(Fri 23 Oct 09)

You might have thought that the Land Rover Defender, whose history dates back to 1948, would be long past winning any popularity awards, but in fact it just has. What Car? has named it the winner of its Reader Awards for 2009, based on over 20,000 reader reviews covering 387 other models.

"The Land Rover Defender has always had a devoted following," says editor Steve Fowler, "and owners love what the car does for them. It's far from the most sophisticated car on the road, but its no-nonsense approach and longevity are what our readers like most about it."

Second and third most popular were the Fiat 500 and Mazda MX-5, which won the Supermini and Open-Top categories respectively. Other winners in their classes were the Skoda Octavia (Small Family), Ford Mondeo (Estate), Ford C-MAX (MPV), Jaguar XJ (Executive and Luxury) and Porsche 911 (Performance).

The least popular car was the Ford Focus CC, largely because, in the words of What Car?, readers complained "that it let as much rain in with the roof up as the roof down!"

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