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Retrobug
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Congrats again!

Post by Retrobug »

CAR OF THE YEAR: Porsche does it again
by Mark Smyth, February 20 2014, 07:29

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The Porsche Cayman S, the 2014 Car of the Year
THE debate surrounding the Porsche Boxster winning last year’s South African Guild of Motoring Journalists Car of the Year title are set to be reignited with the announcement that the Porsche Cayman S is the 2014 winner.
Hopefully, though, most of the arguments were dispensed with last year as to how the competition actually works in terms of rewarding the car that excels the most in its class. In this regard, the Cayman S definitely does, although, if there is one debate to be had, it is that the car is perhaps far too close to the Boxster, which offers the additional enjoyment of being a rag top.
This year was one of the hardest competitions of all, with nine finalists including the Audi A3 Sportback, Jaguar F-Type, Lexus IS350, Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG, Peugeot 208 GTi, Porsche Cayman S, Renault Clio 4, Volkswagen Golf and the Volvo V40.
The current World Car of the Year title holder, the Golf, was a close contender, with many also expecting to see the Audi take home the spoils in a fight between the two vehicles that share the same platform and engine.
In the end, though, the Porsche screamed across the line in first place after voting by the jury of motoring journalists from across South Africa, including two members of the Business Day Motor News team.
The finalists had been put through their paces at the Gerotek testing facility in January where jurors got to experience the good and the bad of each one in tests ranging from high-speed driving and dynamic handling, to static evaluations and the teeth-rattling suspension tests.
There were plenty of surprises after the test days and then the hard graft of going through reams of specification and comparison sheets began. Here the real figures are laid bare in terms of the specifications of each finalist’s key rivals, as well as such things as cost of ownership and resale values.
Over the years the competition has produced a wide variety of winners, from entry-level vehicles to family hatchbacks and sedans, as well as executive cars and sports cars. Each winner has set a new benchmark in its class and this year appears to be no exception.
Choosing a Porsche for the second year in a row might well upset some, but given the fact that many have hailed it as providing all the thrills of the mighty 911 while costing substantially less, its new piece of silverware would seem to be well deserved.
The question now is whether, with Porsche launching its new Macan compact SUV later this year, the Stuttgart manufacturer could be on top yet again in 2015. :hangloose:


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Re: Congrats again!

Post by acpaterson »

So, for the sake of a debate, my 2 cents.

Boys and me in the office discussed this. Firstly, who decides one who the "cars of the year" candidates are? Are they perhaps all Business Directors or CEO's...
Secondly, SURELY a car of the year should satisfy the general man in the street's requirements, eg: AFFORDABLE family type, "tick all the boxes" cars.. We can't figure out how a semi-exotic can be a car of they year when you have to earn over 500 000 per annum to afford it? This is South Africa, not Germany. We don't have Autobahns here, and yet this, and it's predecessor, wins car of the year.

Comments lads?

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Re: Congrats again!

Post by riaanj »

acpaterson wrote:So, for the sake of a debate, my 2 cents.

Boys and me in the office discussed this. Firstly, who decides one who the "cars of the year" candidates are? Are they perhaps all Business Directors or CEO's...
Secondly, SURELY a car of the year should satisfy the general man in the street's requirements, eg: AFFORDABLE family type, "tick all the boxes" cars.. We can't figure out how a semi-exotic can be a car of they year when you have to earn over 500 000 per annum to afford it? This is South Africa, not Germany. We don't have Autobahns here, and yet this, and it's predecessor, wins car of the year.

Comments lads?

regards

Alan
I think you are spot on with this..
What about the oke who can only afford a Golf or Jetta at best??? What about mom taking the kids to rugby(?soccer?) practice, what about the young lad with aspirations of owning this year's COTY in 3 or 4 years time when his job starts paying a bit better???
I think it's a marketing gimmick & the finalists get chosen by who sponsors the best goodies to the judges/publications/press/whoever-organizes-it..
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Re: Congrats again!

Post by Retrobug »

Was also wandering about this :?
Found this article
http://www.wheels24.co.za/News/2013-SA- ... s-20121030
The finalists were chosen by a limited jury of SA Guild of Motoring Journalists' members who have narrowed their list down to 12 models.

Vehicles will be judged on aesthetics, build quality, ergonomics, fuel consumption, safety, handling, performance and value for money.

And last years one:
http://www.carmag.co.za/news/porsche-bo ... -the-year/
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Re: Congrats again!

Post by Kafer74 »

I think if a car had to be chosen for practicality reasons alone then mostly SUV's and double cab bakkies would win this competition. Yes, the Boxster of 2013 and this years winner, the Cayman are both unpractical cars in the sense of space and passenger wise. They are surely not affordable to most people but they had to have most of the boxes ticked when judged to become car of the year. If you wanted practicality then I think the competition should be subdivided into different categories like, SUV's, entry level passenger vehicles, all terrain vehicles etc. which would defy the object of car of the year. Would it have been more acceptable if a Porsche Panamera or a Porsche Cayenne won due to their practicality?
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Post by splitfan »

I think we should ask Reuben (beetlefanatic) these question as he was probably on that panel , Reubs ??
My biggest fear is that my wife sells my cars for what i told her they cost !!
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