Golf romps home as fun to drive eco-champion
Volkswagen’s Golf 1.6 TDI BlueMotion has been voted the overall winner in the first of a new set of awards for cars that mix modest thirst with the ability to entertain their drivers.
The Green Apple Award was presented on Monday (14) at the House of Commons. They are organised by the Midlands-based The Green Organisation and were judged by members of the Midland Group of Motoring Writers.
Midland Group chairman Ian Donaldson said: “When The Green Organisation asked us for our current green champions we wanted to go further than some other awards and look beyond the official figures and rank our favourites in the real world, taking into account how they performed in our hands.
“We also pointed out to our voting members: ‘As keen drivers, we rate cars on more than simple on-paper figures. Some cars can be both economical and good to drive. We’d like your decision to reflect that too.’ “
The eco-friendly Golf polled many more votes than any other car. And a worthy winner it is too, with one judge commenting that he recorded 82mpg on one leisurely motorway trip and 57mpg on the way home, going as quickly as prudence allowed. He also loved the way the Golf is classy but classless.
Another judge said: “It’s a Golf with a definite conscience”, while another thought ‘It really does work. Out of all the cars here, the Golf BlueMotion is the most impressive all rounder and returns amazing economy figures in practice – while also remaining exceedingly practical and good to drive.”
The awards were handed over by Chris Hopkins, founder and managing director of Ploughcroft, on course to become Britain’s biggest solar panel installer after a successful appearance on The Dragons’ Den, where two of the Dragons bought into his ideas for expansion.
MGMW Green Apple Awards results in full
Small family cars: Nissan Leaf
Larger family cars: Volkswagen Golf 1.6 TDI BlueMotion
Smaller SUVs and 4x4s(all with CO2 below 150 grammes): Skoda Yeti E 2.0 TDI CR
Coupes and Cabriolets:Fiat 500C TwinAir
Luxury cars: Jaguar XJ 3.0D Luxury
