2015 Golf Takes Home Motor Trend’s Car of the Year

Jul 8, 2015

In the National Football League, the best players every season are named to the Pro Bowl and the very best player of the season is named the MVP. In the automotive world, Motor Trend Magazine also has a way to highlight the best and the best of the best by naming their Car of the Year. The Volkswagen Golf Family has earned that honor for 2015. Described as a “Jackrabbit of all trades,” the 2015 Volkswagen Golf nabs the honor by excelling in the six categories that Motor Trend evaluates to determine their MVP.

The Volkswagen Golf beat out nine other finalists to be named Car of the Year for 2015. The finalists came from all different classes of vehicles. Four luxury vehicles were among the finalists; the Audi A3, the Hyundai Genesis, Maserati Ghibli and the Mercedes Benz C Class. There were three sporty vehicles in the running: the BMW 2 Series, the Ford Mustang, and the Lexus RC F. The Honda Fit was the lone finalist from the economy class. The Kia Sedona was the only minivan in the finals.

Here is what Motor Trend had to say about the Golf, broken down by each of the criteria they evaluated:

Advancement in Design: “With crisply sculpted bodywork that’s nearly an inch lower, two inches longer, and a half-inch wider than its predecessors, the new Golf looks sleeker and sportier than the car it replaces.”

Efficiency: “Weight reduction and improved engine efficiency have resulted in fuel economy gains for both the TSI and GTI models.” In regards to the electric version they said, “With several electric vehicles present at this year’s COTY event, the e-Golf was lauded for driving and feeling most like a ‘normal’ car.”

Engineering Excellence: “No matter which Golf variant we jumped into, we emerged with smiles on our faces. And while each obviously catered to different priorities, they all share the same solid build quality, taut structure, and remarkable ride that make them feel like a premium vehicle in an entry-level segment.”

Performance of Intended Function: “From eco-friendly tech lovers, to fuel misers, to canyon road carvers, to A-to-B commuters, our four variants excelled in their individual ways while still feeling similar. Better yet, each did this at a price point that belies its premium feel, a major Volkswagen brand goal.”

Safety: “The optional Driver Assistance Package, which includes a forward-collision warning system, along with ratings of Good in each of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s five crash levels (including the newly standardized small-overlap frontal test), earned it an IIHS Top Safety Pick + rating — the highest possible.”

Value: “If a trend toward smaller vehicles has shown anything, it’s that buyers want the same tech-laden features, the same build quality, and the same upscale design and feel of their larger cars in their smaller ones. The 2015 Volkswagen Golf is a quality car, a fun car, a grown-up car — a C-segment vehicle that can instill pride of ownership without breaking the bank. And that’s why it’s the 2015 Motor Trend Car of the Year.”

The Golf isn’t the only Volkswagen to receive recent recognition from Motor Trend. In 2012, the Passat was named Car of the Year.