All selections are ‘subjective’
Welcome to the second of three special sections dealing with Toronto Star Wheels’ Best New Vehicles of 2016, in which our writers rank the best of the new cars and trucks for sale in Canada from No. 1 on down.
These are sections in which Wheels correspondents rank the top “best for your buck” autos in 12 categories. Today we are featuring the Best Electric Vehicles, the Best Luxury Cars, the Best Prestige Cars and the Best Sports Performance Cars.
I received some feedback from readers about our first special section a week ago, in which we examined small and family cars. One correspondent complained that the picks were “too subjective.”
Well, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada holds an annual test of many of the new vehicles that are on sale or coming on sale for the new year. They tabulate the votes of their members to determine the Canadian Car and Utility Vehicle (truck) of the Year. However, their evaluations are based only on vehicles that are entered each year by the manufacturers and they only group them in nine categories.
Wheels, on the other hand, evaluates all of the vehicles on sale at dealerships across the country and we group the autos in more categories — 12, in all. Although we consider our selections to be more comprehensive, we fully support AJAC in its many pursuits.
Having said that, whether it’s a committee decision, as is the case with AJAC, or the individual decisions that we favour here at Wheels, all of it is subjective and there’s just no way of getting around it.
Our reviewers this week represent a crosssection of the talented people who work for Wheels. Chief auto reviewer Jim Kenzie, for instance, selected the best of the prestige cars and I ask you: who better to do that? Kenzie has been writing and reviewing automobiles for the Star since before Wheels was born and if anybody knows automotive quality, it’s Kenzie.
Emily Atkins is a non-professional racing car driver of note and can usually be found in the summertime racing around Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. When it comes time to pick someone to evaluate the best new sports performance car, I ask you: who would you pick, if not Atkins? She also led the team that selected the cars designated for best new performance, also featured here.
Former Wheels editor Mark Richardson weighs in with a buyer’s checklist (it is always a good idea to have a plan before heading out to make a major purchase, be it a house or a car) and he does double-duty this issue by also evaluating and selecting the best luxury cars available in Canada.
Lee Bailie is a veteran automotive magazine editor and columnist, a one-time motor racing reporter and public-relations representative for Old Mosport. He volunteered to handle the electric-vehicle file this year. Green Wheels columnist Peter Gorrie wasn’t available this go-’round and Bailie graciously offered to pitch in.
Next week, we’ll finish off these special sections by examining and ranking the best pickups and the best SUVs in three price ranges, from less than $30,000 to more than $60,000. So, see you then. And I hope you enjoy today’s section. The whole package — all three special sections — will be posted on thestar.com/autos for the next year. nmcdonald@thestar.ca