Who Will Be The Best Of The Best

Aesthetics, ergonomics, fuel consumption, environmental friendliness and value for money will all play a role in deciding the South African Car of the Year.

- Derek Watts

Armed with the latest iPads, loaded with sophisticated analytical software, 26 of the country’s top motoring journalists will soon gather at a country hotel outside Johannesburg with a single aim in mind: deciding the South African Car of the Year (COTY) 2018.

It may seem like an insurmountable task to compare the wallet draining German marques with a Japanese or Korean compact costing a fifth of the price – or less. But the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists, which operates on a quasi-military basis when it comes to membership, has had a mountain of experience running this competition since 1986.

From an extensive list of 35 semi-finalists, just 10 models have made the cut and the finalists will be put through their paces with routes and handling tests that weren’t designed by Lewis Hamilton, but rather to emulate the average driver’s capabilities and desires.

The jury will score the mixed band of automobiles on a long list of criteria, from aesthetics to ergonomics, from fuel consumption to environmental friendliness – and most importantly on value for money.

That’s how the modest Opel Astra was able to trump the likes of the majestic Jaguar F-Pace and edge out the Audi A4 by a mere handful of points.

That was after three Porsche victories in a row and the Volvo XC90 scooping the honors with the resultant prestige and sales in  COTY 2016.

“By virtually unanimously approving of the Opel Astra, the jury has again proven that experience is the key to the success of the competition,” says Car of the Year convenor Bernard Hellberg Jnr.

“The Astra is a worthy winner of South Africa’s ultimate motoring accolade.”

And it wasn’t for the first time. The Astra 160iS was top of the podium when the Springboks won the World Cup back in 1995.