The BMW i3 is the first ever United Kingdom Car of the Year (UKCOTY). Why is that significant? With no shortage of automotive awards in the British Isles, a group of motoring journalists decided to create an independent set of car awards that fit somewhere between those given by a single magazine and those representing an entire region or continent, and that would provide the UK motoring public with education and advice on the best new cars on the market. While some aspects of driving in the UK differ from how we do it in the U.S., there are enough similarities that the opinions of our former landlords can be considered when we examine those cars that are also available here.
The 27 professional journalists comprising the awards panel cover the entire automotive industry and they represent all corners of the UK. (The United Kingdom, by the way, includes the island of Great Britain plus Northern Ireland, but not the Republic of Ireland.) The judges—many of whom drive in more than 300 different cars a year—are some of the most respected names in automotive journalism. The publications for whom the panelists write reach more than 80 million consumers a month.
2014 is the first year for the UKCOTY awards, so we presume the judges for the first ever awards wanted to get it right. Even though most of us here in the U.S. won’t drive these cars on British or Irish highways, we can still have an opinion on whether the UKCOTY judges got it right for the cars we have in common. So let’s get back to the cars that most interest us.
The 2014 BMW i3 is the first ever UK Car of the Year but that was only after it qualified as the best car in the UKCOTY Supermini category. Writer Matt Joy summed up his reason for the vote, saying the BMW i3 “makes the fundamental leap for the electric car, namely that it is desirable for reasons other than its eco credentials. Clever, modern, and great to drive and, considering the technology behind it, good value.” Journalist Mike Brewer added, “i3 is a proper, forward-thinking car, which offers the best demonstration of hybrid and electric technology in the automotive world so far.”
The i3 had to contend with ten other category winners before it was picked as 2014 Car of the Year, including machines from Porsche, Land Rover, Audi, Citroen, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Skoda, Ford, and even the i3’s much bigger brother, the BMW 5 Series, which won the Best Executive Car category.
In the end, with all those other cars to consider, almost half of the 27-member judging panel voted for the BMW i3. “Alternative vehicles have made a big impression on UK car buyers in recent years, and the i3 takes things to the next level,” said John Challen, Managing Director of UK Car of the Year Awards, and Editor of ukcoty.co.uk. “It might be a new direction for BMW, but the i3 successfully retains the driving characteristics from BMW’s more established models.” BBC Top Gear’s Tom Ford commented that the “i3 moves the game on for urban and inter-urban transport. It is clever, exciting, useful and desirable.”
Let’s not forget the other BMW that made it to the finals. The i3 may be the new kid, but the BMW 5 Series has been carrying BMW’s water for decades. It’s no surprise to us that it wins awards in the UK—or anywhere else. In selecting the 5 Series as Executive Car of the Year, Simon McBride declares it, “All the car you’ll ever need. Exuding quality, it mixes driving enjoyment with executive style. Whether it’s a ‘fruity’ diesel engine or a ‘pokey’ petrol unit you will enjoy jumping into the 5 Series every single time.” Ben Whitworth adds, “None of its European or Japanese rivals can come close to matching the 5’s consummate blend of style, performance, intelligent engineering, and outright desirability.”
Granted, not all that many American cars make it to the UK, so it would be interesting to see how the best according to the Brits would stand up to a more eclectic mix that included the best of the U.S. Still, given the proliferation of car-of–the-year awards from many U.S. automotive publications, maybe we should take a page from the U.K. and convene a panel of our best motoring journalists from across America to determine the U.S. Car of the Year.—Scott Blazey
Visit the UK Car of the Year Awards web site at http://ukcoty.co.uk/
