I find the MBUK/WMB/BikeRadar group to be about the least objective bunch of publications available. Only a step above the “ur bike iz sarasin” posts of many of their forum inhabitants.
I’ve ridden a friends c456 back to back with my own steel 456. The steel one felt better at coping with bigger drops and choppy ground but the carbon one felt much smoother over trail chatter and felt more nimble due, I guess, to the weight.
The builds were pretty much identical so I’m happy that it was a fairly objective test and that the c456 isn’t just a lighter version of the steel one. However, it wasn’t the result I was expecting and seems to differ from online forum accounts and the mag review spectrum out there.
Bottom line – a good bike is one that is good for you, not what a journo or forumite says!