Erik
December 14th, 2006, 16:41
Sports Car of the Year: BMW Z4 Coupe
It's ugly as sin. Genuinely ugly. The soft-top version of the Z4 is striking, sure, but at least it mellows with age. The Coupe doesn't. But that's part of what makes it great. It sits belligerently on the road, giving a two-finger salute to conservative styling.
The performance is equally distinctive. It gives you more power than you'll ever need and sounds like an ogre trying to digest a nuclear warhead. Yes, the suspension's a touch hard and the steering could do with a bit more feel, but we don't care: the Z4 Coupe is as much fun as you can have for 30 grand.
Executive Car of the Year: Citroen C6
Citroen doesn't play by the rules. As other manufacturers ruthlessly shave millimetres and milligrams off their exec barges in pursuit of glacial perfection, Citroen has happily pursued its own decadent, artistic and utterly unique vision with the C6.
The C6 won't beat BMW round the Nürburgring, or out-clever Lexus, but it just looks and feels right. With its curving, concave glass, pop-up rear spoiler and dramatic overhangs, the C6 is an event to look at - even when it's sitting still. No other executive car talks to its driver in the same way.
Limo of the Year: Lexus LS600h
A five-litre, four-wheel-drive V8 stretch limo with hybrid drive? Hmm. As an eco-friendly proposition, the LS600h doesn't make sense, but it's an astonishing bit of kit and more relevant than you might think.
Lexus/Toyota is so far ahead of most other manufacturers that we could well be looking back on this limo as an eco-pioneer in years to come. And in its own right, the LS600h is astonishing - quiet, endowed with almost limitless power and stuffed with toys. No, it's not going to save the planet, but it might be a step in the right direction.
And here's the rest of our award winners:
Dream Car of the Year: Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder
Brash, ostentatious and incredibly loud, the Lambo Gallardo Spyder is a proper supercar. We love it.
SUV of the Year: Land Rover Freelander 2
The Freelander 2 is more sophisticated and comfortable than ever, and it still rules the off-road roost.
Small Car of the Year: Mini Cooper S
It's not easy to tell apart from its predecessor, but the new Mini Cooper S is the most fun car we've driven this year.
Supercar of the Year: Ferrari 599 GTB
Blisteringly fast but beautifully behaved on the road, the Ferrari 599 GTB is a near-perfect supercar.
Roadster of the Year: Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe
We knew Mazda would do a good job with the MX-5 RC. But we didn't expect it to be even better than the soft-top.
GT of the Year: Jaguar XK
Stunning to behold and great to drive, the Jag XK stirs the soul like no other GT out there.
Coupe of the Year: Audi TT
The Audi TT has always been a looker, but now it has the performance to match.
Big Car of the Year: Ford S-Max
A sport-flavoured MPV? It sounds improbable, but the S-Max somehow adds up.
Family Car of the Year: Citroen C4 Picasso
Citroen's brilliantly original C4 Picasso is clever enough to keep the whole family entertained.
http://www.topgear.com/content/news/stories/1429/
It's ugly as sin. Genuinely ugly. The soft-top version of the Z4 is striking, sure, but at least it mellows with age. The Coupe doesn't. But that's part of what makes it great. It sits belligerently on the road, giving a two-finger salute to conservative styling.
The performance is equally distinctive. It gives you more power than you'll ever need and sounds like an ogre trying to digest a nuclear warhead. Yes, the suspension's a touch hard and the steering could do with a bit more feel, but we don't care: the Z4 Coupe is as much fun as you can have for 30 grand.
Executive Car of the Year: Citroen C6
Citroen doesn't play by the rules. As other manufacturers ruthlessly shave millimetres and milligrams off their exec barges in pursuit of glacial perfection, Citroen has happily pursued its own decadent, artistic and utterly unique vision with the C6.
The C6 won't beat BMW round the Nürburgring, or out-clever Lexus, but it just looks and feels right. With its curving, concave glass, pop-up rear spoiler and dramatic overhangs, the C6 is an event to look at - even when it's sitting still. No other executive car talks to its driver in the same way.
Limo of the Year: Lexus LS600h
A five-litre, four-wheel-drive V8 stretch limo with hybrid drive? Hmm. As an eco-friendly proposition, the LS600h doesn't make sense, but it's an astonishing bit of kit and more relevant than you might think.
Lexus/Toyota is so far ahead of most other manufacturers that we could well be looking back on this limo as an eco-pioneer in years to come. And in its own right, the LS600h is astonishing - quiet, endowed with almost limitless power and stuffed with toys. No, it's not going to save the planet, but it might be a step in the right direction.
And here's the rest of our award winners:
Dream Car of the Year: Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder
Brash, ostentatious and incredibly loud, the Lambo Gallardo Spyder is a proper supercar. We love it.
SUV of the Year: Land Rover Freelander 2
The Freelander 2 is more sophisticated and comfortable than ever, and it still rules the off-road roost.
Small Car of the Year: Mini Cooper S
It's not easy to tell apart from its predecessor, but the new Mini Cooper S is the most fun car we've driven this year.
Supercar of the Year: Ferrari 599 GTB
Blisteringly fast but beautifully behaved on the road, the Ferrari 599 GTB is a near-perfect supercar.
Roadster of the Year: Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe
We knew Mazda would do a good job with the MX-5 RC. But we didn't expect it to be even better than the soft-top.
GT of the Year: Jaguar XK
Stunning to behold and great to drive, the Jag XK stirs the soul like no other GT out there.
Coupe of the Year: Audi TT
The Audi TT has always been a looker, but now it has the performance to match.
Big Car of the Year: Ford S-Max
A sport-flavoured MPV? It sounds improbable, but the S-Max somehow adds up.
Family Car of the Year: Citroen C4 Picasso
Citroen's brilliantly original C4 Picasso is clever enough to keep the whole family entertained.
http://www.topgear.com/content/news/stories/1429/