motoring.com.au names 'Recommended Cars' of 2012

motoring.com.au has named its 'motoring.com.au recommends' cars for 2012. The vehicles, spread across a number of consumer-oriented categories, are motoring.com.au's top picks for real-world new-car consumers.

Ford topped the pile with seven recommendations. Volkswagen was next best with six. Brands such as Mazda, Kia and Hyundai were all awarded multiple recommendations. So too, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi... A full list of 'motoring.com.au recommends' winners is detailed below.

Motoring.com.au 'powers' all automotive editorial content across the carsales network. It also publishes Australia's number one automotive iPad magazine app each fortnight.

Motoring.com.au and carsales.com Ltd Editor-in-Chief, Mike Sinclair, said motoring.com.au recommends will rapidly become a key research tool for Australian new-car shoppers

"More than 50 brands, hundreds of models and thousands of equipment and powertrain variants are on offer today in the Australian new-car marketplace – picking one has never been more difficult," Mr Sinclair stated.

"The motoring.com.au team of journalists drives literally hundreds of new cars each year and we've chosen what we believe are the best of the new car crop so new-car buyers can prepare a shortlist with confidence.

"It's important to recognise excellence, but it's perhaps even more important to help buyers make the right decision. We believe motoring.com.au recommends will be an important research tool for Australian new-car buyers," Mr Sinclair said.

Motoring.com.au has chosen its 'Recommended Cars' in 13 lifestyle categories and sub-categories. The award categories essentially correspond with search options across carsales' network of websites including carsales.com.au, CarPoint.com.au, Redbook.com.au and motoring.com.au. They are defined by Redbook data including such factors as price, size, passenger capacity and other category-specific factors.

The categories are: First Car; City Car; Family under and over $30,000; SUV under and over $50,000; Performance under and over $100,000; Prestige under and over $100,000; Off-road 4x4; Tradie; and Green.

Motoring.com.au recommends logos will be present on award-winning models across carsales' new-car buying and research areas. In this way motoring.com.au recommends is intended to not only reward excellence but also to be a viable and easily accessed tool via which new car buyers can narrow their search.

Mr Sinclair explained: "The motoring.com.au team considered a wide range of attributes in making choices for each of the categories: performance; refinement; handling; suitability for purpose and value for money."

Reliability, resale and manufacturer support (including warranty, fixed-price servicing and the like) were also key considerations, he said. Only cars on sale to the general public and driven by motoring.com.au before September 1, 2012 were eligible for the awards.

While a maximum of five cars were awarded in each category in this first rollout of motoring.com.au recommends, motoring.com.au will continue to review, amend and refine the list as new car models come and go.

In addition, the motoring.com.au recommends winners will form the basis of a revamped carsales.com.au People's Choice Awards. carsales.com.au's PCA is set to relaunch on November 1.