Sponsored by Ideas4ADIs Ltd
Training Car Of The Year Award 2007
And the winner is.....
The Vauxhall Corsa
This year we had another record vote in our search for the Training Car of the Year, and once again the Vauxhall Corsa has come out on top, though its share of the vote since last year has dropped from a quarter to a fifth.
Corsa 1.3 CDTi Special Features:
- Air conditioning
- Leather-covered steering wheel
- Sports-style front seats with Morrocana side bolsters
- CD 30 MP3 stereo radio/CD with MP3 format
- 16-inch alloy wheels (steel spare)
- Rain-sensitive windscreen wipers
- Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)
- Cornering Brake Control (CBC)
- Drag Torque Control (DTC)
- Electrically adjustable/heated door mirrors
- Twin front airbags
- Immobiliser
- Electric headlight beam levelling
- Halogen headlights
- Multi-function display panel (with ice warning function)
- Front & rear fog lights
- Tinted glass
- Parking lights
- High level LED brake light
- Adaptive Brake Lights (ABL)
Last year, we counted 67 available variants of the New Corsa, while this year there are a staggering 79 - there's little excuse for not finding a model to suit your school then. However, entry level prices have risen considerably to £9,000, perhaps explaining why its popularity has dropped over the last 12 months. Those who expressed a specific model preference seemed to particularly like the 1.3 CDTi Design, at £12,890 for the five-door model.
The number one reason it's your number one training car is the ease of driving, ideal for beginners. But it's not only for the novice, as the handling is excellent and suits your days off too. You reeled off a huge list of reasons why you love the Corsa, and some of the most popular are the incredible fuel economy (45.6 mpg in urban conditions), the excellent all-round visibility, the spacious interior and its devilish good looks.
Close Behind
The Ford Fiesta is the 2007 Runner-up, retaining its place from last year. Practically every voter who went for the Fiesta pointed out that it was hugely popular with pupils, maybe one to think about if your bookings need a boost.
Third place goes to the funky Citroen C3 - a vast improvement on last year's twelfth place showing, and outshining its smaller sibling the C2 in this year's poll. Economy was the recurring theme with this car, so if money's tight perhaps it’s worthy of consideration. It displaced the MINI One, which has been a long-time favourite with readers - perhaps the recent restyle and downgrading to a 1.4 engine have cost it dear, as it dropped down the rankings to 6th.
Another winner
Melanie Greenwood, Driving Schools Programme Manager, GM UK & Ireland.
This year our awards were once again sponsored by Ideas4ADIs (www.ideas4adis.co.uk). They offered one lucky winner a complete set of their highly praised Pupil Handouts (worth £50) plus £50 worth of Halford's vouchers.
Our randomly drawn winner was David Longmire (his vote for the Kia Rio actually helped it to tenth place) from Widnes in Cheshire, so congratulations go to him. Your prizes will be with you soon.