IT'S BEEN a vintage year if you're a road tester - but what were our winners and losers. Read on for my pick of the best:

Car of the Year
Volvo XC60

The Northern Echo:

IT’S easy to get blasé in this job. Cars come and go and often merge into one. The XC60 stood out for its stylish design, sophisticated manners and high standard of build quality. It’s the ideal car for a growing family such as ours, but in comparison with other cars of its kind, there was no hint of compromises having being made in any of the key areas.

Best small car
Kia Soul

The Northern Echo: Kia's to more Soul success

Kia has worked hard to iron out the deficiencies with the Soul. That graft has paid off because this latest version is streets ahead of the original. It’s driving characteristics have been improved, there’s more space than before and all the while it has managed to retain its character.

Best family car
Volkswagen Golf

The Northern Echo: The Volkswagen Golf

If I won the lottery tomorrow, along with all manner of fast and furious sports cars, I’d also reserve room on my drive for a Golf. This to me is the benchmark to which all others should aspire. It’s hard to believe the first one came off the production line in 1974 and with each generation VW has made small, but significant improvements. Well built, fun to drive and practical it’s hard to argue against it.

Best sports car
Jaguar F-Type

The Northern Echo: BURNING RUBBER: The new Jaguar F-Type will be on show at the event before it goes on sale along with the Kia Pro Cee’d, pictured below

Being a mere provincial journalist, it took a while for me to get my hands on the F-Type but it was well worth the wait.

With a body to make a supermodel jealous, an interior that Kelly Hoppen could only dream of designing and an altogether pre-historic soundtrack it’s a car that once driven is never forgotten.

Best SUV
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

The Northern Echo: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV – the world’s first plug-in hybrid SUV

The PHEV is a trailblazer in this field – the world’s first plug-in hybrid SUV.

It looks and drives as you might expect a car of this nature to, is equipped to go anywhere, and is as spacious as they come.

The twist is that it can run for more than 30 miles at speeds of up to 60mph on electricity only, making for potentially outrageous fuel economy. Rivals and members of the green lobby take note.

Biggest disappointment
Nissan Pulsar

The Northern Echo: Nissan Pulsar

Considered in isolation, the Pulsar – Nissan’s midsize hatchback – is not a bad car.

But when you look at what the company has been doing recently, the Juke, the Qashqai, the completely revamped X-Trail, the Pulsar just looks a little dated by comparison.

It’s just as memorable – or not as the case may be – to drive and so to my mind, like its name, is an unnecessary nod to the past rather than to the future.