Happy New Year and Welcome to DriverVIBE.
Put down your party poppers and raise your glasses. Its time to look back at my Top 12 cars of 2012 that you will be wanting parked on your drive during 2013.
The categories are;
Most Improved
(Winner & Recommended)
Best Economy
(Winner & Recommended)
Most Fun
(Winner & Recommended)
Biggest Surprise
(Winner & Recommended)
Most Family Friendly
(Winner & Recommended)
Best Technology
(Winner & Recommended)
Special Award
DriverVIBE Car of the Year 2012
Most Anticipated Car of 2013
Most Improved
Its no secret that the 207 had the charisma of a slug. It was a marked step backwards from the 206 which itself was a pale imitation of the 205. 2012 was the year that Peugeot got its mojo back with the launch of the new, smaller and crucially lighter 208. Initial impressions were good, the 208 looks good, has some genuinely plush technology and a range of engines to match. Admittedly the cars unusually sized steering wheel has been the source of many arguments between those who have driven one but we really like the driving position and wonder why it wasn't done before. The rest of the package is ultra competitive with improved ride,handling, refinement and build quality. For these reasons the 208 is crowned the Most Improved model.
Recommended: Chevrolet Aveo
Our first impressions of the Aveo were nothing but positive in September. It drives well. Is Interesting to look at, jazzy on the inside and with enough interior space for four adults, the not-so little Chevrolet is head and shoulders above its forgettable predecessor.
Best Economy
If value for money and driving pleasure are important to you, then you can forget Mitsubishi's quirky little EV the i-MiEV as its expensive to buy and hairy to drive. Despite this there is no denying that it makes sense day-to-day, a full charge costs less than a pint at your local and it is then good for 80 miles of motoring. Its rear mounted electric motor driving the rear wheels is an engineering masterpiece making for a deceptively spacious cabin for four adults. Furthermore the novelty of the silent powertrain and instant torque will probably never fade away making the I-MiEV well worth a look. For these reasons the Mitsubishi i-MiEV offers the best economy of all the cars we drove in 2012.
Recommended: Fiat Panda TwinAir
Our most recently review car is perhaps the best example of clever engine downsizing that stands up to the manufacturers bold claims. Whilst in our care we got between 65 and 50 mpg and loved every minute of the little two cylinder engines wide spread of power and vocal production. The rest of package is equally brilliant managing to look great on the outside, funky on the inside with robust build quality and plenty of usable space.
Most Fun
Very few have sampled the RCZ and not come away with a smile on their faces. For a car of such humble beginnings it does a very convincing job on the right roads with its taut chassis, firm but well judged ride and weighty steering. For the most thrills the most powerful 1.6 THP200 is the one to go for with its exhilarating performance, wonderful soundtrack and more balanced, hardened chassis. Whichever way you look at it the RCZ is a great achievement that gives a lot of hope for Peugeot's journey back to fun motoring. 2013 will see the RCZ get a fresh face and a new more powerful R version of the same engine this time kicking out over 260 bhp. The RCZ is a very worthy winner of Most Fun car of 2012.
Seat’s little Ibiza has led a sheltered life thanks to its cheaper Skoda cousin and more prestigious Polo cousin. Much to my surprise the warm FR version of the Ibiza I sampled turned out to be really good fun. Under the bonnet the 1.4 engine kicks out 150bhp and when mated to VW's superb dual clutch DSG gearbox can dash to 60mph in a not shabby 7.6 seconds. It also handles well and won’t cost the earth to run. A worthy runner-up.
Biggest Surprise
Ford had a lot riding on the success of their 1.0T EcoBoost engine fitted to the new Focus that I sampled in November. Set for an extensive roll out over most of Ford’s future lineup including the smaller Fiesta and larger Mondeo this engine packs a real punch. With just three cylinders and an engine block the size of an A4 sheet of paper I was thinking that it would struggle to pull the Focus around without wringing its neck. I was wrong, with 123bhp on offer and the sweetest chassis in its class the Focus proved to be a tempting ownership proposition. Of course I was a touch disappointed with the returned economy of only 43 mpg but still, there is no denying that those who give the EcoBoost a try will be amazed with how good it is. A worthy winner of Biggest Surprise of 2012.
Recommended : Suzuki Kizashi
Bringing up the rear is a rather curious saloon that many don’t even know exists. The Kizashi is Suzuki’s answer to the popular Ford Mondeo despite its much more compact dimensions. Having never produced a D-segment car before I wasn't expecting much. What I actually discovered was a car with a very comfortable interior, super handling, sublime motorway refinement and a price so low you may consider selling your own mother. Hampered by its CVT gearbox the Kizashi still shined brighter than metal costing much more.
Most Family Friendly
Winner: Mitsubishi Shogun Black Edition
Mitsubishi’s Shogun has been around for a very long time with minor revisions here and there. When I sampled the latest edition to the range badged “BLACK EDITION” in October I realised that my life would be so much easier if my own car came with front and rear mounted DVD burners and switchable four-wheel-drive with diff locks. The Shogun with its seven seats, massive boot, commanding driving position, dolby surround sound and powerful 3.2 litre diesel engine there is no denying its perfect fit to most families needs. Despite the high asking price there is no doubt the Shogun will always have fans both young and old.
Recommended: Peugeot 5008
Last year I got my hands on a second 5008, this time the top spec Allure 2.0 HDi 150 mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. I found it to be practical, fun to drive, well built and above all decent value. It also looks sophisticated thanks to its missing “Gaping Mouth” front end styling. If only it had a bigger boot and came with DVD players in the rear it probably would have matched the Shogun.
Best Technology:
Winner: Volvo XC60
.png)
In October I got the chance to try out some of Volvo’s latest technology in the beautiful XC60 compact crossover. The model I had came with lashing of standard convenience equipment which included the Nav Pack, which added voice-activated sat-nav and an upgraded stereo. The safety kit on-board was truly staggering; Volvo really is the industry leader in this area. The Driver Support Pack included a blind spot warning system, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning, all of which ensure all occupants are kept as safe as possible at all times. For this reason the Volvo XC60 is a very worthy winner of Best Technology
Recommended: Kia Cee’d
Ten years ago who would have thought that kit would bring such lavish equipment to the c-segment. In September Kia sent me their second generation Cee’d hatchback to have a go in which itself was impressive. The technology the top spec “4 Tech” model came with was the cherry on the cake. Standard fit dual-zone climate control, heated leather memory seats, rear parking camera, satellite navigation, power fold mirrors, automatic lights and wipers and cruise control to name a few. On top of this it also had Bluetooth and USB connectivity for the stereo with audio streaming and Kia’s Parallel Park Assist, Lane Departure Warning System, Flex Steer, ambient lighting and best of all, a simply brilliant heated steering wheel.
Special Award
Peugeot HYBrid4 Technology
2012 has been an important year for Peugeot in many ways. The biggest is probably the launch of it’s HYbrid4 technology that I had the pleasure of sampling in the companies 3008 in June and 508 SW in August. Both were far from perfect let down by a hesitant gearbox and high asking price but both give a superb glimpse into an otherwise unknown world of diesel-electric hybrids. Peugeot have already hinted that the powertrain could be fitted to almost any model within their lineup and that is a very exciting prospect. Thanks to Peugeot’s commitment to trying something different that it believes in and crucially bring it to showrooms quickly, the future of Hybrids looks a lot brighter than ever before. A worthy winner of my
Car of the Year 2012
Ford Focus 1.0T EcoBoost
Picking a favourite from such a diverse range of models hasn’t been easy. All have a lot to offer buyers. For me there are two cars than shine the brightest and they are Fiat’s lovable Panda TwinAir and Ford’s superb Focus 1.0T Ecoboost. Both serve up good looks, low running costs, an entertaining drive and above all make you feel good when you are driving them. If it were my money the car I would most like to own would be the Focus EcoBoost, and for that reason it is the worthy winner of DriverVIBE Car of the Year 2012
NOW READ THE FULL REVIEW
Ford Focus 1.0T Ecoboost Review
Most Anticipated Car of 2013
Peugeot 208 GTi
Peugeot have been on a bit of a roll this year winning Most Improved, Most Fun and my Special Award not forgetting runner up for Most Family Friendly. 2013 is likely to be even more exciting with the return of one of the most iconic monikers in car history. The mighty GTi badge. Since the launch of the divine 205 GTi Peugeot have fallen flat on their faces with every model wearing the GTi badge. In early 2013 it is set to return in the form of the 208 GTi which has the same brilliant engine as the RCZ which will produce 200 bhp. Given the weight loss of the standard 208 and the promise of a finely honed, harder chassis the new GTi from Peugeot is my Most Anticipated Car of 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment