What Car? Awards honors VW Golf and Eos

For the second consecutive year, two VW models have proved themselves to be great vehicles as they have both been given awards from the prominent What Car? Awards. These two VW models are the VW Golf and the VW Eos coupe convertible winning Best Small Family Car and Best Open-Top Car respectively. The awards ceremony were held at the London Grosvenor House Hotel last 17th of January 2008.

In January of 2004, VW has launched its Mk V model which has been successful in maintaining the popularity of VW Golf vehicles. And just last year, on March 2007, VW celebrated the production of the 25-millionth VW Golf produced in its Wolfsburg factory. This means that the VW Golf has already surpassed the totals sales of the VW Beetle, also one of the most celebrated VW’s in history. 2007 had really been a great year for the German automaker as this year, VW had over 70,000 examples of the Golf were sold in UK.

The Best Small Family Car award from What Car? was presented to the VW Golf 1.4-liter TSI Match. Te Golf 1.4-liter TSI Match is actually the latest Golf model and the most recent addition to the line up, thus proving that Golf vehicles are indeed one of the best small cars there are in the automotive world. It was the most recent addition yet it already received one of the prestigious awards. Perhaps the reason for its winning is because of VW’s skillful incorporation of the characteristics of a small capacity engine and the model’s natural efficiency. The natural efficiency of this model can be traced back to its having a performance edge thanks to the turbocharger. It is also because of this turbocharger that the Golf !.4-liter TSi Match can achieve a combined 44.8 miles epr gallon while emitting only 149 g/km of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2).

The Group Editor of What Car?, Steve Fowler, said upon presenting the award, “Four years on from the Golf’s overall Car of the Year win, it remains our favourite small family car by some margin. The new 1.4-litre TSI engine is a gem, while Match trim offers sensational value. All that on top of the virtues that made Golf Car of the Year in 2004 – smart looks, a spacious and classy cabin, and a great drive.”

On the other hand, the Gold Eos coupe convertible was able to keep the Best Open-Top Car award because of a lot of its great features which are better than what most open-top cars offer. It can be considered that the best asset of the VW Eos is its advanced five-piece folding roof and the skillful combination of the style of a convertible with the practicality of a coupe. This award was given to the VW Eos 2.0-liter T-FSI which remains as the UK buyers’ favorite vehicle. Just last year, 5,6000 examples of the VW Eos have been sold in the UK, proving that it is indeed one of UK’s favorite car.

Fowler commented regarding the winning of the VW Eos saying, “The Eos ticks every box when it comes to open top motoring – it’ll turn heads, it’s a great drive, it’s well built and that clever roof is the best of its kind. We’d buy one ahead of many more expensive convertibles.”

The Director of VW UK, Paul Willis, also commented saying, “‘For the Golf and Eos models to be chosen by the What Car? judges to retain both of their respective awards is a tremendous honour and testament to the sustained popularity of both models here in the UK.”