Car of the Year 2007 - And the winner is...

OVERALL WINNER - VAUXHALL CORSA

Three cars made it through to the shortlist for our overall award - the Audi TT, Citroen's C4 Picasso and the Vauxhall Corsa. All of the finalists set new benchmarks for excellence in their class, but it's the Corsa which most deserves our ultimate accolade.

In its class, the Vauxhall is a clear winner, and its class is just about the toughest to excel in.

Over the past couple of years, superminis hve grown from being simple shopping trolleys to proper transport for a growing family. They've got bigger in pretty much every respect - they're longer and wider, have more space inside, are safer and more luxurious and offer new standards of quality and refinement.

The best news is that prices have remained pretty static - you're now getting an incredible amount of car for your money. We reckon you can get our winner for under £10k with some keen haggling. It's a genuine bargain.

From the moment we stepped inside the car, we knew it was a winner. Its quality hits you when you open the door - the interior manages to look stylish without being faddish and it's made with some outstanding materials. It's a pleasure to spend time behind the steering wheel, and that's before you've turned the ignition on.

Turn on, check the rev counter to make sure the car's ticking over (yes, it's that quiet), select first and move off. The steering is nice and meaty, but easy enough not to make parking a chore. The 1.4-litre engine is smooth, the ride is simply sublime and it's as good to drive as it is to look at.

It's the completeness of the Corsa that we love - for supermini buyers it ticks every single box. For us, it's the best new car we've had the pleasure of testing over the past 12 months.

Watch the grand unveiling of the Vauxhall Corsa
• On Windows Media
• On RealOne Player