The Ford Mondeo has been voted Continental Irish Car of the Year 2016 by the Irish Motoring Writers’ Association, succeeding the Nissan Qashqai, which took the prestigious title last year.
The announcement of this 39th Irish Car of the Year Award was made at an awards ceremony in Dublin on Friday.
The overall results (with weighted scores ) were as follows:
1. Ford Mondeo (148 points );
2. Volvo XC90 (147 points );
3. Mercedes Benz GLE (144 points );
3. Kia Sorento (144 points );
5. Skoda Superb (140 points ).
The Irish Motoring Writers’ Association judges awarded points on criteria that included design, comfort, safety, economy, handling and performance, as well as driver satisfaction, value for money and technical innovation, with a maximum of 20 points under each heading.
John Galvin, chairman of association, says the Irish motoring writers have selected an exciting model.
"No doubt the 2016 Irish Car of the Year accolade will provide a huge boost to the popularity of the Ford Mondeo in the Irish market, particularly in the context of the current competitive economic environment.”
Reflecting the diversified nature of today’s car market in Ireland, awards were made in six categories:
Continental Irish Small Car of the Year: Opel Corsa.
Continental Irish Compact Family Car of the Year: Honda HR-V.
Continental Irish Medium Car of the Year: Ford Mondeo.
Continental Irish Large Car of the Year: Kia Sorento.
Continental Irish Executive Car of the Year: Volvo XC90.
Continental Irish Performance Car of the Year: Audi TT.
My top vote for the prestigious Continental Irish Car of the Year 2016 went to the Skoda Superb.