The Tow Car of the year awards have been announced and JLR takes 4 awards with the Discovery the overall winner.

• 44 cars entered for 13 awards (with 12 separate categories and one overall winner) – all put through rigorous tests on a private test track to provide valuable insights of towing abilities to car buyers
• Judged by experts from What Car? and Practical Caravan magazines plus The Camping and Caravanning Club, the cars are separated into five weight categories and seven special categories (Best Ultralight Tow Car; Best Petrol Tow Car; Best MPV, Best Pick-Up; Best Budget 4x4; Best Hybrid and the Fuel Economy Award) – and one of these is chosen as the overall winner
• In addition to the dynamic towing tests, cars are also scored for practicality, driving (solo), plus the costs of buying and owning
• Exclusive first towing competition test of the new Land Rover Discovery – chosen as the overall winner of The Tow Car Awards 2017 - “As an all-rounder, it sets a new benchmark,” said the judges
• Congratulations to Audi, Ford, Hyundai, Jaguar, Land Rover, Skoda, Suzuki, Volkswagen and Volvo who also won awards this year
• An extensive archive of full-length reviews of nearly 500 cars tested since the first Tow Car Awards in 2007 is available at: thetowcarawards.com 
• The Swift Group, the UK's biggest leisure vehicle manufacturer, has provided a fleet of caravans for the testing every year since the competition started 10 years ago. Any standard stability aids fitted to the caravans are disabled or removed for the testing to ensure judges feel any instability 

The results of the Tow Car Awards 2017, organised and judged by experts from What Car? and Practical Caravan magazines and The Camping and Caravanning Club, reveal this year’s top cars for towing, with a unique archive of full reviews of nearly 500 cars tested since the first Tow Car Awards in 2007 available at www.thetowcarawards.com to help new and used car buyers make the most informed choices. 

To create the most informative towing reviews, the 44 cars entered for this year’s competition were judged for a total of 13 awards by separating them into five categories according to their kerbweight (from up to 1400kg to 1900kg+), seven special awards according to the type of vehicle, and then one overall winner. 

Every vehicle tows a caravan or trailer weighted to 85 per cent of the car’s kerbweight (or its maximum towing limit, if lower) and is put through a rigorous test programme in the safe surroundings of a private proving ground in Warwickshire. It’s not just about their outright performance though, as each car is also scored for its practicality and costs of buying and owning. 

This year’s winners range in size (and price) from the mighty, new Land Rover Discovery to the more humble Hyundai i30 hatchback, with a mix of hybrids, MPVs, estates and 4x4 models in between. 

This was the first towing competition for the new Land Rover Discovery and it continued the success of the previous model by winning its 1900kg+ weight class as well as being chosen as the overall winner. The judges said: “As an all-rounder, it sets a new benchmark.” 

Jaguar and Škoda collected two awards each for the successful combination of performance and practicality for their latest models. The new Jaguar F-Pace was another car tested for the first time at these awards, while the XF saloon won its weight class again. The latest Škoda Octavia and the Superb rose to the top of their weight categories again, with the Superb also winning the Fuel Economy Award, while Ford, Audi, Suzuki, Volkswagen and Volvo also achieved category wins.

The full list of categories and winning vehicles for the Tow Car Awards 2017 are as follows:

1. Up to 1400kg: Škoda Octavia Estate 2.0 TDI 150PS SE L DSG
2. 1400-1549kg: Škoda Superb 2.0 TDI 150PS SE L Executive
3. 1550-1699kg: Jaguar XF 2.0 i4 180PS RWD Portfolio Auto
4. 1700-1899kg: Jaguar F-Pace 3.0d 300PS AWD S
5. 1900kg+: Land Rover Discovery 3.0 Td6 HSE
6. Best Ultralight Tow Car: Hyundai i30 1.4 T-GDi 140PS Premium
7. Best Petrol Tow Car: Audi A4 Allroad 2.0 TFSI 252PS Quattro S-tronic
8. Best MPV: Ford S-Max 2.0 TDCi 180PS Titanium
9. Fuel Economy Award: Škoda Superb 2.0 TDI 150PS SE L Executive
10. Best Budget 4x4: Suzuki SX4 S-Cross 1.4 BoosterJet Allgrip SZ5 4x4 Auto
11. Best Pick-Up: Volkswagen Amarok 3.0 TDI 224PS 4Motion Aventura Auto
12. Best Hybrid: Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine Momentum
13. Overall Winner: Land Rover Discovery 3.0 Td6 HSE 

The caravans used for the towing exercises are supplied by the UK’s biggest manufacturer, the Swift Group. Any stabiliser hitches as standard are disabled or replaced with basic ones to ensure the judges feel any instability created during the rigorous test programme which is designed to push the brakes, handling and engines of the cars to their limits. 

This includes testing high-speed stability beyond the legal limit, slalom and emergency lane-changes, acceleration and braking tests, plus a hill start on a 1-in-6 slope. The cars are also scored on how well they can accommodate a typical load for a touring holiday, plus their buying and running costs, and what they're like to drive when not towing based on What Car?'s expert reviews of each model. 

Commenting on this year’s results, David Motton, Tow Car Editor of Practical Caravan magazine said: “All the winners of the Tow Car Awards 2017, whether they are big or small, have shown us that they’re particularly good as an overall package to tow, own and live with every day.

 “There can only be a limited number of winners, but as you can see from the full reports on www.thetowcarawards.com, many of today’s best-selling cars also performed extremely well. However, when it came to choosing this year’s overall winner it had to be the new Land Rover Discovery as it sets a new benchmark as an impressive all-rounder.” 

TV presenter and President of The Camping and Caravanning Club, Julia Bradbury said: “The Camping and Caravanning Club is delighted to have co-produced the Tow Car Awards for the 11th year. These results give really useful information for anyone choosing a car to tow with, to make touring as safe and relaxing as possible. 

“A big thanks to all the judges and our members who volunteered to help make the event such a success,” Julia continued. 

Tow Car Awards Overall Winners, 2007 to 2017:

2007: Volkswagen Passat Estate 2.0 TDI 4Motion Sport

2008: Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi Titanium auto 

2009: Volvo XC60 D5 SE Geartronic

2010: Land Rover Discovery 4 3.0 TDV6 XS

2011: Volkswagen Passat Estate 2.0 TDI 170 Bluemotion Sport

2012: Jaguar XF 2.2D Premium Luxury

2013: Skoda Octavia 2.0 TDI CR 150PS Elegance

2014: Nissan Qashqai 1.6 dCi (130PS) Stop/Start System Acenta Premium

2015: Volkswagen Passat Estate 2.0 TDI BMT 150PS SE Business DSG

2016: Skoda Superb Hatch 2.0 TDI 150PS SE Business

2017: Land Rover Discovery 3.0 Td6 HSE 

The 2017 Subaru Impreza has taken the Japanese Car Of The Year Award.

• The Subaru Impreza polled strongly to pull away from the Toyota Prius to win the 2017 Car of the Year Japan award. 

At an award ceremony held inside the Tokyo International Exchange Center on Tokyo Bay, the Subaru Impreza polled 420 votes to triumph over the Toyota Prius by 49 votes and win the 2017 Car of the Year Japan (COTY). 

In a close battle for third, the Audi A4 polled 149 votes and captured the Import Car of the Year trophy, just 4 votes ahead of the strong finishing Volvo XC90.

This win gives Subaru only its second ever COTY trophy and its first in 13 years. In accepting the award, Impreza chief engineer Kazuhiro Abe said, “When we started developing the Impreza over 4 years ago, never did I imagine I’d be standing here today with such a prestigious award. 

This must be what it feels like to win an Olympic gold. The Impreza’s new global platform has great meaning for the company moving forward and will underpin nearly all of our cars over the next decade. 

On behalf of all of my R&D team, I’d like to thank the jurors for their support of this car.”

Japan’s COTY organisation is made up of 59 jurors who each start with 25 votes and must give their most highly rated vehicle 10 votes. Their remaining 15 votes are then spread across their next best 4 cars. 

Each juror must vote for 5 cars out of the final Top 10.

After 20 jurors’ votes had been read out, the difference between the Impreza and Prius was only 9 votes, 138 to 129 votes respectively. So a close finished was expected. 

However, when the 40th juror’s votes were revealed, the Impreza’s lead had jumped to 27 votes. And in the end, the Subaru breezed it in to pick up an easy victory with 420 votes to the Prius’ 371.

The Nissan Serena captured the Innovation Award for its Propilot driver-assist, hands-free sliding door technology and clever seat arrangement, while the Daihatsu Move Canbus won the Small Mobility award for its packaging. 

Given high marks for its performance and handling, the BMW M2 triumphed in the Emotional Award, while the Honda NSX picked up the Car of the Year Japan steering committee’s Special Award for its revolutionary V6 twin-turbo hybrid powertrain.

*For further information, access the Car or the Year Japan website: http://www.jcoty.org

USA - The new generation Polestar Performance Optimisation has been released for the XC90 T8 Twin Engine

The new generation Polestar Performance Optimisation has just been released for the Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine, making the world’s most powerful and cleanest SUV even faster and more inspiring to drive.

The Polestar optimisation increases the performance to 421 hp and 680 Nm* and 0-100 km/h in 5.5 seconds, all this with unchanged, class-leading consumption of 2.1 l/100 km and 43 km of pure electric range.

The new generation Polestar optimisation does not only optimise the engine performance, but rather the entire drivetrain in five key areas. By improving throttle response, gearshift hold, speed and precision, as well as overall engine performance, the XC90 T8 reaches a new level of driving pleasure.

”Just a week after the introduction of the S90 and V90 optimisation, we move forward by launching our optimisation for the exciting and technically advanced XC90 T8 Twin Engine. This gives customers who want a new level of driving pleasure with their XC90 an easily accessible and attractive performance increase,” said Niels Möller, Chief Operating Officer of Polestar.

One of the main features of the new optimisation is the gear hold function that holds the selected gear during cornering at high lateral g-forces. This prevents unwanted gearshifts mid-corner that can unsettle the balance of the car, providing the driver with improved response and control during active driving.

Reigning four-time Scandinavian Touring Car Championship (STCC) champion and Polestar Cyan Racing driver Thed Björk has been part of the optimisation development.

”It is amazing for me as a racing and development driver to be able to work with the same kind of technology and philosophy for the XC90 as with my S60 race car. While an SUV like the XC90 might be far from what we usually work with, the core of the optimisation is the very same thing. It is about creating driving pleasure and usable performance, something I definitely think we have achieved,” said Thed Björk, who drives a Volvo S60 Polestar TC1 with Drive-E technology in the 2016 FIA World Touring Car Championship.

The Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine is available for the new generation Polestar Performance Optimisation from today**.

All changes as part of the Polestar Performance Optimisation are made with certified emissions, fuel consumption, service intervals and Volvo warranties unchanged.

DieselCar Magazine has announced it's Top 50 best cars in the UK, there are some surprises in the top 10.

DieselCar Magazine has been championing economy motoring for more than 28 years and is proud to announce the DieselCar Top 50. In a departure from previous years where we name Car of the Year winners across ten key categories, we’ve torn up the rule book and come up with something altogether more meaningful, announcing the best 50 new cars on sale today.

In this month’s issue, which goes on sale at Newsagents today, we kick off the DieselCar Top 50 by counting down from 50, all the way to the number one spot. Our team of talented writers have tested more than 200 new cars over the past twelve months, in addition to thousands over the preceding years, and each of these results have been utilised to deliver this definitive new car verdict.

Explaining the changes, Editor and Publisher Ian Robertson commented “we are very pleased to announce a new format for 2016, eschewing the familiar, and overused, Car of the Year Awards format in favour of a more measured approach”. He went on to say “Every single car that has been evaluated by the DieselCar test team have had their results utilised to compile a comprehensive list of the top 50 best cars on sale today.”

In announcing the results of the first DieselCar Top 50, Ian Robertson first commended the winner for its generous equipment levels, keen prices and excellent road manners, not to mention the industry leading seven-year warranty. Of course those clues could only point to one car securing the top spot, and that’s the Kia Sportage. Editor Robertson added “this medium SUV leapfrogs the competition to sit at the very top of the class.”

The newly launched Jaguar XF grabbed second place and the title of our favourite Executive Car, while the Volvo XC90 achieved third place, and becomes our Best Luxury SUV. Skoda’s Superb sits in fourth place, while the Ford Focus at number five is rated as our favourite medium car, and in sporty ST diesel guise, the best hot hatch on sale today.

Citroën’s C4 Cactus – last year’s winner – achieved sixth place and the title of Best Compact Crossover, with Nissan’s Qashqai at number seven. One of the newest vehicles to hit the showrooms, Jaguar’s F-Pace, sits in eighth place, while the Tesla Model S achieved the award of Best Electric EcoCar and secured ninth position. And at number ten, the Skoda Octavia also grabs the gong for Best Estate Car. The full list of top 50 placings and category winners can be found below.

Ranking	Make and model	Class winners
1	Kia Sportage	Best Medium SUV
2	Jaguar XF	Best Executive Car
3	Volvo XC90	Best Luxury SUV
4	Skoda Superb
5	Ford Focus	Best Medium Car / Best Hot Hatch
6	Citroën C4 Cactus	Best Compact Crossover
7	Nissan Qashqai
8	Jaguar F-Pace
9	Tesla Model S	Best Electric EcoCar
10	Skoda Octavia	Best Estate Car
11	Range Rover Sport
12	Ford Fiesta	Best Small Car
13	Hyundai i10	Best sub-100g/km Petrol EcoCar
14	Audi A4	Best Compact Executive Car
15	MINI Clubman
16	Citroen C4 Picasso/Grand C4 Picasso	Best Medium MPV
17	Mercedes-Benz E-Class
18	SEAT Leon
19	Jaguar XE
20	Volkswagen Golf
21	Kia cee’d
22	Mazda CX-5
23	Porsche Macan
24	Audi TT	Best Sports Car
25	Ford S-MAX	Best Large MPV
26	Mercedes-Benz S-Class	Best Luxury Car
27	Range Rover
28	Ford Galaxy
29	Land Rover Discovery Sport
30	Skoda Yeti
31	BMW 3 Series
32	Ford Mondeo
33	Mazda2
34	Renault Kadjar
35	BMW 5 Series
36	Mazda CX-3
37	Audi A3
38	Volkswagen Passat
39	Mazda6
40	MINI Hatch
41	Mazda3
42	Toyota Prius	Best EcoCar Hybrid
43	DS 3
44	Audi Q7
45	Nissan NP300 Navara	Best Pick-Up
46	BMW X1
47	Volkswagen Polo
48	Peugeot 308
49	Ford C-MAX/Grand C-MAX
50	Kia Sorento