Top Three “Best New” Finalists Announced In Twelve Categories
The Automobile Journalists Association (AJAC) released its top three finalists in 12”‘best new” car, SUV and pickup categories as part of its 2014 Canadian Car of the Year program. Many of those that have made the cut come as no surprise, but one there is one that is notably absent – the Jaguar F-Type V6 S. Admittedly, the F-Type was facing some stiff competition in the Sports-Performance (over $50,000) category, up against the likes of the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (pictured), the BMW 4 Series Coupe and the Porsche Cayman among others. Despite missing the cut, the F-Type is definitely a fine car, and one of our favourites of the year. It will be featured prominently in our forthcoming 2014 Performance & Luxury New Car Buyers Guide, due out in late December. The category winners will be announced in Toronto on December 3, and the 2014 Canadian Car of the Year and 2014 Utility Vehicle of the Year will be revealed at the Canadian International Auto Show on February 14, 2014. The following is the official release from AJAC. – Lee Bailie
The top three car, SUV, and pickup finalists in twelve “Best New” categories were announced today by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, better known as AJAC. The results were tabulated by KPMG, the accounting firm that works with the association and its Canadian Car of the Year awards.
The twelve “Best New” categories cover the full new-model spectrum, including “Best New Small Car,” “Best New Luxury Car,” and “Best New SUV/CUV.” Most mainstream categories are further divided by price, such as over or under $35,000, to better provide fair and relevant comparison. The top three finalists by category are copied below.
The category finalists represent the vote results by the largest group of Canada’s best-known automotive journalists, who recently gathered in Niagara Falls, Ontario for a five-day test-drive evaluation of brand-new or significantly changed vehicle models. The event, known as “TestFest,” was hosted by the Niagara Parks Commission, and Shell Canada is the official fuel supplier.
The vote results are not the personal opinion of just one journalist. Rather, they are based on a combination of objective data and evaluation by 80 journalists of 174 vehicles. Each journalist drives vehicles in a category back-to-back on the same day, under the same conditions, on closed and public roads, so as to ensure consumer relevance.
Every detail, from safety features to cargo capacity, is thoroughly scrutinized and individually rated by secret ballot. Over 40,000 data fields are generated by the journalists. KPMG then tabulates the information from the ballots in order to determine the winners. The vote results are kept confidential – even from AJAC – until announced publicly.
The journalists’ evaluations are combined to select a winner in each of the twelve categories. Those winners will be declared in Toronto, Ontario on Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013. Each category winner then goes on to compete for the top honour of being either the 2014 Canadian Car of the Year, or the 2014 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year, which will be announced at the Canadian International Auto Show on February 13, 2014.
The comparative data is criteria driven and based on Canadian expertise. Consumers are urged to use the data as a resource buying guide, at no charge, when shopping for a new vehicle.
The vote results and comparative data from this year’s Canadian Car of the Year awards will be posted to the AJAC web site by December 5th.
However, you don’t need to wait until then to learn more about AJAC’s posted vehicle comparisons. Comparative data for 2013 are currently listed under New Vehicle Data – Criteria Driven - Canadian Expertise on our web site at www.ajac.ca
2014 Canadian Car of the Year Awards
TOP THREE FINALISTS
Sports/Performance (over $50k)
BMW 4 Series Coupe
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
Porsche Cayman
Prestige Car (over $75k)
Cadillac XTS
Jaguar XJ XJR
Mercedes-Benz S Class
Luxury Car (under $50k)
Kia Cadenza
Lexus IS 350 RWD
Mercedes-Benz CLA 250
Luxury Car (over $50k)
Acura RLX
Cadillac CTS
Infiniti Q50 Hybrid
Small Car (under $21k)
Mazda3
Nissan Versa Note
Toyota Corolla 1.8
Small Car (over $21k)
Ford Fiesta ST
Kia Forte Sedan
Mazda3 Sport
Family Car (under $30k)
Fiat 500L
Kia Rondo
Kia Soul
Family Car (over $30k)
Chevrolet Impala LTZ
Honda Accord Hybrid
Mazda6
SUV/CUV (under $35k)
Jeep Cherokee
Subaru Forester XT Touring
Toyota RAV4 AWD Limited
SUV/CUV ($35k to $60k)
Hyundai Santa Fe XL
Kia Sorento
Mercedes-Benz GLK 250 BlueTEC 4MATIC
SUV/CUV (over $60k)
Acura MDX
BMW X5
Mercedes-Benz GL 350 BlueTEC 4MATIC
Pickup
Chevrolet Silverado
GMC Sierra
Ram 1500
Photo courtesy of General Motors
