Mazda CX-3
If there was any doubt about the impact of Korean cars on the Australian automotive scene it’s been removed with wins in six of the 15 categories in the 2015 Australia’s Best Car (ABC) awards.
Now in their 15th year the ABC awards, regarded by many as the most comprehensive of the many annual awards, are judged by engineers and journalists from the seven Australian motoring associations (in alphabetical order: AANT, NRMA, RAASA, RACQ, RACT, RACV and RACWA).
Importantly for potential car buyers the ABC awards differ from many of the other car of the year systems in that all new passenger vehicles currently on sale in Australia are judged – not just those that were released during the year. This approach makes much more sense as the buying public, as distinct from motoring enthusiasts, are not necessarily looking only at the most recent models.
And in an unprecedented move, the 2015 awards program launch date was delayed from November to February 25 in light of issues regarding emissions compliance and the use of so-called ‘defeat devices’ to evade clean air standards in several million Volkswagen Group vehicles worldwide.
“The AAA Board was of the opinion that the program could not accurately or fairly assess Volkswagen Group vehicles against each judging criterion and, as a result, no Volkswagen, Audi, or Skoda vehicles were able to be considered in the 2015 program,” Australian Automobile Association (AAA) Chief Executive Michael Bradley said.
In a triumph for the giant Hyundai-Kia group, its component brands took out three categories each.
Hyundai won the Best Small Car Under $35,000 with the i30 beating its two big rivals, Toyota Corolla and Mazda3; Best Light Car (Accent); and the Best Large Car Under $70,000) with the Genesis.
Kia won the Best Medium Car Under $50,000 with the Optima GT while Kia Sorento achieved a rare double win with its flagship Platinum variant awarded the Best AWD SUV between $50,000 and $65,000 and the 2WD si model outvoting its three people mover rivals in the Best Family Wagon category.
Kia Sorento Platinum
Other winners included Mitsubishi Mirage which won the Best Micro Car for the second year in a row. After being beaten for the past two years in the Best 4×4 Dual Cab Ute by Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux has matches its sales dominance by winning in 2015.
Apart from Hyundai and Kia the only other multiple winner was Mercedes-Benz, taking out the Best Sports Car $50,000-$100,000 with its A45 AMG and Best Medium Car Over $50,000 with the C200.
Hyundai Genesis
The prestigious Judges Choice award, effectively the ABC Best Car award went to the Mazda CX-3 Maxx which also took out the Best 2WD SUV Under $35,000 category.
The full list of Australia’s Best Cars award winners is:
CATEGORY WINNER
Best Micro Car:
Mitsubishi Mirage ES
Best 2WD SUV under $35,000:
Mazda CX-3 Maxx
Best small car over $35,000:
BMW 118i Sportline
Best Sports Car $50,000-$100,000:
Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG
Best 4×4 Dual cab Ute:
Toyota Hilux
Best medium car under $50,000:
Kia Optima GT
Best AWD SUV under $50,000:
Subaru Outback
Best large car under $70,000:
Hyundai Genesis
Best AWD SUV $50,000 – $65,000:
Kia Sorento Platinum
Best Family Wagon:
Kia Sorento si 2WD
Best small car under $35,000:
Hyundai i30 Active
Best AWD SUV $65,000 – $125,000:
Volvo XC90
Best light car:
Hyundai Accent
Best Sports Car under $50,000:
Ford Focus ST
Best medium car over $50,000:
Mercedes-Benz C200
Judges Choice:
Mazda CX-3 Maxx
