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Australia's Best Cars finalists announced


Australia's Best Cars finalists announced

Author: Andrew McKellarDate: 8 November 2011

An LPG-fuelled Australian six-cylinder car has made the finals of this year's Australia's Best Cars award.

The new Ford Falcon EcoLPi heads a strong field of alternative power source vehicles assembled for the prestigious judging.

Forty-seven per cent of finalists are not powered solely by a petrol engine.

Nineteen brands from eight countries make up the 45 finalists evaluated by judges from Australia's automobile clubs.

Diesel fuel powers 21 of the finalists, while two are petrol/electric hybrid and LPG fuelled.

Australia's Best Cars winners will be announced by the Australian Automobile Association at a gala event in Melbourne on November 29.

The Ford Falcon would be the first LPG-powered car to win if it prevails in the rigorous judging process.

Andrew McKellar, Executive Director of the Australian Automobile Association, the peak body for the motoring clubs, says vehicles are becoming increasingly diverse.

"It is clear there is more variety than ever in the marketplace," Mr McKellar said.

"The list of finalists reinforces that there is no longer any specific formula for certain types of cars.

"Even the traditional petrol-powered vehicles vary greatly in their approach – from small capacity, low-boost turbocharged engines to a 6.2-litre V8."

Finalists in the Best Large Car Under $60,000 category comprise a 2.0-litre diesel Peugeot, a 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol Škoda and the 4.0-litre six-cylinder LPG Falcon.

The Best Medium Car Over $50,000 segment will be fought out exclusively by diesel-powered cars from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen.

"We even have a 1.4-litre twin-charged VW hatchback going up against a twin-turbo 3.0-litre six-cylinder BMW coupe in the Best Sports Car Under $80,000 segment," Mr McKellar said.

The AAA motoring clubs considered more than 300 vehicles for Australia’s Best Cars before testing the top three contenders in each of 15 categories.

The finalists are:

Best Light Car under $20,000   Best Light Car over $20,000 
Hyundai Accent Active  Audi A1 TFSI Ambition 
Kia Rio Si  Ford Fiesta Zetec 
Suzuki Swift GL  Volkswagen Polo 66 TDI Comfortline 

Best Small Car under $35,000  Best Small Car over $35,000 
Ford Focus Sport  Audi A3 Sportsback TDI
Hyundai i30 SX Lexus CT200H Prestige 
Volkswagen Golf 90 TSI Trendline Volvo C30 DRIVe 

Best Medium Car under $50,000   Best Medium Car over $50,000  
Hyundai i40 Tourer Active   BMW 320d Lifestyle
Kia Optima Platinum Mercedes-Benz C250 CDI Avantgarde
Volkswagen Jetta 118 TSI Comfortline  Volkswagen Passatt CC 125 TDI

Best Large Car under $60,000 Best Large Car over $60,000
Ford FG Falcon EcoLPi XT Audi A6 3.0 TDI Quattro
Peugeot 508 Allure BMW 520d
Škoda Superb 118 TSI Ambition Jaguar XF S Luxury

Best People Mover Best All Terrain 4WD
Honda Odyssey Luxury Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo CRD
Hyundai iMax LandRover Discovery 4 SDV6 SE
Kia Grand Carnival Si Toyota Prado GXL

Best Sports Car under $80,000 Best Sports Car over $80,000
BMW 135i Coupe BMW 1 series M Coupe
Volkswagen Polo GTI BMW M3 Coupe
Volkswagen Golf R Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe

Best SUV under $40,000  Best SUV over $40,000  Best Luxury SUV over $60,000 
Kia Sportage AWD Sli   Hyundai Santa Fe R series Elite  BMW X5 xdrive 30d 
Mitsubishi ASX 4WD  Kia Sorento Sli   Range Rover Sport TDV6
Volkswagen Tiguan 103 TDI Subaru Outback 2.5i wagon Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI

 

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