The South African Car of the Year is approaching

The South African Car of the Year is approaching

Every year, experts from the motoring industry amass and evaluate the various vehicles introduced in South Africa to find the best car in South Africa in various segments. Over the coming months, 18 vehicles will be whittled down to the finalists in the search for the car of the year.

In order to finalise their decision, the COTY team will put the finalists through various tests and trials to ensure all bases are covered. The testing will commence in early March, so for now, let's touch on the cars and each segment.

In the Budget and Compact groups, two cars will be competing. The Suzuki Fronx and Citroen C3. Both are versatile and affordable compact SUVs. They certainly have a different characteristic that works in their favour, but it's admittedly odd to see no hatches in this group considering several seemingly eligible models launched in the last year.

The Compact Family segment has three competitors this year. The Omoda C5, the Suzuki Grand Vitara, and the Toyota Urban Cruiser. This lineup is interesting, with two very similar cars taking on the tech-savvy and relatively affordable Omoda.

The Family segment has two vehicles. The BMW X1 and the GWM Ora 03. This is another interesting segment, with two very different cars going head-to-head.

Premium is the next category, with two cars competing. The Mercedes-Benz GLC and the Lexus NX. This is sure to be a tough choice, with two highly competent contenders.

Next up is the Luxury category, with two cars: BMW's 7 Series and the Mercedes-Benz EQS. EVs seem to have impressed the panel this year, and this segment is sure to be a tough decision.

South Africa's favourite vehicle segment, the 4x4 double cab, has only one finalist: the Volkswagen Amarok with the Ford Ranger Raptor, grouped with the performance cars. So, without further ado, the winner for this segment is the Volkswagen Amarok.

The Adventure SUV category is next, with two vehicles in contention. The Lexus LX and Mahindra Scorpio N. Following the trend of this year's Car of the Year, these are another two vastly different vehicles, so it will be interesting to see the angle the jurors take on this segment.

The last category is the Performance category. This is also the biggest category, with four entries. The BMW M2, Toyota Corolla GR, Honda Civic Type R, and, as mentioned earlier, the Ford Ranger Raptor. I think you know where we will be putting our money.

The South African Car of the Year is sure to be an interesting event this year. There is a lot of room for controversial decisions to be made, but time will tell what the SAGMJ thinks about the latest cars to reach our shores.

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