What Car – Car of the Year Awards 2009

This award goes to the new Ford Fiesta. In particular, The Ford Fiesta 1.25 Zetec. Hard one to argue against, as we found this to be a great little super mini. Its only downfall is going to be how common it will be but, taking everything in to account, you will struggle to find a better all-round super-mini.

Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 122 SE 5dr. The Golf is an extremely well bolted together car. And this is the 6th time in a row that What Car have made the Golf the winner. This sixth generation Golf is a very good car, if a somewhat safe choice.

We’d probably have gone for the Hyundai i30, just for the very low price on a very good car.

Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi Zetec 5dr. Ford has done well in the awards this year, and the Mondeo is again no surprise as the winner. All Fords are great driving cars these days, and the Mondeo is no different. As we’ve said before, stick a BMW badge on this car and the classy Ford would cost £5k more.

Worthy winner.

Ford Mondeo Estate 2.0 TDCi Zetec. A clean sweep for the classy Ford here, and probably deservedly so. Other keen contenders in this category include the Skoda Octavia, and one or two Audis. But it wins for all the same reasons as the saloon, but it has a cavernous load area to boot (pun intended!).

Clean sweep for the exceptional Mondeo

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 HDI SX EGS. The Picasso is a good car, no doubt. But it probably wouldn’t be our choice. Capable as it undoubtedly is, we’d have been swayed by the better build quality of the Toyota Verso. But as a way of moving around a family, its kids and all the paraphernalia that goes with it, it’s a good choice.

The Picasso does a fine job.

Mini Cooper S. Yes, the Mini Cooper S is a fine little car. BMW has done a great job reviving this British icon, and the Cooper S is the pick of the bunch. But I think we’d probably have plumped for the Honda Civic Type-R.

Still, despite how common it’s become, the Mini Cooper S is still a great choice.

Audi TT 2.0 TFSI. The latest version of the Audi TT is head and shoulders above the original TT. Fine car, no doubt. Not cheap, and expensive on the options list, but very well put together and great to drive.

But we’d have picked the VW Scirroco, which is not only substantially cheaper but, in the right colour, better looking.

Volkswagen Eos 2.0 TSI Sport. Volkswagen did well at the awards, and the Eos is a great value for money. And it has four seats, something of a rarity is such a fun little car. But best open-top car?

We’d probably go for the Porsche Boxster, but with a £15k price difference we can see why the Eos won.

Nissan GT-R. You’ll get no argument from us on this one. And nor from anyone else. The Nissan GT-R is quite simply the most sensational performance car there is. And when you factor in the price of the GT-R there is no other choice worth considering.

Except you’ll struggle to find one for sale, as its not even started delivery yet in the UK!

Volvo XC60 2.4D SE. Very clever design, the XC60. Well put together and half decent to look at, it excels in almost every area. We’d have been tempted by the Disco, but on practical terms the Volvo is probably more usable.

If you have a whole gaggle of kids it’s easier to live with.

BMW 320d ES. Well, the BMW 3 Series is the default choice for this category. But we’d have gone for the Audi A4 instead. It is at least as competent in every area as the 3 Series, but it certainly has the edge overall. And lets face it, the 3 Series is now more common than the Mondeo, so you’re not exactly buting an exclusive car.

Still a fine car, though.

Jaguar XF 2.7 V6 Diesel Luxury. Fine car, the XF. If it had been the latest version with the 3.0 litre diesel we’d have agreed with this one completely. But on balance we’d have opted for the Audi A6, or possibly the Mercedes CLS, simply because the CLS is more stylish. But, overall, the Jaguar XF deserves to be considered the best car in the category if you factor in what’s to come.

Mercedes-Benz S320 CDI. From near oblivion a few years ago because of terrible build quality issues, the current generation of the S Class is once again a real class act. Properly bomb-proof once again (for the first time since the W140). We have to say that, money no object, we’d have the Rolls Royce Phantom, but the latest generation S Class is a worthy winner.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI. This award is supposed to be for the most exciting car due to be launched in 2009. But I can’t see where this is coming from. Fine car that the Golf is, it’s not really exciting. The contenders were so wide ranging, from the Honda Insight to the incredible Jaguar XFR (depending on your point of view), it seems a very strange choice. But the Golf won.

Euro NCAP. We reported a while back on the new standards for NCAP testing, and it is clear that car buyers set great stock in the NCAP tests.

With more stringent tests being applied from this year, it is clear that car buyers rate this the most obvious safety aspect to take in to consideration when buying a car.

Audi. On the face of it, this may seem a bit of an odd choice. But it’s right on the money. Audis are so well protected, they’ve come top of the heap in the Thatcham tests (particularly the Audi A8) and there is no better car to protect its owners from the criminal fraternity.A lesson to other car makers.

By Cars UK