CT's Car Of The Year 2012 (And Your Vote)

In the run up to Christmas your favourite Car Throttle staff have been racking their brains in a bid to crown their favourite vehicles of 2012. In no particular order here are their top picks. But what's your COTY 2012? Cast your vote below:

Alex Kersten - BMW M135i

Cor blimey, the M135i’s fit for purpose. And unlike the rest of the crowd, it sticks two fingers up at downsizing. What you get with the baby M is a creamy and utterly flexible straight six turbocharged 3.0-litre motor, fantastic handling and more performance and poise than any of us were ever expecting. The interior’s also excellent, ride comfort spot on and then there’s the price; the BMW M135i costs just £30k, which is game-changing value-for-money considering just how damn good this thing is. Some journos have even commented that they prefer it to the 1M. Need I say more?

Ollie Kew - Tesla Model S

Most cars in this list have their own petty victories, but none are as futuristic, clever, and downright ice cool as the Tesla Model S. Electric cars are quiet, but heavy. So are luxury cars. Combine the two? Clever point one. It'll out-drag a BMW M5, and score a 300 mile range (longer than an M5). Clever points two and three. Oh, and it's safer, carries seven people, can fully charge in 30 mins and has a future-proof iPad-like interior you can change with just a software update. Pretty clever, no? Fast, eco-friendly, practical and concept-car cool, it's the only car of 2012 to give the car a fighting chance of being around in 2112. Respect that.

Alex Hamilton - Jaguar XF Sportbrake

The XF-S Sportbrake is far more gorgeous than its estate rivals. Just like the saloon, it has the trademark pulsating start button itching for you to fire up the 3.0-litre V6 that pumps out 271bhp and takes the load lugger from 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds, yet it can return up to 46.3mpg! It can seat five and their luggage, or the hound, in sumptuous comfort just like the new Rangie but it costs £27,000 less! What's more, it’s reported to be a hoot on the B roads! A brilliant Swiss army knife of a car for the family man.

Tom Harrison - Range Rover

The Range Rover is the first all-aluminium SUV, with a chassis a third stiffer and significantly lighter than the outgoing model’s. The interior is more spacious, with an air of quality and luxury that typifies the Rangie’s move upmarket. This thing can go toe-to-toe with Bentleys, and come out on top. Yet it can wade through 900mm of water - more than any other production car - and climb higher than ever thanks to a trick four-wheel drive system. It's simply the most capable car in the world...

Leo Kimitri - Fiat Panda TwinAir

Yes, I’d like an F12berlinetta too, but I can’t even imagine being able to afford one. What I can imagine buying is the cheap, frugal and stupidly fun Fiat Panda TwinAir. This weeny city rocket fires you around urban streets like a wasp on ‘roids and makes every B road feel like a rally stage. With a baritone two cylinder motor thrumming away under the bonnet, a funky interior and engaging handling for the bargain price of £11k, the Panda gets my vote for putting the biggest smile on my face for the least amount of dosh.

James Mackintosh - Ford Focus ST

Since 2005, the best hot hatch you could get in the US was the VW GTI. With a smooth 200bhp engine, 6-speed gearbox, balanced chassis, and a comfortable interior, the GTI was the whole package. The brand-new Focus ST hot hatch has got it beat, though. It’s 2.0-litre turbocharged engine makes 252bhp and 270lb-ft, besting the GTI by a huge margin. It doesn’t hurt the wallet at the pump with 23/32mpg, beating the similarly powerful Mazda Speed3 by 7mpg highway. And starting at $23,700 it’s affordable. Add in a great chassis and classy looks, and you’ve got a clear winner.

Antony Ingram - Renault Twizy

So why the Renault Twizy? Because it's so much more than you'd think it is. Or maybe less, I forget. It's not fast - 50mph is your lot - and ultimately it doesn't have much grip, but it doesn't really matter. First, it costs pennies to run. Second - although your manhood will shrink in cold weather - it's a unique experience being so exposed to the elements, and to the world around you. Yes, people are looking at you, but you can interact with them. And can you really imagine any animosity towards it? It'd be like being rude to a kitten. Expense aside, the Twizy is genuinely impressive. Maybe electric cars aren't as dull as we thought they'd be...

Darren Cassey - Toyota GT86

When the Toyobaru sports car collaboration was announced with the FT-86 concept, the motoring world pitched a tent in its pants that has yet to subside. And thank God - a.k.a. Tetsuya Tada - it didn’t disappoint. The Toyota GT86 represents everything that I love about cars; it has useable power in a small, placeable sports chassis, with decent grip levels that also allow you to get slidey should the mood take you. It is a car that urges you to wring the neck of all 200 horses under the bonnet and if that ain’t enough, they’ve made it easily tunable. Epic win.

Adnan Ebrahim - Skoda Citigo

When you think COTY, you probably think Ferrari, Aston or German badge. Well here's a car that shudders in the limelight more than a Gary Barlow wildcard. Skoda's Citigo was always meant to be the cheaper, ugly-duckling to the efficient Volkswagen Up!, but it's because it is £500 cheaper, less facially jazzy and venomously solid, that it's my pick of the year. With a mean 3-cylinder, non-polluting engine variant and with enough toys to keep you sane, it has to be the biggest surprise to drive. And don't forget about the 251-litre, class-leading boot!

Special commendation

Dacia Sandero

The cheapest car you can buy in the UK is not, we're surprised to say, an utter shitbox. In fact, it's comfortable, comes with Renault's latest line of clean engines and is the perfect car for cash-strapped buyers to get behind the wheel of a spanking new motor.