German brands dominate Best Car awards 2011
Germany rules the roost in 2011 Australian Automobile Association's annual awardsGerman and Korean carmakers came up trumps in the annual Australia’s Best Cars awards presented by the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) and announced last night in Melbourne.
No less than nine models from German marques were represented among the winners in 15 categories, with Volkswagen by far the most prolific with five vehicles rated as best in class. These included the Polo 66TDI Comfortline as Best Small Car over $20,000, the Golf 90TSI Trendline as the Best Small Car under $35,000, the Jetta 118TSI Comfortline as the Best Medium Car under $50,000, the Tiguan 103TDI as the Best SUV under $40,000 and the Touareg V6 TDI as the Best Luxury SUV over $60,000.
Mercedes-Benz was next with two cars, the C250 CDI Avantgarde as the Best Medium Car over $50,000 and the C63 AMG as the Best Sports Car over $80,000.
BMW and Audi each had one category winner, the former with its 135i Coupe that took out the Best Sports Car under $80,000 category (its fourth consecutive win) and the latter with the A6 3.0 TDSI Quattro which was again judged the Best Large Car over $60,000 – further emphasising the dominance of the wider Volkswagen Audi Group.
Korea had three winners, Kia accounting for two categories with its Rio rated as the Best Light Car under $20,000 and the Sorento SLi again scoring as the Best SUV over $40,000. Hyundai scored just one award with its iMax judged as the Best People Mover -- a repeat of its performance in last year’s awards.
Ford’s Falcon, in part-consolation for its current sales woes, was the only Australian made car to rate, with the LPG-fuelled Falcon EcoLPi XT taking out the best large car under $60,000 award.
This continues Australian dominance of the family large car category where the Falcon has figured prominently since 2002 when it usurped the Holden Commodore that had won in the previous two years. Toyota’s Aurion had its place in the sun in 2006, 2007 and 2009, while Mitsubishi’s sadly departed 380 sedan won the category in 2005.
Japan’s sole category winner was the hybrid Lexus CT 200h Prestige, which won the Best Small Car Over $35,000 award and was the only petrol-electric car to get a mention.
The other single-brand, single-country winner was the Land Rover Discovery 4 SDV6 SE which was judged to be the Best All-Terrain 4WD – its seventh consecutive class win
The Australia’s Best Car awards were initiated by the AAA 12 years ago, in conjunction with the seven major state and territory motorist’s clubs and this year the judges reviewed more than 440 vehicles that qualified for inclusion.
Australia’s Best Car 2011 category winners:
Best Light Car Over $20,000 - Volkswagen Polo 66TDI Comfortline
Best Small Car Under $35,000 - Volkswagen Golf 90TSI Trendline
Best Small Car Over $35,000 - Lexus CT 200h Prestige
Best Medium Car Under $50,000 - Volkswagen Jetta 118TSI Comfortline
Best Medium Car Over $50,000 - Mercedes-Benz C250 CDI Avantgarde
Best Large Car Under $60,000 - Ford Falcon EcoLPi XT
Best Large Car Over $60,000 - Audi A6 3.0 TDI Quattro
Best People Mover - Hyundai iMax
Best Sports Car Under $80,000 - BMW 135i Coupe
Best Sports Car Over $80,000 - Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
Best SUV Under $40,000 - Volkswagen Tiguan 103TDI
Best SUV Over $40,000 - Kia Sorento SLi
Best Luxury SUV Over $60,000 - Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI
Best All-Terrain 4WD - Land Rover Discovery 4 SDV6 SE
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