In December there seems to be a buzz around the Car Of The Year Awards (COTY), like Christmas carols in shopping malls, the announcement of annual awards from the motoring magazines and websites also gets earlier each year. In an effort to beat each other we may end up with the situation where the Cars of the Year will be announced in June. I suppose that mixes well with Christmas in July.
However it has always struck us here at OzRoamer as just a little strange that COTY winners should be announced before the year is actually finished. This year we actually have a winner that was launched in December. So as we always seem to do things just a little differently here at OzRoamer to give our readers maximum information and benefit, our awards for 2016 are announced in this issue. This way we can actually assess all relevant vehicles for our awards.
The criteria for our awards is simple:
- The vehicle must be currently available for sale to the general public;
- The vehicle must meet the criteria for its category;
- Final contenders are selected by the panel;
- Each vehicle is subjectively and objectively measured against its competitors in the category
- The vehicle with the most points wins;
- That the judging criteria reflects real life situations because you our readers buy these vehicles for use in similar situations;
- That the awards assist our readers make educated buying decisions; and
- Advertising dollars and marketing hype doesn’t sway the eventual winners or even the contenders.
Pricing comes from the industry website redbook.com.au with a Sydney 2000 postcode as the standard. If it is unavailable we used the manufacturers’ website pricing. The categories, we think, reflect real world buying decisions. If you feel we have left a worthwhile contender out please let us know for next year.
To buy the e-magazine
So to the categories and contenders! This year there are 13 categories and over 60 contenders for various awards.
OzRoamer 2016 SUV under $45,000 Award
- Fiat 500X Cross Plus AT AWD
- Honda HRV VTI-L ADAS FWD
- Jeep Renegade Trailhawk 4WD
- Mazda CZ3 Akari AT AWD
- Subaru Forester 2.5i-L AWD
OzRoamer 2016 AWD SUV $45,000 – $60,000 Award
- Honda CRV VTI-L
- Hyundai Tuscon Highlander 2.0R CRDi
- Kia Sportage Platinum 2.0R CRDi
- Jeep Cherokee Limited 0L I-4 Td
- Mazda CX5 GT 2.2 DTD
- Subaru Outback 2.0D Premium
OzRoamer 2016 AWD SUV $60,000 – $80,000 Award
- Audi Q3 2.0 TDi Sp Quattro
- BMW X3 xDrive 20d
- Lexus NX 200t Sport Luxury
- Mercedes Benz GLC 250d 4MATIC
- VW Touareg 150TDi Element
OzRoamer 2016 AWD SUV $80,000 – $100,000 Award
- Audi Q5 3.0 TDi Sp Quattro
- BMW X4 xDrive 35d
- Infiniti QX70 S Premium
- Lexus RX 350 Luxury
OzRoamer 2016 4WD $50,000 – $80,000 Award
- Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon
- Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
- Mitsubishi Pajero Sport GLX
- Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo
- Toyota Landcruiser Prado GX Auto
- Toyota LC70 GXL Wagon V8 Diesel
OzRoamer 2016 7 Seat 4WD $45,000- $60,000 Award
- Toyota Fortuner GXL
- Holden Trailblazer LTZ
- Isuzu MU-X LST
- Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Exceed
OzRoamer 2016 7 Seat 4WD $60,000 – $80,000 Award
- Toyota Fortuner Crusade
- Toyota Prado GXL Turbo Diesel
- Mitsubishi Pajero Exceed DiD
- Ford Everest Trend
OzRoamer 2016 4WD $80,000 – $100,000 Award
- Ford Everest Titanium
- Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland
- Toyota Landcruiser 200 V8 GXL
- Toyota Prado Kakadu DiD
OzRoamer 2016 7 Seat AWD SUV $45,000 – $60,000 Award
- Hyundai Santa Fe Elite 2.2R CRDi
- Kia Sorento SLi 2.2 DT
- Mazda CX-9 Touring
- Toyota Kluger GX V6
OzRoamer 2016 7 Seat AWD SUV $60,000 – $80,000 Award
- Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander
- Kia Sorento Platinum
- Mazda CX-9 Azami
- Toyota Kluger Grande V6
OzRoamer Prestige SUV over $100,000 Award
- Audi Q7 Tdi Quattro
- Ford F250 ( From Harrison F Trucks)
- Lexus LX 570
- Mercedes Benz GLS 350d
- Porsche Cayenne S
OzRoamer 2016 Dual Cab Ute Award
- Ford Ranger XLT
- Holden Colorado LTZ
- Isuzu D Max LST
- Mitsubishi Triton Exceed
- Mazda BT50 XTR
- Toyota Hilux SR5 DiD
OzRoamer 2016 Prestige Sports SUV Award
- Audi SQ7 V8 TDi
- BMW X5 M50d
- Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
- Mercedes Benz GLC 43 AMG 4MATIC
- Porsche Macan Turbo
- Volkswagen Touareg V8 TDi R Line
To find out the winners simply read the magazine and maybe there are a few surprises there. The results are sure to prompt a lot of emails like last year as we have alternate views on vehicles and aren’t influenced by pressure from manufacturers, advertising dollars or reputations. Our view is that the reader should be able to rely on these awards to assist with buying decisions.