The results are out on the New Straits Times/ Maybank Car of the Year Awards 2010 and we have a winner of the Car of the Year coming from Volkwsagen. But before that let’s roll out the other winners first.
The People’s Choice and Family Car of the Year went to Naza Kia’s Forte which have been doing pretty well since its launch giving most competitors in the segment a run for their money. The 1.6 SX model is sold for RM81,800 and is quite a worthy purchase considering all factors. Talking about price, the Entry Level Car of the Year did not go to the Saga or the Viva though and it was won by the Hyundai i10 1.25 Kappa. Although it is above RM50k, its accessories and safety features probably won the judges over. The Ford Fiesta Sport 1.6L Ti-VCT won the Compact Car of the Year which is sold for RM82k.
On to the more expensive cars where the Hyundai Sonata YF 2.4L model won the Executive Car of the Year while the Mercedes-Benz E200 CGI took home the Premium Executive Car of the Year (Above RM300,000). The best Limousine went to Jaguar XJ Premium Luxury LXB. Meanwhile, the Premium Coupe/Cabriolet category was won by the RM399,900 Audi A5. For the performance fans, the Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk6 won the Performance Car of the Year.
For the ‘bigger cars’, the SUV of the Year (below RM200k) was won by Hyundai Tucson 2L while the Premium SUV category saw the Mazda CX-7 (2WD) winning its rivals. In the SUV category though was 2 more segments which were the RM250k to RM350k and the RM350k and above segments respectively. The categories were won by the Mitsubishi Pajero and the Porsche Cayenne S hybrid (RM720k).
The 4×4 Pickup truck of the Year went to the Isuzu D-Max 2.5LS Super Common Rail while the Ford Ranger Double Cab 4×2 XL Low Rider took home the 4×2 award. As for MPVs, the Ssangyong Stavic won the Large MPV of the Year award while the Perodua Alza became the most popular Compact MPV of the Year.
And that brings us to the Car of the Year 2010 and it was none other than the Volkswagen Passat CC where it won over the judges not only as the best car of the year but also drove home (pun intended) the Good Design Award and the Premium Executive Car of the Year (below RM300k) categories as well. Take a bow, gentlemen!
