Last week saw the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards conclude with the announcement of the thirteen best-considered new purchases in their respective categories of the South African new vehicle market, as well as the overall Brand of the Year.

Established to be the most prestigious, credible and influential awards programme in the South African motor industry, the second iteration of Cars.co.za Consumer Awards was distinguished by two significant factors: it was backed by the biggest provider of vehicle finance in South Africa and, in conjunction with the 13 judges’ scores, the findings of the Cars.co.za’s Owner Satisfaction Survey (in association with Lightstone Consumer) had a substantial (50%) weighting on the final results, excluding the Brand of the Year award, which was based entirely on the Survey data.

The winners are:

Premium Hatchback of the Year                  Volkswagen Golf GTI DSG

First Class Car of the Year                             BMW 750Li Design Pure Excellence

Leisure Double-cab of the Year                    Ford Ranger 3.2 Wildtrak 4×4 Auto

Executive Sedan of the Year                          Jaguar XF 25t Portfolio

Premium SUV of the Year                              Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine Inscription

Business Class of the Year                              Audi A4 2.0T FSI Sport S ironic

Compact Family Car of the Year                   Suzuki Vitara 1.6 GL+

Fun Car of the Year                                          Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport DSG

Lifestyle SUV of the Year                                Land Rover Discovery Sport TD4 S

Compact Hatchback of the Year                    Opel Corsa 1.0T Enjoy

Budget Car of the Year                                     Suzuki Celerio 1.0 GL

Performance Car of the Year                          BMW M2 M-DCT

Family Car of the Year                                     Volkswagen Tiguan 1.4 TSI Comfortline DSG

Brand of the Year                                              Suzuki

 

Cars.co.za’s awards programme has a multi-faceted judging process, based on inputs from seven members of the experienced editorial team and six respected guest jurors drawn from specialist fields. The combined jury allocated scores to the three finalists in each category based on their assessments from two test days (on which available vehicles were compared back-to-back).

 

Once the judges’ scores were tallied and audited, the brand-specific data from the Cars.co.za Owner Satisfaction Survey, which incorporates feedback from thousands of South African new vehicle owners, based on their experiences of their vehicles (must be less than five years old and serviced through franchised outlets), was factored in for the purpose of calculating of the final results.

 

The prestigious Brand of the Year award, however, was determined solely by brands’ ratings in the Cars.co.za’s Owner Satisfaction Survey (in association with Lightstone Consumer), which was compiled from thousands of surveys completed between September 2015 and December 2016. Consumers rated the brands in terms of: after-sales service, overall ownership experience and sales processes of its dealerships. Changes in market share were also factored into the final standings.

 

AND THE WINNERS WERE:

 

Premium Hatchback of the Year – Volkswagen Golf GTI DSG

 

First Class Car of the Year – BMW 750Li Design Pure Excellence

 

Leisure Double-cab of the Year- Ford Ranger 3.2 Wildtrak 4×4 Auto

 

Executive Sedan of the Year – Jaguar XF 25t Portfolio

 

Premium SUV of the Year – Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine Inscription

 

Business Class of the Year – Audi A4 2.0T FSI Sport S tronic

 

Compact Family Car of the Year – Suzuki Vitara 1.6 GL+

 

Fun Car of the Year – Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport DSG

 

Lifestyle SUV of the Year – Land Rover Discovery Sport TD4 SE

 

Compact Hatchback of the Year – Opel Corsa 1.0T Enjoy

 

Budget Car of the Year – Suzuki Celerio 1.0 GL

 

Performance Car of the Year – BMW M2 M-DCT

 

Family Car of the Year – Volkswagen Tiguan 1.4 TSI Comfortline DSG

 

Brand of the Year – Suzuki

 

The prestigious Brand of the Year was determined solely by the manufacturers’ ratings in the Cars.co.za’s Owner Satisfaction Survey, allied with market share change and resale value statistics per vehicle brand (supplied by Lightstone Auto). This recognition of Suzuki Auto South Africa, parallels the feat achieved by its British counterpart, which was recognised as the “most improved organisation’ in The Institute of Customer Service’s annual UK Customer Satisfaction Index in 2016.

 

”Cars.co.za (in conjunction with Lightstone Consumer) has developed the fairest and most credible formula for determining the winner in this category. It is entirely data-driven, and entirely determined by what consumers and the market believe to be happening in South Africa. Although this result may come as a surprise, it mirrors Suzuki’s achievements in other markets.” — Hannes Oosthuizen