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NEWS
Best Car finalists announced
Motoring bodies select top 45 models as Australia's Best Cars nomineesMotoring bodies from around the country have joined forces to select and announce the top 45 finalists on sale in Australia.
Ford’s Fiesta Ambiente, the Hyundai Accent Active and the Renault Clio Expression TCe 120 are the three finalists in the smallest category, Best Light Car.
The top three Best Small Cars under $35,000 are the Hyundai i30 Active, Kia Cerato Si and Volkswagen Golf 90TSI Comfortline, while the Best Small Car finalists priced over $35K are the Audi A3 Sportback 1.4 TFSI COD, BMW 116i and Mercedes-Benz A 180
The Best Medium Cars are split either side of $50,000, with the Mazda6 Touring, Toyota Camry Hybrid H and Volkswagen Jetta 118 TSI earning gongs in the cheaper class and the BMW 320i, Lexus IS 300h and Mercedes-Benz C 250 Avantgarde being the top three pricier mid-sizers.
In the Best Large Car segment, Australia’s motoring clubs chose the Holden Commodore SV6, Peugeot 508 Allure HDi and Toyota Aurion AT-X, with $60K-plus finalists being the Lexus GS 350 F Sport, Lexus GS 450h and Mercedes-Benz E 300 BlueTEC Hybrid.
The Hyundai iMax diesel, Peugeot 5008 Active 1.6T and Toyota Prius v claimed top people-mover honours, while the Best Sports Car class went to the Ford Fiesta ST, Ford Focus ST and Volkswagen Golf GTI (under $50K), and the BMW M135i, Mercedes-Benz A 250 Sport and Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG (over $50K).
The top three SUVs under $45K listed were the Kia Sportage Platinum 4WD diesel, Mazda CX-5 2.5 Maxx Sport AWD and Subaru Forester 2.5i, with $45,000-plus SUV finalists including the Ford Territory TS RWD diesel, Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander diesel and Kia Sorento Platinum 4WD diesel.
The Best Luxury SUVs over $65K were the Mercedes-Benz ML 350 BlueTEC diesel, Range Rover Sport TDV6 SE diesel and Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI diesel, while the three Best All Terrain 4WDs under $100K were listed as the Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo diesel, Land Rover Discovery 4 TDV6 diesel and Toyota Prado GXL diesel.
Rounding out the Best Cars categories is Best 4x4 Dual Cab Ute, the top three finalists in which are the Ford Ranger XL diesel, Mazda BT-50 XTR diesel and Volkswagen Amarok Highline TDI420 diesel.
Judges had to choose from more than 210 models across 15 categories ranging from light cars to large family-lugging SUVs. The contenders also presented judges with a number of powertrains including petrol, diesel and hybrid options.
Australian Automobile Association Chief Executive Andrew McKellar said the annual Australia’s Best Cars program is designed to ensure consumers receive the best advice.
“Australia's Best Cars is an annual initiative of the motoring clubs of Australia and it serves as a valuable information tool for consumers looking to purchase a new vehicle,” he said.
“Purchasing a new car is a major and difficult decision, and our rigorous testing process allows the motoring clubs to offer independent and thorough information to consumers on all of the 210 models assessed.”
The testing process takes 12 months and finalists are also thoroughly assessed by 12 judges over a five-day period at the Australian Automotive Research Centre, where they will decide the category winners.
Award winners are to be declared at an event in Melbourne in November.
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