01 September 2006

Porsche Boxster is 'Britain's best loved car'

Open top sports car the Porsche Boxster is the UK's most loved car, a new survey has revealed.

According to the survey by Which? Car, 98% of Porsche Boxster owners would recommend the car to a friend and praised every aspect of its driving performance.

However, at the other end of the spectrum, the Rover 25 is the country's least favourite, with only 27% of owners saying that they would recommend it, while only its very good boot space was rated as a plus point.

The Mazda MX-5, which was described as a “Porsche Boxster on a shoestring”, also scored more than 90% in the survey, as did the Land Rover Discovery and the Toyota Yaris Verso.

However, the Land Rover Freelander, the Vauxhall Vectra and the once popular Peugeot 306 were all among the least recommended cars.

Only a third of owners said that they would recommend the Freelander to a friend and it was described as “sluggish”, “not much fun to drive”, “uncomfortable” and “costly to run”.

The Vauxhall Vectra was described as being “miserable to drive” and “dull to look at”.

However, the Honda Jazz, Ford Focus, BMW 3 and 5 series, the Mazda 5, the Honda CR-V and the Alfa Romeo 159 were all rated among the 'best buys' – good to drive, practical, comfortable, safe and secure.

The Which? Car Best Buys for this year are:

Superminis: Renault Modus, Mazda 2, Honda Jazz
Medium cars: Ford Focus, Mazda 3, Audi 3
Large cars: Volvo S40/V50, BMW 3 Series, Lexus IS
Luxury cars: BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E-class, Audi A6
MPVs: Toyota Verso, Honda FR-V, Mazda 5
Off-roaders: Honda CR-V
Best Safety and Security (2006 tests): Lexus IS 250, Mazda 5, Alfa Romeo 159

Which? Car editor Richard Headland said: “We collected information on more than 32,000 cars this year from the people who know best – the owners. We also carry out our own expert road tests and rate safety and security to give new or used car buyers straightforward, no-nonsense advice.”

The survey also named the best green cars for fuel economy and low CO2 emissions, which included the Toyota Prius, Citroen C1 diesel, Toyota Aygo diesel and bio-fuel cars from Ford and Saab.

(KMcA/SP)