The 59 European automotive journalists who decide the European Car of the Year have whittled the list of 38 contenders down to just seven finalists for the prestigious award, which is sure to be heavily marketed by the winner’s advertising department in Europe.
The finalists are the Alfa Romeo MiTo, Citroen C5, Ford Fiesta, Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, Renault Megane, Skoda Superb and Volkswagen Golf.
Last year’s winner of the coveted award was the Fiat 500. Only a handful of times has the European Car of the Year winner been a model also sold in the United States or Canada.
The award winner will be announced November 19.
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11/12, 12:02 PM
posted by:
jackjimturkey
Fiesta?
I don’t know enough about any of these cars to say for sure what should win.
I like the Megane
11/12, 12:23 PM
posted by:
Borat
I drove FIAT 500 couple of months ago in Spain. Even with weakest engine (rental) it was a blast to drive. My bet is on MiTo.
11/12, 1:26 PM
posted by:
zeeck
I bet it’s the Alfa as well, although I have heard good things about the fiesta over there
11/12, 1:44 PM
posted by:
beatusmongous
Go Fiesta! Ford needs a good motivator, and winning this title would be good for them and for us.
11/12, 2:08 PM
posted by:
JohnnyBlazE
Fiesta is a good car, but not COTY kind of groundbreaking; the new Fiesta does have a nice look to it though…
Opel/Vauxhal Insignia is a great car also, but not good enough to knock the Mondeo off the top spot (as per AutoCar and AutoExpress in the UK)
11/12, 2:30 PM
posted by:
IGC
The new Fiesta is quite an improvement over previous versions of Ford’s urban car, both in aesthetics and in perception of quality.
The Mito is beautifully designed, but expensive. It’s an Alfa after all. And I think that in order to achieve the “car of the year” award they keep in mind how affordable the vehicle is for any kind of driver, so I’m not sure if the italians deserve it this year.
The C5 is IMO the most elegant and nicely finished Citroen ever.
The Opel Insignia and the Renault Megane have also gotten better with the time, but I don’t see any major breakthroughs either on their design or equipment.
The Skoda Superb isn’t that ugly for a Skoda… which doesn’t mean that it is comparable to most of its rivals: Mazda 6, Citroen C5, …
The VW Golf is yet another generation of lack of inspiration on the german “car of the people”. I seriously don’t understand what people see in this car.
My bet is on either the C5 or the Fiesta, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the eye-catching Mito won the award.
11/12, 5:48 PM
posted by:
A4
yayyy a batch of cars the US will probably never get to enjoy
and i dont know what you “cant see” in the Golf but it is an amazing car, particularly with the wider selection of engines as well as the “Golf GTI” being housed under the Golf badge in europe. Its solid, reliable, practical, and has more heritage than the rest of them on top of it. I’m not saying it should go win euro car of the year, i personally would probably take the Alfa, although a GTI is hard to be beaten if it were included in this comparison (which i dont believe it is, as the MK6 has yet to see dealerships)
11/12, 6:39 PM
posted by:
Borat
Even in Europe, where Golfs are build domestically and not in Mexico, Golfs are not considered reliable. As a matter of fact the most reliable brands in Germany are Toyota, Honda, Mazda. Mazda used to lead before, but it is what it is today. Skoda (albeit division of VW) is considered more reliable then VW or particularly Golf.
11/12, 10:19 PM
posted by:
02WRXPSM
God dammit, I want a MiTo so bad it hurts to the soles of my feet. For what you get, the Alfa does not strike me as being particularly expensive. Dan Neil of the LA times estimated the car could show up on US shores at under $30k.
11/14, 2:58 AM
posted by:
Homewrecker
The fiesta is a long tradition in europe – It handels well and looks kinda nice…
The mito is a daisy – I’m personally looking forward to my first testdrive…
The C5 – I hate citroens larger models – They are the only cars that I can get carsick from driving. And I mean carsick when I am steering the car myself – That is very rare…
The new golf is said to be a nice drive but i do not think that they have moved a lot since the last version which is sad – Golfs are highly appreciated over here.
The skoda is a nice car – But owning a car with a name like SUPERB – WTF man? Thats like running around all day screaming at the top of your lungs – I RULE – I RULE – I RULE!
My choice would definetly fall on either the fiesta or the mito…
11/15, 3:54 PM
posted by:
marketplace
What are you talking about Borat? I’ll have you know that in europe, Toyota, Honda and mazda are cheap cars. When it comes to quality and reliability, the German cars are the benchmark: BMW, Mercedes, Opel (yes, GM…), Audi, VW and it’s subsidiary like Seat and Skoda. the rest is just considered practical. Except for France of course which is really loyal to it’s brands…