Ford Australia tops 'Recommended list'

[Brazen]

Great effort by Ford.

http://www.carpoint.com.au/news/2012...-of-2012-33303

This award system looks really good. Max 5 per segment. The 'recommended list' will be constantly refined, so that as new cars hit the market they may be added to the list. I think this is better than the 'once a year' award a lot of other publications use.

Motoring.com.au 'Recommended Cars' for 2012
First Car: Honda Jazz; Kia Rio; Mazda2; Nissan Micra; Suzuki Swift

City Car: Audi A1 Sportback; Ford Fiesta; MINI Cooper; Skoda Fabia; Volkswagen Polo

Family Car Under $30K: Ford Focus; Hyundai i30; Mazda3; Skoda Octavia; Volkswagen Golf

Family Car Over $30K: Ford Territory; Honda Odyssey; Hyundai Santa Fe; Kia Sorento; Subaru Exiga

SUV Under $50K: Ford Territory; Kia Sorento; Mazda CX-5; Nissan X-TRAIL; Volkswagen Tiguan

SUV Over $50K: Audi Q5; Jeep Grand Cherokee; Mercedes-Benz M-Class; Range Rover Evoque; Volkswagen Touareg

Performance Under $100K: Mitsubishi Lancer Evo; Renault Megane RS250; Subaru WRX STI; Toyota 86; Subaru BRZ; Volkswagen Scirocco R

Performance Over $100K: Audi RS5; BMW M3; Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG; Nissan GT-R; Porsche 911

Prestige Car Under $100K: Audi A4; BMW 3 Series; Lexus IS; Mercedes-Benz C-Class; Volvo S60

Prestige Car Over $100K: Audi A7 Sportback; BMW 5 Series; BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe; Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class; Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Off-road 4x4: Ford Ranger; Jeep Grand Cherokee; Land Rover Discovery 4; Mitsubishi Pajero; Toyota LandCruiser 200

Tradie: Ford Falcon Ute; Ford Ranger; Hyundai iLoad; Mazda BT-50; Volkswagen Amarok

Green Car: Holden Volt ; Honda CR-Z; Nissan LEAF; Toyota Camry Hybrid

We name our top new-car choices... Ford and Volkswagen top the pops...


motoring.com.au has named its 'motoring.com.au recommends' cars for 2012. The vehicles, spread across a number of consumer-oriented categories, are motoring.com.au's top picks for real-world new-car consumers.

Ford topped the pile with seven recommendations. Volkswagen was next best with six. Brands such as Mazda, Kia and Hyundai were all awarded multiple recommendations. So too, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi... A full list of 'motoring.com.au recommends' winners is detailed below.

Motoring.com.au 'powers' all automotive editorial content across the carsales network. It also publishes Australia's number one automotive iPad magazine app each fortnight.

Motoring.com.au and carsales.com Ltd Editor-in-Chief, Mike Sinclair, said motoring.com.au recommends will rapidly become a key research tool for Australian new-car shoppers

"More than 50 brands, hundreds of models and thousands of equipment and powertrain variants are on offer today in the Australian new-car marketplace – picking one has never been more difficult," Mr Sinclair stated.

"The motoring.com.au team of journalists drives literally hundreds of new cars each year and we've chosen what we believe are the best of the new car crop so new-car buyers can prepare a shortlist with confidence.

"It's important to recognise excellence, but it's perhaps even more important to help buyers make the right decision. We believe motoring.com.au recommends will be an important research tool for Australian new-car buyers," Mr Sinclair said.

Motoring.com.au has chosen its 'Recommended Cars' in 13 lifestyle categories and sub-categories. The award categories essentially correspond with search options across carsales' network of websites including carsales.com.au, CarPoint.com.au, Redbook.com.au and motoring.com.au. They are defined by Redbook data including such factors as price, size, passenger capacity and other category-specific factors.

The categories are: First Car; City Car; Family under and over $30,000; SUV under and over $50,000; Performance under and over $100,000; Prestige under and over $100,000; Off-road 4x4; Tradie; and Green.

Motoring.com.au recommends logos will be present on award-winning models across carsales' new-car buying and research areas. In this way motoring.com.au recommends is intended to not only reward excellence but also to be a viable and easily accessed tool via which new car buyers can narrow their search.

Mr Sinclair explained: "The motoring.com.au team considered a wide range of attributes in making choices for each of the categories: performance; refinement; handling; suitability for purpose and value for money."

Reliability, resale and manufacturer support (including warranty, fixed-price servicing and the like) were also key considerations, he said. Only cars on sale to the general public and driven by motoring.com.au before September 1, 2012 were eligible for the awards.

While a maximum of five cars were awarded in each category in this first rollout of motoring.com.au recommends, motoring.com.au will continue to review, amend and refine the list as new car models come and go.

In addition, the motoring.com.au recommends winners will form the basis of a revamped carsales.com.au People's Choice Awards. carsales.com.au's PCA is set to relaunch on November 1.

[superfly]

Haha I like this bit
Performance Under $100K: Toyota 86; Subaru BRZ

0-100 in 7.6 seconds, I wouldn't call that performance. Even my XR50 is quicker

[galaxy xr8]

No HSV or FPV in the under 100K performance segment ?.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Shows why they are so hard to move... People have lost interest...

[flooded one]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

No HSV or FPV in the under 100K performance segment ?.

I thought the FPV GT qould of made it. or at least the XR 6 turbo. thats the best bang for buck car out there if you ask me. at least the territory and falcon ute made it!!

Edit: I'll ad the hybrid camry as well because its austrailian!!!

[Bossxr8]

Only one Holden, in the hippy award

[LG17]

Family cars - Ford Focus, Hyundai i30, Mazda3???????????
Must be very small families!

[vanman_75]

Off topic but jeep grand Cherokee is a SUV and an off road 4x4...good work ? Good ford show but that list is very grain of salt stuff

[robbyj]

first car list? dam wish i was as rich as those kids when i got my first car

[new2ford]

Originally Posted by LG17

Family cars - Ford Focus, Hyundai i30, Mazda3???????????
Must be very small families!

Don't agree. I can't speak for the other brands but the Octavia wagon is serving us extremely well as a family. Frankly I can't see much advantage over it in a Commodore or Falcon though I'd prefer a Superb for my long legs. The Skoda versions tend to be bigger inside than their VW counterparts and the Aussie 6s have nothing remotely on the Superb for interior space.

Perhaps it's telling that they listed the Territory in the higher family car group rather than the Falcon? As a crossover, the Territory's filling a couple of categories very nicely.

[Fiesta_Man69]

Hmm it jumps from city to family car, I thought the focus, 3 etc were classified as small cars... If it's just generic then technically you can fit a family in a Nissan Micra or Fiesta...

Well, a wins a win for Ford. Hope it translates to sales..

The latest Top Gear has a write up on the FPV Panther.... And they compare it to an R8, and conclude "we'd take the FPV everytime."

[EgoFG]

Only three Aussie made cars - the tezza, the Falc Ute, and an "also ran" for the Camry HighBread

[Windsor220]

Originally Posted by Fiesta_Man69

The latest Top Gear has a write up on the FPV Panther.... And they compare it to an R8, and conclude "we'd take the FPV everytime."

You would hope so considering the R8 isnt the top of the range HSV.

[1TUFFUTE]

nothing new here...if your educated youd allready know ford has had class leading vehicles in most segments for along time now. Its nice to see some recognition for a change.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Windsor220

You would hope so considering the R8 isnt the top of the range HSV.

Neither is the GT, it is below the GT-P and GT-E.......

[In Focus]

Originally Posted by superfly

Haha I like this bit
Performance Under $100K: Toyota 86; Subaru BRZ

0-100 in 7.6 seconds, I wouldn't call that performance. Even my XR50 is quicker

OT, but they've been tested under 7 seconds here in Australia. Up to you whether that makes it a performance car or not.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...mg0028ble.jpg/

[BigAL_250]

Quite true, performance isn't just about straight-line speed.

The 86/BRZ may not be super-fast taking off, but it won't need to slow down going around the corners.

[EVLKNEVL]

I think if the Mondeo was still a bit more fresh it could have found a spot or 2 up there..

[wrongwaynorris]

Originally Posted by robbyj

first car list? dam wish i was as rich as those kids when i got my first car

Don't you mean as rich as those kids daddies ?

[wrongwaynorris]

Intriguing that what they class as " GREEN " cars are the least friendly to the planet

[Falcman0o7]

All seems inaccurate to me.

[LeadFoot81]

Big props for the Fiesta being listed amongst Audi, Mini, VW, and Skoda's offerings!!

[Wretched]

Seems fair to me.
Well done Ford, stellar effort.

[superfly]

Originally Posted by In Focus

OT, but they've been tested under 7 seconds here in Australia. Up to you whether that makes it a performance car or not.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...mg0028ble.jpg/

Wow 6.93. They tested the XR6 auto at 6.7 seconds.

Originally Posted by BigAL_250

Quite true, performance isn't just about straight-line speed.

The 86/BRZ may not be super-fast taking off, but it won't need to slow down going around the corners.

They don't need to slow down cause they ain't going that fast! Sure it's a fun little car and handles well but still it's not a performance car. I'd call it a driver's car.

In Townsville there's a hill called Mt Stuart and a mate who lives there had a supercharged Mini which I took for a run up the hill. Handled like it was on rails but didn't feel quick. He then got a Forester XT and I took it up the hill and I'm sure I would've been quicker in it than the Mini.

[JG34JA]

Well done Ford, Territory is still a gem (so happy with mine), Ranger designed here, Falcon ute great showing, Fiesta & Focus great cars. Great range, you deserve better sales.

[new2ford]

Originally Posted by LeadFoot81

Big props for the Fiesta being listed amongst Audi, Mini, VW, and Skoda's offerings!!

In Europe both Fiesta and Focus are worthy equals of those others. Probably the best quality/reliability cars to come out of Germany nowadays. But their sales tails in Germany are being nibbled by Skoda and Hyundai/Kia which are shaping up to overtake Ford sometime in the future.

[tweeked]

Originally Posted by new2ford

Don't agree. I can't speak for the other brands but the Octavia wagon is serving us extremely well as a family. Frankly I can't see much advantage over it in a Commodore or Falcon though I'd prefer a Superb for my long legs. The Skoda versions tend to be bigger inside than their VW counterparts and the Aussie 6s have nothing remotely on the Superb for interior space.

Perhaps it's telling that they listed the Territory in the higher family car group rather than the Falcon? As a crossover, the Territory's filling a couple of categories very nicely.

Nothing apart from a heap more width. Superb seems to have the legroom of a Caprice, but I wouldnt try to put a couple of booster seats and another person in the back, strictly a four seater with any kids seats.

Falcon and Commy does three pretty comfortably

[new2ford]

Originally Posted by tweeked

Nothing apart from a heap more width. Superb seems to have the legroom of a Caprice, but I wouldnt try to put a couple of booster seats and another person in the back, strictly a four seater with any kids seats.

Falcon and Commy does three pretty comfortably

It's not that much more width when you measure it but yes, if you apply the test of a couple of booster seats/baby capsule that extra width is good. For this reason the Territory has it hands down over almost any other SUV rival. The front to back spaces of the Superb though are, dare I say, superb. If you have a family of 6 footers and don't have to deal with baby capsules it's the car choice of the category.

What I was saying in my original post is that, unlike what somebody suggested, I've had no probs with that family of 6 footers in an Octavia (even had a third adult in the back), though I would need more driver's legroom. I agree that it's not in the regular "family car" category though.

After 10,000 ks mostly at a minimum speed of 120 km/h in an Octavia with 200,000 ks on the clock, and not a beat missed, I'm deeply impressed with Skodas. Damn rugged, reliable, beautifully built and beautiful to drive. The German-made Fords are pretty good though.

[new2ford]

Edit to above: forgot to add that in my Territory at home the seat width factor is great but the leg (and cargo) room not so hot. The point is, when you have a family of littlies the Australian cars with the extra width are definitely the thing, but as the family gets older the width isn't so critical, as long as you get in 3 adults, but extra legroom (and cargo space in a wagon) is more important.

[Sinead Phipps]

Thanks for the kudos folks. We're pleased to be top of this list - particularly as the vehicles recommended form the basis of their People's Choice Awards, which open for voting on November 1. We also have a number of competitors in the Drive COTY Awards and the Australia's Best Cars Awards as well - both of which will be announced in late November. Keep an eye out :-)