NZ Car of the Year finalists

The vehicles in the finals of the NZ Car of the Year Awards 2015 were ranked by a number of factors, including value, design and quality, while public voting for the people’s choice award has now closed. The top 10 consisted of the Audi Q7, BMW i3, Ford Mondeo, Hyundai Tucson, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Subaru Legacy/Outback and the Volvo XC90. Mazda made it through to the finals with three models – the Mazda 2, CX-3 and MX-5. The winners were announced by the AA and the NZ Motoring Writers’ Guild on December 9 at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland with the BMW i3 taking out the top gong. Here is what the judges had to say about them. The Audi Q7 features driver assist along with excellent fuel economy for a large SUV, which has been improved through weight saving and engine/drivetrain technology. BMW’s i3 has been designed from scratch, with a “new approach to sustainability, comfort specification and technology”. The Ford Mondeo offers driver assist and safety technology, with “great performance, and a satisfying all-rounder.” Hyundai’s Tucson “offers the amenity and ability of a much larger vehicle,” and features both front wheel and all-wheel-drive powertrains. It’s also the first to launch Apple’s CarPlay infotainment. The Mazda2 is described as “a small car that offers as much active safety as a larger vehicle, yet still has the same fun to drive character as a compact car. The MX-5 can be customised to personal tastes. The convertible sports car features rear-wheel drive and a manual gearbox option. The CX-3 is a small SUV that drives like a sports car, but offers “excellent safety, fuel efficiency and versatility”. Land Rover’s Discovery Sport is a compact seven-seater, which is “comfortable, fuel-efficient and exceptionally well-priced”.  The Subaru Legacy/Outback is a “well-specified” all-wheel-drive vehicle with improved fuel efficiency from “class-leading engines and transmissions” Volvo’s XC90 features “a well-equipped cabin” with a small engine “leaving a low environmental footprint” along with driver assist.