5 best European cars over the past 5 years
At the International Motor Show in Geneva, the winner of the competition “Best European car” was announced. In 2014, it was the Peugeot 308, which unexpectedly won the BMW i3 and Tesla Model S electric cars that were considered favorites. However, surprises in this category occur almost every year. And today we will tell about the five best cars in Europe, which have become such in the past five years.
Peugeot 308. 2014 year
Before the start of the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, critics had a lively debate on which car would be recognized as the best European car. The main contenders were considered electric BMW i3 and Tesla Model S – the most promising cars of our time, received a lot of positive feedback from around the world. But the decision of the jury, consisting of journalists specializing in automotive topics, gave the high title to the 5-door hatchback of the Peugeot 308.
This car, a new variation of which was presented to the public in the fall of 2013, is not electric, as its main competitors. However, it was created with all the characteristics of a modern European car – the Peugeot 308 is compact, lightweight (140 kilograms less than the previous version of this model), and its carbon footprint is extremely minimal at 85 g / km, which is quite important in the Old World.
The Peugeot 308 is also one of the best cars in Europe in terms of safety, both for people in the cabin and for pedestrians.
Second place: BMW i3
Third place: Tesla Model S
Also nominated: Skoda Octavia, Mazda3, Citroen C4 Picasso, Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Volkswagen Golf. year 2013
In 2013, the best in Europe was a new incarnation of the classic Volkswagen Golf. The nominees, as in all previous years since the appearance of the competition (1964), were rated for design, comfort, safety, economy, manageability, performance, functionality, environmental friendliness, price-performance ratio, as well as subjective assessments based on the impressions of the jury members, who drove the car.
The Volkswagen Golf of the seventh generation, though outwardly practically indistinguishable from the previous version of this model, is actually built on a completely new Volkswagen Group MQB platform and does not have a single body part with its predecessor. Thanks to the use of new technologies, it is easier, more economical and safer.
Volkswagen Golf in 2013 was also the best car in Japan. And this title has never before been awarded to foreign cars in history.
Second place: Subaru BRZ / Toyota GT86
Third place: Volvo V40
Also nominated: Ford B-Max, Hyundai i30, Mercedes-Benz A-class, Peugeot 208, Renault Clio
Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera. year 2012
The title of the Best European Car in 2012 received two cars at once – the Chevrolet Volt and the Opel Ampera, which, however, were created on the same platform and are a single model produced in different countries under different brands.
The Chevrolet Volt is a compact 5-door hybrid that can travel on a single full battery charge in electric mode up to 65 kilometers, which can be added to the 500 km that the car travels on a gasoline engine.
Second place: Volkswagen Up!
Third place: Ford Focus
Also nominated: Citroën DS5, Fiat Panda, Range Rover Evoque, Toyota Yaris
Nissan Leaf. 2011
In 2014, the BMW i3 and Tesla Model S were the main contenders for the title of the best cars in Europe, and in 2011 almost no one believed that Nissan Leaf could be the first electric car launched into mass production and mass sales worldwide .
