Industry praise for Volkswagen Fleet

The Best lower medium car is chosen by readers of Fleet News magazine who make decisions on choosing vehicles for their own company fleet.

In summarising the award, ‘The seventh-generation Golf improves on its predecessor in every area with more space, better quality, better driving characteristics and lower running costs. Instantly recognisable, the Mk VII’s sharper, more purposeful exterior design matches an all-new interior with a raft of new features, higher equipment levels and more efficient engines. In a competitive sector, the Golf offers the best all-round package.’

The Fleet News Judges’ commented further: ‘The Golf is the best all-rounder in its class – it ticks every fleet box. Volkswagen has moved the game on by improving handling, while interior quality is much more premium in look and feel. The winner of this award was a no-brainer.’

The Volkswagen Touran makes a return for 2013. The original model debuted in 2003 and the Touran has since established itself as a sector stalwart with the German firm’s usual top build quality and plenty of room.

A heavy revision in 2010 brought the Touran up to date with the Golf and added a series of cleaner engines. Of greatest note to business car operators is the 1.6-litre TDI BlueMotion model, which emits 121 g/km and returns up to 61.4 mpg on the combined cycle.

 

City Car: Volkswagen up!

The Volkswagen up! has taken the BusinessCar readers’ favourite - and deservedly so as it’s a truly intelligent small car that moves the segment’s game along in a big way.

Compact though the exterior is, the inside has been carved out exceptionally well. Yes, it’s small, but there genuinely is enough room for a pair of average-sized adults in the rear, and the ride and refinement are also impressive given the size of the car.

A single 1.0-litre petrol engine is the only choice here but it makes perfect sense. Running costs are suitably minimal too, with fuel economy ranging from 60.1 mpg through to 68.9 mpg on the combined cycle, and CO2 no higher than 106 g/km with a low of 95 g/km.

New Company Car of the Year is chosen by readers of Fleet News who make decisions on seeking vehicles for their own organisations' fleet. The Passat secured the highest number of reader votes to win the title of 'New Company Car of the Year'.

The latest generation is testament to the Passat's continuing popularity and can be attributed to a number of factors, which is undoubtedly the car's achievement of setting new benchmarks in efficiency, quality and innovation to make it among the most advanced cars in its class, as well as one of the safest.

Volkswagen's new small car, the up! has claimed another award, being named Best City Car in the 2012 Fleet World Honours.

The Fleet World Honours are presented annually, and the judging process combines the expert opinion of the Fleet World editorial team with the objective values provided by a number of leading leasing companies and fleet data providers.

Commenting on the up!, Fleet World Editor, Steve Moody, said: 'Volkswagen's up! is a breath of fresh air, managing to be both characterful and practical, retro and modern. A clever infotainment system, bright spacious cabin and parsimonious three-cylinder engines ensure the up! is a classy addition to the sector.'

The Volkswagen up! is a small car in need of a large trophy cabinet. The Fleet World Honour will be added to its list of current awards which includes small/city car accolades from CarBuyer website and Top Gear magazine, as well as the overall What Car? Car of the Year and 2012 World Car of the Year titles.