Consumers have their say in the 2019/2020 #CarsAwards

With the finalists announcement in early October and then two days of rigorous testing in early November, the annual Cars.co.za Consumer Awards is now in its final phase where owners have their say. South African motoring customers have until the end of November 2019 to complete their surveys which account for 50% of the final scores.

“The #CarsAwards is designed to be a guide for all new passenger vehicle buyers, not only those who follow motoring publications,” says Cars.co.za Consumer Experience Manager Hannes Oosthuizen.

This public process is one of the key differentiators of awards of this nature, some of which only judge cars based on the professional opinions of motoring journalists.

The #CarsAwards however, has developed a scoring algorithm that collates the data from 21 multi-disciplined media personalities and journalists including TV and radio host Jacob Moshokoa, Carte Blanche reporter Claire Mawisa, tech journalist Nafisa Akabor and seasoned motoring editor Lerato Matebese from Driven Magazine. The scores from these judges are then added together with the scores from the public to form a more holistic view of the South African motoring landscape.

#CarsAwards finalists

17 brands are represented in the list of finalists and Volkswagen leads the 39-strong pack of overall finalists spread over the 13 categories. There are seven VW products across the list of finalists with BMW, Toyota and Ford with 4-derivatives each.

Suzuki Auto have generally scored well at the #CarsAwards in the past and once again, three of their cars make the grade for the 2019/2020 list. One of the newest brands in South Africa and certainly one showing the greatest growth, Haval has also made it into the finalist list with the new H9 Luxury in the Adventure SUV category.

It takes on the seasoned and big nameplates Ford Everest and Toyota Fortuner.

The 2019/20 #CarsAwards finalists in their respective categories are:

Budget Car

• Kia Picanto 1.2 Style
• Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX
• Volkswagen Polo Vivo Trendline

Compact Hatch

• Ford Fiesta 1.0 Trend Auto
• Mazda2 1.5 Individual Auto
• Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI Comfortline Auto

Premium Hatch 

• Mazda3 2.0 Astina
• Mercedes-Benz A200 AMG-Line
• Volkswagen Golf GTI

Executive SUV

• BMW X3 xDrive20d M-Sport
• Range Rover Evoque D180 R-Dynamic SE
• Volvo XC60 D5 R-Design

Compact Family Car

• Renault Duster 1.5 dCi Prestige
• Suzuki Vitara 1.4T GLX Auto
• Volkswagen T-Cross 1.0 TSI 85kW Highline R-Line

Family Car

• Mazda CX-5 2.0 Dynamic Auto
• Peugeot 3008 2.0 HDI Allure
• Toyota RAV4 2.0 GX Auto

Adventure SUV

• Ford Everest 2.0 Bi-Turbo 4WD Limited
• Haval H9 Luxury
• Toyota Fortuner 2.8GD-6 4×4 Auto

Premium SUV

• Audi Q8 55 TFSI Quattro
• BMW X5 xDrive30d M-Sport
• Range Rover Velar D300 R-Dynamic HSE

Crossover

• Audi Q3 35 TFSI S Line
• Jaguar E-Pace D180 AWD R-Dynamic
• Volvo XC40 D4 R-Design

Leisure Double Cab

• Ford Ranger 2.0 BiTDi Wildtrak 4×4 Auto
• Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD-6 Legend 50 4×4 Auto
• Volkswagen Amarok 3.0 V6 TDI Highline 4Motion

Business Class

• BMW 320d Sport Line
• Mercedes-Benz C300 AMG Line
• Volkswagen Arteon 2.0 TSI 4Motion R-Line

Fun Hatch

• Mini Cooper S Sports-Auto
• Suzuki Swift Sport 1.4T 
• Volkswagen Polo GTI

Performance Car

• BMW M2 Competition M-DCT
• Ford Mustang GT 5.0
• Toyota Supra 3.0T

Brand of the Year

The #CarsAwards is always a glitzy, celebrity-studded affair and this 5^th edition of the awards will take place on 13 February 2020. Hailed as the most prestigious award of the evening, the Brand of the Year has been won by two Japanese manufacturers in the past: Suzuki and Toyota who have each won the award twice. All finalist brands will be looking to bag that award in 2020.