2021 Wheels Car of the Year

[DFB FGXR6]

I feel like new cars released over the last 12 months in Australia have been pretty unimpressive. I have to say the CX-30 is a pretty good car but not especially innovative or outstanding to be a clear winner this year.

https://www.whichcar.com.au/events/c...els_newsletter

[Adamz Ghia]

I didn’t know this was still a thing!

[Wretched]

Looking at the other contenders i can see why it won. Didn't specialise in one area but did all areas well. As a CX5 and 3 (2 generations old) owner I can say that Mazda seems to be a solid performer, reliable good style and functional.
I am really keen to see how they progress the Skyactiv-X engines.
Well done Mazda.

[tasdex]

Would have to be good to make up for the recalls on the Mazda ranges the last few years .

Don’t believe in “ the car of the year “
If they were that good , journo’s that crowned it would buy the bloody things .

[nstg8a]

Just have to look at past winners to see it means nothing.

[tasdex]

84 for one

The Holden camira

[asagaai]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

I feel like new cars released over the last 12 months in Australia have been pretty unimpressive. I have to say the CX-30 is a pretty good car but not especially innovative or outstanding to be a clear winner this year.

Yes- and it has those horrid plastic wheel arch trim surrounds that after 6 years age terribly.

Got them on the Honda Civil 1.6 diesel that came from England, after 5 years started looking real tatty. May be fine in Europe with the gentle sun, but in Australia with our UV rays they just suck.

[smoo]

How depressing must it be to work as a motoring journo these days.
Reviewing boring **** like this and having to report with some type of enthusiasm or interest.
Does Motor still run BFYB and PCOTY? I imagine the amount of eligible cars worthy of consideration these days could be counted on one or two hands.

[Citroënbender]

My father used to bring home the propaganda flagships of the USSR and China. Every year was proclaimed as a vast improvement, everything always better; more advanced, more plentiful, happier times.

It’s got strong parallels in the continuum of Australian motoring journalism.

[Polyal]

Used to be a huge selling point obviously for the locals, and perhaps a slightly biased mechanism to build up support for new models.

Camira...but when the Falcon won it was the most prestigious award in the industry ;)

[Franco Cozzo]

Australian motor journalists were ahead of their time - they were fake news before fake news was even a thing

[lra]

I have just read the COTY report, and I think the report is about as boring to read as the car would be to drive.
It sits 25mm higher than the Mazda 3. Ho-hum, yep.
A 6 foot driver has headroom problems and the luggage area is small. Yep, next.
Lots of acronyms, and needs USB cable extension. Yawn.

Did I fall asleep reading and miss comments ?
Is the car rewarding to drive, does it accelerate and overtake in non-city driving in a safe manner, are the controls easy to find and use, is it a practical long term keeper rather than a disposable when the warranty expires, is there any 'brag' factor to owning one ?

Motoring writers have lost the ability to convey driving satisfaction in words. But, then, it must be hard to get excited about a subject that is on the same level as a Macca's burger, just more expensive.

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by tasdex

Would have to be good to make up for the recalls on the Mazda ranges the last few years .

Don’t believe in “ the car of the year “
If they were that good , journo’s that crowned it would buy the bloody things .

I'm amused by peoples attitudes towards recalls, don't you understand they are for the better.
some of these are for minor defects that previously would have been ignored.

and it gets fixed for free.

[ebv8]

I don't get why the top selling car is not car of the year
eg: Toyota Hilux
it like McLaughlin winning the championship and the reporters saying Whincup was the best driver

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by tasdex

84 for one

The Holden camira

Of the 58 winners that's all that you could come up with, something that won 37 years back?

I'd be keen to hear from you based on the criteria outlined by Wheels, what car you believe based on your driving experience of it should have won.
Not the one model either, but the range of that car.

Originally Posted by ebv8

I don't get why the top selling car is not car of the year
eg: Toyota Hilux
it like McLaughlin winning the championship and the reporters saying Whincup was the best driver

Not sure this was a serious comment but I'll bite.
Too many factors in car purchases. Price, biases, marketing and the customer themselves. Top selling car doesn't mean the best.

Racing driver rating is the championship itself. Who is consistent across all disciplines of racing for the season, not just being fast for one lap.

[Cav]

Car of the year?

That would be the one with the most sales, wouldn't it?



But I think the Corolla should be the car of the year, not that I'd buy one of course.

[Citroënbender]

I thought your choice would be the caramel mudcake, served with a side of perfectly ripe seat cover.

[simon varley]

Originally Posted by lra

Is the car rewarding to drive, does it accelerate and overtake in non-city driving in a safe manner, are the controls easy to find and use, is it a practical long term keeper rather than a disposable when the warranty expires, is there any 'brag' factor to owning one ?

that's not what sells cars these days. The vast majority of buyers want to be able to connect their phone and know there is a 7 year warranty. That's all. It's white goods on wheels time.

[Bossxr8]

Such a boring year of cars they had to pick from.

CX-30 is completely meh.

The last 5-10 years of this award has become worthless. It used to mean something.

BMW i3. Honda CR-Z. They sold what, a few hundred of these things?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by simon varley

that's not what sells cars these days. The vast majority of buyers want to be able to connect their phone and know there is a 7 year warranty. That's all. It's white goods on wheels time.

Have we ever been in such a boring landscape for automotive?

I can't say if there's anything that's 'aspirational' under $200K these days - poster on children's walls category.

No more 'workin' man's supercar' - those days died with the loss of our locals.

None of the manufacturers are stepping up the game in the value for money segment with what's under the bonnet.

What's pushing 300KW+ sub $100K - Mustang?

It's a ****ty time to be a car enthusiast, I feel my enthusiasm dying.

Progress in internal combustion engine cars has completely stopped, no one is competing with each other.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Have we ever been in such a boring landscape for automotive?

I can't say if there's anything that's 'aspirational' under $200K these days - poster on children's walls category.

No more 'workin' man's supercar' - those days died with the loss of our locals.

None of the manufacturers are stepping up the game in the value for money segment with what's under the bonnet.

What's pushing 300KW+ sub $100K - Mustang?

It's a ****ty time to be a car enthusiast, I feel my enthusiasm dying.

Progress in internal combustion engine cars has completely stopped, no one is competing with each other.

I'd say that is pretty subjective. What is defined as a working man's supercar? Under 200k? AMGs, M cars, Boxster, Cayman, Giulia QV, etc.
Not sure about you but i never had a car under 200k on my wall. Lambos, Ferraris and Porsches all north of 200k.


I think it just depends on what you want out of a car that makes it worthwhile for you. There is always going to be a compromise.
I personally cannot see the need for a car to have near or more than 300kw to have fun in. If it needs that much power to be fun, the rest of the car is rubbish.

I can see a few "fun" cars under 100k that I would consider. Mustang, Fiesta ST, Focus ST, Toybaru 86/BRZ, Yaris GR, BMW M2, Supra, Mx5, i30N, etc.

[Polyal]

Refer to twilight thread fellas, give it 10 years tops.

But I agree with Wretched, Covid as stuffed things around but for the most part there are still good new cars available for normal people and the second hand market has some good options.

It wont get easier though, cars like the 400Z will be the last of their kind for the average punter.

[smoo]

Originally Posted by Wretched

I can see a few "fun" cars under 100k that I would consider. Mustang, Fiesta ST, Focus ST, Toybaru 86/BRZ, Yaris GR, BMW M2, Supra, Mx5, i30N, etc.

Go back twenty years, and that list can be multiplied by four or five.
Back when makers had a proper go a differentiating performance orientated vehicles from the base model.
Now most of them do a sticker pack with blacked out alloys, leather seats with contrasting stitching and call it a sport model.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by smoo

Now most of them do a sticker pack with blacked out alloys, leather seats with contrasting stitching and call it a sport model.

You mean like Cobra and anniversary models
Most, if not all performance cars are just an uprated version of a shopping cart anyway, just with a few addons. Very rarely are there ground complete rebuilds. The ROI just isn't there, esp. for our market.

That list was just from the top of my head, I didn't include a number of brands. Not forgetting those that don't even come to Australia.

[Big_Daz]

Originally Posted by smoo

How depressing must it be to work as a motoring journo these days.
Reviewing boring **** like this and having to report with some type of enthusiasm or interest.
Does Motor still run BFYB and PCOTY? I imagine the amount of eligible cars worthy of consideration these days could be counted on one or two hands.

Yes motor still does pcoty, will be in the next issue release next week. Bfyb wasn’t done last year so don’t know the deal with that, would like to see it though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[smoo]

Originally Posted by Wretched

You mean like Cobra and anniversary models
Most, if not all performance cars are just an uprated version of a shopping cart anyway, just with a few addons. Very rarely are there ground complete rebuilds. The ROI just isn't there, esp. for our market.

That list was just from the top of my head, I didn't include a number of brands. Not forgetting those that don't even come to Australia.

That list is about all we have to choose from though isn’t it.

The Falcon sticker packs were pretty lame but to be fair most of them weren’t touted as a performance alternative, just something with extra fruit. 50th anniversary XR6 still had the Turbo and V8 models above it etc.
I’m thinking of most Jap stuff with the word sport or black addition tacked onto the end of it, despite them being nearly identical to the base model. The expectations and knowledge of the general buying public is so low manufacturers can get away with it.

Twenty years ago cars in the same segment with similar titles were pushing 150kw and were something decent - Clio RS, 206 gti, Cooper S, I think Toyota even put the Celica 1.8 and 6 speed manual in the Corolla. Most manufacturers were catering to this market and now nearly all have abandoned it in favour of mediocrity. I wouldn’t be surprised if the old 2.2 SRi Astra is a better drive than that new **** Holden were trying to offload before they pulled out. The car enthusiast is a dying breed and it’s not hard to see why.

[bigwil]

Originally Posted by tasdex

84 for one

The Holden camira

1988 VN Commodore

[nibble]

We have one in the family and the CX-30 is a fantastic vehicle !! Currently the best Mazda model. If you park performance to one side, you'd be hard pressed to find a better car in that segment IMHO.



BTW I'm not trolling. This is my first post. Looking at getting a Ford Ranger so have joined the forums. Recently test drove all the 4x4 dual cab utes and hands down the Ranger was the best.

[simon varley]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Have we ever been in such a boring landscape for automotive?

that's truth for new cars, but fortunately we still have fifty or sixty years of old stuff to work our way through.

[jaydee]

I'm a big Mazda fan, sold my BA years ago and bought a used 2010 Mazda6, great car.
Now I own a AWD CX5, love it, wife bought a new (2 years ago) Mazda3 SP25 (had 2 Mazda3's prior to that), son has a SP23, and I buy the cars for my Mum after she was talked into a Peugeot years ago (couldn't give it away when it came to trade in), what the hell Mum?, so she's had 3 Mazda3s since then.

Don't worry though, still have the XC in the garage.

When the Mrs cashes in her super she'll be getting the CX3.0 in AWD with the 2.5 motor.

I just love the reliability (timing chain instead of belt, no CVT) and the styling of the new ones.