Why has the Vauxhall Insignia, which suffers DMF and clutch faults, been selected as 'Car of the Year'?

Can anyone explain to me why the Insignia was awarded the 2009 "Car of the Year Award"? The more I read about faulty Vauxhall DMFs and clutches, the more I despair. A pity the senior management didn’t share the same attitude and stopped playing the "wear and tear" get out of jail free card. I have driven around one million miles in my lifetime and taken four separate driving instruction courses, so I am somewhat surprised to find that I appear to be incapable of managing to drive a Vauxhall Insignia for 3,800 miles without the need to replace the dual mass flywheel and clutch at a cost of £1,600. The clutch plate was actually burnt down to the rivets.

Asked on 30 July 2011 by NC, Bangor

Answered by Honest John
How reliable a car is likely to be can have no bearing on COTY because that does not become apparent for a couple of years. Happily, a previous winner, the Fiat 500, is astonishingly reliable.
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