jury comprising 32 members of the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists last night selected the Fiat Bravo 1,4 T-Jet Sport; Honda CR-V 2,2 I-CTDI; Land Rover Freelander 2,2 TD4 HSE; Lexus LS 460; Mazda2 1,5 Individual; Mazda5 2,0 Active; Mercedes-Benz C220 CDI; Nissan Qashqai 2,0 Acenta and Toyota Corolla 1,8 Exclusive to compete for honours in the country’s premier motoring event. The competition, in its 23^rd year, seeks to reward automotive excellence. 

Next step in the process to determine the winner is a two-day test session to be held in January at the Gerotek facility near Pretoria, where the cars will be assessed independently by jury members.

The evaluation includes high speed dynamic assessment; an autokhana test to mark manoeuvrability, parking prowess and general ease of control; driving tests under various conditions on track and road, in town and on gravel, all the while taking fuel economy into account.

A static evaluation of each finalist also contributes to the car’s score in terms of aesthetics, build quality and ergonomics, while considerations based on perceptions of value for money, cost of a spares’ basket, safety features and environmental friendliness contribute to overall points.

The jury marks everything from the car’s styling and paint work to the quality of materials used for upholstery and interior plastics, the consistency of shut lines, the ergonomic attributes of arm rests and cup holders, the size and shape of the boot and the accessibility of the spare wheel; head room, leg room and shoulder room as well as passive and active safety features.

Driving comfort, engine performance, gearbox action, braking ability, preciseness of steering, quality of ride, sharp corner handling and high speed stability, the effectiveness of dust and wind seals – even the ease with which the vehicle can be parked in terms of blind spots and overhangs – are assessed.

Then there’s value for money to consider. What does the vehicle cost to run? Are parts expensive? What kind of fuel consumption figures does it return? How practical is the car? Is it equipped with all the comfort and user friendly features you would expect at the quoted price? Is its performance worth the money? What innovations does it bring to the automotive mainstream?

The finalists were selected following a poll of the SAGMJ’s full members – over 150 in number – and a vote by jury members. The announcement of the finalist list was made this morning at a breakfast at WesBank’s boma at Kyalami race track, near Johannesburg. The cars will be on display tomorrow at the track at the final Super Series race meeting of the 2007 season.

South Africa’s Car of the Year competition – sponsored for the past 23 years by wheels bank WesBank with additional support this year from Total, Hollard Insurance, Protea Hotels and Garmin – is unique in the world in that the victor is determined not by popular vote as in most countries, but by actual testing of the finalists to determine by what margins they meet criteria for COTY honours.

While all of the models are deemed to represent examples of outstanding automotive engineering, there can be only one winner and, in the eyes of the COTY jury, that model round automotive excellence epitomises all.