Tuesday 18th November 2003

Car of the Year 2004

Are you excited about who won? Don't be.

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An international jury has once again chosen the car of the year. Sadly, despite the grand title of the award, it's not an award that often excites car enthusiasts.

This year the gong goes to the 2004 model Fiat Panda. There's no doubt that it's a good car - although the styling ain't that exciting - but you can't help feel a bit let down every time they announce these awards.

Good cars that appeal to the masses are what the Car of the Year is about. Expect another Eurobox to win next year...

[XM5ER]

Is this an international jury of Italians, they seem to win this every year. But frankly, who gives a feck.

[v8thunder]

If it was a jury of Italians I think the Alfa 156, or something like that would have won. It's more likely to be a jury of eco-numpties.
Hard to believe that the COTY in 1977 was the Porsche 928

[FourWheelDrift]

Do you get one for your left foot as well?

It's not even 2004 so how can an award be given! Has he car actually been launched?

[dinkel]

Never saw this baby around>I guess FIAT paid for this promotion>Or was it just Italy's turn to have a car to win?

[sjg]

Quite a few of Fiat's cars have won it over the years. Some of the previous winners have been awful cars too

www.caroftheyear.org/pages/Previous.htm

[FourWheelDrift]

Well it can't be done on reliability as there are far too many Fiat's and Alfa's on there.

1990 Winner - Citroen XM Oh my god what were the rest of the cars like that years

1978 Winner - Porsche 928 Quality machinery at last.

Apart from a couple of rogue makes MB, Audi, Opel, Austin and Rover it's just a French/Italian car backslapping award often given to complete heaps.

[v8thunder]

Hmmm. Over the past 40 years I can only find 9 cars I'd pay a second glance to in that list.

Hey, what's wrong with the XM? It looks great, it's ride quality is unparalleled and with a turbocharged V6 it's a great motorway stormer.

[Charlieboy]

I have to ask does it brown the toast evenly on both sides????

I think the only choices in there worth any cred are the Ford Escort and Focusand Iam no Ford Fan!!!

[danger mouse]

V8... the '77 winner was actually the Rover SD1 according to the "previous winners" page...



...but this must also have been one of your "second lookers" anyway surely?

A fantasic, futuristic looking Brit' brute.

[danger mouse]

...my dad had this one when I was little.

[Venom]

What can you say really - yawn.
It says it all that a previous winner was the Ford Mundane.

A car that's good at what it's designed for and not a lot else.

[jamesc]

The Rover SD1, the Chrysler Horizon and the Chrysler Alpine. The original Lancia Delta, Renault 9 and the list goes on!

[john75]

Renault Clio GT has to be my car of the year available from all good Renault Dealers as the advert says.

[farmer]

Car of the year title is often the kiss of death, and is always biased for all sorts of reasons . I subscribe to CAR and when the 307 first came out they loved it , so as I need a practical family car ( and my mum , aunt and mother in law , all drive Focuses )I ordered one , and very nice it is too , but as soon as it won COTY . CAR chopped a star of it's GBU rating and slagged it off ! Go Figure !

Quite how the Delectable 928 , and Horrid Horrizon got through the same judges is beyond me

[Stuart]

As petrol ted says, COTY isn't going to appeal to the petrol heads amongst us, but then it doesn't attempt to. Certainly isn't the case that Fiat paid for this result or was due a turn as the winner.

I'm on the organising committee for COTY and it is genuinely a free vote of all the judges across the participating countries. What tends to happen is that the extremes cancel one another out and the result tends to be a small (ish) eurobox. Doesn't make the result less valid though - Panda is a genuinely good small car in the finest tradition of good small fiats - it doesn't attempt to trade on the past in any way but by name (and of course Panda was a late substitute for Gingo after Renault claimed that it was too similar to Twingo) and is simply a well designed consumer product.

It doesn't attempt to compete with its stablemate 360 CS for our affections, but no less valid a car as a result

[GT5S_1985]

While it is true that the Panda won't exactly give anyone goosebumps, some criticism of the selection is probably misplaced. What is the definition of COTY? Is it the best car on the planet, period, or is the the best sorted out, most practical vehicle for the largest number of people? If it is the latter, then the winner will no doubt be something that fails to stir, well, anything hormonal. It will be practical, economical, reliable, and do everything well but nothing exceptionally.

I've never driven a Panda so I can't comment on the specifics of that particular model, but it should not be a surprise that the majority of winners of this award are "boring" econoboxes. Here, you are paying 100% for the contents of the car and zero surcharge for the prestige of some pseudo-luxury brand. They transport you from point A to point B very well, but don't necessarily do a lot for those who view driving as a "sport" or a "hobby".

No, it isn't the best car on the planet, but it is supposed to represent the best car for the largest number of consumers. Or at least it seems to me....

[xm5er]

stuart_forrest said:

I'm on the organising committee for COTY and it is genuinely a free vote of all the judges across the participating countries. What tends to happen is that the extremes cancel one another out and the result tends to be a small (ish) eurobox.

Democracy in action, everybody gets what nobody wants.
So who are the judges then?

[FourWheelDrift]

xm5er said:

So who are the judges then?

Obviously no one who drives.

[Captain Muppet]

danger mouse said:

...my dad had this one when I was little.

Snap.

[cortinaman]

Captain Muppet said:

danger mouse said: ...my dad had this one when I was little. Snap.

my mum had one of those too.....a 1978 cx2000,my dad got it up past 120 on the m25 when the watford section was opened up and tbh apart from the cars being passed like they were standing still,you didnt notice the speed.

the only problem we had was that if you parked on a hill the fuel went back into the tank and the fuel pump couldnt bring the fuel upto the carbs before the battery went dead!....v.comfy and i liked the adjustable suspension and the cool looking dash too....not too sure about the speedo that had the numbers on a carousel-type set up as opposed to the conventional speedo.