Anyone who keeps an eye on the automotive industry, or indeed billboards and TV adverts, will know that awards play a big part in manufacturer and model kudos. Whoever gets their hands on a coveted rosette will undoubtedly flaunt it and wear it proud for everyone to see – and why wouldn’t they.
The annual automotive award season can be a bit overwhelming though, and as great as it is to see what the Best SUV or Best Family Car is, we wanted to focus on some more specific honours, like what car has the best cup holders, and which car sat nav is the coolest.
So, without further ado, here are the 2016 Car Keys Awards.
Most Ridiculously Priced Add On - Bentley Bentayga
You know those creature comfort add-ons, like Bluetooth and sat nav, that make life easier and are definitely worth the extra cash? Well this isn’t one of them.
If the Bentley Bentayga’s eye-watering 600bhp W12 engine and pocket-burning £160,200 price tag wasn’t enough to make your head spin, then why not go for a £100,000 solid gold and diamond-encrusted Breitling watch option? Why not indeed.
If you do choose to fork out for the Breitling, then you can choose from either rose or white gold and a mother-of-pearl or black ebony face. Yes, it is very expensive, but you’ve got to admit… You want one, don’t you?
Best Sat Nav - Audi A3 Cabriolet
Sat navs are so commonplace nowadays, it can be tough to stand out. The Audi A3 Cabriolet however, has one of the coolest set-ups on the market.
To be fair, we could have chosen several Audi models for the Best Sat Nav award, as many of them use the brand’s new Virtual Cockpit, but after recently driving the A3 Cab, it seemed fitting to hand it the accolade.
What makes the Virtual Cockpit sat nav so good is how it integrates 3D maps and Google Earth to give you a detailed view of the road ahead, city landscapes and all. And the way the sat nav can flood the TFT display behind the steering wheel looks fantastic too.
Best Marketing Campaign - Ford Edge
Okay, okay, so this hasn’t really got anything to do with the Ford Edge. It is a short film revolving around assassins and it stars Casino Royale and Hannibal TV Series actor Mads Mikkelsen.
The Ford Edge does feature, but not much. In fact, the most screen time it gets is an intimate garage sequence where Mikkelsen caresses the SUV to the tune of “I’m Not In love” by 10 CC.
The reason we love this campaign so much is that Ford has clearly gone all out and created a sleek piece of cinema and properly utilised Mikkelsen - not just thrown him on a poster.
Best Car to Be a Passenger In - Volvo XC90
This was a tough one. Most large SUVs and saloons are lovely to be driven in, but after much deliberation, the XC90 wins it for us.
As well as offering a cool touchscreen up front for passengers to fiddle with, the figure-hugging seats are particularly comfortable. One of the biggest plus points for use however was the ample space for the third row of passengers.
When a seven-seater is fully utilised it can be a little cramped, but the XC90 is one of the most generous when it comes to leg and head room all round.
Rear of The Year - Aston Martin DB11
We all know this award. Nope, it’s not Kym Marsh like it was last year – this year’s award goes to the lovely, curvaceous Aston Martin DB11.
It can be hard to put into words why a car is nice to look at, even harder when talking exclusively about its rear, but here it goes.
We chose the DB11 because it integrates concept car looks with Aston Martin styling that dates back decades. The hairpin-shaped taillights, the stretched bumper and angular rear diffuser that houses dual exhausts… beautiful.
Future Classic - Ford Focus RS
There have been some brilliant new cars released in 2016, but there’s been nothing like the Focus RS.
The build up to it was exciting enough, but when it was released and it proved to be just as great as everyone thought it would, it’s safe to say the entire industry felt like they were witnessing a memorable piece of automotive history.
Four-wheel drive, drift mode, electric blue paint, Ken Block – everything about the Focus RS oozes hot hatch hooliganism.
Best Car for a Pet - Subaru Forester
There are many cars with big boots, but the Forester’s DNA specifically favours those with pets.
Although the large 505 litre boot is great, it is the optional kit that makes the Forester particularly good for pets, with a rubber floor mat and dog mesh divider both available for the boot.
It’s little things like a powered tailgate, quick release switches to fold the seats down and a low loading lip that make the Forester a real pet workhorse though. The Forester four-wheel drive comes in handy as well.
Best Cup Holders - Volvo V40
Cup holders don’t really matter, right? Wrong, they do – well, they do to us.
When manufacturers go out of their way to make something that is typically boring interesting, we must tip our hat to them. That’s why the Volvo V40 gets our vote for the best cup holders.
The cup holders we are referring to are in the V40’s rear seats, which with the pull of a small string flips the edge of the middle seat forward, revealing two cup holders. There is just something about this James Bond-esque, Batmobile-like mechanism that we can’t help but be mesmerised by.
Best Storage - Range Rover Holland & Holland
What was that? You want a Range Rover specifically kitted out to shoot pheasants? And you have £180k to spend? Well, look no further.
The Range Rover Holland & Holland offers everything you would expect from a Range Rover – class-leading passenger luxury etc – with a few original tricks. In the boot is a wardrobe-like layout that houses a pull-out drawer containing a pair of shotguns.
This way you can roll up to your hunting lodge, walk around to your boot and be prepared to shoot at a moment’s notice. The Holland & Holland model also comes with unique gun metal garnishes on the door handles and throughout the interior. Classy.
