Carsguide Car of the Year 2007

The Daily Telegraph
02 November 2007

***2008 UPDATE***

The carsguide car of the year 2008 finalists have been announced. Check out the videos, photo galleries and stories.

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The first four finalists for the 2007 carsguide Car of the Year are revealed!

Australia's only Car Of The Year award covering the length and breadth of the country is on again and for 2007 it is bigger and better than ever. From Brisbane to Tasmania, from the east coast to the west, motoring editors and senior motoring writers from The Daily Telegraph, Melbourne's Herald-Sun, Brisbane's Courier-Mail, Adelaide's Advertiser, Hobart's Mercury and Perth's Sunday Times have set their caps to finding Australia's best new car.

And for the first time a special award will be given to the best “green” new car available in Australian in 2007. After an exhaustive search and culling process through all cars launched in Australia over the past year, our motoring experts selected their top 11 cars.

Earlier this week the finalists were tested extensively over three days, including a fullday's examination at Wakefield Park at Goulburn, to find a winner.

Judged on criteria ranging across styling, safety, innovation, value, functionality, build quality and performance, the finalists were studied, dissected and scored in a variety of situations. With votes being counted, today we introduce the first four finalists.

Over the next three weeks the full field of 11 of Australia's best cars will be revealed as we head to the announcement of the 2007 Carsguide Car of the Year on November 23.

The winner will join the Suzuki Swift (2005) and the Holden VE Calais V-line (2006) as top car in the Carsguide Car of the Year gallery.

Four more finalists will be named next Friday.

Stay in touch with all the latest leading up to the announcement of a winner at www.carsguide.com.au/caroftheyear

Comments on this story

Displaying 3 of 16 comments

I bet that in the entire duration of the "cars Guide Car of the Year Awards", no Ford will ever rate above 3rd and will never get higher than tthe GMH Car. Paul Gover is a chronic Ford hating GMH fan and cannot give credit where credit is due. COTY by Cars Guide is a farce and always will be. I dare anyone to prove me wrong.
Phill Posted on 31 July 2008 10:38pm
Holden UTE SV^ bedt for 2007
Ereic B Farrar Posted on 21 November 2007 10:11am
How terrible have cars become? These cars are heavy, uninspiring to drive (I have driven the Golf in Gti form - so slow) and have no character. The shape and dynamics of these vehciles are a joke - sitting in my car (1990 R32 Gtst Skyline) my head barely comes above the door handles on these - especially the Mazda (and no, mine isn't lowered) so no wonder these things feel like they're about to tip when you fang them through roundabouts. Car manufacturers need to quit these front wheel drive platforms with understeer dialed in for 'safety' and go back to front or mid engined rear drive platforms if they want to build inspiring rides that the modern male (under 35) would buy. Seriously, these cars look like they came out of the latest Barbie road home. Oh, and for your interest, my car isn't a gas gusling dinosaur; the 2L turbo six puts out 160kW at the wheels and returns between 8.5 and 9.5L per 100km thanks to the 540Nm of turbo torque. Quarters in 13.7 and 0-100 in 5.8. How does that comapre to these cars?
Jack Posted on 13 November 2007 10:06am
This is a very boring list. Sure, the Golf is a good car, and the Mazda 2 looks like it may be a serious contender in its class, but when has a Volvo ever been exciting? Volvo's styling is about as up to date as Morgan and Bufori. And when has a Hyundai ever lasted longer than it takes to read its road test article? There seems to be no truly innovative, exciting, or even improved cars in this list. So where are this year's true highlight new releases like the Audi R8 and S5? I only hope the next round offers something worth its position in the competition.
Dan K Posted on 12 November 2007 2:17pm
Sadly so many guys have the polluting petrol guzzling speed and power mentality linked to their testosterone levels as shown in the choice of cars on offer for car of the year and other silly awards. When the majority of the world is screaming for cleaner greener cars to enable motoring to continue at an affordable and healthier cost. Unfortunately the motor and oil industry's clout and persuasive payola have seen no political party embrace the manufacture of natural gas vehicles or even more fuel efficient hybrid natgas/electric vehicles in Australia leaving the jobs of those employed by the big 4 car makers on the chopping block. Of course the rest of the world has had natural gas factory built vehicles for years that emit 60% less greenhouse gases and can be filled at home off your regular supply line that services your hot water service and space heater for 5 cent per litre but Howard would prefer to sell 85% of our natgas to China for a cent per litre and have us pay a buck fifty at the bowser for filthy petrol? Go to www.myphill.com and read and click on " vehicles " on left side of page to enlighten yourself and to ask your local aspiring MP "why not" before the election. As for car of the year choices and it's pointless result it's much the same as asking which form of death penalty do you want the chair or the firing squad....there are hardly any good points about the choices are there?
Lindsay Wilson Posted on 10 November 2007 10:13am
Wheres the YARIS ???
Paul White Posted on 09 November 2007 5:18pm
The VW GT is a great car if your local regulations penalise you based on engine size but..here in Aussie we can buy a GTi which uses 8.0 litres per 100 where the GT uses 7.7 litres per 100. The GTi goes 0-100 in 6.9 versus 7.7 for the GT. For the small price difference and the extra 3/10th of a litre why buy a GT over the real thing. Having said that, the VW is innovative. It will be interesting to see the next 6 but no winner for me in these 4
Frtiz Posted on 09 November 2007 9:48am
Hey Robert Poole, some would argue that GT is a better car than the GTI, seeing as though it has the same sort of performance with not as much power and whole lot smaller fuel consumption. It's my choice for the best car hands down, that engine is incredible.
Tom Posted on 07 November 2007 1:59pm
The Hyandai I30 isn't a car, it's a gimmick. The VW Golf GT is not as good as the GTI. The Volvo is too much like a Mondeo. The only decent car out of the four is the Mazda. I'm hoping the Honda Civic Type R gets in there!
Robert Poole Posted on 07 November 2007 11:23am
What, no Ford Mondeo?
Dean Styles Posted on 07 November 2007 11:23am
I agree with Rob Williams, but at least the Volvo is in there, which shares the same engine as the XR5 Turbo
Jonthan Fung Posted on 07 November 2007 11:23am
I had one of the original bubble shape Mazda 121's and after that Mazda seemd to lose the plot. This new Mazda 3 is brilliant and gets them back on track with small car design.
Dennis Williams Posted on 06 November 2007 1:19pm
What! No XR4 Fiesta? Surely this must surpass the Mazda @ as a high quality, affordable, fun performance car. The Fiesta has the handling, the looks, the performance and the price to make it a most desirable car in your finalists list.
Rob Williams Posted on 06 November 2007 1:19pm
I hope the new VE uts will be tested
Dave Posted on 06 November 2007 1:18pm
Where is the Peugeot 207 GTi, GT or the Turbo CC? These are only the biggest selling cars in Europe!
David Lyons Posted on 06 November 2007 1:18pm
Where is the R26 Megane?????
Robert England Posted on 05 November 2007 5:56pm

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