Fight for the car of the year

The title of Car of the Year in Europe will be announced on March 1. The list of 29 cars that were selected for nomination was reduced to seven after the jury of 60 journalists revised the ranking. Dacia Sandero missed the shortlist qualification, as did the Audi A3, BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, Ford Explorer, Mazda MX-30, Mercedes-Benz GLA, Honda e, Toyota Mirai or Volkswagen Golf. In order to qualify, all cars had to be available for sale in at least five European Union countries by the end of 2020. Last year the title was won by Peugeot 208. The list of finalists covers all tastes. There is a dedicated electric – ID3, a legendary reinvented off-road – Defender, a convinced family – Octavia, an SUV-street – C4, a challenge of a brand new – Formentor and even two city cars – Yaris and Fiat 500.

The Citroen C4 has a completely new look and a coupe SUV silhouette. For the replacement of the C4 Cactus, PSA proposes for the new model classic undercarriages with petrol and diesel engines, but also a fully electric version named ë-C4. The C4 is available with five petrol versions of up to 155 hp and two diesel versions of up to 130 hp, while the electric version of the e-C4 offers 136 hp and has a range of 350 kilometers. The model of the French manufacturer has a length of 4,360 mm, a width of 1,800 mm and a height of 1,525 mm, while the wheelbase reaches 2,670 mm. There are design changes compared to the previous generation, with modern lines inspired especially by the Citroen C5 Cactus, and the signature of the LED headlights and taillights has the shape of the letter V for more dynamism. The C4 Coupe has a trunk volume of 380 liters and is available in 31 color combinations, thanks to the 7 exterior colors and the 5 color packages. Inside, the C4 has a dashboard that includes a 10-inch diagonal touch screen, as well as physical controllers for air conditioning settings.

Sporty

Formentor is the first stand-alone model developed by Cupra. In Romania, for the moment, the SUV is available only with the 2.0-liter petrol engine with 310 horsepower, at a starting price of 46,111 euros. “Formentor is the first independent model developed by Cupra and represents an important point in our project to conquer as many enthusiasts as possible. Formentor will become a pillar of the brand and marks the beginning of an interesting stage “, says CEO Cupra about the new SUV. Formentor’s engine allows acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in 4.9 seconds, and top speed is electronically limited to 250 km / h. The SUV is manufactured at the Martorell plant, and according to official information, the initial production was set at 160 units per day.

The little

The Fiat 500 is a brand with a 60-year history. The 2020 version has a completely remodeled body compared to 2007, with new headlights and taillights, bumpers, radiator grille. Unlike its predecessor, the car is 6 cm wider (1.69 m), 6 cm longer (3.63 m), while the wheelbase has increased by only 2 cm (up to 2.62 m), although overall the car is still less than four meters long. There is also a hybrid version, developed from scratch, which has an electric motor under the hood (about 120 hp), which helps it to do 0-50 km / h in 3.1 seconds, 0-100 in 9 seconds, until at a maximum speed limited to 150 km / h. Emphasis was placed on autonomy and charging time. It has a 42 kWh lithium-ion battery, which will ensure a range of up to 320 km in the WLTP cycle. The propulsion system has three running modes: Normal, Range activates the function with a single pedal and Sherpa, which optimizes the available resources. The new 500 offers a level 2 semi-automated piloting complex and a UConnect 5 infotainment system based on a 10.25-inch touch screen combined with a voice assistant. Toyota reduced the overall length of the new Yaris by 5 mm (3,940 mm), but at the same time increased its wheelbase by another 50 mm (2,560 mm). The new platform also reduced the overall height by 40 mm (1,470 mm). It increased in width by 50 mm (1,745 mm), which led to an increase in interior space, in part due to larger gauges. Compared to the previous chassis, the center of gravity of the GA-B has been lowered by 15 mm, the gauges have been increased, as mentioned, the geometry of the platform has been revised, and the body has become 30% stiffer to reduce vibration and unwanted sounds. The driver’s seat is now 60 mm behind. The weight of the new Yaris has dropped by 50 kg and reaches 950 kg. The new Yaris is equipped with a fourth-generation hybrid propulsion system, which consists of a new 1.5-liter gas station, a 61 hp electric motor and an electromechanical drive. The cockpit was developed around the concept of “hands on the wheel, eyes on the road”. The information is presented clearly and directly to the driver from three interconnected sources: the central screen of the standard Toyota Touch multimedia system, a multi-informative TFT display in the dashboard and a 10-inch color head-up display.

Legend

Land Rover transformed the new Defender from a heavy-duty vehicle, as it was launched in 1948, into a luxury SUV costing over 85,000 euros. The new Defender receives the latest engines from the Land Rover panoply: 2 liters of turbodiesel with 200 and 240 hp, 2 liters of turbo petrol with 300 hp and the new 3 liter turbo petrol with 6 cylinders in line and mild hybrid system with 400 hp. Defender’s wheelbase reached 3 meters at a length of the car that reaches 5 meters, with the spare wheel attached to the tailgate. Because it is a thoroughbred off-road, it boasts the figures that make it unbeatable for heavy roads: angle of attack of 38 degrees, respectively 40 degrees at the exit and 28 degrees in the center. The travel of the wheel suspension reaches 500 mm and the ground clearance is 291 mm. The adaptive air suspension is standard and can lift the car by 75 mm or in extreme cases, by another 70 mm up to 436 mm. The Terrain Response 2 system now incorporates absolutely everything you need off-road, including the Wade sensing function. Inside there are digital dashboard indicators displayed on the 12.3-inch screen, in configuration with one or two on-board instruments or with the navigation map displayed on the full screen, and the Meridian audio system reaches 400 W with 11 speakers.

Familiarist

The fourth generation Skoda Octavia largely retains the size of the previous model. With a length of 4,689 mm, a width of 1,829 mm and a height of 1,470 mm, the new Octavia is 19 mm longer, 15 mm wider and 9 mm higher. The air intake in the spoiler extends across the width of the car, the LED headlights are thinner, the LED taillights are longer, and the coupe line is accentuated by the boot lid. The wheelbase has increased by 6 mm from 2,680 mm to 2,686 mm. The range of engines is wide and covers all needs. Three petrol engines are available: 1.0 TSI / 110 hp with variable geometry turbine, 1.5 TSI ACT / 150 hp with the new 6-speed manual transmission MQ281 or 1.5 eTSI / 150 hp mild hybrid with 7-speed DSG transmission and 2.0 TSI / 190 hp plus for the first time the first Plug-In Hybrid at Octavia with 204 hp in total. The interior is more elegant and includes a dashboard with artificial leather insert next to the multimedia system screen. The Style equipment comes with the top Columbus navigation system with 10-inch touch screen, maps with all of Europe and voice control and with virtual dashboards displayed on a 10.25 screen. The trunk volume is 600 liters.

Electric

ID.3 is the only thoroughbred electric in the contest. Electrica VW comes in six versions: Life – Style – Business – Family – Tech – Max. All are based on the basic ID.3 Pro Performance model with a 58 kWh battery for a range of up to 420 km (WLTP cycle), with the 204 hp / 310 Nm electric motor propulsion system on the rear axle (traction respectively), which allows the car to do 0-60 km / h in 3.4 seconds with a single gear. Customers also received a free upgrade for the two digital AppConnect functions. The remote feature of the augmented reality head-up display for the Tech and Max versions will appear in the first quarter of 2021. Without optional equipment, the ID.3 ProPerformance model starts at 33,796 euros. Depending on the equipment chosen ID3 comes with the comfort package, which includes heating for steering wheel and seats, LED matrix headlights, full LED taillights with dynamic turn signals and panoramic glass roof, Travel Assist, Side Assist and Emergency Assist, electrically adjustable front seats in 12 positions and with massage function, progressive servo steering and DCC (Dynamic Chassis Control) chassis with adaptive shock absorbers.

– 436 mm ground clearance for Defender

– 6 equipment options for ID3

– 600 liters, the trunk offered by Octavia