Car Of The Year Awards Surprise From News Corp.
As we head towards the end of 2017 the awards season for cars gets under way and some of Australia’s biggest media groups roll out their list of contenders for the gongs in various categories. News Corporation, the company behind CarsGuide, has released their list of finalists for their COTY awards and there’s no surprises in that the two Korean brands feature two of the more newsworthy cars of recent weeks. It’s no surprise that no Australian built cars feature but it is a surprise that there’s just two European brands in the mix…bear in mind that this is the view of this news group and it’s worth looking out for the lists from the other news groups.
From Korea comes the monster killing Hyundai i30 with the comments of: Loads of standard equipment, confident roadholding and a five-year warranty. There’s also the Kia Picanto, the good looking small hatch with: value-for-money hatchback that’s well equipped and suited to city living. Kia also lobs out the polarising (to Holden and Ford fans) Stinger: Old-school, rear-wheel-drive sports sedan with room for five and a twin-turbo V6.
Audi is one of the two European entries, with News Corp choosing the new Q5: German precision engineering matched to a frugal diesel engine and cutting edge safety. Japan is the country of origin for the rest of the finalists and it’s an eclectic mix, starting with Suzuki‘s Swift, a fun and funky and frugal little car with New Corp saying: Fun to drive turbo three-cylinder with strong safety package. Next up is Subaru‘s resurgent Impreza, recently tested by Private Fleet’s Dave: Quality cabin and crash-avoidance tech usually reserved for luxury cars.
The Japanese onslaught continues with Honda‘s completely revamped Integra range including the fire snorting Type R: Explosive hot hatch with in-your-face styling and a punchy turbo engine. Mazda is in there as well with their mid range CX5: Well priced, stylish cabin design and surprisingly agile for a softroader. Honda throws in another SUV with the CR-V: Spacious, versatile interior, quality finishes and hi-tech feel. Skoda‘s brilliant new Kodiaq is the other European sourced finalist with: clever touches in the cabin, zippy turbo engine and a generous warranty.
The final word goes to Richard Blackburn, motoring editor: “Every year, it’s getting more difficult to separate the best from the rest. Brands that buyers once turned their backs on are now every bit as good as the established players, while safety technology usually reserved for expensive luxury cars is increasingly available on cheap hatchbacks.”
Level 2, 9 Help Street
Les says:
Hi do you know when the new design Mazda 3 is arriving Cheers!!
November 21st, 2017 at 5:43 pm
Tom Smith says:
I can understand that the Mazda MX5-RF doesn’t seem to have made the cut this year, since the soft top did so well in 2016. However, let me give a (biased) opinion on our MX5-RF, which we’ve been driving for 9 months now. Firstly, we’d agree with Richard Hammond’s statement that “this is all the sports car you’d ever need”. Frankly, we absolutely love it. The handling is unbelievable, the ride quality is remarkable – better than many cars with “sports tuned” suspensions, the finish and fit is excellent, and the fuel economy is better than we expected. At highway speed limits, we record an average of 5.1 L/100km. The clever folding roof gives us the versatility to cope with changing weather conditions and the type of trip we’re on. In winter, the small cabin becomes cosy virtually instantly, and the heated seats are a bonus. OK, the boot is small, but we’ve learned how to pack for interstate trips, and it’s an ideal shopping trolley too. We live in the NSW Southern Highlands, and driving the back roads around here is a blast. Travelling at the 80 and 100 km/h speed limits around here is just so much fun.
November 22nd, 2017 at 6:42 am
jack wilson says:
Q5 the best overall package with a blindingly brilliant engine powering it forward
November 22nd, 2017 at 3:55 pm