Hatch clinches top car gong
The Toyota Yaris hatch’s handling and frugality has impressed a host of judges who have named it Top Car in the Stuff Top Cars 2020 awards.
It also took out the top compact/small car category and the top hybrid section in the annual list of accolades.
The all-new Yaris, pictured, is based on the same Toyota Next Generation Architecture (TNGA) platform as the likes of the Prius, Corolla and last year’s Top Car winner, the RAV4.
“The TNGA platform brings the same surprisingly engaging feel to the Yaris that it endowed the Corolla and RAV4 with, but the Yaris takes it even further by being lighter and packing a thoroughly brilliant 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine that is both charmingly growly and brutally fuel efficient, even in non-hybrid form,” reports Stuff.
Meanwhile, judges also praised the hybrid verison for being more fuel efficient at urban speeds than open road speeds, and for a “deeply impressive” level of equipment and technology across the model range.
Now in its fifth year, Stuff Top Cars celebrates the best cars, utes and vans test driven in the past 12 months. Other awards this year included the sexiest car title going to the Porsche Taycan, the Toyota Hilux being named top ute, and the Volvo S60/V60 clinching the medium/large car crown.
Stuff Top Cars 2020
Top Car: Toyota Yaris
Top compact/small car: Toyota Yaris
Top medium/large car: Volvo S60/V60
Top compact/small SUV: Mazda CX-30
Top medium SUV: Mercedes-Benz EQC 400
Top large SUV: Land Rover Defender
Top sports/performance car: Ford Fiesta ST
Top sports/performance SUV: Audi RS Q3
Top hybrid: Toyota Yaris
Top luxury car: Bentley Flying Spur
Top luxury SUV: Mercedes-Benz GLS 400d
Top electric vehicle: Porsche Taycan
Top ute: Toyota Hilux
Top van car: Ford Transit Custom
Sexiest car: Porsche Taycan
Top interior: Porsche Taycan
Top car for a budget: MG ZS
Top car for a family: Renault Duster/Land Rover Defender 110
Top car for a commuting lifestyle: Tesla Model 3/Mercedes-Benz EQC
Top car for the environment: Toyota Yaris Hybrid
Top non-hybrid car for fuel efficiency: Toyota Yaris
Top performance-per-dollar car: Ford Fiesta ST
Top brand: Toyota
