Twelve “Best New” vehicle category winners were recently announced by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). The results were tabulated by KPMG, the accounting firm that works with the association and its Canadian Car of the Year awards.
The twelve “Best New” categories cover the full new-model spectrum, including “Best New Small Car,” “Best New Luxury Car,” and “Best New SUV/CUV.” Most mainstream categories are further divided by price, such as over or under $35,000, to better provide fair and relevant comparison.
The category finalists represent the vote results by the largest group of Canada’s best-known automotive journalists, who recently gathered in Niagara Falls, Ont. for a five-day test-drive evaluation of brand-new or significantly changed vehicle models. The event, known as “TestFest,” was hosted by the Niagara Parks Commission, and Shell Canada was the official fuel supplier.
The vote results are based on a combination of objective data and evaluation by 80 journalists of 174 vehicles. Each journalist drives vehicles in a category back-to-back on the same day, under the same conditions, on closed and public roads, so as to ensure consumer relevance.
Every detail, from safety features to cargo capacity, is thoroughly scrutinized and individually rated by secret ballot. Over 40,000 data fields are generated by the journalists. KPMG then tabulates the information from the ballots in order to determine the winners. The vote results are kept confidential — even from AJAC — until announced publicly.
The journalists’ evaluations are combined to select a winner in each of the twelve categories. The winners are:
- Best New Small Car (under $21k) — Mazda3
- Best New Small Car (over $21k) — Mazda3 Sport
- Best New Family Car (under $30k) — Kia Soul
- Best New Family Car (over $30k) — Mazda6
- Best New Luxury Car (under $50k) — Lexus IS 350 RWD
- Best New Luxury Car (over $50k) — Infiniti Q50 Hybrid
- Best New Sports/Performance — Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
- Best New Prestige Car — Mercedes-Benz S Class
- Best New SUV/CUV (under $35k) — Jeep Cherokee
- Best New SUV/CUV ($35k to $60k) — Kia Sorento
- Best New SUV/CUV (over $60k) — Acura MDX
- Best Pickup — GMC Sierra
