Car of the Year

The Japanese brand is so committed to its new Kizashi that it will pay the cash bounty to anyone who drives it, then buys a rival car.  The offer could cost Suzuki Australia as much as $20,000 and it is likely to be paying some shoppers, as its list of rivals runs to classy contenders including the Audi A4, Mazda6, Honda Accord Euro and Volkswagen Jetta."This shows the confidence we have in Kizashi. We're prepared to put our money behind it," says Tony Devers, general manager of Suzuki Australia.  "You have to remember that they will be spending somewhere between $30,000 and $60,000 to get our $200, and they also have to drive the Kizashi first. Once they do that, and see the starting price, we're very confident which way they will go."The bottom line for the 2.4-litre Kizashi is $27,990 with a six-speed manual gearbox, rising to $37,990 for the XLS flagship with a constantly-variable transmission.  The car is a big step up for Suzuki, which sells the vast majority of its two-million annual production as tiny city runabouts in Japan and India.Suzuki says it is mid-sized, despite tight overall dimensions, and has five-star safety as well as standard equipment running to 17-inch alloy wheels, remote locking and start, and a four-way adjustable steering column. The XLS upgrade comes with an electric driver's seat, 18-inch alloys, parking assist, HID headlamps and rain-sensing wipers, and a punchy Rockford-Fosgate sound system.Safety is claimed at five-star level thanks to six airbags across the range, as well as anti-skid brakes, ESP stability control and a very rigid body.  Mechanically, the car has an engine with 131kW/230Nm, four-wheel disc brakes and fully-independent suspension with front MacPherson struts and a multi-link setup in the tail.Suzuki teaser the Kizashi campaign with three concept cars and, although the production sedan is far more conservative, it's still a car which should change the perception of the brand.  "We are confident this vehicle will redefine the Suzuki brand worldwide. We now have cars to suit customers at every stage of their lifestyle," says Masaaki Kato, Oceania marketing manager.DrivingThe Kizashi is a fine car.  It's well up to the standard set by Suzuki with everything from the Swift to the Grand Vitara and is likely to make the Car of the Year shortlist for 2010. It also continues a European-style focus on the real strengths of a car, from a rigid chassis to compliant suspension and a cockpit built around the driver.Quality is good in the Kizashi, performance is acceptable for the class, and the suspension is excellent.  The car feels a touch too cramped in the cabin to qualify as a genuine mid-sized contender - and go up against family cars like the Toyota Camry - but it will be fine for couples who want a car with class and driving enjoyment. And there is space in the back seat for a couple of kids.Both Kizashi models drive well and are well equipped, right down to fully-trimmed gloveboxes and a thumping sound system in the XLS. The standard sunroof in the luxury car steals a bit of headroom, though, for anyone over about 175 centimetres tall.The six-speed manual gearbox has a slick shift and good ratios while the CVT auto is enjoyable to use and is programmed so there is none of the excess noise or flaring from similar units in other brands.  The engine could use a bit more torque for overtaking punch but is quiet and very smooth, with good economy.It is going to take Suzuki a while to get the Kizashi established and moving, but the basics are right and it deserves to succeed.

The Toyota Prius is up against the Volkswagen Polo and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class in final voting for the world's most prestigious car prize. The three finalists are named today at the Geneva Motor Show in the second-last stage of WCOTY voting.The winner will be announced in New York on April 1.The WCOTY contest is decided by 59 jurors from 25 countries through two secret ballots. Apart from the main prize, there are awards for performance cars, green cars, and automotive design.The three final contenders for the 2010 World Performance Car award are the Audi R8 V10, Ferrari California and Porsche 911 GT3.The three finalists for the World Green Car award are the Honda Insight, Toyota Prius and the Volkswagen BlueMotion (Golf, Passat, Polo).

A widely varied field from the soft-roader Audi Q5 to the baby Volkswagen Polo is competing for the biggest prize in world motoring

To be eligible for 4WD Of The Year, a vehicle has to be completely new that year, or significantly revised. By 'significantly revised' we mean a major mechanical change like a new engine or drivetrain, or a new body. Styling, equipment or interior facelifts don't cut the mustard.To be eligible, the vehicle in question also has to have a full-size spare wheel either as standard, or available as an option. No full-size spare equals no start. On this count, the Peugeot 4007, Volvo XC60, Audi Q5 and Mitsubishi Outlander were all eliminated automatically.That left a number of other soft-roaders that do come with a full-size spare to consider. These included the Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX400h and the Nissan Murano. The fact that so many new soft roaders didn't go down the space-saver route is good news but at the end of the day they are still soft roaders and with so many strong candidates among the ranks of the serious 4WDs, we couldn't warrant their inclusion.The new 'serious' 4WDs included the Prado 150 Series, the Land Rover Discovery 4, the Range Rover Sport and Vogue, the new Land Rover Defender variants, the ML Series Triton, and the revised Jeep Wrangler.   Further culling of the numbers saw the Wrangler and the Defender eliminated on the grounds that they are both variations on well-known themes while the Range Rover Vogue, with its new petrol 5.0-litre V8, was deemed to be too expensive in relation to the new Range Rover Sport with its new 3.0-litre TDV6.In the end it came down to the Discovery 4 with its new TDV6 engine (in SE spec), the Range Rover Sport with the same engine (only one spec level), the top-spec ML Triton as this is the only model with all the new features as standard, and the Prado in both petrol and diesel guise. To us, these five vehicles represented an extremely strong field … a classic Land Rover verses Toyota battle with the wildcard Triton thrown in.Find out which vehicle won in Australia’s leading offroad magazine, Overlander, on sale Wednesday Jan 27.

Congratulations to the winner, 2009 People's Choice Best First Car: Ford Fiesta.

Congratulations Ford Falcon After the polls closed on Wednesday this week with more than 17,000 people having voted across six categories, the Ford Falcon led the overall field with 2106 votes – holding a small lead over the Holden Special Vehicles GTS at 1904 votes.  Further back in the field, the margin for third place was even slimmer, with the Audi A6 TDI at 1213 votes narrowly beating the Mazda3 with 1109 and the Nissan GT-R at 944.West Australian voters gave a bit more applause to the Red Lion, putting the Holden Commodore SIDI in third place when state-based results are analysed.  Northern Territory voters gave a bit more applause to the all-paw contenders, putting the Toyota Prado in third place when state-based results are analysed, very closely followed by the Toyota HiLux in fourth.South Australian and Victorian voters overall favoured the Mazda3 over the Audi, putting the little Japanese car in third place when state-based results are analysed, while South Australian voters also edged the Nissan GT-R up into fourth.Victorian voters overall favoured the Mazda3 over the Audi, putting the little Japanese car in third place when state-based results are analysed.Tasmanian voters overall favoured the HSV over the Ford – reversing the order when state-based results are analysed – and putting the Toyota Yaris in third overall for the Apple Isle.Both men and women overall favoured the Falcon first and then the HSV, but male voters placed the Nissan GT-R in third place and females went for the Mazda3.  However the Falcon was edged out into second place in the Family category, with the Holden Commodore SIDI taking the gong and the Subaru Liberty coming third.  And the Audi A6 TDI earned gold in the Prestige category, with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class in second and the Jaguar XF third.  The People’s Choice SUV was won by the Toyota Prado, leading from the Land Rover Discovery and then Subaru Outback.Maserati’s Gran Turismo took out the Prestige category with the Nissan GT-R in second and the HSV GTS in third.  People’s Choice First Car voters gave the gold to the Ford Fiesta, followed by Toyota Yaris and Mazda2.Toyota’s popular HiLux won the Commercial category, leading the Mitsubishi Triton in second and the Mercedes-Benz Vito in third.  The 14 voters who as prize winners will share in $70,000 worth of fuel from Coles Express will be announced today on carsguide.com.au.  

Congratulations to the Winner, 2009 People's Choice Award for Best Commercial Vehicle: Maserati Gran Turismo.

Congratulations to the winner, 2009 People's Choice Best SUV/4WD: Toyota Prado.Toyota Prado 2010: PreviewToyota Prado: First Drive reviewToyota Prado for saleGet the specsDealer locations

Congratulations to the winner, 2009 People's Choice Best Family Car: Holden Commodore SIDI.

Congratulations to the Audi A6, Winner 2009 People's Choice Best Prestige Car.