CD Article: Canadian Car of the Year

[CD_Editor]

Special Feature:


CanadianDriver contributor Chris Chase provides an overview
and analysis of the 65 contenders in the recent Canadian Car of the
Year Awards "Testfest" held in the Niagara area. The winners in each of
the 13 vehicle categories will be announced November 21st and the
overall Canadian Car of the Year and Utility Vehicle of the Year will
be announced on February 14, 2007 at the Toronto auto show.
       More...

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Good article.

Chris, think I agree with most of your choices for segments with 2 exceptions:
- Sebring. Not BAD, and I found the vehicle spacious (moreso than I anticipated), but I'd take the Camry or Altima over it for sure. Likely Camry.
- Expedition MAX. Yes, yes, it's huge. By far the biggest. But I'd have to vote for the Benz GL. I think it brings together a big usable package with a price tag that is fairly reasonable - at least compared to a Range or even the Q7 (seems to have more height and room if that's what you're after). And in this category, prestige is more important than all-out room IMO.

What were the disappointments, and what was most surprising?

[jww]

2 Camry models in two different categories? Just because hybrid is still considered cool and trendy, I wouldn't have included it in the upper category.

The Saturn Aura is probably the one car I wish would have been available when we bought our Sonata GLS last January. Vauxhall/Opel Vectra roots would have created a very interesting alternative to the Sonata (which, after 24,000km we still love).

[chrischasescars]

Good article.

Chris, think I agree with most of your choices for segments with 2 exceptions:
- Sebring. Not BAD, and I found the vehicle spacious (moreso than I anticipated), but I'd take the Camry or Altima over it for sure. Likely Camry.
- Expedition MAX. Yes, yes, it's huge. By far the biggest. But I'd have to vote for the Benz GL. I think it brings together a big usable package with a price tag that is fairly reasonable - at least compared to a Range or even the Q7 (seems to have more height and room if that's what you're after). And in this category, prestige is more important than all-out room IMO.

What were the disappointments, and what was most surprising?

For sure, the Camry is the most solid choice. You know it's going to do its job no matter what, but the Sebring (and Altima) are more interesting.

I chose the Expedition Max for the fact that it's the most hardcore truck for the money. Where I chose the Sebring over the Camry for being niftier, here I went the other way, for the truck that I thought would be the most useful in more situations for the money.

Disappointments? Maybe the Kia Amanti. It's still really floaty and leans waaaay over in turns, and nowhere near as nice to drive as the Hyundai Azera. Great back seat though, as I said in the article. The new Kia Magentis was decent, though, even in four-cyl/auto tranny form as we had at Test Fest.

I think the Saturn Aura and Ford Edge were the most pleasant surprises. Both are nice to drive and to look at, and I hope they help these struggling companies get a leg up.

Also, Hyundai had an Accent SR prototype there. It's gonna go on sale in the spring of 07. The proto was a lot of fun, if a bit rough around the edges. I look forward to seeing what the final production car is like. No significant power increase, which let me down. Would have liked to see Hyundai go all out and stick an Elantra 2.0-litre in this thing and really tighten up the suspension to make a cheap hot hatch. Ah well. Maybe someday.

And in response to jww's comment, the two-Camry thing caused a couple of other manufacturers to get their backs up. Apparently Toyota pulled a bit of a fast one in order to get both a Hybrid and non-hybrid Camry in the rankings.

Thanks for the comments and keep reading. 

[Arthur Dent]

I like Phil Bailey's take on this -

http://www.baileycar.com/baileyblog.html

[AVToller]

I like Phil Bailey's take on this -

http://www.baileycar.com/baileyblog.html

  Thanks for a good read. Perhaps a better (and shorter) list would be "Cars that have won no awards" award list. 

[ovr50]

I like Phil Bailey's take on this -

http://www.baileycar.com/baileyblog.html

I'm with you, Arthur Dent. 

[sirAQUAMAN64]

AJAC category winners have been chosen.

I expect full press releases will come tomorrow here? http://www.ajac.ca/english/ccoty/2007/press_release/CATEGORY_Winners.asp?lang=1

Note the scoring 'vote results' on the right.

- Toyota Camry swept both categories entered. I was pulling for it Family Car under $30, but not over - too bad for the Saturn Aura.
- I'm super surprised Audi S8 took the Prestige category over the new S-Class and LS, although it was tight. I bet the sound of that engine won journalists over 
- MazdaSpeed3 barely squeaked by the VW GTI
- VERY surprised the Santa Fe placed 4th behind the RAV4 V6 Sport, CX-7, and CR-V LX AWD
- Pleased the GL won its category - closest finish, even tighter than MS3/GTI, with only 0.3pt difference between it and the MDX Elite!

Sometimes it's strange, but I don't always see the winner in the category as the best choice for car or truck of the year. But taking those winners, I'd be pulling for:
- BMW 3 Series Coupé, MS3, Eos, or Fit. Issue is I don't think any of these are really THE car of the year, especially seeing how narrow focused some of them are. With that, perhaps the Camry LE deserves the title. Or the 3 Series 
- Avalanche or GL-Class. I could see the RAV4 getting the title. Think the GL deserves it, but it's so darned expensive. Avalanche would be my vote.

[jww]

Well - not necessarily my picks. Camry in two categories? C'mon 

I admit that the Rabbit was a bit of a shocker as well. This will help VeeDub's perception in Canada, for sure.

I have to chuckle, however, at some of the categories - especially Convertible of the Year. Is that because they couldn't figure where else to place the Eos?

The one or two that I absolutely agree with - BMW 3 Series coupe and Lexus ES 350.

It sure was a good turnout for Toyota/Lexus.

[rocky_road]

I think the Saturn Aura should have won - both its category and car of the year. It's a much nicer looking car and the Aura XR handles better for sure.  I thing AJAC took the easy way on this and voted for an old reliable versus best.  While I'm on it...Eos a winner?  huh?  Edge not in top 3? Tahoe/Yukon best-selling full-size SUVs shut out?  Yaris - best selling - shut out?  I wonder if auto journalists are really in synch with what average Canadian buyers are after?

[sirAQUAMAN64]

I would have cried foul if the Eos didn't win its category.

One of the GM SUVs deserved to win something, and I think the Avalanche was strongest where it won, where the Tahoe comes up short (even in space) against some of its non-direct rivals in its category.

Forgot about the Edge. Can't believe the new CR-V placed 3rd ahead of Santa Fe or Edge, which could have been a good contender for truck of the year.

Not a popularity contest, simply which vehicle is best all things considered. Then, which one is most relevant to Canadians?

[airbalancer]

Is not the Chevrolet Avalanche more of a SUV then a truck, it is base on the Suburban

[safristi]

 KOTEX of the year Awards SUCK..................

[ovr50]

More BS and advertising influenced fodder for the auto cos. These awards are useless information.

Needless to say, I subscribe to the Phil Bailey school of thought regarding things like the AJAC, or COTY or any of the other so-called awards. The only awards that count are the sales stats.

[chrischasescars]

More BS and advertising influenced fodder for the auto cos.

I partly agree with your and Phil Bailey's opinion, in the sense that the buyers in effect choose the "best" cars available by buying them.

Problem with that, and this is mostly my opinion, is that it makes cars like the Cavalier/Sunfire - cars whose only real redeeming feature was a low price and/or tons of incentives - appear to be among the "best" cars available. Yes, they sold well, they're simple to fix and do the job most people need them to do, but it doesn't mean the best-selling car is necessarily the best car, period, though in some cases, it works out that way.

Every automotive publication is basically advertising for the manufacturers. For the companies that build cars, every press car they put on the road and get an article published about - good or bad - is advertising. As someone lucky enough to get to write about cars for a living, all I hope is that I'm able to help someone see through the PR muck and make an informed choice about which car they buy, regardless of what cars AJAC as a whole thinks are the best ones. I love my job, and it's fun, but I do take it seriously.

[ovr50]

stickshift - I was not meaning to impinge on any auto journalist's work ethic or dedication to their job - my point is that the awards process is not that meaningful and sometimes is severely flawed, resulting in "best cars" being, once the history is written, far from that. I am sure you put a lot of effort into this job you enjoy, and I'm sure you do it well (from what I have seen). These "awards" however, get lumped in the public's eyes with the wonderful stuff from JDPower & Asso. - prostitutes to the car cos.

[airbalancer]

Someone that owns a 10 year old car and gives out car advise is like a priest giving out marriage advise

[mdxtasy]

Someone that owns a 10 year old car and gives out car advise is like a priest giving out marriage advise

I do not agree with that statement.  An objective stance and a constant 'touching' of the new vehicles are more relevant in forming views and recommendations than somebody who 'owns a new car.'  I would say regardless of what vehicle one has as a personal vehicle, the key is to have access to sample many different cars and to form an opinion on it based on what he/she has seen with the competitors. 

I would say that people who are armchair car testers and gives car advice is like a plumber giving electrical advice. 

[UmroAyyar]

Someone that owns a 10 year old car and gives out car advise is like a priest giving out marriage advise

I have the 2007 Toyota Camry, owning the latest model year car doesn't qualify me to advise people on car buying, it would be mere opinion.

A person who owns a 20 year old car, but drives/samples a lot of new cars ever year from almost every manufacturer has more credibility than anyone who doesn't.

Analysis, experience is more important than owning a new model year car. Most automotive journalists have to live with these sample cars day-to-day (e.g James a.k.a wing) and compare different characteristics of vehicles they drive.

[chrischasescars]

stickshift - I was not meaning to impinge on any auto journalist's work ethic or dedication to their job - my point is that the awards process is not that meaningful and sometimes is severely flawed, resulting in "best cars" being, once the history is written, far from that. I am sure you put a lot of effort into this job you enjoy, and I'm sure you do it well (from what I have seen). These "awards" however, get lumped in the public's eyes with the wonderful stuff from JDPower & Asso. - prostitutes to the car cos.

It's cool, ovr. No offense taken, and I hope it didn't come across that I had taken offense. Just giving my point of view on the awards thing. 

Airbalancer: trust me, if I could afford a newer car, I'd own one (and in normal circumstances, I would have one, but I just bought a house instead). But I seriously don't see how driving an older car makes me ill-suited to reviewing new ones. But how 'bout this: you let me borrow your 3-series cabby for a week, and I'll tell you if you bought the right car. How's that sound? 

Seriously, though: many of you guys know who Jeremy Cato is, right? Last time I spoke to him at an event (earlier this year) I found out he doesn't own a car period (because he has no need due to the number of press cars he drives). Does that make him a bad auto writer?