2013 SA Car of Year Finalists
Vehicles will be judged on aesthetics, build quality, ergonomics, fuel consumption, safety, handling, performance and value for money.
The 12 finalists (in alphabetical order) are:
- 2012 BMW 3 Series 320i Automatic
- 2012 Ford Ranger 3.2 XLT 4X4 Double Cab Diesel AT
- 2012 Hyundai i30 1.8 Executive
- 2012 Kia Rio 1.4 TEC Hatch MT
- 2012 Lexus GS 350 EX
- 2012 Mercedes-Benz B 180 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY
- 2012 Nissan Juke 1.6 DIG-T Tekna (Leather)
- 2012 Opel Meriva 1.4T Cosmo
- 2012 Porsche Boxster
- 2012 Range Rover Evoque Si4 Dynamic 5-door
- 2012 Toyota 86 High Spec 6MT
- 2012 Toyota Yaris 1.5 HSD Xs
Judges will put the finalists through a two-day test session in February 2013 at the Gerotek test facility, west of Pretoria.
Vehicles will be evaluated under the same conditions (except off-road capable entries will also cover a 4x4 track) on the open road, a body-twist track and a handling track at Gerotek with each model weighed for what it is - sports car, mom's taxi, family sedan etc.
Following the test sessions, a final allocation of points will be tallied before an overall winner is announced.
A significant change for the 2013 competition format was a Car of the Year workshop held earlier in 2012. The judges are also no longer compiled simply of veteran SAGMJ members; instead, each member voted for 25 of their peers to serve as a judge. The 30 members with the most votes were co-opted for evaluation duty.
While all of the models are deemed to represent examples of outstanding automotive engineering, there can be only one winner and it will be revealed in March 2013.
