OzRoamer 2018 COTY Awards are now in their eighth year and have proved to be an outstanding success with buyers in helping them make educated buying decisions.
They are deliberately oriented at having a complete reader and consumer focus, by breaking down the categories into those that best represent their buying decisions and parameters. They can easily compare different vehicles in the same category.
In light of that, in 2018 we have multiple categories for various vehicles. This is line with our philosophy of comparing vehicles that are likely to be compared by buyers. How can a buyer use the awards if they compare a sub $40,000 SUV to an $80,000 4WD or Prestige Sport SUV that costs upwards of $150,000? Buyers want a 5 seat vehicle or a 7 seat vehicle, AWD or 4WD. We want to keep it relevant! We also want a wide choice in each category because buyers want to make their own assessments.
The OzRoamer COTY Awards are without doubt the most independent and comprehensive 4WD & AWD SUV COTY awards in Australia.
Since starting in 2011 we have grown the yearly magazine and this year, the magazine will be bigger and even more informative than before! This year is the biggest we have ever produced. The review process was exhaustive but worthwhile.
The criteria for our awards is simple:
● The vehicle must be currently available for sale to the general public as at 31 December;
● The vehicle must meet the criteria for its category;
● Final contenders are selected by the panel;
● Each vehicle is subjectively and objectively measured against strict criteria and its competitors in the category;
● The vehicle with the most points wins. If there is a tie then the panel decides!;
● The judging criteria reflects real life situations because you, our readers, buy these vehicles for use in similar situations;
● 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 all vehicles adopting the Manufacturers List Price* (MLP*) as the standard. If it is unavailable, we use 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. We have changed up the categories a little bit this year to reflect changing market trends and buyer expectations.
The results are sure to prompt a lot of emails like last year as we have alternate views on vehicles and aren’t influenced from manufacturers, advertising dollars or reputation. Our view is that the reader should be able to rely on these awards to assist with buying decisions.
So to the categories and contenders!
2018 SUV under $40,000 Award
● Honda CRV VTI-S AWD
● Hyundai KONA 1.6T Highlander AWD
● Mazda CX-3 Akari 2.0 Petrol AT AWD
● Nissan Juke Ti-S AWD
● Subaru XV 2.0i S CVT AWD
● Toyota C-HR Koba AWD
2018 AWD SUV $40,000 – $50,000 Award
● Audi Q2 2.0L TDi Quattro
● Holden Equinoz LTZ-V AWD
● Honda CRV VTi-LX AWD
● Hyundai Tucson Highlander 1.6T
● Kia Sportage GT Line 2.0R CRDi
● Mazda CX5 Akera 2.2 DTT
● Nissan X Trail TL 2.0lL DT
● Subaru Forester 2.5i-S
● VW Tiguan 132TSI Comfortline 4Motion
2018 4WD $40,000 – $50,000 Award
● Jeep Compass Trailhawk
● Mitsubishi Pajero Sport GLX
● SsangYong Rexton Ultimate
● Toyota Fortuner GXL
2018 4WD $50,000 – $60,000 Award
● Ford Everest Ambiente
● Holden Trailblazer LTZ
● Isuzu MU-X LST
● Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Exceed
● Toyota Fortuner Crusade
● Toyota LandCruiser Prado GX Auto
2018 7 Seat AWD SUV $50,000 – $70,000 Award
● Holden Acadia LTZ-V AWD
● Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander 2.2R CRDi
● Kia Sorento GT Line 2.2R CRDi
● Mazda CX-9 Azami LE AWD
● Nissan Pathfinder Ti 3.5L V6
● Toyota Kluger Grande V6
2018 AWD SUV $50,000 – $75,000 Award
● Audi Q5 2.0 TFSI Sport Quattro
● BMW X3 xDrive 20d
● Jaguar E-Pace P300 S Auto
● Land Rover Discovery Sport TD4 180 SE Luxury
● Lexus NX 300h F Sport
● Subaru Outback 3.6R
2018 4WD $60,000 – $80,000 Award
● Ford Everest Titanium
● Land Rover Discovery 2.0l SD4 S
● Toyota LC70 GXL Wagon V8 Diesel
● Toyota LandCruiser Prado GXL
2018 AWD SUV $75,000 – $100,000 Award
● BMW X4 xDrive M30i
● Jaguar F Pace 25D R Sport
● Lexus RX 350 F Sport
● Range Rover Velar P 250 SE
2018 4WD $80,000 – $100,000 Award
● Land Rover Discovery TD6 SE
● Nissan Patrol TI-L
● Toyota LandCruiser 200 V8 GXL
● Toyota Prado Kakadu DiD
2018 Prestige SUV over $100,000 Award
● BMW X5 M50d
● Infiniti QX 80
● Jaguar F-Pace 35t S AWD
● Land Rover Discovery TD6 HSE
● Lexus LX 450d
● Maserati Levante 350
● Range Rover Sport V8SC HSE Dynamic
2018 Prestige Sports SUV Award
● Audi SQ7 V8 TDi
● BMW X4 M40i
● Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
● Maserati Levante S
● Range Rover Sport SVR
2018 Dual Cab Ute Award
● Ford Ranger XLT
● Holden Colorado LTZ
● Isuzu D Max LST
● Mazda BT50 GT
● Mitsubishi Triton Exceed
● Nissan Navara ST-X
● SsangYong Musso Ultimate
● Toyota Hilux SR5 DiD
● VW Amarok 420 Core 4Motion
For this years awards we tested 70 vehicles in 12 categories for our readers. To find out the winners simply read the following pages and maybe there are a few surprises there.