Cars.co.za Consumer Awards semi-finalists announced

Updated awards categories

The first phase of the awards programme commenced yesterday with the announcement of 65 semi-finalists in 13 award categories. The award categories have been updated to take into consideration new vehicle sales trends - such as the increased demand for small/compact crossovers, the buying public's preference for SUVs over sedans and MPVs, as well as the introduction of several new and facelifted double-cab bakkies.

The judging methodology has also changed to incorporate more expertise (the extended Cars.co.za editorial team), as well as the recruitment of additional guest judges from specialist fields. The votes cast by the collective judges will have a 50% weighting on the final results of the Awards.

The Cars.co.za judges:

Ashley Oldfield - road test/technical editor
Ciro de Siena - manager, Cars.co.za video
David Taylor - senior journalist
Francisco Nwamba - contributor
Gero Lilleike - journalist
Hannes Oosthuizen - consumer experience manager
Mike Fourie - content manager

The guest judges:

Branko Brkic - founder and editor - The Daily Maverick
Eddie Kalili - group motoring editor, Destiny, Destiny Man and Sawubona
Juliet McGuire - editor, Women on Wheels
Khutso Theledi - journalist/presenter/DJ
Kojo Baffoe - journalist/writer/media strategist
Nafisa Akabor - tech journalist and Cars.co.za contributor
Wendy Knowler - consumer journalist, The Times

Bigger public impact

Critically, the remaining 50% will be based on the findings of the Cars.co.za Ownership Satisfaction Survey, in partnership with data specialists Lightstone Consumer. The brand-specific data incorporates feedback from thousands of South African vehicle owners, based on their experiences of their vehicles (must be less than five years old and serviced through franchised outlets).

All vehicles sold as new on - or launched in the market by - 1 September 2016 were in contention to be semi-finalists provided they conformed to their categories' criteria; therefore, not only newly introduced or general model ranges were considered as potential category winners. Theoretically, if a vehicle is the best in its segment, it can win its category throughout the lifecycle of the product.

The second phase of the six-month awards programme will see the website's editorial team score the five vehicles in each category, based on predetermined pillars of success, to narrow the field of potential award winners from 65 to 39. Following that, the combined judging panel will evaluate the finalists back to back during a two-day test.

The 65 semi-finalists

The finalists are (in no particular order):

Budget Car (less than R160,000)
Suzuki Celerio 1.0 GL
Renault Sandero Expression
Chevrolet Spark 1.2 LS
Mitsubishi Mirage 1.2 GLX
Toyota Aygo X-Play

Compact Hatchback (between R160,000 and R250,000)
Peugeot 208 VTI 1.2 Active
Honda Jazz 1.2 Comfort
Ford Fiesta 1.0T Trend
Opel Corsa 1.0T Enjoy
Volkswagen Polo 1.2 TSI Comfortline

Compact Family Car (between R250,000 and R350,000)
Ford EcoSport 1.5 TDCi Titanium
Honda HR-V 1.5 Comfort
Nissan Qashqai 1.2 Visia
Renault Captur dCi 90 Dynamique
Suzuki Vitara 1.6 GL+

Family Car (between R350,000 and R500,000)
Honda CR-V 2.0 Elegance Auto
Hyundai Tucson 2.0 NU Elite Auto
Mazda CX-5 2.0 Active Auto
Nissan X-Trail 2.5 SE CVT AWD
Volkswagen Tiguan 1.4 TSI Comfortline DSG

Performance Car (between R600,000 and R1,000,000)
BMW M2 M-DCT
Mercedes-AMG A45 4Motion
Audi TTS
Honda Civic Type-R
Ford Focus RS

Premium Hatchback (between R350,000 and R500,000)
BMW 120i M Sport sports-auto
VW Golf GTI DSG
Volvo V40 T4 Inscription Auto
Opel Astra 1.6T Sport Plus
Mercedes-Benz A220d Style

Fun Car (less than R600,000)
Ford Fiesta ST
Mazda MX-5
Mini JCW auto
Audi S1 Sportback Quattro
VW Golf GTI Clubsport

Lifetyle SUV (between R500,000 and R750,000)
Ford Everest 3.2 LTD
Toyota Fortuner 2.8 GD-6 4x4 Auto
Land Rover Discovery Sport TD4 SE
Kia Sorento 2.2 CRDi AWD Auto SLX
Nissan X-Trail 1.6 dCi 4x4 LE

Executive Sedan (between R750,000 and R1,000,000)
Audi A6 2.0T Quattro
Jaguar XF 25t Portfolio
Lexus GS350 F-Sport
Mercedes-Benz E220d Avantgarde
Mercedes-Benz E350d Avantgarde

First Class (more than R1,000,000)
Mercedes-Benz S500e LWB
BMW 750Li Design Pure Excellence
Jaguar XJ L 5.0 Supercharged Autobiography
Range Rover SDV8 Autobiography LWB
Mercedes-Benz GLS500

Leisure Double Cab (more than R450,000)
Fiat Fullback 2.5 4x4 LX
Ford Ranger 3.2 Wildtrak 4x4 Auto
Ford Ranger 2.2 XLS 4x4 Auto
Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD-6 4x4 Raider Auto
VW Amarok 2.0 BiTDI 4Motion Highline Auto

Business Class (between R500,000 and R750,000)
Audi A4 2.0T FSI Sport S tronic
BMW 330d M Sport sports-auto
Jaguar XE 20d R Sport
Mercedes-Benz C250 AMG Line
VW Passat 2.0 TSI R-Line DSG

Premium SUV (between R750,000 and R1,200,000)
Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Quattro
BMW X5 xDrive30d
Jaguar F-PACE 30d R-Sport
Lexus RX350 EX
Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine Inscription

More information on the programme, including its categories, judges and finalists is available on the dedicated website.