Golf and Eos are honoured once again at What Car? Awards
The Volkswagen Golf and Eos coupé convertible have both been honoured by judges for the second successive year at the prestigious What Car? Awards.
The awards ceremony, held at the London Grosvenor House Hotel on January 17, witnessed the Volkswagen Golf retain the hard-fought honour of Best Small Family Car.
The Mk V model, originally launched in January 2004, has continued the sustained popularity of the Golf. In March last year the 25-millionth Golf was produced at the Wolfsburg factory, eclipsing the total achieved by the original Beetle, while in the UK over 70,000 examples of the Golf were sold in 2007.
The award went to the Golf 1.4-litre TSI Match – a recent addition to the model line-up and the latest evolution of the Golf. Combining the virtues of a small capacity engine and its inherent efficiency with a performance edge courtesy of a turbocharger the new TSI can achieve a combined 44.8 mpg while emitting just 149 g/km of CO2.
In presenting the award Steve Fowler, Group Editor of What Car? commented: ‘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.’
The Eos coupé convertible retained the honour of Best Open-Top Car. Featuring an advanced five-piece folding roof the Eos combines the style of a convertible with the practicality of a coupé. The award went to the powerful yet efficient Eos 2.0-litre T-FSI which remains highly sought after by UK buyers. A total of over 5,600 examples of the Eos were sold in the UK last year.
Steve Fowler commented: ‘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.’
Paul Willis, Director of Volkswagen UK said: ‘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.’