The BBC TopGear Magazine names Two Volkswagen products as the best of models.

Volkswagen is celebrating an impressive brace of titles in TopGear Magazine’s latest issue which names the very best cars in the world.

TopGear declares the Volkswagen Golf ‘All The Car You’ll Ever Need’, while the Volkswagen up! is named ‘Best First Wheels’ by the influential motoring brand.  

Praising the Volkswagen hatchback that has dominated its class for more than four decades, the magazine said: “A Golf. Short of needing seven seats or some genuine off-road ability, those two words can answer just about any car requirement you care to throw our way.”

With comfortably more than 30 million produced over the car’s 42-year history, the Volkswagen Golf retains its classless appeal and enduring reputation for quality, reliability and effortless competence.  Upwards of two million Golfs have been sold in the UK to date, and roughly one in three new Volkswagens sold here last year bore the name Golf.

The most extreme iteration of the current Golf – the sold-out GTI Clubsport S – was recently described by TopGear thus: “There’s no denying how quick it is, but the GTI is also incredibly tactile and approachable for a hardcore front-wheel-drive hatch.”

Meanwhile the recently revised Volkswagen up! carries off the ‘Best First Wheels’ title with its potent mix of style, functionality and value.

Today’s up! remains one of the five key pillars of the Volkswagen portfolio in the UK alongside new Tiguan, Polo, Golf and Passat, and the car has been a consistent sales performer in the UK since its launch here in 2012.

In the UK, the new car is offered with a choice of two petrol engines offering three engine outputs: a naturally aspirated three-cylinder 12-valve petrol engine with outputs of either 60 PS or 75 PS, or a new three cylinder turbocharged 1.0 TSI petrol unit with 90 PS.

TopGear said of it: “The up! doesn’t really feel like a baby car: it’s refined and has supple suspension and runs true on motorways.”

Welcoming the brace of important titles for two of Volkswagen’s most popular models Alison Jones, Director of Volkswagen UK, said: “For both the Golf and the up! to be recognised in this way by the experts at TopGear is a really strong result. 

“With the prospect of the revised Golf, and much else besides, to look forward to next year I’m hopeful that we can continue to celebrate Volkswagen awards successes such as this throughout 2017.” 

The BBC TopGear Magazine awards the Volvo V90 the Best Estate car Award 2016

The Volvo V90 has been handed the prestigious title of Best Estate in this year’s TopGear Magazine Best Cars in the World awards.

In its review of the car, the magazine praised the V90’s “genuinely brilliant” styling, efficient engines, blend of handling and refinement, interior ambience, and intuitive connectivity.

The TopGear award is the latest in a growing list of accolades for Volvo’s 90 series cars, which also include the new S90 premium saloon and XC90 SUV. 

The latter has picked up more than 10 awards in the UK alone since its launch in 2015, while the V90 was awarded the overall Scottish Car of the Year title earlier this month.

Commenting on the award, TopGear Magazine said: “Somehow, the Volvo V90 manages to be the antidote to 2016’s obsession with total connectivity and instant gratification while being totally connected and instantly gratifying.”

Launched earlier this year together with the S90, the V90 marks another step in the transformation of Volvo’s product range. Its advanced technology includes the standard fitment of the firm’s semi-autonomous Pilot Assist feature, as well as the world-first introductions of Run-off Road Mitigation and Large Animal Detection. The Volvo On Call app allows the driver to control a range of functions from a mobile device, including the ability to remotely heat or cool the cabin before they get in. The car can also be turned into a WiFi hotspot, while smartphone integration is available.

At the heart of the V90 is a simple, luxurious cabin which uses natural materials to take interior design to a new level.

Jon Wakefield, Managing Director of Volvo Car UK, said: “With its compelling mix of innovation, style and functionality, the new V90 defines the premium estate segment. To receive this award from TopGear Magazine is a tribute to the car’s game-changing abilities in a competitive marketplace.”

The Audi A4 takes another award, this one from teh BBC TopGear Magazine.

Exceptionally refined compact executive saloon would be the choice of highly respected magazine test team if a long journey beckoned 

• Audi A4 receives ‘Best for Big Miles’ award in BBC Top Gear Magazine’s Best Cars in the World issue due on November 29 

They may push cars to extremes to deliver road tests that never pull any punches, but the journalists at Top Gear Magazine have acknowledged that polish matters just as much as performance by declaring the Audi A4 ‘Best for Big Miles’ in its forthcoming Best Cars in the World issue.

The lengths to which Audi engineers and designers have gone with the A4 to bring the unruffled feel and exceptional cabin ambiance of cars in the uppermost classes to the compact executive segment have not been lost on the Top Gear team. 

In the Best Cars in the World issue, available from November 29, the road testers write: “With the A4, Audi focused on the stuff most people care about: a quiet, comfy cabin, tech to make your jaw slacken and some genuine ride quality."

With an extremely low drag coefficient of just 0.23 the A4 Saloon slips cleanly through the air under power provided by a wide range of strong and economical engines. 

These range from the super frugal 2.0 TDI ultra with its 72mpg capability and 99g/km CO₂ output to the serenely smooth 218PS and 286PS V6 TDIs, the former powering the A4 variant ranked by What Car? Magazine as its Car of the Year for 2016.

The sophistication of the engines is matched by an advanced five-link front and rear suspension delivering the kind of absorbency and control that enables a multitude of miles to be covered seemingly effortlessly, without ruling out incisive handling, particularly where quattro all-wheel-drive is also fitted.

Depending on preference, customers can increase the comfort quotient by adding electronically modulated Adaptive Comfort Suspension with damping control, or choose Adaptive Sport Suspension with damping control for enhanced refinement with a greater emphasis on cornering composure.

Among the in-car technological highlights of the A4 that so impressed the Top Gear Magazine critics are the standard Audi Smartphone Interface bringing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to the car, the Audi virtual cockpit with its fully digital, absolutely flicker-free display and the Audi phone box facilitating wireless mobile phone connection and charging.

The team will also have factored in features such as MMI Navigation plus with its pin sharp 8.3-inch monitor, Bang & Olufsen 3D sound with 755 watts of music power, Matrix LED headlamps capable of diverting their beam around multiple road users to maximise illumination without dazzle and an array of cutting edge driver assistance and safety systems. These include a traffic jam assist function capable of taking over braking, acceleration and steering inputs at speeds of up to 37mph to take the strain out of stop-start traffic, and the predictive efficiency assistant, which uses route data to calculate when free-wheeling or engine braking can be automatically applied to boost overall mpg.

All of these award-winning refinements can be enjoyed in conjunction with Saloon and even more accommodating Avant body styles, the latter adopting a more rugged stance in the transformation to the A4 allroad quattro with its raised ride height. The high performance S4 with its completely new 354PS TFSI engine and quattro all-wheel-drive is also available in both formats.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia takes a double at the recent BBC Top Gear magazine awards.

• The all-new Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio has been awarded two top accolades in the 2016 BBC Top Gear Magazine Awards
• Range-topping Quadrifoglio honoured with magazine’s prestigious ‘Best Car’ title and the inaugural public vote for ‘Car of 2016’
• The Alfa Romeo Giulia is available to order in Alfa Romeo dealerships across the UK, priced from £29,180 OTR

BBC Top Gear Magazine and the public are in agreement: the all-new Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is 2016’s ‘Best Car’.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, the most powerful Alfa Romeo ever created for road use, has been crowned winner of one of the most coveted awards in the motoring industry.

Not only that, but the flagship Quadrifoglio model, powered by a new 510hp, 600Nm Bi-Turbo V6 petrol engine and capable of 0 to 62mph in just 3.9 seconds, scooped the top prize in the first ever public vote for ‘Car of 2016’.

Winners were announced in the latest ‘Awards’ issue of the magazine, out today.

"The Giulia is modern and high-tech but the proposition is simple: engine, handling, beauty,” said Top Gear magazine. “Those are things we want from Alfa. The Giulia over-delivers.”

Damien Dally, Country Manager at Alfa Romeo UK, commented: “The all-new Alfa Romeo Giulia is a true driver’s car, combining eye-catching Italian styling and outstanding performance, and we’re absolutely delighted that this has been recognised by both the Top Gear experts and public.”

Combining perfect weight distribution with all new rear-wheel drive architecture, the Alfa Romeo Giulia offers best in class power-to-weight ratios and innovative engine and driver technologies.

With an eight-speed paddle shift automatic transmission as standard, the Giulia Quadrifoglio features technology designed to maximise dynamic performance, such as the sector first Alfa Chassis Domain Control system, Alfa™ Active Aero Splitter system and the Alfa™ D.N.A. Pro selector with Race mode.

New efficient active safety systems, such as Forward Collision Warning, Autonomous Emergency Brake with pedestrian recognition and Lane Departure Warning, come as standard across the range and all contributed to the Alfa Romeo Giulia being awarded a prestigious Five Star Euro NCAP rating, with 98% protection result for adult occupants – making it the highest score ever achieved by a car, despite the more severe Euro NCAP evaluation system introduced in 2015.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia range is now available to test drive at dealerships throughout the UK, with a starting price of £29,180 OTR, including the award-winning Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio priced at £59,000 OTR.

The BBC Top Gear Magazine awards the Skoda Kodiaq its Best Car for big families.

• ŠKODA SUV named Best Car for Big Families by TopGear Magazine judging panel
• Brand’s first ever seven-seat SUV set to arrive in the UK next April
• Prices start from £21,495 - order books open from 1 December

It may be a few more tantalising weeks before the new ŠKODA Kodiaq reaches British shores, but the acclaimed SUV has already secured its first key UK award – scooping the Best Car for Big Families accolade by TopGear Magazine.

TopGear Magazine and website were so impressed with the new Kodiaq – ŠKODA’s first ever seven-seater – that they named it Best Family Car in the title’s Best Cars in the World issue. 

The Kodiaq saw off tough opposition to take the title, with the judging panel heaping praise on the new model’s design, practicality and incredible value for money.

TopGear Magazine said: "Minimising stress is at the heart of the Kodiaq’s mission. 

That’s what its versatility is all about, because you never fear it won’t ably put its shoulder to any task family life throws at it: fetching and carrying of people and stuff, hauling or going mildly off-road or defeating slippery roads. It’s reassuring and safe, but it manages to avoid tedium.”

The Kodiaq, along with the other category winners, appears in the January issue of TopGear Magazine that hits the newsstands from 30th November. 

The Kodiaq will be available in 24 different variants when order books open on 1 December. The range comprises four trim levels; S, SE, SE L, and a new Edition grade that celebrates the car’s arrival.

Prices start from just £21,495 with the launch range featuring five engine options, two and four-wheel drive, and a choice of manual or DSG gearboxes. 

Among the many design highlights of the new Kodiaq are more than 30 Simply Clever features - seven of which are new. These include a number of family-friendly features such as electrically-activated child locks and special sleep headrests for rear seat passengers.

BBC TopGear Magazine awards the EWB Bentley Mulsanne best car for being driven in.

• Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase wins award from Top Gear magazine
• 250 mm extension entirely to the benefit of rear passenger legroom
• Luxury features create first-class air-travel experience for the road

The Bentley Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase has been named ‘Best Car for Being Driven In’ by Top Gear magazine.

Featured in the global magazine franchise’s ‘Best Cars in the World’ issue, the pinnacle Mulsanne model outshone all other limousines to be named the best automotive passenger experience.

Designed for customers with a preference for being driven, the Bentley Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase offers a first-class air-travel experience for the road, and was praised for its suite of luxury appointments.

The 250 mm extension of the Mulsanne’s wheelbase is entirely to the benefit of rear-seat passenger legroom. To make the best use of the additional rear legroom, Bentley has developed airline-style electronic leg rests which are integrated into the bases of the two rear seats. These extend outward and pivot, affording rear-seat passengers the luxury of choice between upright, relaxed and reclined seating positions.

A beautifully appointed console separates the two rear seats in the Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase. Ornate and functional, the console is appointed in the finest handcrafted veneer, metal, glass and leather and houses practical features such as USB ports, pen holders, cup holders and a glass-covered stowage area.

For those passengers who wish to work on the move, both rear seats can also be specified with a deployable, folding table. For privacy, electric curtains at the rear are standard fitment and can be tailored with either a black or champagne coloured interior lining.

Rear-seat passengers also benefit from a large-format sunroof over the rear cabin. Controlled by the passengers or the driver, the tilting and sliding glass panel (with Alcantara sun blind) allows natural light to flood into the Mulsanne’s beautifully appointed cabin and clearly reinforces the Extended Wheelbase’s focus on the rearward passenger.