As usual, it was a slugfest. Strong personalities expressed themselves in colourful language and emotions ran high. In fact, the referee had to intervene on several occasions, appealing for reason and sternly reminding combatants of the inviolate rule: no eye-gouging allowed.
No, not a grudge football match, but the annual get-together of Car magazine’s journalists to decide the Top 12 Best Buys of the year, with editor Steve Smith as referee. Ten car-mad males (there is no woman among them at the moment) assess vehicles across categories ranging from budget (that is, sticker prices of under R145000) to downright extravagant (would you believe R4.6 million-plus for the beguiling Ferrari 458 Spider?), and lots in between.
The judging criteria include the overall attractiveness of the package, the price positioning and – very important – the best value for money, Mike Fourie, the deputy editor of Car, says. “We also look at the availability of petrol and diesel engine options, manual and automatic transmission and all the other variations that make for an attractive range of models.
“In fact, packaging is more important than ever, which explains why you don’t get many unattractive, functional-looking vehicles. The specification level for vehicles sold in South Africa tends to be quite high, and may include Bluetooth connectivity, touchscreens and a host of passive and active safety features, aside from the usual airbags and anti-lock brakes,” Fourie says.
South African car buyers are largely well informed about the options available to them, as well as the reputation of the candidates in their budget range, Smith says, adding: “Poor-quality cars don’t really cut it here.”
What about reliability? Surely Car’s journalists are not able to make any firm statements on the basis of tests lasting just a few days? “Of course not,” Smith says, “and that’s why we have a long-term test programme. We can also talk about the history of a brand, its after-sales service record and its reputation for long-term reliability, perhaps in relation to cars that may appear boring.”
Fourie says there is occasionally debate over how the Top 12 candidates fit into the various market categories, if at all, and the Car team does not necessarily accept a manufacturer’s choice of segment. “In some cases, a manufacturer might consider it prestigious to classify a vehicle as an SUV (sport utility vehicle) when it is nothing of the sort. The fact is that certain sections of the market – the compact crossover comes to mind – are not easy to classify.”
Although not all motor industry players are happy with Car’s Top 12 list, evidence suggests that the winning manufacturers take the ratings very seriously, frequently citing the magazine’s findings in their print advertisements and other communication.
How on earth do Car’s journalists manage to disengage their own feelings while rating wildly disparate cars? For example, if they have just driven an adrenalin-pumping Porsche and then have to assess the merits of a city commuter with all the pizzazz of a dead slug, how do they deal with it?
“We try to place ourselves in the mindset of the target customer for every car that we test, engaging the entire team in the testing procedure and taking into consideration factors such as usage and budget,” Smith says. “A car that’s eye-wateringly boring for one person may be the perfect vehicle for someone else.”
In their experience, do new-car buyers ask the right questions and explore the various features before making a purchase decision? And how important is emotion when it comes to car-buying decisions – that is, sheer desire versus a logical, cold-blooded assessment of needs?
“There are essentially two kinds of car buyers,” Smith says. “One type sees a car as a tool or appliance that gets you reliably from A to B, gives you good resale value, and so on, while the other type doesn’t base the decision on logic or sound economic principles but simply loves the car. I understand this person: after all, you spend a lot of time in your car, so you should get a car that you love.”
How about the man who buys a 4x4 bakkie but carries a load only once or twice a year and rarely ventures off the asphalt, or the school-run mom who drives a Range Rover – an incredibly capable off-roader – that never gets dirty? Do people care deeply about what their cars say about them – that is, how they reflect their social or professional status?
“Once again, it comes down to those two kinds of car buyers,” Smith says. “A car can be a very important status symbol, whether it’s an expensive SUV for the Sandton mom or a 4x4 bakkie for the macho guy. In fact, this may be a key factor in road-rage incidents, especially when someone bumps into your car, because people see it as an important physical representation of who they are.
“In some cases, it’s such an important status symbol that people are prepared to put themselves at financial risk to have the car they want. Vehicle repossessions can sometimes tell a story, suggesting that the purchase was ill-advised.”
Comments Fourie: “Some very strange thought processes go into buying a car, and desire can be a critical element, but it’s not up to us to tell someone they are right or wrong.”
The 12 top buys
Okay, so which cars made it to the top spot in the 12 categories?
* The winner of the Budget Car category was the Chevrolet Spark Campus, featuring an appealing combination of safety features, a lively engine, good road manners, an extensive warranty and an affordable price tag.
* Volkswagen’s ever-popular Polo took top spot in the Light Hatchback category, the Car team citing its revised powertrain (the parts that generate power and deliver it to the wheels) and a three-year/45 000km service plan.
* Volkswagen also scored in the Light Sedan category, taking first place with its well-specced Polo Vivo. Runners-up were the Kia Rio sedan and Honda Ballade.
* Moving on to the hotly contested Compact Hatchback category, the Audi A3/A3 Sportback took first place, followed by the VW Golf and Mazda3.
* Toyota’s Corolla Quest won the Compact Sedan category. Runners-up were the Corolla and Mazda3.
* In the Compact Executive Sedan category, the BMW 3 Series won praise for its engines, transmissions, “composed” ride and engaging dynamics. Runners-up were the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4.
* In the Luxury Car showdown, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class was the winner, followed by the BMW 5 Series and Audi A7 Sportback.
* The overall winner of the Performance Car challenge was the Ferrari 458 Spider. And if you have to ask the price …
* Nissan’s Juke was judged best in the Light SUV/Crossover category, followed by the Renault Duster and Ford EcoSport.
* Ford’s Kuga won the Compact SUV/Crossover section. The Nissan Qashqai and Honda CR-V were the runners-up.
* The Land Rover Sport led the way in the Large SUV/Crossover category, followed by the VW Touareg and Toyota Land Cruiser Prado.
* Ford’s Ranger came out on top in the Double-Cab Bakkie category, pipping the Volkswagen Amarok and Toyota Hilux.
In further awards, Car named Jaguar Land Rover as “Company of the Year”, citing the successful launches of the Range Rover Sport and Jaguar F-Type since India’s Tata Motors took over. The title “Design of the Year” went to the aggressive styling of the Mercedes-AMG GT, with the “Concept Car” accolade going to Volkswagen’s XL Sport. BMW’s revolutionary i8 saloon captured the “Powertrain of the Year” title with its dual powerplants: a three-cylinder 1.5-litre turbo engine and a powerful electric motor that drives the car’s front wheels.
* Alan Duggan is a freelance journalist and former editor of Popular Mechanics magazine.