The seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf has just been named as World Car of the Year. This is the second year in a row that Volkswagen has won this award. Last year it was awarded to the company’s innovative Up! supermini.
The Golf came out on top out of a group of 42 new vehicles. This was then narrowed down to ten until only four remained – the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Porsche Boxster/Cayman, the combined entry of the Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86 and the Volkswagen Golf 7.
According to jurors on the World Car of the Year Award panel, “The Volkswagen Golf is as close to the perfect hatchback design as any car company has come yet. Right sized, but spacious, practical and comfortable inside, the latest Golf has been brought up to date with a fresh if evolutionary design, a range of new engines, plus an impressive list of equipment and safety features. What’s more, it’s fun to drive. If ever there was a car for everyman, the Golf is it”.
Other accolades went to the Porsche Boxster/Cayman for World Performance Car, the Tesla Model S for the World Green Car and the stunning Jaguar F-Type for World Car Design.
The World Car awards is now in its 9th year and was established as a means to acknowledge and reward automotive excellence on an international scale. This year, no fewer than 66 journalists made up the judging panel.
In our Top 12 Best Buys for 2013, the CAR team voted the Golf as the Best Compact hatch, the Porsche Boxster S as the Best Performance Car, and the Jaguar F-Type as the Design of the Year.