My judgement is based on following grounds:

I’m impressed with the finish, polish and feeling of completeness in all these cars. Seems to me manufacturers have made big efforts through the recession to improve their cars’ customer appeal, and these are seven of the best examples.

Toyota iQ
This car brilliantly shows the direction all mainstream machines must take — towards much smaller exterior dimensions, much better interior packaging, plus lightness and improved economy. Toyota has demonstrated that these things can be delivered with a conventional transverse front-drive format (to keep costs down) and have given their car an very good ride for its wheelbase, and remarkable refinement.

Mercedes-Benz E-class
At last, Mercedes is back to justifying its old slogan, “engineered like no other car”. The quality and painstaking development in this car is noticeable from the first minute you drive it, and never fails to impress many hours later. Every time it absorbs a bump, the suspension feels expensive. I’m also glad Mercedes has largely dropped its obsession with matching BMW: the E-class is the best example of their new priorities.

Peugeot 3008
Very nice car this, refined, pretty frugal and a great all-rounder. But it’s up against some good rivals and probably isn’t the class-best. And (like many Peugeots) it’s big and heavy. To me, it’s evidence that Peugeot will ultimately need to discover a new way.

Citroen C3 Picasso
Very practical and appealing machine, though the oddball styling seems a bit forced to me. Strange for strange’s sake. But like the rest of the recent PSA models (including 3008) it shows that the French marques have finally discovered how to deliver good perceived quality, detectable as soon as you open the door.

Opel/Vauxhall Astra  
Fine piece of work, very nicely styled inside and out and very complete in specification. But it’s big and heavy in a class that needs to get smaller, and the pricing in the UK seems very high. Furthermore, to drive it strikes me as a creditable third (to the Golf and soon-to-be-replaced Focus) in the world’s toughest market sector. Great work, but not Car of the Year.

VW Polo
Seven-eighths of a Golf, as we all keep saying. Great proposition, well made, spectacular economy figures from some versions, terrific performance from others. But in essence it’s a predictable and very safe exstension of what VW has been doing for decades, rather than something truly fresh (like the iQ). We’re charging headlong into an era for which products of quiet competence won’t be enough.

Skoda Yeti
Thoroughly enjoyable and well-developed SUV, but very expensive in UK. Buoyed by their success, Skoda seems to have started forgetting about affordability as one of its main planks. Also, part of me says an SUV can’t be Car of the Year. Not mainstream enough. Will please its owners, though.