In-depth: the winners of the 2018 Autocar Awards

In-depth: the winners of the 2018 Autocar Awards

Amidst the sea of new vehicles launched in the past year, here are the best which are worthy of mentioning.

FIVE-STAR CAR: Rolls-Royce Phantom

Greatness could easily make the good people of Rolls-Royce Motors Cars Limited complacent, couldn’t it? Think about it. What an unbelievably powerful brand they’ve got. Does any other car-maker in the world have the right to aim to make such an uncompromising luxury car? Not even Mercedes with its S-Class, probably – and that fact has to make the working life of the everyone at the company more simple, from designers and engineers right down to the men and women building the cars on the factory floor.

Spirit of Ecstasy

And while we’re on the subject of power – did you know, those Goodwood wizards also made this car quicker-accelerating, both from rest to 100mph and from 30- to 70mph though the gears, than a Ford Focus RS: one of the naughtiest hot hatchbacks on the planet?

The Autocar road test delights in nuggets of information like that, although in the Phantom’s case the more relevant ones concern cruising refinement. At stationary idle, there is just 34db of audible cabin noise in the car: the background hum of most UK cities is louder. At 70mph, the Phantom allows just 60db to disturb its ‘patrons’ – and most saloons are noisier at 30mph.  

What's new?

The new Phantom is slightly shorter, with a stiffer monocoque, than the last generation version but is also heavier than what went immediately before. It has adaptive air suspension, adaptive dampers, active anti-roll bars, four-wheel steering and pioneering noise-insulation runflat tyres – which is a hell of a lot going on. Imagine being the engineer whose job it was to make it the most comfortable, hushed and easily drivable saloon car in the world – at 2780kg and 5.76 metres, by the way. What on earth would change first? When would you know your job was done? Those fellers’ laptops must be as powerful as the V12 engines they work with.

What's inside?

Simple, perhaps, but clearly not easy. It isn’t easy, for example, to create a car with the staggering technological complexity of the eighth car in all to bear the Phantom nameplate, built on a brand new model architecture, and make it function with such immaculate refinement, polish, comfort and grace, straight out of the box, as this. The car’s ride isn’t just comfortable: it’s everything you really ever expected of the grandest car in the world. A dream made real, almost.

Verdict

That gives you a flavour of what the new Rolls-Royce Phantom does, but it’s to say nothing of everything it is: truly extravagant and grand, inviting and special to be in, glistening with unmatched sense of occasion. And much too large to fit in a Starbucks drive thru.

The fact is, millionaires would still line up to buy a Phantom if it were half as single-mindedly and brilliantly executed. The car could be a fraction as wonderful to drive as it plainly is and it wouldn’t matter. But it plainly matters to some. And to us. And to the pride of so many at a company that seems to be going stronger now than ever in one of the most celebrated histories in the industry.

FIVE STAR CAR: Alpine A110

Some cars are far greater than the sum of their parts, and while we produce a detailed assessment every week that breaks its subject down in so many sections, it’s not a magazine test – unlike so many – whose verdict you could arrive at with a spreadsheet. It earns the right to pronounce on a car as a whole by first understanding it in detail. 

Big impact in a little package

And whether you’ve skipped ahead to read that recommendation already or not, little more needs to be mentioned here about its refreshingly simple, old-school sports car vibe, the immediacy and accessibility of the driver appeal it has, or the fact that it clearly needn’t be the very fastest or the most dynamically sophisticated car of its kind to stand out a mile for fun factor. What else does an affordable sports car need? Very little, you might say – although the A110’s brilliantly resolved retro styling is one hell of a way to seal the deal.

BRITAIN'S BEST DRIVER'S CAR: Porsche 911 GT3

This isn’t the first time we’ve had this dilemma. Do we invite back last year’s winner, as is our protocol, and as was on this occasion the Porsche 911 R, even if it’s no longer available? Or do we pick a version of the car that has, effectively, superseded it (in this case, the Porsche 911 GT3)? After all, you can’t realistically have them both there now, can you? So we made the sensible call: bring the new one, the one you can buy; or, at least, the one that is as available as any Porsche from the Weissach GT division. And trust that they’ve made it better or that, at least, it’d hold a candle to the previous year’s winner.

On the track

It would. The 911 R – winner of this contest in 2016 – was a truly special driver’s car, lightened, focused for the road, spellbinding on a circuit. And only a few months after that competition in 2016, I was back on the same roads and same Anglesey circuit in a 911 GT3, finding that the engine was even more special, the steering and handling full of the best purity of GT 911s.

Drivers car

For Biritish Best Driving's Car in 2017, though, we decamped to Castle Combe, a circuit we like very much, with realistically twisty, narrow, roads nearby. And it rained a great deal. Some cars excel on a circuit in conditions like this. The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrofoglio is one such charming car, whose drivers warmed to this sports saloon car so much that it narrowly missed out on a podium finish. That’s remarkable for a four-door car, which usually prop up the tail end of a contest like this.

Porsche vs Aston Martin

Then there’s the big, lazy, long-wheelbased Aston Martin DB11 with a V8 engine, for example, but no matter how easy and playful it is on a circuit, it was too wide and too grand of touring capability to engage like a 911 on the road. But still, 3rd overall out of the 11 best driver’s cars we’d experienced all year is pretty good going for what will be Aston Martin’s softest car.

Porsche vs McLaren

But it was the McLaren 720S that ran the GT3 the closest: five points, which out of a total of 200 is nothing, separated the Porsche from the McLaren. The 720S’s hydraulically-assisted steering is glorious, its handling impeccably balanced, to the extent that by two points (92 plays 90, out of 100), our testers rated the 720S higher as a track car. Which goes to show you what Porsche has achieved with the GT3 as a road car, because by 93 points to 86 the Porsche was our preferred steer on asphalt.

It’s so compact, visibility is so good, and its steering brims with information that it’s a real pleasure, utterly engaging, to drive it even in crummy weather at modest speeds along average country roads. And that is, let’s face it, what most of our leisure driving involves. It’s a car for high days and holidays, yes, but everyday and normal days, too.

BEST AFFORDABLE DRIVER'S CAR: Honda Civic Type R

As with supercars, the hot hatch market is dominated by cars that do very specific things. Yeah, sure, they’re all hatchbacks and they’re hot – they’ve all got that in common. But the lines of demarcation are quite clear. A Volkswagen Golf GTI is a sound everyday driver with a degree of entertainment, a Golf R turns up part of that but stays useable.

A Ford Focus ST is like a GTI, but a touch more focused; a Fiesta ST more focused again and a Focus RS the one you wouldn’t necessarily pick to drive every day, because it’s as keen to drive as a Renault Megane RS. Which is a bit like the RS, only less powerful, very keen to turn and ropier inside.

Performance

Against all of these, a Honda Civic Type R hasn’t always known what to be. The previous-generation car, conceived very late in that model’s life cycle, spent two years as the bad, raucous one with fewer dimensions than a sheet of A2 paper.

The current Civic, though, is a different machine entirely. Honda developed the Civic from the outset with the Type R in mind, and the rest of the range was sometimes compromised to accommodate the Type R’s requirements – a flat floor, an unusually low seating position and roof. The result is a Type R that is not just determined to lap the Nordschleife quicker than any other front-drive hatchack, although that’s a feat it also manages, but also a car with real dynamic dexterity. It doesn’t just handle, it steers and rides, too. It isn’t just fast in a straight line, it’s also refined and relaxed should you engage sixth on a motorway and chill into its high-speed comfort. 

All rounder

It is, then, the most unusual of things: a car that can do it all. So perhaps it’s no surprised that when it came up against those that were singing along to their traditional strengths, the Honda arrived playing a slightly different tune, an amalgam of all the others too but with its own chorus. It now has nothing to fear from any of the competition in any area.

The win gained it a seat at our overall Driver’s Car contest where it also acquitted itself remarkably well, given the competition it was up against. It’s our favourite hot hatchback. It’s our favourite hot hatchback, though we suspect the arrival of anew Renault Sport Megane will mean that it’ll have to work harder than ever to retain that title this year.

READERS' CHAMPION: Honda Civic Type R

Spare a thought for the MkI Audi S3, because only 0.5% of more than 4250 responders reckoned it was the best hot hatchback of all time. Instead there was a considerable landslide for the latest Honda Civic Type R, which may or may not have anything to do with Type R owners and their predilection for going online. Anyway it took an astonishing 20% of the overall vote, to become the Autocar reader's champion, more than twice as many as the next contender, the Lancia Delta Integrale, which was – by one measly solitary single vote – more popular than the third-placed Peugeot 205 GTi.  Alfa Romeo’s Alfasud and the Ford Fiesta ST were next up, with notable mentions too for the Alfa 147 GTA, BMW M140i, Ford Focus RS (Mk3), VW Golf GTI (MkI), VW Golf GTI (Mk7) and RenaultSport Clio Trophy.

In case you want to really know how diverse the field and the voting were, though, know that the most popular vote, overall, was for ‘none of the above’. Some 29% of you picked a car that hasn’t been mentioned on the above list. And if you’re one of the 85 people who said it was the RenaultSport Megane Trophy R, I’m with you.

USED CAR HERO: Vauxhall Insignia

Say hello to the Vauxhall Victor. Well, if only we could. Insignia sounds like a disease you could catch or a dodgy tattoo. Otherwise there is an awful lot to like about what is, a good old-fashioned company car and estate. The latter is something that the Insignia pretty much celebrates. Right back to the old days the basic S came with air conditioning, electric mirrors, cruise control and audio controls on the steering wheel. An SE and Elite really deliver the goods of course. There is an Insignia for everyone. If you want to be naughty, an SRi is a move in the right direction and onto the pleasantly bonkers four wheel drive VXR.

Updates over the years

From 2013 there was a major upgrade when it came to engines, spec, suspension and interior, so you will see a slight price spike between the models. Embracing the diesel engine isn’t difficult with the Insignia, not least because the average mpg can go beyond 70mpg by choosing carefully. If you are obsessed by the BiK implications, then there’s a 99g/km 2.0 CDTi that qualifies for zero road tax. So shape up Vauxhall and give your car a proper Victory V type name. 

GAME CHANGER: Kia Stinger GT

With the new Stinger, that’s exactly what Kia has gone and built. The significance of this new vehicle should not be overlooked. Not only is it appealing on the basis of its looks alone, what with it’s long bonnet, swooping fastback roofline, squat, muscular stance and eye-catching ‘tiger nose’ grille - a signature Shreyer design cue; but also in terms of what it can do on the road. 

Developed at the Nurburgring

This is a car that’s intended to show to the world that Kia is also a force to be reckoned with when it comes to creating engaging, dynamically focussed, rear-driven drivers’ cars worthy of being compared against Europe’s finest. It brought former BMW M Division man Albert Biermann into the fold to play a leading role in the Stinger’s development, and spent hours developing its new grand tourer on the track at the hallowed Nurburgring Nordschleife.

Under the hood

Of course, such ambition needed to be backed up by a suitably exciting powertrain, hence the availability of a 365bhp, twin-turbocharged V6 engine capable of taking the fastest of Stingers from a standstill to 60mph in 4.7 seconds. So confident is Kia in the appeal of this range-topping Stinger that it expects an equal sales mix split between it and the cooking petrol and diesel models. Most astonishing, though, is Kia’s admission that the Stinger is the first car it has put into production with the knowledge it may not necessarily make a profit. As a statement of intent and as a sign of things to come, the Stinger demands recognition.

GAME CHANGERS: Volvo XC40

Volvo’s XC40 isn’t a game changer because of what it brings to the automotive landscape. We’ve had compact SUVs before. Dozens of them, from numerous manufacturers, across a wide range of price points. In this sense, the baby Volvo SUV does not reinvent the wheel.

What's new?

Where it shines through and, indeed, where it lays claim to its game-changer status, is through the way in which it goes about fulfilling the compact SUV brief so completely and compellingly. Volvo, like all car manufacturers worth their salt, know that this market segment is a crucial one; one that has the potential to seriously change a company’s fortunes for the better.

However, instead of rushing the XC40 through its development phase in order to ensure it had something to show to customers on the dealership floor, it took its time to ensure that its execution was given due diligence.

Development

Thus there was the development of the new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform to underpin not just the XC40 but also all of Volvo’s smaller vehicles in future, as well as a number of Chinese-built Geely models. This new platform not only affords the Swedish manufacturer the ability to make good on its commitment to electrify all of its vehicles by 2019 but, in the words of former R&D boss Peter Mertens, enables Volvo to offer customers “the same premium engineering benefits as owners of larger cars”.

Design

Then there’s the way the XC40 looks, being both distinctively Volvo in its boxy, practical shape, but also a great deal funkier and youthful than its larger XC60 and XC90 stablemates. This is no doubt a by-product of the fact that the original sketch its exterior design was based on was penned by Brit Ian Kettle, who is only now in his very early 30s. And, of course, Volvo’s pledge to reduce the number of deaths or serious injuries that occur in its cars to zero by 2020 means the XC40 is brimmed with advanced safety tech, too.

The result is a compact SUV that’s refined, comfortable, and relaxing when you want it to be, but also one that doesn’t turn its nose up at being hustled along when the mood takes you. It’s safe, practical enough, and attractive both inside and out. It’s not particularly ground-breaking, but it sets the bar of what makes a truly desirable compact crossover that much higher. And that’s certainly an achievement that warrants congratulations.

GAME CHANGER: Audi A8

You may recall from only a few years back an Audi publicity campaign that involved a camouflaged RS7 lapping the Hockenheimring at speeds of up to 150mph. Nothing unusual there – with four-wheel drive and a twin-turbo V8, that is one sensationally quick four-door coupe. Except that nobody was in it; this particular RS7 was driverless. The incipient fruits of the expertise gained from that project – and many more besides – are manifest in the new flagship A8 saloon, which is the most technologically advanced road car the company has ever built.

Electric drivetrain

More so than the 48-volt electric architecture that allows this luxury behemoth to coast, engine-off, for up to 40 seconds, or the three-chamber air suspension that comes as standard on all A8 models, or the active electromechanical suspension that reads the topography of the road ahead and adjust accordingly, it’s the car’s ability to operate at certain times without human control that separates it from the pack and marks it out as something that moves the game on.

Technology

Using a suite of technologies that sit under the umbrella of ‘Audi AI’ – more than 40 systems consisting of sensors this is the first production car capable of highly autonomous, SAE-certified Level 3 driving.

That is the final stage before full Level 4 autonomy and allows the A8 to cruise entirely unsupervised and unaided by fleshy inputs in congested motorway traffic at speeds of up to 37mph. Should speeds rise above that or the train of vehicles ahead breaks up, the Traffic Jam Pilot (as the system is known) alerts the driver that they need to take to the wheel again. There is also a small camera in the cabin that detects if the driver tires or falls asleep. In light of this, the fact it will park itself in either a bay or a garage is almost incidental.

Competition

Owing to this capability for alleviating with the use of sophisticated software the demands on its driver during particularly taxing circumstances, the A8 is a true pioneer in a pioneering class. Given it is a class that includes rival technological heavyweights in the form of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series and, a relatively recent arrival, Tesla’s all-electric Model S, that is no mean feat and as such deserves recognition.

GAME CHANGER: Hyundai i30 N

Cracking any new segment is a wildly difficult undertaking in the automotive industry, let alone if it happens to be one so popular, nuanced and fiercely competitive as that of the hot hatch. Hyundai has nevertheless achieved such a feat, with a version of its i30 fettled to the standards of the marque’s incipient performance division – ‘N’. 

Handling

Such has been its impact that the i30N is a performance car Autocar now rates more highly than rivals from established marques, such as the Ford Focus ST and Peugeot 308 GTi. This is not least because of the involvement inherent in the driving experience and a mechanical specification that can stand up to any competitor not endowed with expensive four-wheel-drive hardware.

There are customisable settings for the adaptive dampers, steering rack, limited-slip differential, stability control, exhaust and engine mapping, and all for a price that undercuts the field – notably even the Volkswagen Golf GTI in its most basic form. Such impressive performance, intent and usability for a relatively modest outlay, and at the first time of asking, is why the i30N secures game-changer status.

The good and the bad

The signs something special was brewing not only at Hyundai’s Namyang research and development centre in South Korea but also at its Nürbrugring Test Centre were evident for some time. The brand invested heavily in engineering talent, not least in hiring Albert Biermann to oversee the project. Biermann was formerly head of engineering at BMW M, and his fingerprints are all over this car; they’re in the reassuringly meaty control weights, particularly that of the steering, and they’re in the N Mode that allows the driver to access all his or her favourite settings at the push of a button.

They’re also in the fact that the electronic safety net of the i30N can be switched off entirely, something emblematic of its unusual sense of focus. We shouldn’t forget either that Hyundai has for several years competed in the World Rally Championship, and with no small success. This car might have come as a surprise to some, but in reality the timing was just right.

The i30N is flawed – the cabin is dark and plain, the damping lacks polish on British roads, and the boosty engine needs to be more linear in its delivery – but it’s a gutsy, engaging and likeable first attempt at a full-fat hot hatch from a manufacturer that seems to be a sleeping giant when it comes to engineering performance cars for European drivers. 

GAME CHANGER: Nissan Leaf

Nissan’s purely electric hatchback is already a game-changer, having sold to the tune of more than 300,000 units since its introduction in 2010. No zero-emission rival has managed to bottle quite the same blend of range and usability at an affordable price, though several have come increasingly close.

It’s why the second-generation model represents such a towering achievement for Nissan. Simply, this car moves the Leaf out ahead of it would-be rivals once again, with half as much range again as before, 40% more power and 25% more torque. And the kicker? Depending on which trim level you go for, the price of the car has actually fallen by as much as £1500, something for which Nissan deserves high praise indeed. Prices start at £22,790 after the government grant for plug-in cars.

Ride quality

This is more than numbers game, however. Nissan has also made the Leaf better to drive by stiffening the body and thus reducing roll, and the steering is now quicker, too, and weighted to feel more natural than before. Trivialities for a device more concerned with the bigger picture, perhaps, but these things matter even to the many who purchase an electric car on the basis of efficiency. They also help align the Leaf more closely with the high dynamic standards set by the combustion-engined hatchbacks it seeks to supplant.

GAME CHANGER: Jaguar I-Pace

If you seek the personification of a game-changer, this new I-Pace is it. Jaguar, who have spent 70 years building a tradition of low-slung saloons with great-sounding engines topped by elegant alloy cam covers that only just fit under long bonnets, have launched an all-electric car with a short nose, more cabin space than seems decent and practically no sound at all because of the rule-breaking battery-electric propulsion.

Performance and range

But hang on: many traditional Jag qualities are there in spades. Though tall enough to be classed an SUV, the I-Pace is beautiful enough not to look like one. The performance is awesome, what with a 0-60mph time of 4.5 seconds and a 125 mph top speed. And the range (a realistic 240 miles) is enough to calm the fears of new adopters.

Handling

The car is amazingly agile, grips beautifully and feels like a Jag when you’re behind the wheel. Next thing to try will be the refinement and ride quality on Britain’s ropey roads, but given the rest of Jaguar’s achievements with this newest of new cars, we’re very optimistic.