Autocar's best of 2017: Top 10 reviews of the year
Which 2017 cars most excited you? These are the ten most-read reviews on Autocar this yearWhich new cars interested you the most? These are the 2017 machines you've read about the most - and expect some surprises
It's hard to comprehend the sheer number of new cars that get released every year, from refreshed versions of established nameplates to all-new designs filling gaps in the market and introducing new technology.
So where do you turn when you want to cut through the crowded market and decide what to buy? Easy: our huge reviews section. Our in-depth reviews cover the market, telling you what's good and bad about every car.
This list counts down the ten most-read reviews that have been published on our site in the last year.
Autocar's ten most popular reviews of 2017
BMW's new 5 Series impressed with comfort that rivals the 7 Series and 3 Series-like driver engagement, earning an impressive four-and-a-half-star rating.
Check out the rivals: Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Lexus GS, Jaguar XF
The Octavia vRS was updated for 2017 with a new front end and interior tweaks. The car's looks divide opinion, but the underlying recipe of pace, practicality and subtlety clearly appeals.
Check out the rivals: Volkswagen Golf GTI, Ford Focus ST, Peugeot 308 GTI
The best-selling car in the UK, with 89,504 registrations in 2017 at the time of writing in late-December, well ahead of the 68,396 sales of the next best seller, the Volkswagen Golf. It’s no surprise, then, that our review of the seventh-generation of Ford's supermini is in our top ten reviews of the year.
What’s new? Well, the look is an evolution rather than a revolution, but it has been worked on in all major areas. With a four-and-a-half star rating, it’s still one of the class's best.
Check out the rivals: Volkswagen Polo, Seat Ibiza, Vauxhall Corsa
Volvo is on a roll. After the impressive S90, V90 and XC90, the new XC60 has set things in motion for the firm to have a strong year in 2018, with the XC40 completing the brand’s SUV line-up. The XC60 is also the safest car yet tested by Euro NCAP.
Check out the rivals: BMW X3, Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLC
One of 2017’s biggest new models was the Land Rover Discovery. This is the car whose high-profile launch featured a record-breaking Lego construction and an almost unprecedented level of fanfare, even for an industry that never shies away from flamboyant launches.
It’s a ferociously capable SUV, as every Discovery before it has been, although one of the biggest talking points was its asymmetric bootlid. Still, a divisive rear-end didn't stop it earning four-and-a-half-stars.
Check out the rivals: Volvo XC90, BMW X5, Toyota Land Cruiser
The new Honda Civic divided opinion with its styling and, in particular, its long-hatchback shape.
That didn’t stop it from being one of the year’s most popular reviews and one of the most potential-filled cars 2017 had to offer. Luckily, Honda fulfilled that early promise right from the off.
Mind you, while the standard Civic was interesting, we were far keener to find out what the Type R version would be like. And speaking of which...
Check out the rivals: Renault Mégane, Peugeot 308, Seat Leon
It's good. It's very good. It's good enough for our testers to have named it the best hot hatchback on sale today, ahead of the Ford Focus RS, Volkswagen Golf R, Mercedes-AMG A45 and Seat Leon Cupra.
Heading into 2018, the Type R will face another fierce rival when the Renault Mégane RS, arrives. Which will doubtless give our road testers another excuse to hold a hot hatch showdown.
Check out the rivals: Ford Focus RS, Volkswagen Golf R, Mercedes-AMG A45
3. Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
Alfa Romeo has scored a genuine hit with the Giulia Quadrifoglio, and the hot Alfa has generated plenty of excitement.
It’s our third most popular review of the year, a contender for our Britain’s Best Driver’s Car 2017 crown, and one of the most popular cars added to our long-term fleet.
Check out the rivals: BMW M3, Mercedes-AMG C63, Vauxhall VXR8
As the UK’s second-best-selling car of the year, it’s fitting that the Volkswagen Golf is the second most popular review on our site. The Mk7.5 Golf brings ever so subtly refreshed styling and a host of driver assistance systems.
Check out the rivals: Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, Mercedes-Benz A-Class
Did you see this coming? No, us neither, if we're being honest. But here it is: the most-read 2017 car review on our site is of Toyota’s C-HR.
Why? Well, it might be another crossover-style SUV, but it stands out for its fearless design and powertrain options. That was enough for us to hand it a Game Changer award at the 2017 Autocar Awards.
Check out the rivals: Nissan Qashqai, Peugeot 3008, Seat Ateca
And finally… Alpine A110
Just one more then. Our Alpine A110 only landed in mid-December, and while it's one of our fastest-climbing reviews, it just hasn't had time to storm up our most-read list. But there are five reasons it's worth highlighting: the five stars it was awarded by Matt Prior.
How good is it? Well, here's Prior's view: “Sometimes you drive a sports car – a Ferrari 458 Speciale, McLaren P1, Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 or Ariel Nomad – and know that, somehow, you’re driving a landmark car. That’s the kind of feeling – even without considering the bravery of Renault to push the button on making it – the A110 gives me. Perhaps it really will be the start of something big. But even if it isn’t, the A110 is truly, wonderfully, special.”
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