The Volkswagen Golf has just been voted European Car of the Year by a huge margin – but there was also a dramatic second-placed surprise in the ceremony held on the eve of the Geneva Motor Show 2013.
The Golf Mk7 emerged as winner with 414 from the 58 judges; however, it was a remarkable second place for the Toyota GT86 that really caught the eye of onlookers.
The second placed Toyota scored 202 points, pipping the Volvo V40 with 189 points. Even so, the Golf thus scored more than double the points of the next-placed car, truly underlining what an overwhelming winner it was.
The fact a rear-wheel drive sportscar emerged as runner-up in the Car of the Year awards will further confirm the validity of the 2013 awards in many peoples’ eyes, though. Car of the Year hasn’t always honoured the models favoured by buyers and critics but few can have any complaints about the 2013 awards.
The Car of the Year ceremony was attended by many industry chiefs: VW’s board member for development Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg accepted the prestigious trophy on the brand’s behalf.
The VW Golf becomes one of only two cars to have won the Car of the Year trophy twice; the other was the Renault Clio, which placed sixth in generation 4 guise, just ahead of the Peugeot 208 in this year’s awards.
It was also noted that every single generation of Golf has won a top-three spot in the Car of the Year awards – a podium record dating back to 1975.
In awarding the Golf so many points, the judges praised its ‘overall balance and the outstanding
achievements in safety, fuel efficiency, dynamics and comfort’. Superiority in pretty much every area, then.
And although the judges did concede it looks very similar to previous Golfs, the new MQB platform technology beneath brings many gains in lightweight technology and flexibility.
Hyundai’s strong march onwards in terms of sales wasn’t reflected in the Car of the year awards, though. Despite placing as a finalist in the awards, the i30 could do no better than eighth place in the final count, scoring 111 points against the Golf’s 414…
Car of the Year 2013 – finalists
1 Volkswagen Golf (414 points)
2 Toyota GT86/Subaru BRZ (202 points)
3 Volvo V40 (189 points)
4 Ford B-Max (148 points)
5 Mercedes A-Class (138 points)
6 Renault Clio (128 points)
7 Peugeot 208 (120 points)
8 Hyundai i30 (111 points)
I doubt the average motorist will be able to tell the Golf 7 from the Golf 6 unless they were parked together. But yes, a worthy winner nonetheless.
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