Car of the Year Finalists announced

The final line-up of seven for the European Car of the Year Award (COTY) has been announced.

It’s that time of the year again, when the final line-up for the European Car of the Year Awards are announced. And there seems to be something of a theme. The finalists are :

• Citroen C3 Picasso
• Mercedes E Class
• Vauxhall Astra
• Peugeot 3008
• Skoda Yeti
• Toyota iQ
• Volkswagen Polo

Fine cars one and all. But, with the exception of the Mercedes, there’s nothing much more than an eco box of one size or another. The 3008 and the Picasso are about as small as you can get and still be considered an MPV. The Astra’s not the smallest in the Vauxhall range, but it’s far from a big car. The Yeti’s at the distinctly ‘Economy’ end of small 4×4s and the other offering from the VW stable is the Polo. As for the iQ, fine car though it is it’s probably one of the most expensive of the crop of micro-sized cars.

I suppose with the world in ‘Must-Save’ mood it’s no real surprise that all the nominees for the COTY are small and frugal – except the E-Class. But surely there was room for one or two more impressive cars from the original nominees list, which was:

• BMW Z4
• Chevrolet Cruze
• Citroen C3 Picasso
• Ford Ka
• Honda Insight
• Hyundai i20
• Hyundai ix55
• Kia Sorento
• Kia Soul
• Land Rover Discovery IV
• Lexus RX 450h
• Mazda3
• Mercedes E-Class
• Mitsubishi Colt
• Nissan 370Z
• Nissan Cube
• Opel/Vauxhall Astra
• Peugeot 3008
• Porsche Panamera
• Renault Scenic
• Seat Exeo
• Skoda Yeti
• Subaru Legacy
• Suzuki Alto/Nissan Pixo
• Toyota Avensis
• Toyota iQ
• Toyota Prius
• Toyota Urban Cruiser
• Toyota Verso
• Volkswagen Polo

Perhaps it should be renamed ‘Frugal Car of the Year Award.

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