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.

HONEST JOHN AWARDS - The most luxurious car for this year goes to Audi and teh A7 Sportback.

Elegant five-door Audi coupé wins Most Popular Luxury Car award for the third year in a row

• Audi A7 Sportback range available to order now, priced from £46,865 OTR
• SE Executive, S line and Black Edition specification available
• Three V6 TDI outputs – 218PS, 272PS and 320PS – and a 3.0 TFSI with 333PS all come fitted with quattro all-wheel-drive as standard
• All-new RS 7 performance, one of the fastest Audis currently on sale, is now available to order with 605PS and up to 750Nm of torque

The Audi A7 Sportback has once again won the favour of Honest John website users, taking the Most Popular Luxury Car crown for the third consecutive year at the annual Honest John Awards presentation, held in London last night.

Judged on the amount of page impressions earned in its respective category, the A7 Sportback has been a consistent favourite on the hugely popular independent motoring review and advice portal, owing in no small part to its ‘styling, comfort and beautifully-finished cabin’.

Commenting on the win, Dan Harrison, Editor, HonestJohn.co.uk said: “When it comes to luxury cars on HonestJohn.co.uk, nothing can match the Audi A7 Sportback for popularity. Powered by the best engines in the Audi range, the A7 Sportback also offers effortless pace and reasonable running costs – something our users appreciate.”

A recent technology update, bringing the option of the Audi smartphone interface and the addition of inductive charging for Qi-compatible handsets via the Audi phone box, has made the Audi A7 Sportback an even more attractive proposition.

As part of the update the distinctive lines of the five-door coupé’s body have also benefited from three new colour options - Matador Red, Gotland Green and Java Brown – and a new 17-inch, five-spoke alloy wheel design has been added for SE Executive models to round out the enhancements.

As standard, the A7 Sportback offers a wealth of sophisticated equipment including all-weather LED headlights, SD-card based MMI navigation, an electrically powered tailgate, four-zone air conditioning and Milano leather-upholstered seats with driver and passenger electric adjustment and heating.

HONEST JOHN AWARDS - Cactus is your winner in the Most Popular Small Family Car Segment.

Citroën C4 Cactus has once again won the accolade of ‘Most Popular Small Family Car’ in the Honest John Awards 2016. The award winners are recognised based on the car reviews that generated the most user interest on the HonestJohn.co.uk website over the past year. Scooping the honour for the second consecutive year, Citroën C4 Cactus demonstrates its continued dominance and popularity in this hotly contested category.

The ultra-stylish Citroën C4 Cactus has been named the ‘Most Popular Small Family Car’ for the second consecutive year in the Honest John Awards 2016.

Now in their sixth year, the Honest John Awards recognise and reward the cars and vans whose reviews created the most interest amongst their website users over the past twelve months.

Dan Harrison, editor of honestjohn.co.uk commented; “For the second year in a row, the Citroën C4 Cactus has come out on top in the Most Popular Small Family Car award - that's no mean feat given this category accounts for a huge number of page views on the site. The unique and distinctive C4 Cactus has once again proved a real hit with our audience who love the fact it is such good value for money. The C4 Cactus shows Citroën at its best, designing cars that are quirky yet have mass appeal.”

Bek Hassan, Citroën UK’s Managing Director, said; ‘It’s an excellent achievement to win the ‘Most Popular Small Family Car’ category for the second year running. Achieving the best-in-class accolade in such a competitive category really demonstrates how the C4 Cactus’ ideal blend of personality and practicality is perfect for families.’

Citroën C4 Cactus boasts a bold personality with striking features such as the innovative Airbump ^® panels that protect the car from small everyday dents and scrapes.

The presentation of the Honest John award comes only days after the highly-acclaimed C4 Cactus scooped another top honour in DieselCar Magazine’s ‘Top 50’. These accolades add to the impressive list of UK industry awards received since the car’s launch in September 2014.

HONEST JOHN AWARDS - Land Rover and the Discovery Sport takes the Most Popular SUV title.

• Land Rover UK reveals top facts about Discovery Sport in new Infographic celebrating the model’s success at the Honest John Awards
• Land Rover Discovery Sport is the most searched for SUV on honestjohn.co.uk and takes ‘Most Popular SUV’ award win in the process
• Did you know? Infographic points to latest customer trends in colours and options 
• Honestjohn.co.uk editorial team praises Discovery Sport for its blend of premium quality and renowned off-road ability

Land Rover’s second-fastest selling model, the Discovery Sport has taken the ‘Most Popular SUV’ honour at the annual honestjohn.co.uk awards ceremony. It came out on top as the most searched for SUV over the past 12 months on Honest John’s website. The latest accolade takes the Discovery Sport’s award tally past the 50 mark in only 18 months on sale in the UK.

Dan Harrison, editor of honestjohn.co.uk “SUVs - along with crossovers – are the most popular types of cars with our audience, so to win the Most Popular SUV award means fending off strong competition. And that's exactly what the new Land Rover Discovery Sport has managed for 2016. We saw a big spike in the number of users reading the review when the new Ingenium diesel engine was launched – and it's an engine we rate very highly indeed. Blending premium quality with renowned Land Rover off-road ability, the Discovery Sport has proved a real hit with the honestjohn.co.uk audience.”

Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK MD, said: “The Discovery Sport majors on quality, practicality, safety, technology and low running costs. The introduction of the highly advanced range of 2.0 litre Ingenium diesel engines has further cemented its segment-leading position and popularity with both business and private buyers alike. We are delighted to accept this award from Honest John and it adds to an already impressive list of accolades for the Discovery Sport."

 Did you know?

The Discovery Sport is available from £299pm for the TD4 180 SE – standard with heated front seats, Terrain Response and the only premium compact SUV that can seat seven people

• The most popular colours specified by Discovery Sport customers are Corris Grey, Santorini Black and Fuji White.
• Most popular optional extras are Privacy Glass, Black Pack and Contrast Roof
• 65% of all Discovery Sports sold are specified in more luxurious trims such as HSE or above
• 100,000 Discovery Sports were sold in its first year of production
• Discovery Sport features the world’s first automotive integration of the Tile Bluetooth tracking device within Land Rover InControl™ apps – never leave home without your important items ever again.
• The recently launched 2017 Discovery Sport features a larger 10.2-inch touchscreen plus a 60GB Solid State Drive (SSD) as part of the brand’s advanced InControl Touch Pro infotainment system
• You can wade up to a depth of 600mm and constantly check water depth with Land Rover’s Wade Sensing

HONEST JOHN AWARDS - The Volkswagen T6 Transporter takes the most popular van award.

• Transporter adds to prestigious collection of accolades at 2016 Honest John awards
• Latest generation of Volkswagen’s iconic Transporter scoops ‘Most Popular Van’ award
• Website user reviews and frequency of user search for the T6 key to coveted award win

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ latest generation Transporter has scooped yet another accolade, being named ‘Most Popular Van’ at this year’s Honest John awards.

With the award coming from the users of the honestjohn.co.uk website, this represents a significant endorsement for the T6. The Honest John awards recognise and reward the vehicles which obtain the best reviews and highest levels of user search on the website – www.honestjohn.co.uk – which receives three million visits every month.

The sixth-generation Transporter was selected as the outright winner in the ‘Most Popular Van’ category ahead of four other shortlisted commercial vehicles. The van builds on an illustrious heritage to offer a broad range of bodystyles that appeals to a wide audience, as well as class-leading comfort, convenience and safety features and driveability.

Dan Harrison, editor of honestjohn.co.uk explains: “Understanding the appeal of the new Transporter isn’t difficult. The new T6 from Volkswagen is cheap to run, practical and built for hard work. As a result it has become the benchmark for all medium panel vans. Hardly surprising then that it’s loved by everyone from delivery drivers and builders to surfers and campers.”

The Transporter offers two wheelbase options and no less than three roof heights plus a wide choice of load volumes and payloads to cater for any lifestyle or business need. This iconic model is also available with a range of smooth and economical 2.0-litre engines, manual and DSG automated transmissions and two- and four-wheel drive options. In addition the T6 also comes with an extensive range of safety features, including Driver Alert System and Automatic Post Collision Braking system as standard, plus optional Adaptive Cruise Control, City Emergency Braking System and High Beam Assist.

Commenting on the award win, Carl zu Dohna, Director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, said: “Since it arrived in the UK in September last year, the Transporter has impressed judging panels and experts across the industry, but the Honest John accolade brings an exciting new dimension to our collection of awards because it comes from our most important critics, van buyers.

“Volkswagen is committed to evolving its vehicles continually to maintain its industry leading standards and we are therefore delighted to have received such an overwhelming response to the Transporter T6 from drivers across the UK.”

The ‘Most Popular Van’ accolade joins a number of impressive awards won by the Transporter, including ‘International Van of the Year’, Van A2Z’s ‘Van of the Year’ and ‘Best Medium Van’, Van Fleet World ‘Best New Van’, and Trade Van Driver’s ‘Best Medium Van’ and ‘Van of the Year’ trophies.