And the Car of the Year 2013 goes to… the VW Golf

It was pretty clear what the Car of the Year was going to be for 2013, as the VW Golf sprinted home miles ahead of the competition.

The Volkswagen Golf has just been announced as the clear winner of Car of the Year 2013 award the day before the Geneva Motor Show kicks off, as it came in with 414 points, ahead of the Toyota GT-86 (Subaru BRZ) with 202 points and the Volvo V40 with 189 points.

Apart from the Renault Clio, the Golf is the only other model to win the Car of the Year award twice.

The new Golf, which is on sale in Ireland priced from just €19,995, was voted the top car from a list of eight finalists. The runners-up included the Ford B-MAX, Hyundai i30, Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Peugeot 208, Renault Clio and Toyota GT86.

The jury consisted of 58 journalists from 22 European countries and Michael McAleer from The Irish Times was the sole Irish juror at the awards.

In his voting notes, McAleer commented: “From its clean iconic lines to the solid build quality inside and an array of engine options to suit all tastes, the latest Golf delivers a car of the year performance. That was recognised in the voting, with the VW a favourite with the vast majority of the 58-jury members from 22 countries. It was a very comprehensive victory and all the more impressive when you consider the quality of the other finalists this year. "

Keep an eye out for JOE’s review of the all-new Golf later on in the week.