Honest John Awards 2015: The Winners
Every May we count up all the page views and find out which cars have been the most popular with HonestJohn.co.uk readers over the past year. With the exception of a couple of categories – best Real MPG performer and most highly rated car – the prizes are based on the cars our readers have been the most interested in - so YOU have helped pick these winners.
Most Popular City Car – Hyundai i10
With its classy styling, generous equipment and relaxed, easy driving dynamics it seems the latest incarnation of the Hyundai i10 ticks the right boxes for many car buyers. In fact it won this award in 2014, so it must be a real hit with HonestJohn.co.uk readers.
Editor of HonestJohn.co.uk, Dan Harrison, said: "The Hyundai i10 has retained the top city car spot for 2015, winning the Most Popular City Car for the second consecutive year."
Most Popular Small Hatchback – Ford Fiesta
The Ford Fiesta is almost always at the top of the sales charts, so we know it’s popular with UK car buyers already. Little surprise to see that visitors to HonestJohn.co.uk are also interested in the Fiesta – and rightly so. It’s fun to drive, well made and affordable.
Dan Harrison, Editor of HonestJohn.co.uk, said: "Few small hatchbacks come close to matching the Ford for all-round ability, which is reflected by its unwavering popularity with the readers at HonestJohn.co.uk.”
Most Popular Small Family Car – Citroen C4 Cactus
The C4 Cactus shows Citroen still has the ability to make something exciting and different. The quirky styling bucks mainstream trends, plus the engine range is efficient and the cabin practical. For someone who wants to avoid the default choices it is ideal – and that is reflected in its popularity with HonestJohn.co.uk readers.
Dan Harrison, Editor of HonestJohn.co.uk explains “The C4 Cactus shows Citroen back to its best, with a youthful and funky design that’s backed up with a practical interior and efficient range of petrol and diesel engines.”
Most Popular Large Family Car – Ford Mondeo
Despite its launch being delayed by quite some time, the new Mondeo still has what it takes to impress, with a quality cabin, plenty of technology and enough space for a growing family. Those qualities seem to appeal to HonestJohn.co.uk readers, who visited the Mondeo review more than any other large family car review.
Editor of the website, Dan Harrison, says "The amount of users viewing it has been nothing short of phenomenal and it's easy to see why: it has an upmarket interior, efficient engines and is a great all-rounder."
Most Popular Compact Executive Car – Mercedes-Benz C-Class
The C-Class goes back to what had traditionally made Mercedes-Benz models so popular and prestigious. It’s comfortable, well-styled and comes with the latest engine and safety technology, just like the Mercedes-Benz models of old. It also makes a big leap forward in quality – very important for a Mercedes-Benz.
“The new C-Class is completely distinct from its predecessor, with huge improvements across the board, thanks to a more appealing design and a step up in quality." said Dan Harrison, Editor of HonestJohn.co.uk” Said Dan Harrison, Editor, HonestJohn.co.uk
Most Popular Large Executive Car – BMW 5 Series
A regulat car to appear on this shortlist, the BMW 5 Series remains popular despite having been launched five years ago. It’s not a real surprise, though – it may have been on sale some time but BMW has kept it up to date with new engines and technology, plus it retains its excellent driving dynamics and a top quality interior.
"This has been reflected with our readers viewing habits, with no other model matching the BMW’s popularity in the large executive class. Quite simply, the 5 Series is the best large executive saloon on the market." Said Dan Harrison, Editor of HonestJohn.co.uk
Most Popular MPV – Volkswagen Golf SV
The Volkswagen Golf SV replaces the Golf Plus and offers the same sort of package, but with an added dash of style thanks to attractive new styling. It’s practical too, with an ample boot and plenty of adjustment in the rear seats. As a family car it is hard to fault.
Dan Harrison, Editor of HonestJohn.co.uk said: “It’s a solid, capable and spacious choice of family car... Our readers are big fans of the Golf SV and over the past 12 months no other MPV has come close to matching its popularity.”
Most Popular Crossover – Nissan Qashqai
Not only is the Nissan Qashqai the most popular crossover with HonestJohn.co.uk readers in terms of website traffic, it is also the most popular crossover on sale in the UK based on sales figures. It’s solid, comfortable, practical and easy-to-drive, plus it has an added dash of SUV style. The perfect family car.
Dan Harrison, Editor of HonestJohn.co.uk said “In our opinion the Qashqai is one of the best crossovers money can buy and our readers clearly agree. Over the past 12 months our readers have viewed the Nissan Qashqai more than any other model in its sector.”
Most Popular SUV – Hyundai Santa Fe
Upmarket styling, generous standard equipment, impressive refinement and a relaxing drive combine to make the Hyundai Santa Fe a great choice of SUV. It represents good value for money, plus it has that little bit of luxury that makes you feel special behind the wheel.
“With so much value for money on offer, it’s little surprise to see the Santa Fe become the most popular SUV with the readers of HonestJohn.co.uk.” said Dan Harrison, Editor, HonestJohn.co.uk
Most Popular Convertible – Mazda MX-5 RC
Due for replacement this year with an all-new model, it’s safe to assume the next generation car is in with a good chance of picking up an award or two. The key to the MX-5’s enduring appeal is its simplicity – two seats, a retractable roof and rear wheel drive. It’s balanced, poised, pretty, fun and affordable.
“Clearly the readers of HonestJohn.co.uk agree with us when we say this is one of the UK’s best cars for fun and all-round usability.” Said Dan Harrison, Editor of HonestJohn.co.uk
Most Popular Performance Car – BMW i8
The spectacular-looking i8 is more than an exercise in futuristic styling – it is also revolutionary under the metal. It uses plug-in hybrid technology to deliver both impressive economy and proper sports car performance. It’s a big hit with readers, getting more traffic than rival performance cars over the past year.
“In our opinion the BMW i8 is a glimpse of the future, thanks to its futuristic styling and ground-breaking plug-in hybrid powertrain. Indeed, over the past 12 months, no other performance car has come close to matching the popularity of the i8 at HonestJohn.co.uk” said Dan Harrison, Editor, HonestJohn.co.uk
Most Popular Luxury Car – Audi A7
Rather than a run-of-the-mill executive saloon it seems our readers prefer the coupe-like style of the Audi A7. The review page got more traffic over the past year than any other luxury car page. The A7 offers a top-notch cabin, impressive performance and plenty of panache.
Dan Harrison, Editor of HonestJohn.co.uk said "For those who like to have something that's not quite run of the mill, but still offers luxury and quality, the A7 Sportback is perfect.”
Most Popular Van – Ford Transit Custom
It’s not all about cars – there is also a dedicated Honest John Vans website. The most popular model over the past year was the Ford Transit Custom, which will come as little surprise. The Transit is more or less the benchmark against which other similar vans are measured.
David Ross, Editor of Honest John Vans, said: "For the second year in a row the Ford Transit Custom has won the most popular van category at the Honest John Awards. In our opinion, the Custom is the benchmark by which all other one tonne vans are judged, with the Ford offering a practical load area and a superb range of 2.2 TDCi engines.
Most Popular Classic – Mercedes-Benz W124
The most popular car on the Honest John Classics website has been the Mercedes-Benz W124 not just over the past year, but since the site was launched in 2013. Why? It’s dated beautifully, but can easily keep up with modern traffic; it is enormously practical and well appointed, but simple enough to work on at home.
Readers love it too – "Universally glowing in their praise of the Mercedes-Benz W124, the car has proved a hit with our readers since the site was launched back in May 2013.”
Best Real MPG Performer – Honda Civic Tourer i-DTEC
The Civic Tourer i-DTEC comes close to matching its official figure at the hands of real drivers – which is certainly unusual for current models. On average Real MPG users achieve 93 per cent of the official figure in their diesel Civic Tourers, which equates to a real world 68mpg.
Dan Harrison, Editor of HonestJohn.co.uk, said: “When it comes to real world fuel economy, no other car comes close to the British-built Honda Civic Tourer 1.6 i-DTEC. Practical and spacious, the estate version of the Civic is a winner when it comes to fuel efficiency, with the diesel surpassing all of its rivals.”
Most Highly Rated Car – SEAT Ibiza ST
Readers love the Ibiza ST. It’s the most consistently highly-rated car in the reader reviews section, with owners praising the practicality, efficiency and comfort. Dan Harrison, Editor of HonestJohn.co.uk, said: "When it comes to positive Honest John Owners’ Reviews, no other car can match the SEAT Ibiza ST.
“Indeed, our readers say the Ibiza ST is excellent value and we agree and few other compact estates can match it for refinement or ability."
Car of the Year - Ford Mondeo
The Ford Mondeo has been named Car of the Year at the 2015 Honest John Awards. The Honest John Awards are based on visitors to review pages and over the past year more HonestJohn.co.uk users clicked on the Ford Mondeo than any other car.
Dan Harrison, editor of honestjohn.co.uk, said: “The latest Ford Mondeo has generated a huge amount of interest in its own right and has fought off strong competition to become our most popular large family car and car of the year.
