Finding the 2018 carsales Car of the Year

It’s crunch-time at the 2018 Carsales Car of the Year and things are getting a bit ragged around the edges.

The judges have spent the week poking, prodding, driving and voting on 24 cars; then we’ve taken 11 finalists onto nearby roads and done it all again.

Now, we’re venting and there’s some differences of opinion emerging.

“I think it’s well deserved of a top three placing,” says English import John Mahoney of the Subaru Forester.

“I wouldn’t be unhappy if it won.”

There’s a quiet sucking in of breath. Clearly Johnny’s bold play has not met with complete acceptance.

“So, tell us how all those disenfranchised turbo-diesel and manual buyers feel about it,” counters chief judge, Marton Pettendy.

Mahoney ponders for a second: “They’re going to be screwed.”

Gurgle, gurgle. That’s the sound of the Forester’s carsales Car of the Year chances going down the drain…

And so it goes... Some vehicles have their proponents, some have their opponents. There’s eight very different judges facing off here, each convinced they are right. And that means we certainly don’t agree.

But our diversity is also our strength. Whichever vehicle eventually wins carsales Car of the Year is going to deserve it after emerging from this process, these assessments and a rolling, roiling debate.

In the grizzled veteran corner there’s Tim Britten, still going strong after more than 50 years in motor-noting; Andrea Matthews, who has more hands-on knowledge of modern car foibles and faults than the rest of us put together; number cruncher Ken Gratton; freelancers Paul Gover and yours truly; young guns Sam Charlwood and the Mahoney, and of course, our no-bullshit leader Pettendy.

Breaking it all down, in our 24-car field there were 10 SUVs, nine passenger cars, three sports cars, one pick-up and one electric vehicle.

Hyundai was the most common brand with three vehicles making it to Wodonga TAFE’s Barnawatha Logic Campus (or automotive fun park to you and me), while Volkswagen, Volvo, Jaguar, Mazda and Mercedes-Benz had two apiece.

Recommended retail prices ranged from as little as $21,990 for the VW Polo 85TSI Comfortline mini-car to $195,000 for the Audi A8 55 TFSI quattro luxury limousine.

Read more:
• carsales Car Of The Year 2018
• Volvo XC40: carsales Car Of The Year 2018
• Hyundai Santa Fe: carsales Car Of The Year 2018 Highly Commended
• Volvo XC60: carsales Car Of The Year 2018 Highly Commended
• carsales Car Of The Year 2018 - The nuts and bolts

Our first two days of testing were devoted to whittling 24 down to 10. The process went almost perfectly…

Part of our dynamic on-track testing this year included a low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB) test. Each car was rolled up to an inflatable target at 30km/h with hands and feet off the pedals.

Most vehicles recognised the obstacle and stopped in time. Some didn’t, actually rolling straight on into its soft nose and only pulling up when braked manually. We double-checked with the relevant manufacturers and received the consistent feedback that the inflatable obstacle was the problem, not their AEB systems.

When the supplier of the inflatable itself brought into question its suitability, we had no choice but to sideline the test and redo the sums without the AEB scores (five points out of a total 100 awarded).

That elevated one car into the top 10. So, the decision was made to test 11 finalists.

In alphabetical order that top 11 was: The Audi A8, Hyundai i30 N, Hyundai Santa Fe, Jaguar E-PACE, Mercedes-Benz A 200, Skoda Karoq, Subaru Forester, Volkswagen Polo and Tiguan Allspace, and Volvo XC40 and XC60.

We acknowledge some people will criticise us and read more into this than is there, but our duty is to provide the highest quality, most accurate information to our readers that we can.

Next year AEB must be fitted on all variants for a model range to qualify for carsales Car of the Year and we will be testing the systems.

The magnificent 11

Our finalists were amassed and the prospect of days of driving assessment loomed. Arguably, this is the most important part of carsales Car of the Year -- assessing the finalists from behind the wheel and in their passenger seats – front and rear. For more on how that fitted into the overall judging process, see here.

For this part of the program we moved across the border, basing ourselves on the edge of the Hume Weir near the village of Bellbridge.

Our judging panel was paired off to complete a comprehensive 60-minute (approx) loop in each car. The test route included a little bit of everything; urban streets, rough bitumen, hairpin climbs and descents, hard braking, broken edges and some wonderful flowing sections.

It was designed to find the best ride, handling and steering, the most flexible, smoothest, quietest and responsive drivetrain and the best environment in which to passenger or drive.

At the end of each loop judges awarded their votes, then moved to the next finalist. Along the way, there were quiet words shared here and there, a raised eyebrow, a smile or grimace. Some cars were earning respect, others less so...

“I love the i30 N but can it be Car of the Year?” asked Pettendy after emerging from the Hyundai hot hatch, which offers both incredible driving fun and a great price.

“It would be an extraordinary result if that was our recommendation,” chided Matthews.

“To that point, the Audi A8 is an amazing bit of kit but it’s $200,000.”

She’s right about both cars; the i30 N is very focused and the big Audi an outlier in terms of cost. It’s hard to envisage either winning the award because of that.

But the A8 is undoubtedly a wonderful conveyance, swooshing along our challenging road loop, exuding calm and quiet speed while riding supply on its air suspension.

Not everything else could claim the same.

“The E-PACE lacks the polish of some bigger Jaguars and the whole car doesn’t work together,” complained Mahoney. “The engine over-powered the chassis.” No-one argued. That was a rarity!

The Volvo XC60 was singled out for its harsh ride, as it was rolling on low-profile 21-inch rubber and Polestar-tuned suspension. A blemish on what is an otherwise brilliant vehicle.

“Perhaps if you were in the market for a Porsche SUV that would be fine,” noted Mahoney. “But it’s a Volvo. It’s a pity about the ride; it does everything else well.”

If the judges’ assessment were vaguely similar when it came to the fundamentally flawed Jaguar and Volvo’s dynamic own goal with the XC60, they unexpectedly deviated on the Polo. The young guns had driven it in heavy rain and found it skatily unfriendly on energy-saver tyres.

“We both have to eat a bit of humble pie today after a drive in the dry,” admitted Charlwood. “On dry roads it was different; an unflustered and impressive car.

“And in terms of safety, technology and packaging, it does it all and it costs only a little more than $20,000.”

The Polo’s teeny three-cylinder engine was proving divisive in wet and dry conditions. One judge’s characterful idle was another’s intrusive vibration.

“I think someone whose been driving around in a four-cylinder for a while will find the triple confronting, if not a deal-breaker,” said Gratton.

No argument about the Polo’s utilisation of space, which in the preliminary assessment had already put the larger Toyota Corolla and its mini-me boot to shame.

The Tiguan Allspace, Volkswagen’s second finalist, had no ride or space issues. In fact, it was hard to pick fault with at all.

“What the Allspace does is compensates for the deficiencies of the standard Tiguan,” yours truly argued.

“It’s just a better Tiguan with more luggage space.”

The other seven-seat SUV, the Hyundai Santa Fe, was also a judge’s favourite. While the VW is a stretched version of a donor model, Hyundai’s SUV contender looks after third-row occupants properly. Combine that with its frugal diesel engine and strong five-year warranty and it shaped as a great all-rounder.

“It does everything properly, but it does feel heavy on the road,” cautioned Britten.

“You have to put more effort in… To me it didn’t feel quite as confident as the Allspace.”

Which leaves two more SUVs, both of them compact five-seaters -- the Skoda Karoq and Volvo XC40. Similar intentions, but notably different in execution.

“Looking at it you’d think the Karoq was plain-Jane,” I noted.

“But a fizzy engine and taut dynamics deliver a real driving pleasure. It’s better to drive than the XC40.”

Added Ken Gratton: “Very functional, very practical, little clever ideas like the hooks you can hang things from, the seats you can remove...”

The XC40 was also a smarty and added inspirationally original style to the mix. But it wasn’t perfect -- some judges felt its ride too sloppy, its steering too light and its rear suspension noisy.

Matthews waved that away, arguing the good stuff outweighed the bad.

“I think the XC40 really hits the sweet spot with what the market is looking for in terms of a premium SUV,” she argued.

“It’s a good, smart package. It’s got a stack of technology and it drives well – especially around the city.

“It’s got plenty of get up and go as well, which helps for country driving.”

Added Gover: “Isn’t it amazing the change Volvo has made. Five years ago, they were horrible cars for boring old farts and now they are really trendy and just getting better and better.”

And for once, shockingly, we all agreed.

Sounds like the XC40 did well then.

Find out the final results of the 2018 Carsales car of the Year.