered torque that the car seemed to sing while overtaking.

Skoda still, pretty much, play the role of unsung hero in motoring Britain, but if one car should change this misguided public perception it's the Octavia 2.0 TDi PD VRs diesel.

A happy New Year's driving to all our readers.
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