Honest John Awards 2017: The Winners
The Honest John Awards are back to celebrate the cars that have been the most popular with the readers of HonestJohn.co.uk, over the past 12 months.
Split across 17 categories, the Honest John Awards 2017 are largely based on the cars that have generated the most interest and page views with our two million monthly readers. There are also special categories for the car with the best Real MPG score and the car that has gained the highest ratings in Owners’ Reviews.
Most Popular City Car - Hyundai i10
The stylish and refined Hyundai i10 is the blueprint for the perfect city car. Easy to drive, economical and finished with a generous dose of chic styling, the i10 provides comfortable and spacious urban transport. It's also great value, thanks to Hyundai’s comprehensive five-year warranty,
Over the past 12 months, the i10 has scored more pageviews than any other city car, giving the Hyundai an incredible fourth successive Honest John Award. In our opinion, no small car is more deserving of this high praise than the excellent i10.
Most Popular Small Hatchback – Ford Fiesta
The Ford Fiesta is Britain’s favourite car. In fact, over the past few years, no other car has come close to matching it for sales, which is reflected in the viewing habits of HonestJohn.co.uk readers.
It’s easy to see why everyone loves the Fiesta – it’s easy to drive, practical and backed by an efficient range of petrol and diesel engines. There is also a hothatch ST version, powered by a zesty 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine with 182PS and a 0-62mph sprint time of 6.9 seconds.
Most Popular Small Family Car - Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf is one of the best cars around, thanks to its rewarding drive and premium feel. Available as a hatch or estate, the most-efficient versions of the Golf will officially exceed 70mpg, while the performance-focussed GTI and R variants will provide high octane thrills.
Upmarket and robust, the Golf is a sure fire hit with HonestJohn.co.uk readers, with no other small family car coming close to matching its popularity in terms of page views.
Most Popular Large Family Car - Skoda Superb
Clearly, we’re not alone in our admiration for the Skoda Superb. We think it's one of the best family cars on the market and you clearly agree with the Superb generating more interest than other car in its class.
Over the past 12 months the large and luxurious Skoda has enjoyed unwavering popularity with the readers of HonestJohn.co.uk, with many praising its refinement, style and value for money via Owners’ Reviews.
Most Popular Compact Premium Car - BMW 3 Series
The BMW 3 Series has been a fleet favourite for a number of years, with company car drivers attracted to it premium interior, sharp drive and supple ride quality. As a result, the 3 Series has become the benchmark by which all other executive saloons are judged.
Standard equipment levels are surprisingly high for the 3 Series, with all getting navigation, automatic headlights and parking sensors. Factor in BMW’s excellent build quality and it’s easy to see why it has beaten its rivals to take the Most Popular Compact Premium Car Award for 2017.
Most Popular Large Premium Car - Mercedes-Benz E-Class
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is lavish and luxurious. So much so that it feels more akin to the German carmaker's halo S-Class, with an opulent interior that can be customised with mood lighting, leather seats and panoramic twin screen displays for those in the front.
The ride quality is also limo-like, with a refined range of engines that waft along in near-silence. As you can tell, we’re smitten with the E-Class and so are you, with no other large premium car coming close to matching the popularity of the big and beautiful Mercedes-Benz.
Most Popular MPV - BMW 2 Series Active Tourer
BMW is one of the few carmakers to secure two Honest John Awards in 2017. The second BMW gong goes to the efficient and practical 2 Series Active Tourer.
It might share its engines and platform with the MINI range, but the 2 Series Active Tourer feels every inch a BMW, with excellent build quality and a premium interior that's family friendly and packed with tech.
Most Popular Small Crossover - Honda HR-V
The Honda HR-V has been a huge hit with HonestJohn.co.uk readers, generating more pageviews than any other small crossover, which is impressive given that this is one of the most fiercely competitive areas of the new car market at present.
Based on the Jazz, the HR-V majors on practicality and versatility by packing a useful amount of interior space into its compact dimensions. This means the Honda is easy to park and use in town, while its smooth drive make it a comfortable car for munching up the motorway miles. Fuel costs are also affordable, with claimed economy peaking at 70.6mpg.
Most Popular Crossover - SEAT Ateca
Based on the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Ateca is big, user friendly and capable off-road. It also gets plenty of kit as standard, which means you don't have to raid the costly options list to get the best out of it.
The Ateca is SEAT's first ever crossover and has become an instant hit with the readers of HonestJohn.co.uk, generating more interest than any other car in its class.
Most Popular SUV - Land Rover Discovery Sport
The Land Rover Discovery Sport has secured its second consecutive Honest John Award in 2017, fighting off stiff competition to secure the Most Popular Crossover category. Rugged and refined, the Discovery Sport majors on family-friendly flexibility, thanks to its seven seat and 1700 litres of maximum boot space.
An accomplished off-roader, the Discovery Sport is significantly better than the Freelander – which it replaced in 2015 – with lower running costs and a larger interior. The engines are better too, with the 2.0 diesels returning an official 50+mpg.
Most Popular Performance Car - Porsche 718 Boxster
The Most Popular Performance Car Award always causes a stir in the HonestJohn.co.uk office, but in 2017 our readers choose the Porsche 718 Boxster over all others. As before, the Boxster is packed with pace, while its nimble handling make it perfect for rasping along a B road on a summer’s afternoon.
Obviously, the turbocharged engines caused a few grumbles of discontent with the purists – replacing the six-cylinder units – but most of the fears have proven to be unfounded. The new engines are quicker, more economical and capable of rocketing from 0-62mph in just 4.6 seconds.
Most Popular Convertible - Mazda MX-5
The old MX-5 is widely regarded to be one of the most affordable and fun open top cars you can buy. And it would be fair to say there was a sharp intake of breath when Mazda said it was going to replace it with an all-new model.
However, with the new version, Mazda has achieved the improbable and improved its roadster on every level, with lower fuel costs, faster straight-line performance and a more upmarket interior. If you want excellent driving dynamics and top-down motoring at a fairly reasonable cost, there is simply no better alternative.
Most Popular Luxury Car - Audi A7 Sportback
The Audi A7 Sportback has been named the Most Popular Luxury Car for an incredible fourth successive time. According to feedback via Owners' Reviews, no other car comes close to matching the quality or performance of the A7 Sportback, which probably explains why no other car comes close to matching its popularity.
Designed for those who want executive travel with a sporty slant, the Audi A7 Sportback is available in S and RS trims, which means you can travel to your meetings with a soundtrack that wouldn't be amiss at any race track.
Most Popular Estate - Skoda Octavia
Big, practical and capable of carrying van-like quantities, the Skoda Octavia is perfect for those who want a good, old fashioned family estate. All versions will carry five in comfort, while the 1740 litre boot will accommodate everything from suitcases to household furniture.
The Octavia Estate was given a range of mid-life updates in 2017, with more frugal engines and higher levels of standard equipment. This means even a base model in S trim will feature 16-inch alloys, DAB radio, roof rails and LED daytime running lights.
Most Highly Rated Car - Dacia Logan MCV
The Dacia Logan MCV is the Most Highly Rated Car, according to Owners' Reviews. Over the past 12 months, no other car has come close to matching the satisfaction scores of the Dacia, with owners rating it for economy, handling, comfort and reliability.
With prices starting from £7295, the Logan MCV is the UK’s cheapest new estate on sale and offers a flexible 573 litres of boot space, which extends to 1518 litres with the rear seats down. Add in its robust interior and frugal economy and it’s easy to see why so many buyers rate the Logan MCV so highly.
Best Real MPG Performer - Suzuki Baleno
It's a sad fact of life than just one in 10 cars will achieve its adverted fuel economy. That's why we launched Real MPG, to allow owners and buyers to see how much on-the-road fuel a vehicle really uses.
According to Real MPG data over the past 12 months, the Suzuki Baleno 1.0 BoosterJet is the UK's best car for real world fuel economy, averaging at an impressive 99 per cent of its advertised economy.
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Honest John Car of the Year 2017 - SEAT Ateca
The SEAT Ateca is the Honest John Car of the Year 2017. Over the past 12 months, the crossover has dominated site traffic, with more readers searching for the Ateca than any other new car on sale.
Comfortable, refined and impressive value for money, the SEAT Ateca has impressed the HonestJohn.co.uk team, scoring a maximum five stars out of five. In short, no other crossover comes close to matching the Ateca on price, spec or performance.
