Forester car of the year
AFAMILYFRIENDLY SUV with a starting pricetag of $39,990 has beaten tough competitors to be named as the
2018 New Zealand Car of the Year.
Picked by members of the New Zealand Motoring Writers’ Guild from around the country, the Subaru Forester is the first winner for Subaru in the award’s 31year history. It is also only the second SUV to claim the prize.
Guild members across the country voted on the 10 finalists to decided the winner, giving each car a score out of 100. While the Forester was the clear winner, when scores were aggregated, just 5.2 points separated the 10 cars.
New Zealand Motoring Writers’ Guild president Richard Edwards, of Auckland, said the Forester reflected the kind of vehicle Kiwi buyers now want.
‘‘The Subaru Forester makes an ideal New Zealand Car of the Year. It offers the durability and functionality Kiwi families want, alongside next generation safety technology. And at $39,990 it proves the New Zealand newcar market offers value to buyers never seen before.’’
Guild members from around the country assessed the cars on roads within their region. The winning car must excel from many different perspectives, and in a range of Kiwispecific conditions.
Those professionals include
Drivesouth
editor David Thomson and regular contributor Richard Bosselman, both serve on the New Zealand Motoring Writers’ Guild Car of the Year committee.
Thomson described the Forester as ‘‘a fine addition to New Zealand’s midsized ranks, combining adventuring capabilities with roundtown practicality in a way that few of its direct rivals can match’’.
Subaru of New Zealand managing director Wallis Dumper was thrilled to get the brand’s name on the trophy.
‘‘We wanted to upgrade Kiwis’ fun with this techpacked SUV and knew when the fifthgeneration Subaru Forester arrived that we had a pretty special vehicle on our hands. The New Zealand’s Motoring Writers’ Guild has recognised that not only is the Forester fun, but there’s a good reason why it’s Subaru’s number oneselling model globally.’’
The Forester was one of 10 finalists for the New Zealand Car of the Year award. The others, in alphabetical order, were: BMW X3, Holden Commodore, Hyundai Kona, Kia Stinger, MercedesBenz AClass, Skoda Karoq, Toyota Camry, Volvo XC40 and Volvo
XC60.