Citroën Grand C4 Picasso wins the ‘Best 7-Seater’ prize in the Carbuyer Best Car Awards

Citroën Grand C4 Picasso scoops the ‘Best Seven-Seater’ prize in the prestigious Carbuyer Best Car Awards 2017. 

New Grand C4 Picasso was chosen by the Carbuyer road-test team because of its running costs, comfort, practicality, reliability and safety, as well as its new technologies, value-for-money and optional extras.  

New Citroën Grand C4 Picasso has taken the ‘Best Seven-Seater’ prize in the Carbuyer Best Car Awards 2017. 

The ultra-practical family car was recognised for its superior comfort and innovative technologies, alongside a supremely spacious and versatile interior.

Carbuyer announced its Best Cars for 2017 at London’s Curzon Bloomsbury Cinema on Wednesday. The Carbuyer awards celebrate and recognise the very best cars available in the UK. 

The awards are driven by the popular Carbuyer.co.uk Best Cars section, which includes in-depth analysis on every new car on sale today.

Stuart Milne, Editor at Carbuyer, said; “Citroën’s Grand C4 Picasso looks great - but that beauty is more than skin deep. It's such a well thought-out car, with plenty of glass giving a light and airy feel inside. 

There's plenty of space for seven, and with touches such as three ISOFIX mounting points, it's perfectly designed for family life. 

It's just as good out on the road, with a wide range of engines as well as a comprehensive range of safety equipment meaning your family will stay safe should the worst happen.”

Chris Cheetham, Citroën UK’s Marketing Director, commented; “The awards just keep coming for this great family car and that’s because it really is the best vehicle in its class. 

Following the ‘Best MPV’ award from Auto Express earlier this year, we are honoured to be able to add the accolade of ‘Carbuyer Best Seven-Seater 2017’ to the list. 

This award is testament to our design and engineering teams, and is evidence that style doesn’t need to lose out to practicality.”

Hugely popular UK buying guide hails drop-top Audi A3 a ‘best Convertible’ for 2017

Hugely popular UK buying guide hails drop-top Audi A3 a ‘best buy’ for 2017 

• A3 range recently overhauled with latest technology updates and sharp new styling
• A3 Cabriolet available in SE, Sport and S line specification
• Five petrol and diesel engines, manual and S tronic and the option of quattro all-wheel drive
• New S3 Cabriolet power boosted to 310PS and torque to 400Nm  
• Pricing ranges from £26,875 OTR for the 1.4 TFSI 150PS to £40,670 OTR for the S3 Cabriolet

Critical acclaim has frequently been heaped on the Audi A3 range since the first generation was introduced in 1996, and the latest recognition for the premium compact star has come in the form of a Best Cars trophy from trusted review website Carbuyer.co.uk, which has singled out the A3 Cabriolet as the Best Convertible for 2017.

Citing the reasons behind the win, Editor of Carbuyer Stuart Milne commented: "Convertibles are all about feeling the wind in your hair first and image second. 

No car fulfils these requirements better than the Audi A3 Cabriolet. It’s endlessly classy and desirable, plus it offers space for you and up to three passengers.

"The fabric roof can be raised or lowered at speeds of up to 31mph, and once it’s stowed the boot is still useable. There’s lots of scope for personalisation, and like every other A3, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard. If you want technology to give your A3 Cabriolet a real edge, then the optional Virtual Cockpit replaces the standard dials with a TFT screen. Very smart indeed."

As the beneficiary of a comprehensive update programme applied to the full model range earlier this year, an enhanced specification list is chief among the improvements and now includes Audi smartphone interface, cruise control, light and rain sensors and xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights as standard on the entry-level SE. Sport models gain Audi drive select and MMI Navigation with a three-month free trial of the Audi connect suite, while the already richly appointed  S line is fitted with LED headlights front and rear and dynamic ‘scrolling’ indicators for the rear lights. An LED interior lighting pack rounds off the new additions.

The pin-sharp Audi virtual cockpit can also be chosen along with a host of other technology from the larger Audi models, from the MMI Navigation Plus with MMI Touch, Audi Phone Box, a Bang & Olufsen sound system and the even more illuminating Matrix LED headlights.

A multitude of key driver aids can also dramatically improve the overall comfort and safety of each journey. Particular highlights from the assistance system portfolio include Traffic Jam Assist, which actively works with the adaptive cruise control system and can accelerate, brake and even steer the A3 Cabriolet at speeds of up to 37mph, active lane assist which can gently steer the car to keep it in lane above 40mph and emergency assist, which is capable of intervening and bringing the car to a gradual standstill if no response is detected from the driver.

Vauxhall’s all-new Astra has been recognised as the Best Family Car at the Carbuyer Best Cars 2017 Awards.

Vauxhall’s all-new Astra has been recognised as the Best Family Car at the Carbuyer Best Cars 2017 Awards. This latest win adds to what has been an outstanding year of awards for the all-new Astra, securing its position as one of the top new models on the market.

The multi award-winning Astra picked up the accolade in the Best Family Car category, and was commended for its design, value for money and build quality. 

The Carbuyer Best Cars Awards are focused on what matters to buyers, honouring the winners with the title of best in their respective classes.

Winning models are recognised as meeting, or surpassing, the standards that Carbuyer has identified across key buying factors such as style, space and running costs.

This latest win follows on from a trio of Carbuyer Car Tech Awards for Vauxhall, who picked up the titles of Tech Car of the Year and Best Self-Parking System for the new Astra, as well as Best Safety Innovation for Vauxhall OnStar. 

“The latest Vauxhall Astra has been on sale since late 2015, and it’s fair to say it’s the best family hatchback the company has ever made. The Astra is better built, more aesthetically pleasing and more economical than any of its predecessors,” commented Stuart Milne, Editor of Carbuyer. “We rate it as the best family car you can buy today, thanks to its blend of modern technology, excellent value for money and superb overall ownership experience.”

Stuart Harris, Vauxhall’s Head of Carline Brand, said: “This award adds to what has been an extremely successful year for the new Astra. It has proven itself in many categories and now has been singled out as one of the best family cars available on the market.”

“The Astra is a strong contender in every aspect. The latest technology, thanks to OnStar, offers excellent levels of connectivity and safety, while the latest design offers a great look without compromising on space for the family.”

The all-new Astra has built up an impressive list of accolades throughout 2016, including being named a Game-Changer by Autocar and picking up European Car of Year. It has also secured category wins in the Auto Express, WhatCar? and Fleet News Awards.

The new Alfa Romeo Giulia has been named ‘Safest New Car’ in the Carbuyer ‘Best Cars’ Awards

The new Alfa Romeo Giulia has been named ‘Safest New Car’ in the Carbuyer ‘Best Cars’ Awards, adding to the large collection of international prizes already won by the new sports car.

Presented by Carbuyer editor Stuart Milne at an awards event today (30 November) in London, the ‘Safest New Car’ title came following deliberation from Carbuyer’s team of motoring experts, after safety was found to be one of the website’s readers’ most popular searches.

“The Alfa Romeo Giulia is the long-awaited replacement for the 159 saloon, and with good looks, impressive engines and plenty of interior space, it’s certainly been worth the wait,” says Stuart Milne. 

“It also scored top marks this year in the Euro NCAP crash tests. It achieved a remarkable 98 per cent score for adult occupant protection, beating cars like the Mercedes E-Class and Volkswagen Tiguan.

“Testers praised the Giulia’s structural integrity and the ability of the Autonomous Emergency Braking system to work at higher speeds. With that hugely impressive adult occupant protection score, we've named it our Safest New Car.”

Created by the Alfa Romeo Style Centre, the exciting Giulia is a new expression of the best Italian tradition that combines harmonic proportions, linearity of style, high quality materials and sophisticated aluminium, wood and leather accents. All these are embellished with iconic elements originating in the brand's over 100-year history, the most significant of which is the trefoil, arguably the most famous emblem of Alfa Romeo design.

“Safety is of paramount importance to us at Alfa Romeo, just as it is to our customers, so I am particularly delighted that the experts at Carbuyer have voted the Giulia as their safest car,” says Damien Dally, head of brand, Alfa Romeo UK.

“It’s just one more excellent feature of a car that people already love for its looks, style and awesome performance.”

The Alfa Romeo Giulia range starts at £29,180 (OTR) for the 2.0 Turbo Petrol 200hp.