The jury is still out on European Car of the Year 2003, says Andrew Hamilton who saw the cars last week in Denmark.
Imagine, if you can, all the new car models of 2002 and a lot that we will not see until 2003, on parade in a village near Malin Head, Ireland's most northerly point. With them is an army of technicians, engineers, marketing and PR people and even a few top bosses. The cars and their minders are there for a week, for the benefit of 21 European Car of the Year jury members assessing just what will be the European Car of the Year 2003.
Of course, this didn't happen in Donegal but in northern Denmark, in a hamlet called Tannis. Rogers Sogaard, a veteran Danish motoring journalist, has been running this show for a quarter of a century, and this year was the biggest event in terms of numbers participating and cars present. Nearly 80 cars were present, representing the 30 eligible models for the award with all their derivatives like diesels and estates.
So what was on offer this year? Luxury models were conspicuous, strangely out of place in a country where motor taxation is even more punitive than Ireland. Among them were the latest Volvo XC90 and the Audi A8 and the Volkswagen Phaeton, both VW Group products, but apparently - and confusingly - aimed at different kinds of well-heeled folk.
A rung below, but still posh and upmarket, we had the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Renault's Vel Satis flagship, a new Renault Espace, the Saab 9-3 and the Skoda Superb. Then there were the big volume bread-and-butter models which plausibly attracted most attention. They included Citroen C3, Ford Fiesta with its Fusion sidekick, Honda Jazz, Mazda6, Nissan Primera, Opel Vectra, Renault Megane, Seat Ibiza and Toyota Corolla.
It's likely that the Car of the Year 2003 will emerge from this territory with a majority of these names making it into the final short list of seven.
Citroën C3 should be in there. Citroen's worldwide boss Claude Satinet came to Tannis for a day, full of enthusiasm for the new supermini and its fascinating derivative, the Pluriel. He says that, while C3 itself is spacious and flexible, the real revolution is the Pluriel.
The French clearly do things differently, for Renault's new Megane is a bold step into the future, especially with a rear area that's strongly reminiscent of the Vel Satis. Renault does not place much importance on market research in the style and appearance department. Predicting the future is the designer's job, according to Patrick le Quement, the Renault design chief.
Toyota argued for the ninth generation of the Corolla, claiming European looks and design and a passenger cabin that is longer, wider and higher than European rivals in the segment.
Toyota has been a previous winner of the European Car of the Year accolade with the Yaris supermini. Another Japanese manufacturer, Honda, thinks its new Jazz should get European honours because of the ingenuity of its packaging and the fuel efficiency of its engines.
Seat is set to change its spots, becoming a more upmarket marque, a sort of Alfa Romeo of the VW group. The new Ibiza is stylish but only partially reflects the changing times.
Ford's Fiesta was in both three and five-door forms. The two are surprisingly different. Ford engineers have crafted a different, sleeker profile for the three-door, giving it more sportiness through uprated spring and damper rates. family motoring.
At Tannis, there was a trinity of bigger family cars that all compete with one another, the Opel Vectra, Nissan Primera and Mazda6. All represent a major advance on their predecessors. The old Vectra particularly had prematurely aged. The fresh looks of the new model are complemented with driving dynamics that equate with the Ford Mondeo, regarded as a class leader. Vectra is built on the new Epsilon platform that also accommodates the new Saab 9-3.
Mazda6 also majors on style and space: at 4,745 mm in length, it's longer than the Passat, the Mondeo and Vectra. Topping the line-out is the Sports Wagon, a beefy four-wheel-drive estate with a 163 bhp 2.3 litre engine: it can only enhance the overall image.
In earlier lives, the Nissan Primera offered sporty handling, but dull styling. Finally, Nissan has designed a car that is as good to look at as it is to drive.
What will be European Car of the Year 2003? It's too close to call. Small and medium-
sized models always seem to be preferred to bigger and more luxurious products. Jury members, or a majority of them, appear to like the notion that an everyday car can be exceptional in many ways.
Andrew Hamilton represents Ireland on the jury. The winner will be announced on November 19th.