First, ask me what engine. Because that’s the foundation of my choice.

The engine is

• petrol ICE,
• indirect injection,
• naturally-aspirated,
• without EGR and GPF,
• coupled with manual transmission.

Then ask me about the dashboard, assistants and digital systems, almost equally important:

• No damn dumb ADAS interfering with my driving, dangerously steering into wrong imaginary lane or dangerously panic braking because misreading the road ahead.
• Just the Electronic Brakeforce Distribution ABS, which actually helps me do what I want much like fighter jet’s FBW. And the ASR can be deactivated with a push of dedicated button.
• Amber-orange monochromatic backlight, scientifically best for eyes and nightvision and also cozy like a fireplace.
• Real “steam” gauges with unrivaled contrast and 3D compared to digitally drawn dashboard.
• Monochromatic LCD (no damn blue light backlight scatter.)
• No telemetry to infringe on my privacy and report on me to some Orwellian Big Brother – like the awful Chinese telemetrics system which tracks all cars GPS position in real time and can shut down cars remotely.
• No network remote access for hackers or unwanted manufacturer’s updates.

This alone determined my choices – I wouldn’t want to own a bastardized car with telemetry (much less remote shutdown/control!), EGR/GPF or digital dashboard with white/blue backlight, and I would always chose naturally-aspirated indirect injection petrol ICE if I had the choice simply for reliability, self-cleaning and system complexity reasons. But now the goodies:

• Multilink suspension at the rear axles for above-average handling during cornering
• Reinforced doubled A and B pillars, magnesium reinforced bar protecting the crew compartment, high-tensile strength steel reinforcements, Saab safety steering column, NCAP 5* driver rating and 4* child occupant rating
• Curtain airbags and even driver knee airbag
• Vastly superior rust protection
• Italian design by Giorgetto Giugiaro himself

What is it, then? Well sorry to let down your expectations – it’s a D-segment Large Family Car, a station wagon. Only the best engineered, designed and styled I found available in the 2020s (besides the BMW E39s now decomposing on the rust pile and beautiful american sedans of the 2000’s.)

One…

Fiat Nuova Croma.

The best Large Family Car Fiat has ever engineered (not necessarily built), featuring the GM Z18XER engine. I’ve waited 16 months to get such one!

Despite being a stationwagon, I enjoy every ride and sweep country road curves while double-clutching downshifting.

I love this machine. I’ve had one already (a temporary diesel which ended the way diesels do) and I wouldn’t want a different, unless maybe Subaru Levorg or some other nice new car was stripped of all telemetrics, networking and all ability to interfere with steering or braking by ADAS, ISA and such.