Car of the Year

Evoque by name, evocative by nature.Our judges applauded the fact it has gone virtually straight from designer Gerry McGovern's drawing board to concept to sheet metal production and the showroom floor without major alterations.On the street - or out in the bush where it is not out of its depth with its Feerlander II underpinnings and Terrain Response drive system - it is a bold statement.It comes in five-door and three-door variants. The one we got was the Miranda Kerr version. Skinny and sexy.Unfortunately form overcomes function in the three-door model with long, heavy and cumbersome doors, difficult rear access and a claustrophobic feel in the back where the slit-sized windows won't even wind down.It's also expensive. And the options fitted here make it more so.Judges winced at $1300 for the cold climate pack which features heated seats, mirrors and stuff; $1495 for keyless entry and $1300 for metallic paint. However, we would consider selling our first born for the $2385 Meridian audio system - truly the best sound on four wheels.The expense would be bearable if it wasn't for the fact that the car comes with a temporary spare tyre and the interior light hadn't fallen out in our hands.Ford's ride and handling circuit at the You Yangs proving ground reveals a sophisticated suspension set-up that copes with high-speed bumps and thumps and hangs on with Tarzan's grip.Some judges didn't like the floaty feel or lack of steering feedback, but conceded it was good for a heavy car being pushed to the limit.Safety is assured with seven airbags and a host of driver aids, but rear vision is limited by the design so the $1090 park assist option is a necessity.VERDICTLike the Mini or the BMW X6, this is a decision for the heart, not the head and the heart says va-va-voom! But too many pragmatists on our judging panel marked it down on practicality. Range Rover Evoque Si4 5-door wagon autoPrice: $75,895 ($98,759 as tested)Engine: 2.0-litre turbo petrol, 177kW/320NmTransmission: 6-speed auto, four-wheel driveThirst: 8.7L/100km; 199g/km.

BMW 1 Series, from $39,593Several impressive new BMWs hit the road in Australia in 2011 and the pocket rocket 1 M is a Carsguide driving favourite. But it's the overall 1 Series range that is the best ambassador for the brand, even ahead of a new X3 that has most of the strengths of the original X5.The new One is a major improvement and refinement of the original One and introduces the idea of streamlining the options at BMW, taking the fight right up to Audi and Benz with sharp pricing for the 116i starter car.Gover says: The original 1 Series was a big breakthrough at the bottom end for BMW and its replacement is impressive, but I'm not a fan of the puffed-up nose or seemingly-endless options.

Judged on criteria ranging across styling, safety, innovation, value, functionality, build quality and performance, the finalists are scored in a variety of situations including two days of road driving and a full day's examination. The process starts with each judge selecting their top ten cars of the year. Those choices are based on years of experience, and in the case of our ten experts that is well in excess of a century of accumulated knowledge, applied to driving as many as 100 models in the past year. The first round of selections are scored and the top ten become the finalists. With the finalists brought together for three days of extensive back-to-back comparisons, the judges have the opportunity to revisit each of the cars on the same surfaces and conditions before ranking the final ten from best to not-so-best. The top car in each judge's list is awarded ten points, the second nine, the third eight points and on down to a single point for the 10th car. Those points are then tallied to provide a possible score out of 80 and reveal the winner.

This time it is Hyundai, which has the World Car of the Year winner as the benchmark for its upcoming replacement for the compact i30.The i30 is expected to be run out at a motor show later this year ahead of sales in 2012, based on an intensive European test program that has attracted the lenses of the Carparazzi photographic team.They have caught the new i30 in northern Scandinavia and, despite heavy camouflage, everything points to a much more refined version of the current car. The second-generation i30 is likely to be slightly bigger overall, with more space inside, and with a body shape that is far more youthful than the current car.The test car shows sleeker lines that will move it comfortably alongside the i45, with low-profile lights - including LED daytime running lamps - and LED tail lamps moved to a new location.Mechanically, the car will get tweaked versions of Hyundai's latest Gamma motors, as well as an improved diesel, with the potential for the direct-injection petrol motor just previewed in the Veloster coupe.

For the second straight year, the German carmaker has topped the best of the best to claim the Carsguide Car of the Year award.  This time it's the baby Polo that has done the job, trumping the top 10 contenders and finishing ahead of the Kia Sportage and Skoda Superb wagon.In the end the Polo scored a convincing win, not because of its $16,690 starting price but because of its impressive safety, quality, comfort and driving enjoyment.  Look no further - the Golf's little brother is the worlds best small car," says Paul Pottinger, one of the Carsguide COTY judges. The battle for the 2010 COTY prize began with a cull of more than 100 new arrivals in Australia through the year since the Golf claimed its COTY trophy. The eventual contenders cover every class and price category, from the baby Hyundai i20 through the luxury BMW 5 Series and the E-Class from Mercedes-Benz.The only homegrown finalist is also the only hybrid - the Toyota Camry hybrid.  The Carsguide COTY contest is a national award which draws its judges from News Limited papers and websites from coast-to-coast, with former rally star - and current economy champion - Ed Ordynski also joining the panel for 2010.The judges are led by managing editor Ged Bulmer, who is joined by Carsguide chief reporter Paul Gover, Karla Pincott of Carsguide.com.au, Neil Dowling of the Sunday Times in Perth, Stuart Martin of The Advertiser in Adelaide, Craig Duff of the Herald Sun in Melbourne, Paul Pottinger of the Daily Telegraph in Sydney, Peter Barnwell of news suburbans and Mark Hinchliffe of the Courier Mail, Brisbane.Together they put the 10 finalists through two gruelling days of tests, from track laps to back-seat measurements, but concentrating on real-world driving in all conditions from stop-start city traffic to deserted gravel roads.More on Carsguide Car of the Year

... but only made the final field in the first place at the expense of the car from which it is cloned, the Hyundai ix35.The Sportage edged the ix35 because it looks better, is priced cheaper and drives considerably nicer than its Korean rival - at least until Hyundai put its suspension crew to work on improvements for 2011. Once into the COTY field the Sportage impressed on almost every front.  It's the sort of family car that the majority of Australians now want, with solid performance, five-star safety, great value and a driving experience that's a lot better than a clunky off-roader.It could have done even better in a year when the Polo was not a runner and is a worthy runner-up against a car that dominated the judges' votes.Kia Sportage: review

... including sedans and wagons with no less than four different engines:- A 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel;- a 2.5-litre six cylinder petrol;- a turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol;- a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel; and- a thumping twin turbocharged 4.4-litre V8.Prices range from $83,300 to $178,900 with a bewildering and eye watering array of options that then add tens of thousands more to your bill.WANT MORE?First drive by Mark HinchliffeReview by Philip KingFirst drive by Kevin Hepworth

VOLKSWAGEN has done it again. For the second straight year, the German carmaker has topped the best of the best to claim the Carsguide Car of the Year award, this time with the baby Polo.

Twenty kilometres on the worst bitumen road I have driven in 20 years has won me on the Suzuki Kizashi. Until we hit the horror strip on the haul to Warwick in Queensland I am using words like cute, nice, safe, sensible and refined to describe the Kizashi. With a special mention for a $27,990 starting price.As we emerge from the nastiness, and a road that would run an Audi A4 ragged, my Kizashi vocabulary has switched to composed, refined, impressive, enjoyable and - wait for it - brilliant. The turnaround happens as quickly as one evil, nasty corner that would turn most cars into a bucking bronco. The Kizashi crushes it and, even though the rear suspension bottoms heavily, there is no lasting damage of any sort.My passenger and I are both smiling, and things get better with every kilometre. This is a big surprise because Suzuki is moving into unknown and uncharted territory with the Kizashi, its first mid-sized car and one that must compete with the Honda Euro and Mazda6 and perhaps even the Audi A4.Suzuki made its name with grotty little 660cc city runabouts. It produces them in vast numbers, even badging them for Mazda and Nissan. It began its move upmarket with the impressive Swift, a Carsguide Car of the Year winner, and continued with the latest Grand Vitara. The SX4 is alright, but not in the same class.Now it has the Kizashi, a safe but smooth design with impressive quality in every area. And, as I discover on the track to Warwick, world-class steering, suspension and noise control. The car has been developed over more than four years and, despite losing some of the sensational styling of Kizashi concept cars, it is an impressive job. But it needs to be good because Kizashi is up against tough rivals and has no history or reputation to help it."Kizashi is a car we have all been looking forward since the Frankfurt Show in 2007. It is a car that is immensely important for Australia. We are confident it will re-define the Suzuki brand here in Australia," says Tak Hayasaki, managing director of Suzuki Australia. His crew has laid the ground for Kizashi with everything from the Swift to an $80 million upgrade of dealer facilities, even if the first-year sales forecast is a conservative 3000 cars.DRIVETRAINS AND PRICINGThe basics for the Kizashi are the medium-class body, a 2.4-litre four- cylinder engine, six speed manual and six-speed CVT automatic transmissions, and plenty of standard equipment. There are only two models, the XL and XLS. The XL is well equipped with keyless entry and start, six airbags, ESP and anti-skid brakes, 17-inch alloys and dual-zone aircon. The XLS picks up everything plus leather seats and sunroof.Pricing is $27,990 and $30,490 for the XL or $34,990 and $37,990 for the XLS. "Only the entry-level Mazda6 Limited has a lower retail price. It's patently clear which vehicle has better value," says Tony Devers, general manager of Suzuki Australia.DRIVINGThe Kizashi is a good looking car and the quality is first-rate, but I wonder at first about the size. Looks are deceiving with such short overhangs, but the boot is good and there is Euro-sized space for four adults in the cabin. It's easy to find a comfy driving position but taller drivers - and ones not much over 180 centimetres - report restricted headroom in the XLS. Suzuki is investigating making the sunroof an option, not standard.The car is quiet, the six-speed manual gearshift is slick, and the CVT does not produce the annoying engine roar of some rivals, while the car will obviously do good economy numbers. It undercuts the Mazda6 and Suzuki also touts regular unleaded.The 2.4-litre engine is smooth but lacking any real mid-range punch, which is a shortcoming when you have a few people on board. But a V6, a future engine choice, would likely make the car heavy in the noise and upset the ride and handling. And that's where the Kizashi is a real winner, cashing-in the development work done at the Nurburgring.The steering is sharp and responsive, the car is neutral at all speeds in all types of corners, and the way the suspension absorbs bumps is - that word again - nothing short of brilliant. When you look at the car's value, and the quality of the engineering, the only shortcoming is the Suzuki badge. It's not that a Suzuki is bad, just that no-one will expect a car like the Kizashi in the mid- sized ruck.If the latest Honda Euro or Mazda6 were as capable as the Kizashi they would re-write the rules for mid-sized motoring; just as they did when they hit as the first Euro-Jap mid-sized contenders. How good is the Kizashi? I'm certain it will make the shortlist for the Carsguide Car of the Year award in 2010.

The battle for Car of the Year honours in 2010 begins right here and now. The first serious contender out of the blocks is the all-new Volkswagen Polo, a mini-Golf with a starting price of $16,690, although it will have to battle a wide range of new stars from the boxy Toyota Rukus and BMW's classy GT to the Series II Holden Commodore VE.The VW Polo has not done well in Australia, partly because it was too costly and partly because the previous models were... well... tinny little cars without much charisma. The latest fifth-generation car changes the pattern with everything from clunk-close doors to impressive equipment and real driving enjoyment.The meat of the model lineup is still on the costly side of $20,000, and there is not much punch from the basic engine with a bit of steering kick over corrugations, but the new Polo finally shows similar strengths to last year's Carsguide COTY winner, the Golf."We are confident that we have created a car that is the right package for the target customer. We want it to be the third volume pillar in Australia after Golf and Tiguan," says Vladan Dimic, product marketing manager for Volkswagen Australia.The new Polo is a complete makeover, unlike the previous car which was basically a facelift. So the body structure is new and stiffer - with the promise of ANCAP safety, including six airbags and ESP standard - there are two petrol engines and a turbodiesel, and the car even gets a seven-speed DSG manumatic gearbox.EquipmentThere are two bodies, three and five-door hatches, with Trendline and Comfortline equipment packages. Volkswagen says there is $1000 worth of no-cost safety equipment in the car, as well as little things like a remote control that can open and close the windows, white-lit dials and new steering wheels. Yet the pricetags are generally lower, by $300 in the case of the manual three-door Trendline that opens the batting.Mechanical packageThe engines run from the 1.4-litre four with 63kW/132Nm to the 1.2- litre turbo with 77kW/175Nm and the 1.6 turbodiesel with 66kW/230Nm. Both petrol engines are tweaked with things like improved fuel injectors and an electric turbo wastegate.There is wider new suspension, with MacPherson struts in the nose and a torsion beam axle in the tail, with anti-skid four-wheel discs and alloy wheels on all but the base car. There is also a full-sized spare but the petrol engines drink premium unleaded.Still, VW says economy is improved by up to 24 per cent and quotes 4.6L/100km consumption and 121g/km CO2 for its best performers. There are two optional equipment packs, the $900 comfort deal that includes rain-sensor wipers and the $770 audio package with the Bluetooth phone connection that should be standard.DrivingThere is more to the new Polo than ever before. You see it in the bigger body, feel it in the slightly roomier but much higher-quality cabin, and enjoy it in a car which is as good to drive as anything in the baby class - short of my personal favourite, the Fiesta - and equal to the best on quietness and refinement.The doors close with a thunk, the seats are supportive, the steering is light and direct, and the suspension soaks up most bumps and undulations without a drama. It's a European car with a Japanese starting price - although the five-door comes from South Africa - which means it will get onto a lot more shopping lists. Especially with a television commercial filmed in Sydney and aimed at men.I drove all varieties of the new Polo and enjoyed the two extremes, the basic three-door with a 1.4-litre engine and the DSG turbodiesel five-door. The starter car is quiet and responsive, although big hills show a lack of pulling power, and it actually rides best of the bunch despite steel wheels. I was not worried about a five-speed manual gearbox and I like the three-door body, although rival brands say it's not a winner and VW only expects to sell one car in five without back doors.The turbodiesel flagship is punchy and very well equipped, but you pay for the luxury. And there is still a little kick through the steering on bumps, as well as suspension which feels a little bouncy at times. But, overall, there is a lot to like in the new Polo and very little to criticise.Will it be Carsguide Car of the Year for 2010? Based on a relatively short first drive, it is going to take a very good car to beat it.