Was surfing last night when I stumbled on an article from UK’s Telegraph, where Andrew English, a judge in the 2013 European Car of the Year award, talks about this year’s hopefuls. Mr. English pointed out that this year, the 58 judges overlooked big money and/or high-tech cars for more bread and butter models. Appropriate, considering the state of the European economy.
The eight “quarter finalists” are Ford’s B-Max, Hyundai’s i30, Mercedes-Benz’s A-Class, Peugeot’s 208, Renault’s Clio, the Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT86 twins, Volkswagen’s Golf Mk7 and Volvo’s V40. They were shortlisted from a list of 32 new cars that will be on sale in Europe next year.
The writer pointed out that after two years of green car winners (Nissan Leaf, Opel/Vauxhall Ampera), judges lost appetite for the two plug-in hybrids from Volvo (V60 diesel plug-in) and Toyota (Prius plug-in). Also ignored were all-aluminium-alloy posh cars like the Mercedes-Benz SL and Range Rover. SUVs such as the Peugeot 4008, Citroën C4 Aircross, Honda CR-V, Subaru XV and Mitsubishi Outlander also didn’t stand out enough.
The down to earth menu dominated by hatchbacks and seasoned with one affordable sports car and one MPV will be judged on safety, driver appeal, value for money and ride/handling. The winner will be announced on the eve of the 2013 Geneva Motor Show in March.
Which of the eight do you think deserves the gong more? Armchair critics, state your case!
what ? no Proton ? how can there be no Proton ? many paultan’s readers think Proton is good enough to take on the world and constantly thumbed down any negative comments. if Proton nominated and put to vote in the same style of American Idol, I am confident Proton will due to high support of paultan blog readers.
where is Toyota and Honda?
you ada baca ke takade? cleary mentioned gt86 la
Toyota is not there. There goes my sales. Already the RV of Toyota cars are so bad in Malaysia, now with this news, its a nail to the UMW coffin. Lately, Vios, Altis and Camry RV have dropped so much, we salesman at Toyota are really feeling the pinch!
oh, i can’t thank you enough for updating on T’s really, really bad situation in malaysia, if that’s really the case.
competitors, suit up….and don’t forget to bring more nails and hammers too! :)
you categorize GT86 as a car or sport?
this is car of The year or sport car of the year?
Errrmmmm…Toyota GT86 ?? not a toyota is it ?
You dumbass! Read the article properly!
He say from the “UK Telegraph”
LOL
This is actually a conspiracy by the west against the people of MY. I am sure you all have heard this “reason” frequent enough.
The so-called bread and butter cars in Europe, the ‘quarter finalists’ here.. are really, really overpriced in Bolehland. I’d have voted for Preve if it were in the list, alas. Pug 208 then, for a combination of design, tech, safety and pricing.
Hyundai i30 or the Ford B-Max. Pretty interesting cars that are practical.
hyundai i30 is top 8 in europe…over here in msia, ppl worshipped Vios & city instead…hehehehe
BRZ/GT for sure…
Bread and butter cars? Seriously? I honestly doubt that here :s
BRZ/GT FTW!
I would vote for Volvo V40 & Mercedez A class anytime…….BRZ/GT the design is not that interesting ….
Don wori. Golf mk7 for sure. Just wait n see for those sceptics out there
yes..the golf mk7 is a game changer..if you read a lot about cars, you’ll know
Hyundai will win…
Golf MK7 seems good. but all these car overprice in Msia. Just have to make more money to own one.
Golf or volvo.
Subaru/toyota..well those in puberty will like it very much. If malaysian were to vote..its toyota the sure winner. The way Malaysian perceive toyota as the ultimate car besides merc.
Besides speeding what else can tis toyota offer?
Ford is also good enough to beat tis overated toyota.
Boo! Toyota/Subaru BRZ is a good car.
I know you haven’t driven it. It is the most balance car currently in the market. Just that it has no turbo.
These are example of good drivers car. But this article shouldve been “Top Drivers car”
Kalun oi kalun kantoi
Define a balanced car from your perspective. Most balance car in your little boy wet dreams.
Then you add the sentence but no turbo..well..
I guess you have chosen the winner its toyota for you. Because it looks sportier and you own one?because of the superb mktg done by toyota recently for this car? Actually its a subaru.
There Is no doubt in today’s world, car manufecturer will put a Turbo in for good measure. A more efficient way to get power.
But any traditionalist will tell you that a manual NA FR car is the best you can get to a pure form of driving. The Mazda MX-5 and the 86/BRZ is the cheapest and most practicle way you can experience fun. I give respect to Toyota/Subaru to keep this dying breed alive, to finally make a car that dose’t prioritize Lap time and style, but give you the biggest smile on your face. All magazine I read says the same, I have’t driven the 86 , but when you look at videos, there is a genuine smile when people drive the 86/BRZ.
Now Tokmoh down there is the exemplifies the reason it will never get liked by malaysian you or me. It has a Toyota badge . Anything that has a Toyota badge will spring to mind cars that are fairly pricey and dull and lack of style. Quite sad considering there is new renaissance of a fun Japanese cars overseas. Exp: the new Honda accord is the only car in its segment with a manual. The Toyota Avalon is the most dynamic car to drive amongst its competitor.
they smiled because it handles like shiate
I smile at your ignorance
But hey! Bravo for being different
Toyotaaaa-Wheels & autocar uk have awarded car of the year to Gt 86.
I drive an 86. It is not fast. The interior is a rip-off from a 90s boxster and look cheap inside.
BUT, it can do a lot of things.
Donuts, Drift, power slide all at 1st or 2nd gear, rpm 3000 to 4000 and below 45 km/hr & unlike turbo it is never out of breath.
Guys before you thumb me down, I test drove megane cup, gti etc before I got 86.
In straight 86 loses to turbos. At corners, maybe only a cayman can hold a candle against 86.
admit it…its a Subaru rebadged to Toyota. Thats boxer engine have Subaru written on it. T my A**
merc A-class surely a class above..
apa lah you all… does the award name say “affordable car of the year award”? they just decided to use bread and butter cars this year because of the economic situation…
i would go for either the Hyundai or the Golf…
*Sarcasm meter on*
What is this list man? No Vios-Altis-Camry and City-Civic-Accord in the ranking make it the worst list. Where can these car can lost to those inferior car especially Korean.
*Sarcasm meter off*
Truth to tell that even ONLY in malaysia, these 2 brand is dam bloody premium where those fans think that is the best car in the world.
I remember a certain magazine awarded car of the year a few times in a row to Honda, it irked me because they might as well rename themselves as “Extended Honda PR Department”.
The media should play a more active role in educating consumers. They should also act as a consultant to other carmakers on priotising how to break such duopoly by T and H. If others can just focus on guaranteeing peace of mind ownership experience, it will surely be able to succeed.
Leaving the duopoly has taken its toll on consumers. New Camry with lesser safety specs but higher price tag, new Civic hardly anything groundbreaking but massive price increase, Jazz hybrid CKD with many specs downgrade but tiny price reduction. Yet, our uneducated market keeps feeding this nonsense in the name of resale value.
But another hindering factor would be the govt. We know now as long as the current govt rules, excise duty remains insanely high, AP kings continue to prosper, public transport improvement will be slow and lazy, fuel price might increase after next GE etc. Without changes in all these policies, we only stand to lose more and no progress will happen at all.
Tokmoh,
Very well said. 110% true.
T and H are defintely capable of coming up with better cars, but because the market like here in Malaysia dictates it, they can offer sub-par products at high prices and yet get good market share.
Look at Peugeot 408 vs new camry for example. the Koreans. Even Proton Preve vs a City or Vios.
408 C segment.new camry competitor is 508
it’s gotta be MK7!
They might be bread & butter for the rest of the world, but cost us an arm & a leg here in Bolehland!
arm & a leg – Vietnamese said “Khong Duoc!” a.k.a. “not enough!” For cronies they also need to cekek your leher, on top of that suck all your blood until last drop.
On top of that not only you buy car cronies do like that. They also have “after-sales-service” by install AES all over the country, then you on top of speed limits, ha, ha, charge you RM 300.00! The list will go on!
bank, insurance company, LHDN all got big money for every car sold in Malaysia. Same car RM 50, 000 in UK versus RM 1XX, 000 in Malaysia
Expatriate VN = Pumpkins
I have no ideawho the winner is, but the following is my cup of tea (order is irrelevant) :-
1. Mercedes A-class
2. Volvo V40
3. Hyundai i30
The bottom line – neither one of the three is gonna sell like hot cake here even pricing is factored out. After all, the conventional mindset and herd behavior gonna rule most of us, unless you don’t belong to one of them.
Mercedes A-class and VW Golf Mk7 for me then.. German engineering…. Other cars are not bad, but these two cars above are my choice…
This blog should feature some review of the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera. Saw it in the metal during a business trip to Europe recently. It looks impressive on the road & in the show room
kalo keta jaguh kg gi tanding bottom 8 dorang dpt…
bukan kau pon skang pun guna keter jaguh kg gak ke…
they said one affordable sport car???really??in malaysia its not affordable..shit..
Sam Loo suruh kita pentingkan resale value daripada affordability
Something groundbreaking to the consumers is what I’m looking at. That narrows it down to two.
1. Volvo V40: leader in safety once again. Featuring world’s first pedestrian airbag, first auto brake in its class, then with very, veeeery good looks, good drivetrain (2.5T petrol, 2.0 or 1.6 diesels), I think it’s a very complete car.
2. Peug 208: with 25% plastic parts made from recycled materials, and very frugal drivetrain, it’s gonna win the best green credentials, a very important factor in environmentally conscious EU market. Hmm, after much thinking, I think this will be the winner.
The rest may be groundbreaking for its manufacturer, eg the A-class is interesting and might present as a serious Golf GTI contender. Hyundai i30 is a big leap that puts Hyundai as a serious player in the market. Clio seems like a natural evolution. Golf mk7 has the new MQB platform that’s surely gonna benefit them tremendously in terms of cost saving, but it remains to be seen if it’ll pass down to consumers. At least here in Msia, I guarantee it won’t, next GTI will surely be >RM220k. Just like the Toyota 86. What’s supposed to be affordable, becomes completely inaccessible due to cutthroat price by the cursed greedy dealers.
Golf mk7 is the groundbreaking car..
Volvo V40 and Peugeot 208 – Ground breaking car? You just proven that Malaysians are not only dumb but have lousy taste in cars!
Toyota ah beng > all
I have really no idea why ppl keep comparing the price with Malaysia. This is Europe, where traditional European brand are waaaaay cheaper than Malaysia.
If this were Malaysia , the prejudice against the pig ugly toyota wouldn’t stand a sec. But If anyone here has manage to look past the prejudice, you will notice that it is the only Japanese in the contender and FR layout, and what I think is the only NA car. It will get my vote because this kind of cars, affordable NA FR coupe, is a dying breed(and let’s face it, which new car comes close to its price with that combo, even in boleh land )
I’am not a fan of the hyundai I30 looks, but where’s the cee’d ?. The little Toyota won’t probably win, as difficult times now in Europe means small practice car will likely get the pick, that’s why I think the B-max or Clio will win, the Clio edging out the 208 in looks in my opinion and B-max in practicality ,most likely these two will be in the semi.
Do we really need to take every ranking very seriously?
What are the criteria?
Who are the voters?
What about the judges?
Armchair critics, state your case!
I narrow down to one only – Mers A Class.
Merc A klasse is narrow like hell, only suitable for city drive, when balik kampung you need to put things on the roof
No asean jepun celup car umw product???
Prfffthhh
Funny thing is a lot of frog in malaysia think T&H is the the greatest car in Malaysia. If you have work in europe, you will be surprised how bad T&H resale value in europe as compared to other european make. The only way to sell T&H is to sell to another Malaysian or asian there when you decide to leave the country. Don’t believe, try Italy :D
I have to take your word if you said Italy, bcuz I have’t went to Europe yet. And there isn’t much source on the net.
But a quick search shows that Britain top 10 best resale value cars belongs to our behated brand, T&H . :)
Sorry , my mistake 7 of the Top 10
I think you have been reading from the wrong list i.e. from the land of the US of A written by one Sami Haj-Assaad. I just don’t appreciate to be misled so maybe you should truly Google “Britain Top 10 Resale Value Cars” like u stated. I agree with klc6969 from my ancient 5-year stay in UK, but maybe times have slightly change perceptions there. I remembered Hondas being favourites of pensioners and my fellow Sri Lankan uni mates, whereas Malaysians almost invariably drive E-Classes (tough like tanks back then). Toyota was nowhere!
I hate making mistakes, But I have to say you are right. I went and read US to UK.
sigh….recheck sources states that there is only one Japanese car [Mazda] in the residual value Top 10 in Britain while Ford dominates and Volkwagen dominates the list.
Really sorry for the mis-info
MK7..
engine breakthrough
platform breakthrough
it is a sophisticated piece of machine but yet still practical for everyday use..
you all semua totally wrong! Vios aka Dugong is the annual consecutive ultimate winner of Car of The Year!
*trolling here..don’t be so serious ok? :p
I think it will be won by either Benz A Class or VW MK7. Those are are way better than the rest of contenders including Toyota GT86
Top 3 finalist merc a class, golf mk7, volvo v40..
My guess, based on European’s taste and concern on environmental aspect :
1. VW Golf
2. Ford B-Max
Personal taste :
1. A-class !
If there’s any Ford vehicle with the 3 cyl 1.0l EcoBoost and 123hp in the list, probably that one would win. We should develop something like that too.
do i care what uk telegraph said???
i vote for toyolta vios dugong trd with extra roof spoiler
Yes, yes, yes.
My list is:
1. Toyota Vios with TRD with extra roof spoiler and 20-inch alloy rims
2. A-class
3. MK7
4. Subaru
5. V40
Occasional boredom.
Let me educate you all. The world’s best and safest car with highest resale value are hondah and toyotah.
Altis, vios, alphard, city,jazz, accord,camry,innova etc These cars are superb in handling and with great engine. Looks devastating. With bodykits and sporty wheels it goes places. Economical too.
When you drive these two brands, hou belong to the elite and wise. Normally ppl who buy ferrari or lambos start from owning a toyo or hon.
The above cars bar the latest greatest sports car from toyo are not even close.
High RSV is the prove and this is enpugh reason foe you to buy another t or h. Make sure your children do too.
But u never need a new t or h..becUse these cars will last until the next mayan calender ends.
Nasa uses their dashboard designs.
Agreed, buy new civic, it has powerful SOHC engine and better torque than preve. Preve only uses 1.6l campro not power at all.
The 1.6 Turbo version is better than the Preve in specs and feature. But lesser in quality…
…There is no comparison between this two as both of them are in different proce range,
SOCH engine is very rough and unrefine, the unit in my City does give me the adrenalin of a Race car, but for those like cruising DOCH is better.
It’s a major improvement the preve for Proton unlike the current Civic. But I am not those ppl above who think it’s a perfectt car, and neither is the current Civic.
“It’s a major improvement the preve for Proton unlike the current Civic.”
It’s kinda when Neo said “Upgraded” in Matrix
Proton is going backward, Inspira has campro 1.6 engine, not worth buying. Better buy mitsubishi lancer with mitsu engine.
inpira guna mmc mivec engine la bro…
btw, what’s your ride?? kereta ke basikal??
Evo X, satisfied?
uuiihhh… Evo-X aarrr…
but just to share with u bro lancer_driver, inspira is powered by 2 powertrain… 1.8L and 2.0L… both MMC’s mivec engine…
hope this helps…
it’s a no “gangnam-style” for me… but the i30 is really eye-catching… well done…
my money goes to Mk7!