Seven cars have made the shortlist for the European Car of the Year award 2004. They are the BMW 5-series, Fiat Panda, Mazda3, Nissan Micra, Opel Meriva, Toyota Avensis and Volkswagen Golf.
Manufacturers disappointed at not making the short list must include Ford with its C-Max, a car-like MPV with much of the technology of next year's Focus; Renault with its new MPV interpretation of the Scénic; and Citroën, with its five-shapes-in-one Pluriel and C2 small car.
What then of the seven finalists, chosen from an initial list of 35?
The BMW 5-series is a sort of odd-car-out in the grouping. Prestige upmarket models rarely appeal to the European jury members these days, but the 5's raft of innovative technologies, like Active Steering, probably made it hard to ignore. The 530d is regarded as simply the best there is in the upmarket diesel sector and a compelling reason to switch from petrol.
Diesel may also swing votes to the smallest car of the seven, Fiat's Panda. Its innovative 1.2 70bhp Multijet engine brings incredible frugality to driving and, on longer journeys, well over 60mpg is achievable.
Mazda, enjoying a 21st-century renaissance, should do well with its new 3, succeeding the unremarkable 323. The 3 is an everyday car with many of the dynamic qualities of its bigger 6 sibling, runner-up in the 2003 European award to the Renault Mégane. Jury members have already applauded it for driving pleasure.
Nissan's Micra supermini is out to create a fun and funky image with its avant-garde styling. The surprise is that within its compact dimensions there is so much room, and the driving manners are impressive. Micra may lose appeal, however, because it is only one shape; there are really no derivatives. Nissan will doubtless be hoping to repeat the success of its predecessor, the first ever Japanese car to win the European title.
The Opel Meriva's appeal isn't so much performance or driving but rather its highly sophisticated and innovative interior. Opel is showing the jury, and rival car manufacturers, that there are many ways of reshaping the furniture.
Toyota has brought quality and image to its family and fleet car, the Avensis, and is clearly seeking to break away from the "competent but dull" designation that has dogged the previous Avensis and its Carina predecessors. Apart from the quality feel and much-improved driving dynamics, Toyota is making much play of the fact that the new Avensis, with its D-CAT diesel, is the cleanest and greenest diesel on the European market.
The selling factor for jury votes for the VW Golf must include its wide range of engines, quality interiors and a disciplined driving character. If there is a let-down, it has to be the conservative styling. That hasn't apparently mattered too much with the punters; it's now the world's most popular car in terms of number sold.
The real voting starts now for the 58 full-time motoring journalists from 22 European countries as far apart as Russia, Spain, Turkey and Ireland. Each jury member has 25 points to distribute among the short list of seven. Maximum points awarded to any car cannot exceed 10 and no "draws" are allowed (i.e. giving an equal number of points to two top models). The result will be announced on Tuesday, November 18th.
Transparency is an essential tenet of the European award and all jury members have to indicate in a written citation why points were awarded. This is unlike many national competitions, including the Semperit Irish Car of the Year award, organised by the Irish Motoring Writers Association (IMWA), which does not allow for the disclosure of how the voters voted and the reasons why.
The Irish award will be announced two days after the European competition, on November 20th.
Andrew Hamilton represents Ireland on the European car of the year jury