Available as either a spacious hatchback or saloon and now with hybrid power (IMA) the Japanese car is a very interesting proposition. But that’s not all because in the not too distant future we’ll get the hot Type-S and an even hotter Type-R that promises to be every young car fan’s dream.
54 new cars were eligible for the competition and this was narrowed down to just five finalists. As one of the jurors it was a tough task to find an overall winner from some very interesting machines. The ‘B’ segment Civic beat off strong competition from Ford, Opel, Peugeot and BMW to win the coveted title.
The Civic can only be faulted for its ride quality that falls short of the excellent Ford Focus (Semperit Irish Car Of The Year 2005) but in ever other sense the Civic leads its class. Inside the cabin is vast and the split-level dash is funky, modern and well thought out.
The Civic was up against a couple of small hatchbacks, an MPV and an executive cruiser. The Ford S-Max is the most desirable mini MPV out there. The seven-seater combines good looks with a super interior. Winner of the European Car Of The Year title the S-Max moves the MPV sector on a bit by delivering a driver-orientated car. Under the skin the S-Max is based on the excellent running gear of the new Mondeo that will be launched in Ireland shortly. The stepped floor that is shared with the larger Galaxy helps S-Max deliver a large cargo area. It’s a good looking car with a relatively low roofline that makes it look less like a converted van.
The Opel Corsa was always going to be a contender for top spot and perhaps lost out in the voting as the super-mini class had two entrants (Peugeot 207 & Corsa) and this may have diluted the little German’s vote. Corsa is genuinely innovative and safe. There is no doubt it will sell very well especially with CBC as a standard feature. Cornering brake control helps you if you overcook it when cornering by applying more braking power to an individual wheel to tighten the car into the turn. There are other clever design features you can read about in the Motors Archive.
The Peugeot 207 is an attractive car that will always find a fashion conscious following. Taking over the mantle from the 206, the 207 is larger in every dimension plus you can even select the type of nose on the car!
BMW has a super car with the 3 Coupe and I can only imagine that its relatively high price went against it. There is no denying that the Bavarian Coupe is a stunning car to drive and I, along with my fellow jurors, would truly love to have a 335 in the garage.
The 27 members of the Irish Motoring Writers Association voted using proportional representation in the following way:
1. Honda Civic (94 points)
2. Ford S-Max (77 points)
3. Opel Corsa (76 points)
4. Peugeot 207 (65 points)
5. BMW 3 Series Coupe (54 points)
Michael Sheridan
