Audi A1 1.4 TFSI – What Car? Car of the Year
We have a round-up of the 2011 What Car? Car of the Year Awards. With which we’re not completely in agreement.
Here we are again – at the start of a New Year – and it’s time once again for the What Car? Car of the year awards. Which means, as it always does, an enormous amount of emails in our inbox on this subject.
Every award winner sends out a press release telling us what we already know from the What Car Awards themselves – they bagged a gong.
But that doesn’t stop PR bods going in to overdrive and making sure we know who won what, and why. And it’s a difficult shout for us; it’s very hard to justify a story for every category of winner, but it’s interesting for Cars UK readers to see the opinions of What Car? So we thought it was probably best to do a quick round-up of all the winners on the night, and perhaps a quick comment.
And although awards are meant to be objective, they never are. Subjectivity is simply an individuals objectivity, and unless we have Top Trumps for every winner it’s all just opinion.
So we’ll throw our two bobs worth in the comments for each winner. Feel free to do the same in the forum.
What Car? Car of the Year Awards 2011
CAR OF THE YEAR – Audi A1 1.4 TFSI Sport
This is the car that should have been the Audi S1. Until Audi lost its bottle at the last minute and decided it couldn’t be an S1 without quattro. Good, but expensive.
Supermini – Audi A1 1.4 TFSI Sport
Ditto above
Small Family Car – Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 122 Match 5dr
It’s hard to go far wrong with a Golf. But it’s a bit uninspired as a choice.
Family Car – Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi 140 Zetec
Same as with the Golf above. Except it’s a Mondeo.
Estate Car – Ford Mondeo Estate 2.0 TDCi 140 Zetec
Ditto above. Yawn.
MPV – Seat Alhambra 2.0 TDI 140 Ecomotive S
Has What Car got a VW/Ford thing going on? The Peugeot 5008 is better than this. Probably.
Hot Hatch – Renault Mégane Renaultsport 250 Cup
Wow. It’s not a Ford or VW. And we are probably in agreement here.
Coupé – Audi TT 2.0 TFSI 211 Sport
Sorry, with money no object this is a daft winner. Factor in cost, and there’s much better value.
Open-Top – BMW Z4 sDrive23i
Same observation as the Audi TT.
Performance Car – Ferrari 458 Italia
You’ll get no argument from us. Really, the only contender.
Crossover – Peugeot 3008 1.6 THP 156 Sport
Couldn’t agree more. As we never tire of telling anyone looking for a surprisingly good car capable of being fun as well as practical. If not exactly drop-dead gorgeous.
4×4 – Land Rover Discovery 3.0 SDV6 XS
Again, completely in agreement. Although we’d have the HSE. If you’re spending this much why not go that bit further and be spoilt?
Compact Executive – BMW 3 Series 320d ES
Almost right. We’d opt for the BMW 320d EfficientDynamics. Virtually the same but uses next to no fuel. The perfect posh rep-mobile.
Executive – Jaguar XF 3.0D V6 Luxury
Again, almost right. We’d have the Jaguar XF Diesel S. Practically perfect in every way.
Luxury Car – Mercedes-Benz S-Class S350 CDI Bluetec
We see the point. But only if you’re buying the S-Class to be driven in. If you’re going to drive then you should get the Jaguar XJ
Ultra-Low-Carbon Car – Nissan Leaf
Codswallop. The Leaf isn’t even available yet. And if any ICE car launched where the furthest you could safely go (and get back) was 40 miles, and then you couldn’t use it again for 8 hours, we’d all laugh. Especially if it cost more than anything else comparable. Which is just what we’d do if idiots didn’t keep considering it a real car.
Security – Volkswagen
Such an exciting category we’re too overcome to comment.
Safety – Volvo
Ditto above.
We’re sure your opinions will be completely different to ours. And from What Car? And as they’re not our awards we can be flippant. As can you.
Which is exactly as it should be.
Have your say - leave a comment