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What Car? Reader Awards 2009 - Family car/compact exec

03 November 2009
The VW Passat has a reasonable three-star rating, but there are grumbles from owners,
so it's at the bottom of the pile – people clearly expect more from the VW brand. Top is the Mercedes C-Class, but owners must be hard to please, because it doesn't get a five-star rating.

The best: Mercedes C-Class
Anthony Gant
'This is the best car I have ever had. Handling is first rate, it corners like a hot hatch, the ride is good and the car is quiet. So far, I'm getting 34mpg on average, but it's driven fairly hard – a gentle run will yield 45mpg.'




The worst: Volkswagen Passat
Glen Morgan
'As a family car, I can't fault the Passat. Reliability is a concern, though: I've had to visit a VW garage 10 times in three years for recalls and mechanical faults.'