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European Car of the Year - J500ANT
Hardly an exciting choice really. I would've expected the iQ to get it, purely as it pushes the envelope a whole lot more than a mini-me Golf (sorry Polo)
European Car of the Year - Jcoventry
Not surprising. I still don't go along with the whole "buy german/japanese" - there's plenty of unreliable and poorly built german/japanese cars out there, so its really just too much of a generalisation which seems to have become this huge thing everyone believes in.
European Car of the Year - Bill Payer
Looking at the list of previous winners, perhaps it was just decided that it was VW's turn?
European Car of the Year - V4 Heaven
A lack of imagination by the panel I think.
European Car of the Year - harib
Serious question - Is the European car of the year actually decided on the car's merit? Or is it just a case of lunching with the correct people? In the industry I work in, you can "win" all sorts of awards depending on who you buy lunch for.
European Car of the Year - Rattle
It makes a change. Usually the ECOY is just a bunch of people deciding which FIAT should win it this year.
European Car of the Year - Snakey
At least this ECOY is a car I would actually consider buying this year. Practical, good safety and a good private buy prospect.

Some of the previous ECOY have been odd choices. And what the hell use is an IQ anyway, it barely meets the description of a car! More of a shopping cart.
European Car of the Year - perro
Nice car - pity about the DSG.
European Car of the Year - Alanovich
What's up with the DSG version? I'd consider getting on of these (petrol only though).
European Car of the Year - carl_a
The Polo won because there wasn't anything better this year, just like the Pug 307 a few years back. The IQ is a very clever design but not something I or many others could buy, indeed I can't actually fit into the larger ones such as the Auris.

I'm surprised that the C3 Picasso didn't do better, though the judges especially the French would have given that lots of support.

How far off until the Koreans have a car of the year?
European Car of the Year - LikedDrivingOnce
Nice car - pity about the DSG.

May I make a sincere request? - could you tell me why you say that please?

I thought that DSG was supposed to be great. On paper it seems good.

You know a thing or two about cars, so I am genuinely prepared to be educated here.
European Car of the Year - perro
Well Alanovitch & LDO, I'm speaking personally and I believe each to his/her own - whatever turns you on - one mans meat etc., etc., etc.
The only experience I've had of these types of automated manuals is when I road tested a Citroen C3 a few years ago ... Ah! but hang on - I've also read (here) about other ppl's experience of them - good & bad and have made a judgment based on that as well as the C3 experience.
I like autos' - proper auto's like in my 1.8 Almera, I don't like CVT's either.
With the new Polo, I would be prepared to evaluate it, and I might even be pleasantly surprised being its got the vorspung durch technik fitted as standard.
European Car of the Year - LikedDrivingOnce
Thanks for the reply. I was interested in what you have to say, and it seems a good enough reason to hold your particular viewpoint.

I drive an automatic, of course, and am a fan of them for their smoothness and ease of use. However, I do get frustrated by the fact that you pay a threefold penalty for driving an auto, i.e.
a) They cost more to buy
b) The fuel economy is significantly worse than a manual
c) The auto box saps power and blunts performance.

I've no idea whether Dual-Clutch Transmissions like DSG and Ford's Powershift are the future or not. I'd like to think that we could invent something better than the Torque Converter + Planetary Gearset that constitute "proper" Autos at the present time.
European Car of the Year - perro
>>> They cost more to buy
>>> The fuel economy is significantly worse than a manual
>>> The auto box saps power and blunts performance.

My 32" LCD TV cost me £850 whereas I could have bought one for under £400, ya pays your money & takes your choice - same with automatics, I'm prepared to pay more for them.

I can get over 40 MPG out of the Almera - when mimsing and many auto's these days match their manual stable mates in the economy stakes - especially the DSG's!!
As for sapping power, yes - in some cars they do, but the Almera is an 1800cc DOHC jobbie with VVT so it performs quite well IMO.
What I would suggest LDO, is to hire a car with the DSG box for a day or so - you may even like it.
European Car of the Year - Stuartli
I think the new Ford Fiesta is a real cutie and I place the new Polo in the same category.

>>..whereas I could have bought one for under £400..>>

Most TV manufacturers offer same size screen sets in two or three price bands - the more you pay the superior the performance and electronics.

Your £850 set, for instance, is probably full HD rather than HD Ready (not the same thing).
European Car of the Year - perro
>>> Your £850 set, for instance, is probably full HD rather than HD Ready (not the same thing) <<<

Ah! I didn't know that Stuart - Thanks ... its also 100 Hz and good sound qualty (for a flatty)
European Car of the Year - Alanovich
I'm probably in a good position to comment, as my "fleet" currently comprises a VW Touran DSG, a Mazda 6 auto (traditional auto box with a tiptronic style function) and a Smart Roadster with "old fashioned" automated manual.

The worst of the three is easily the Smart, it's the least smooth and the worst at knowing which gear it "should" be in. So I can understand concerns over automated manuals. I usually drive it in manual mode.

However, the DSG is different gravy as a gearbox. Changes are faster and smoother than the auto in the Mazda. It's brilliant on the move. The only problem I have with it is that, allied with the diesel 2.0 PD in the Touran, it gives a small "lag" when setting off in 1st, however I blame this on the engine rather than the 'box, as a manual diesel FIAT Stilo I had behaved the same way. It jsut needs a slight adjustment in the driver's style to overcome, but when I change that car I'll only consider another DSG with a petrol engine.

It would be a mistake to judge DSG boxes on the basis of experiences with other automated manuals. They're an absolute class above and could even be considered superior to tourque converters. Of course, reliability of the unit is up for question as they haven't been around long, but I haven't heard any horror stories yet.
European Car of the Year - daveyjp
"but I haven't heard any horror stories yet. "

Read some VAG forums.

My second one needed a new mechatronic unit after about 20,000 miles - £1,000+ just for the part. A friend's needed £1,500 spending on it after it refused to change from 1st. this was from a friendly VW garage who he knows and were prepared to spend time to investigate and fix rather than replace - a replacement would have been £4,000+.

That said they do provide excellent mpg and a very smooth gearchange. The only jerkiness I had with mine was when the mechatronic unit was on it's way out. Due to these experiences I would be nervous about having one outside of a warranty.
European Car of the Year - Avant
I agree with HJ that the Polo is a worthy winner: COTY should be given to the car that best does the job it's designed to do. In a different way from the Fiesta (as with Golf v. Focus) the VW does just that. And it has a spare wheel, a proper handbrake and reasonable rear visibility (in the last of which the Fiesta fails miserably).

Is there some confusion above - or am I the one who's confused? - about DSG? I've ssumed that DSG, although it is a kind of automated manual, is rather different from the gearboxes offered by the likes of Honda (Jazz), Toyota (Yaris) and Citroen (several models). It certainly doesn't attract the criticism of jerkiness in town driving that the others do.

Someone with more mechanical knowledge than I have will be along soon to clear this up, I'm sure.
European Car of the Year - colinh
Not too sure where this reference to an "automated manual" has come from. My previous car had a DSG box, my current car has a "conventional" torque converter box - the driving method is exactly the same. Two pedals - PRND box - both allow you to put it into D and drive all day. DSG allows you the additional options of a sports mode (holds on to gears longer before changing up) and a "manual" mode allowing changing of gears by pushing or pulling on stick/paddles. TC box allows you to manually drop into or hold lower gears. Both boxes have a "kickdown" function to automatically go into a lower gear for acceleration.
European Car of the Year - colinh
P.S. As with TV sets, automatic boxes are usually made with the same components by the specialist companies. The price you pay is determined by the ultimate supplier/assembler as a marketing decision which bears little relationship to the actual cost
European Car of the Year - perro
An explanation of DSG ~ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct-Shift_Gearbox
European Car of the Year - dieseldogg
I had a brief blast in a fresh but second hand DSG 1.9PD Octavia.
It was "gruff" but I could virtually not discern the changes, I think i recall a fractional hesitation when I floored it at about 2nd gear speed.
My only other automatic experience has been of the Mercedes variety, on a diesel.
So re the DSG..........as a transmission I could not fault it for the way it functioned.
Regarding long term reliability.................. I have no idea.
PS
Re automated manuals the missis & me tried the Citroen "Sensodrive" both in the C4 & the Nemo..................the Mrs DID NOT rate it and refused to consider purchasing, she is after all used to a Merc auto as above.
Sigh
European Car of the Year - perro
>>> Re automated manuals the missis & me tried the Citroen "Sensodrive <<<

Same with me Brother dogg, I could drive anything really = once drove a Commer van from Hatfield to St. Albans with no clutch at all (hehe!) quite fun really - start it in gear & get it rolling on the starter then match gears to revs, dunno why cars have clutches really :)
My missus also couldn't get on with the No-Sensodrive thingy ... if she has to think 'out of the box' then all is lost!
European Car of the Year - tyro
I notice that Avant and HJ feel that the presence of a spare wheel is one of the most noteworthy features of the new Polo, and an important reason why it should have won.

That seems a little bit strange, at first, but in a way, I think they are right. Or, to be precise, I believe that the absence of a spare wheel is a reason for marking down a car fairly seriously.

A few years ago, I looked at a comparative supermini test in a French car magazine. The Yaris did extremely badly, because it was marked down heavily for not even offering ESP as an option in the spec being tested. Quite right, in my opinion.

But British car mags (I'm mainly thinking of What Car?) will mark a car down because of a lack of alloys or electric windows, but be completely unconcerned about the absence of spare wheels.

My gut feeling is that What Car is sufficiently influential that if vehicles started losing group tests because they didn't have a spare wheel, manufacturers might act.
European Car of the Year - dieseldogg
Tyro
Re the spare wheel issue.
I am in two minds, I would probably want one, cos I actually get hands on & change my own wheels when needed. This said I really cannot remember when I last had to change a wheel at the side of the road, well I can actually, for the wife about 1998.
However I get the impression that quite a few folks with a spare & more importantly, AA/RAC or other member ship.... simply get the mobile out.
Mind you this would mean that they, the AA/RAC would perhaps need a humungous variety of spares available, assuming the pump in gloop does not work.
Gibbering agin

Edited by dieseldogg on 02/12/2009 at 16:26

European Car of the Year - Nickdm
Here in NZ, I understand that the Ford Fiesta has been chosen as the car of the year. Disappointingly, neither Ford nor VW are importing any diesel versions of the Fiesta or Polo. Petrol or nothing.

Similarly, the only Focus offered with diesel is the 1.8TDCI in the estate version only...