PetrolBlog Car of the Year 2010
Let's get one thing out of the way first. I'm under no illusion that car manufacturers and enthusiasts are laying awake at night waiting for the announcement of the PetrolBlog Car of the Year 2010. I'm equally certain that in 100 years time, motoring historians won't be searching the interweb to find out who scooped the award. But I wanted to mark the end of PetrolBlog's first year with a look back at the cars I've owned and driven in 2010 and attempt to pick an overall winner. The only criteria is that I've either had to own or borrow the car for at least a week. So this rules out hire cars, track day cars and the times I've been asked to move a friend's car off their driveway.
This means there are nine contenders for the award, five of which I've owned and four I've been fortunate enough to borrow from manufacturers. I really can't thank Skoda, Suzuki and Honda enough for trusting me with their press cars. It has been an honour. The overall list is a rather eclectic mix and direct comparisons are next to impossible. So this is more a misty-eyed and personal look back at 2010 than anything else.
In true Top of the Pops fashion, I'll count down to the winner and the first to leave the field is my old Ford Focus ST170. Purchased in the summer of 2009, I found myself selling the ST170 in March. I'd flown up to Norwich to purchase the car which had been owned and cherished by a loving owner for a number of years. When new, somebody had clearly got carried away with the options boxes as this car was, as they say, fully loaded. This meant the all important full leather Recaros and xenon headlights were present. The parking sensors and sub woofer I could do without though! But in the great scheme of things I never really gelled with the car. Superb B-road capabilities but somehow devoid of any character or charm.
The second car to be ruled out of contention is the Citroen AX GT, for no other reason that I've had so little time to play with it. Purchased in mid-October, I managed to enjoy 100 hundred miles in her before the onset of snow and ice confined it to a dehumidified garage. If the brief drives I enjoyed are anything to go by, then the AX GT should be huge fun in 2011. Involving, lightweight and fun are the three words I'd use to describe it. But for 2010 - a little soon for the French featherweight!
It is also relatively easy to rule out the Honda Civic Type-R I drove a couple of weeks back. Although it presents a compelling offer if you're in the market for a new and normally aspirated hot hatch, it just isn't the best option when it comes to Type-R ownership. Less than half the cost of a new Civic will get you a previous generation car or better still, an Integra Type-R. So thanks for the memories Type-R, but no cigar this year.
The Skoda Fabia vRS can leave the party too. I have fond memories of Skoda's brilliant little hatchback and would have no hesitation in recommending it for all round ability and value for money. Indeed, it presented to me one of my favourite drives of all time, when I was fortunate enough to encounter a completely empty B3306 between St Just and St Ives in Cornwall. A near-perfect 26 miles of twists and turns set along the magnificent north Cornish coastline, with only the local wildlife for company. For being part of the journey, I'll always remember the Fabia vRS. It was pushed extremely hard that morning and it didn't fail me once - 234 miles of brilliance. If this brief rundown of my year in cars was based on logic, then it would probably come higher on the list. But this is a personal account and as such is based more on emotion. So it is bye, bye to the Fabia.
Which takes it down to five and the next to go is the Daihatsu Cuore Avanzato. Anyone who remembers my time with the Box of Frogs may be surprised by the fact that it only manages fifth place, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. For the six months I owned the car, I had a riot. Thinking back to the way it teared through city centres and my local country lanes still makes me smile. I also struck lucky in finding such a brilliantly preserved and genuine example. Money and space no object and with a deep and thorough understanding of small Japanese hooligan machines, then it would still be in my possession. But for all of its brilliance at delivering a riotous experience, it lacks the purity of delivery that I like from a drivers' car. The Avanzato is a little bit like Stuart Baggs - amusing and comical in small doses but not a realistic long term proposition. With a heavy heart then, time to say farewell to 'the frogs'.
Five down and four to go, which is quite apt seeing as the next car to be ruled out is the Audi S6. I hold this car in such high regard, so much so that I've bought it twice. The ur S6 was the last production Audi to be fitted with the famous 5-cylinder 2.2 litre engine and as such is a little piece of history. I love the way it swallows the miles with a never-ending ability to turn even the longest and most arduos journeys into a joyful experience. A genuine 7-seat quattro which unlike its modern counterparts, still oozes class and sophistication. At 170k miles, it still feels like new and is engineered in a way that would shame some modern cars. But I can't give it the Car of the Year title - not this year anyway. Sorry.
So we have a top three - the Land Rover 110 V8, Skoda Superb estate and Suzuki Swift Sport. Quite clearly, three totally different vehicles so impossible and downright stupid to draw comparisons. So it comes down to emotions.
Picking up the bronze is the Land Rover 110. As I write this article I'm surrounded by three or four inches of snow and it is the only car on the PetrolBlog fleet that's likely to move over the Christmas period. With 12-seats and a wonderfully evocative V8 engine, it is dream garage material for me. The fact that it is also exempt for the London Congestion Charge is a further bonus. I'm certain it will feature in future Car of the Year reports as it really is part of the family. But in 2010 it has been beaten by two quite brilliant cars, but which one will take the top spot?
Choosing between the Suzuki Swift Sport and the Skoda Superb estate is extremely hard. The quick solution would be to shove the Swift into the back of the Superb's vast boot and take the pair of them. But that's the coward's way out - a winner must be found. There's a genuine case for each of them. If you take some time to read or watch reviews on the Superb estate you'll see that it is picking up awards left, right and centre. In this respect it is quite handy that the load space rivals that of a small warehouse. I love the wonderfully understated and elegant design. There's no four-ringed pretentiousness about the Superb - Skoda have not only created an estate car to rival the Audi A6, they've raised the bar. For some people, the badge will always be a barrier of entry, but more fool them. I'd have a 3.6 litre Skoda Superb estate at the drop of a hat and would urge anyone considering a new Audi Avant to think seriously about the Superb. But it isn't the PetrolBlog Car of the Year, for that accolade goes to the quite brilliant Suzuki Swift Sport.
Of all the cars I've driven this year and indeed over the past few years, it is the little Suzuki Swift Sport that has left the biggest impression. Like the Superb, the Swift Sport isn't the obvious choice and that's a huge appealing factor for me. I love the underdog - just so long as the underdog is capable of a few tricks! With the Swift you don't need to be driving fast to have fun. Small nuggets of enjoyment can be found in the most unlikely of places and you're always delighted by the car's willingness to entertain. Indeed, as Britain's roads become increasingly congested and controlled, it is the miniature heroes that deliver the greatest thrills. Low powered cars with excellent cornering abilities are the order of the day. In 2010 I found a new hero of my own. In 2011 I hope to bring the hero home for good. Thank you Swift Sport - you are the PetrolBlog Car of the Year 2010. Original review can be found here: http://petrolblog.com/2010/11/16/dawn-raid-suzuki-swift-sport/
