Spotlight: The 2009 Scottish Car of the Year Awards

The Land Rover Discovery 4 named the 2009 Scottish Car of the Year at a glittering awards ceremony at The Fairmont, St Andrews. The latest generation model triumphed over a host of new cars to win the coveted overall title for the first time in the brand’s history.

Organised by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers, the Discovery won the SUV category by a large margin to be considered for the ultimate Car of the Year title, one of the most coveted awards within the British automotive industry.

Bill Caven, President of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers, said: “As always there was a staggering wealth of new cars from which to choose this year. The standard has never been greater and the judges had a lot of tough decisions to make this time around. I think it reflects greatly on the motor industry that it has risen to the challenges being currently placed on them. The standard and build quality of the new breed of vehicles has never been better and the various motor manufacturers deserve enormous praise in achieving this despite difficult financial times. The Land Rover Discovery has always been a huge winner north of the border especially as our driving demands are different from anywhere else in the UK and the latest model has evolved into one of the best vehicles on the road today. The new diesel power-plant is not only cleaner and more fuel efficient but also beautifully flexible that you can’t fail to be impressed by it. In addition, the quality of the hugely versatile seven seat cabin greatly impressed the judges and helped tip the balance in favour of Land Rover.”

John Edwards, managing director for Land Rover UK added: “It’s always fantastic to receive such recognition from the Industry, but to win the overall accolade of Scottish Car of the Year is a real privilege, especially when you consider the strength of the competition and the importance of the Scottish car market to our UK business. And the timing couldn’t have been better – Discovery is 20 years old on November 16. It has certainly evolved over the years but it has always provided – and continues to provide – an unrivalled all-round package to customers.”

Citroën’s C3 Picasso has been named ‘Scottish MPV of the Year’

The C3 Picasso beat off competition from the Kia Soul and Renault Grand Scenic to take home the prestigious accolade. The Citroën compact MPV impressed the judging panel with its design flare, practicality, performance and economy – but it was the overall vehicle quality that ultimately helped it win.

The Scottish MPV of the Year success sits alongside honours from Auto Express, Top Gear, What Diesel and Fleet World, meaning the C3 Picasso has now picked up five awards in just eight months since its launch.

Stephen Park, of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers said; “The C3 Picasso’s success continues Citroën’s winning formula in this category. After all, the C4 Picasso picked up the same award in 2007. We were particularly impressed by the 1.6HDi engine that provides strong, economical power and good overall performance.”

The C3 Picasso has also been short-listed for European Car of the Year 2010.

All-new Mazda3 Named Scotland’s Best Family Car

The all-new Mazda3 impressed judges with its quality, style and driving experience.

The panel of judges said: “Among the weird and wonderful new arrivals in the family car category the all-new Mazda3 stood out ahead of its rivals and pushed the boundaries in each criterion.”

Bill Caven, President of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers commented: “It was a new version of an old favourite, the all-new Mazda3, which our panel rated ahead of the rest. It quickly emerged that this was a car which builds on its predecessor’s proven quality while adding more style and more driving pleasure. Its massively powerful new diesel engine has greater performance with maximum economy. It is no wonder that the all-new Mazda3 ticks all the right boxes when it comes to families making an informed choice regarding their car purchase.

The all-new Mazda3 range priced from £13,500 on-the-road inspired a positive reaction from the judges and tipped it ahead of its rivals including the Volkswagen Golf and Skoda Yeti in the family car category.

Mazda UK managing director Jeremy Thomson added: “We are truly delighted that the all-new Mazda3 has been named Scottish Car of the Year’s ‘Best Family Car’. This award is further confirmation why the Mazda3 is one of the most popular Mazda models; it continues to attract family buyers thanks to its high levels of comfort both visually and technically, significant reductions in CO2 and fuel consumption. In many ways the all-new Mazda3 is a ‘baby Mazda6’ bringing the elegant excitement of that model’s distinctive lines to the small family car sector.”

In other categories the all-new Volkswagen Polo was the ASMW’s top small car while the all-action Ford Focus RS was judged to be the best sporting choice.

New Polo honoured

Despite being placed in a highly competitive category, the new Polo emerged as the clear winner. In presenting the award, the new Polo was praised by the Scottish judges who said: ‘The Polo’s mix of quality and competitive pricing plus a wide range of trim and engine options ensured its place on pole position. If only everything in life was as reliable as our 2009 champion.’

Since the new Polo went on sale in October over 8,000 orders have been taken, an incredible 86 per cent above the projected volume. This interest is expected to be sustained in the New Year with the introduction of the new Polo BlueMotion model which can return 83 mpg on the combined cycle while emitting just 90 g/km of CO2, making it one of the most efficient cars on the market.

Chris Craft, Director of Volkswagen UK, commented: ‘To win this award is a tremendous honour. The Scottish market is incredibly important to us and the Polo accounts for nearly a third of all Volkswagens sold in Scotland. We’re looking forward to even greater success in 2010.’