South African online motoring portal Cars.co.za has revealed the 39 finalists of its 2023/24 Consumer Awards – one of the country’s most comprehensive motoring awards programme – following the announcement of the 65 semi-finalists in September.
The 39 finalists represent no fewer than 18 popular brands and were chosen from all the vehicles that were available on the market on 1 September 2023, or those that will be launched in the upcoming months, and of which the panel of judges had acquired enough experience and information to make a decision on, such as the all-electric GWM Ora.
BMW and Toyota are tied when it comes to having the most models in the finalist ranks both with five contenders, followed by Suzuki with four entries and Haval with three.
The categories into which these vehicles are classified are based on sales data and market trends that reflect South Africa’s ever-changing vehicle landscape, as opposed to other awards which have a set list of groupings each year.
“That is why there are now so many crossover- and SUV-dominated segments, because South African car buyers have shown a predilection for those types of vehicles,” said head of the CarsAwards project, Hannes Oosthuizen.
In the same breath, the demand for sedans has shrunk dramatically in recent times and there are no longer enough strong-selling contenders to justify a sedan category in the 2023/24 CarsAwards programme, said Oosthuizen.
Additionally, with price being arguably the most important factor for South African car buyers, this year’s Consumer Awards is highly focused on categories at the low end of the pricing spectrum.
Consumer Awards Finalists
Now that the 39 finalists have been determined, each one of them will be subjected to back-to-back testing at the Gerotek proving ground in Gauteng by the combined panel of 20 judges in November.
The judges’ scores for the vehicles will contribute 50% of the final standings, with the other 50% to be based on feedback from the experiences of thousands of vehicle owners.
“With 50% of the final scores determined by brands’ ratings in the survey, a vehicle only really stands a very good chance of winning if it is a good product in the eyes of the judges and if its brand delivers solid after-sales service,” said Oosthuizen.
Detailed below are the three Cars.co.za Consumer Awards finalists in 13 different categories and price brackets:
Entry-Level Hatch – Under R250,000
- Renault Kiger 1.0 Zen
- Suzuki Celerio 1.0 GL
- Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX
Budget Hatch – R250,000 to R350,000
- Renault Clio 1.0 Turbo Zen
- Suzuki Baleno 1.5 GLX
- Toyota Starlet 1.5 XR
Compact Hatch – R350,000 to R500,000
- Honda Fit 1.5 Elegance
- Opel Corsa 1.2T Elegance
- Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI 85kW R-Line
Entry-Level Crossover – R300,000 to R400,000
- Chery Tiggo 4 Pro 1.5 Elite Auto
- Haval Jolion 1.5T Premium
- Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX manual
Compact Family Car – R400,000 to R500,000
- Haval Jolion S Super Luxury
- Renault Duster 1.5dCi Intens
- Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 XR
Family Car – R600,000 to R800,000
- Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max 2.0TGDi 390 Executive
- Haval H6 1.5T HEV Ultra Luxury
- Kia Sportage 1.6CRDi EX
Premium Crossover – R700 000 to R1 million
- Audi Q3 Sportback 40TFSI quattro S Line
- BMW X1 sDrive18d M Sport
- Volvo XC40 B4 Ultimate Dark
Executive SUV – R1 million to R1.3 million
- BMW X3 xDrive20d M Sport
- Lexus NX 350h F Sport
- Mercedes-Benz GLC220d 4Matic Avantgarde
Premium SUV – R1.3 million to R1.8 million
- BMW iX xDrive40
- BMW X5 xDrive30d M Sport
- Land Rover Defender 110 D250 SE County
Adventure SUV – R800,000 to R1.2 million
- Ford Everest 3.0 V6 Wildtrak
- Isuzu MU-X 3.0TD Onyx 4×4
- Toyota Fortuner 2.8GD-6 4×4 VX
Performance Car – Under R1 million
- Honda Civic Type R
- Toyota GR Corolla Circuit
- Toyota GR Yaris Rally
Leisure Double Cab – Above R800,000
- Ford Ranger 3.0 V6 EcoBoost Raptor 4WD
- Ford Ranger 3.0 V6 Wildtrak 4WD
- Volkswagen Amarok 3.0TDI V6 Aventura 4Motion
Electric Vehicles – Under R1.3 million
- BMW iX1 xDrive30 M Sport
- Ora 03 Super Lux
- Volvo XC40 Twin Motor Ultimate
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