Car of the Year finalists revealed

AND THEN THERE WERE 10 David Thomson gives a quick rundown on the finalists for this year’s New Zealand Car of the Year awards.

AUDI Q3

Audi has never won New Zealand’s ultimate Car of the Year crown, but could break its duck with the new Q3. Opening with the 110kW frontwheel drive 35 TFSI, and topping out with the justreleased 294kW allwheel drive RS Sportback, this Q3 has already been an award winner overseas.

MERCEDESBENZ GLB

MercedesBenz is right on the money first time out with the GLB, which is offered here as a threemodel range. Possessed of decent looks, a great interior, and pleasant and engaging driving dynamics, it is a genuine allrounder at the premium end of the intensely competitive midsized crossover segment.

FORD FIESTA

Nominally, it’s the whole Fiesta range that’s being assessed, but in New Zealand we see one model only, the 147kW/250Nm 1.5 litre Fiesta ST. So that pocket rocket is the very specific vehicle lining up to give the Blue Oval a tilt at 2020 Car of the Year honours.

MERCEDESBENZ EQC

The only pure EV on this year’s COTY finalists list, the massively refined and technically clever EQC large luxury crossover is a harbinger of Mercedes’ EQ revolution. Over the next three years, this will see the German company’s electric lineup expand to 10 models globally.

KIA SELTOS

The only COTY finalist to feature on New Zealand’s top 10 sales charts yeartodate, the Seltos crossover has been a runaway success for Kia in 2020. Testing it early in the year, we described it as ‘‘a fine allround vehicle, and perhaps the first from Kia to set a benchmark for its class’’.

PEUGEOT 2008

Tested by Drivesouth at the start of this month, the latest Peugeot 2008 compact crossover has already won international accolades for its exterior design. In our hands, it earned plaudits not only for its refreshingly original styling, but also for its innovative interior, and pleasing dynamic balance.

LAND ROVER DEFENDER

This modern take on the classic Land Rover theme is the only vehicle to earn Drivesouth’s maximum fivestar test rating so far this year. ‘‘Dignified, smooth, exceptional’’, read the headline for our Defender road test last month, and those three words capture its character nicely.

SKODA KAMIQ

Back in 2017, the Kamiq’s big brother — the Kodiaq — become the first (and so far only) Skoda to scoop New Zealand’s Car of the Year honours. Drivesouth’s test of the Kamiq will run next weekend and should give readers a feel for this compact crossover’s chances in the 2020 COTY title race.

MAZDA CX30

Mazda has enjoyed plenty of previous NZ Car of the Year success, but never before with a crossover or SUV. Slotting in between the popular and very wellregarded CX3 and CX5, the stylish, refined and dynamically accomplished CX30 could break new ground in this regard.

TOYOTA YARIS

Centred on conventional 88kW petrol and petrolelectric hybrid fivedoor hatchback models, but including the stonking 200kW 1.6 litre turbo threedoor GR, the Yaris can tick many boxes for the Car of the Year judges. Expect it to be a leading contender for top honours.