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Volkswagen Polo is Car of The Year 2010

The new VW Polo has scored a narrow triumph in the 2010 Car of the Year Award, beating six other finalists. The result, announced today, show that the Polo scored 347 points against 337 for Toyota’s new city car, the iQ. The pair were well ahead of the next-best runner, the Opel/Vauxhall Astra with 221 points, while the other finalists were the Skoda Yeti (158), the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (155), the Peugeot 3008 (144) and the Citroen C3 Picasso (113).

Announcing the result, Autocar’s Steve Cropley, who is one of six UK based jurors, and one of 59 car experts from 23 European countries who decide the award, revealed that the Polo was chosen as the winning car by 25 jurors, while the iQ was chosen by 20 jurors. The competition was neck-and-neck throughout the counting, with the Polo’s win confirmed only as the last vote was counted.

“This year’s results show that the body of COTY jurors firmly believes that small, economical cars were the best of this year’s crop,” says Cropley. “The Polo is a very complete, very refined car which delivers all the consistent qualities VW has become so well known for. However, given its unusual layout, controversial looks and premium price, the iQ did amazingly well, and it was nice to see good support for the Astra, whose maker, GM Europe, was victorious this year with the Insignia executive car. The E-Class Mercedes, considered by many to be the maker’s best saloon model for years, was also well supported.”

The COTY jury is made up of 59 senior motoring journalists from 23 countries. Their objective is to choose the most outstanding new car to go on sale in the past 12 months. Jurors vote twice: first to select a short-list of seven from the new cars launched in Europe, then again to choose the winner.

Autocar is one of seven leading publications from around Europe which organise the COTY contest. Each publication takes it in turn to organise the vote, publicise and promote the contest and hold the prize-giving ceremony.

The jury is completely independent of the Organising Committee in matters connected with the award itself, the selection of eligible cars and the voting.

Tags: Car of the year, COTY, Polo car of the year, vw car of the year, VW Polo
Posted in Diesel News

Volkswagen Passat is Used Car of the Year

VW Passat

Toyota Prius crowned used green car
Hybrid Lexus named best used SUV
Used car prices still climbing
What Car? has crowned the Volkswagen Passat the Used Car of the Year for 2009. Just £7000 buys you a three-year-old Passat 1.9 TDI S, which was praised by the judges for its classy image, drivability and reliability at a hugely tempting price.

Used car buyers looking for the best green option should track down the celebs’ favourite, the Toyota Prius, which took What Car?’s used green car accolade. With an official average of 65.7mpg and road tax bills of just £35 a year, it’s the best bet for motorists who want to help save the planet and save money on fuel.

Another hybrid won the title of best SUV: the Lexus RX400h is a 4×4 that runs on both petrol and electric power to reduce emissions and fuel consumption. A 2005 model can be yours for around £18,000, less than half the price of what it cost when new.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI 5dr was voted the best used sports car, while Vauxhall took away two trophies: best used estate car for the Vectra, and best used MPV for the Zafira – a winner for the third year on the trot.

What Car?’s used car editor, Matt Sanger, said: ‘It’s a strange time in the used car market, with prices still on the increase – in some cases up 30% year-on-year. Higher prices and limited availability of some cars had a huge effect on our judging, but our winners are all cars that are readily available and still represent great value.’

This year, it’s expected that six million used cars will be sold in the UK, roughly three times the number of new cars. The average used car costs a little more than £6000, is 39 months old and has covered more than 50,000 miles.

The eight-strong What Car? Used Car of the Year judging panel were from all areas of the motor industry, including car dealerships, British Car Auctions, Warranty Direct and experts from What Car?. As well as selecting the overall Used Car of The Year, the judges also picked winners and runners-up in eight categories, looking at running costs, reliability, drivability, quality, longevity and desirability.

Tags: 1.9TDI, Car of the year, Passat Used Car, Used Car of the year, VW Passat
Posted in Diesel News, Diesel Owners Club