My judgement is based on following grounds:

Volkswagen Golf and Ford Fiesta are outstanding in their own right, but in the end I decided I would prefer the peace and calm, the fine interior and ride of the Golf over the innovation and sparkle of the Fiesta.

The Skoda is a worthy third, not for the dubious benefits of the boot/hatchback, but because of the well-judged ride, the value for money and the driving pleasure it brings.

I really like the Insignia, mainly because it proves that a world car doesn’t need to be an insipid design with lowest-common denominator handling.

Citroen’s C5 purports to be a German car built by the French when in actual fact it is much better than that.