Wheels Car of the Year Nominees - No BF!

[HOON69]

380 sympathy vote and as its a make or break im sure they'll be biased and probably award the 380 to save their ar$es..

[AuFairlaneV8]

I would like to the see the 300c win ....but it will be let down by lack of rear leg room

For me the finalists will be:

BMW 3
the 2 Lexuses
Boxster

the swift being the dark horse

[Thunder]

Originally Posted by AuFairlaneV8

I would like to the see the 300c win ....but it will be let down by lack of rear leg room

For me the finalists will be:

BMW 3
the 2 Lexuses
Boxster

the swift being the dark horse

Drivers leg room is also rather cramped for such a big car.

[ltd]

It will be the 380 for the same reason that the nrma gave it to them; sympathy.
Hopefully giving it all of these awards will make it sell, and inspire confidence in it just the same as the wedge shaped magna mentioned earlier.

Also, many of these companies that issue awards are always doing cross promotions where you win a new car which is coincidentally, the car that just won COTY. This happens all year until the next COTY farce is launched upon us.Give it to the Viva or Tigra or whatever with the 22, no 23 storage spaces.

[ltd]

Geez, thats bad news on the 300C with the legroom, I'm actually considering crossing the floor and looking at one.

[Deadman]

It's amazing everyone is saying that the 380 will get it on sympathy.

I guess with the BA Falcon in 2002, Ford was given the award due to sympathy as well? (due to the AU sales disaster?) A lot of people complained then to... But was that different because it was a Ford? ;)

Don't get me wrong, I don't care if it gets it or not, could be a lot of other cars that I'd be upset with a lot more than the 380. Just interesting that people always say (when Ford wins it, or whoever) that it's always a 'sympathy' or 'paid off' result. No matter who wins - people will always complain about bribes and crap.

If you don't like the result, that's good. If everyone went by these results only 1 car type would sell every year ;) But just because you don't like the result, doesn't mean a lot of other people don't.

[M14A-Mclaren]

Yeah thats rubbish, Wheels won't give the 380 Car of the Year because of sympathy, if you think that then you have to think that about the AU too.

[Deadman]

Originally Posted by Deadman

But just because you don't like the result, doesn't mean a lot of other people don't.

Not sure if that actually was worded correctly - but you all know what I meant :

[ltd]

Difference is that alot of those journos that test drove the 380 panned it, unlike when Ford won. In actual fact, 9 out of 10 articles I've read about the 380 including those of both Drive and Cars Guide have panned it. I don't recall this happening with Ford.

[deesun]

Originally Posted by gmhdriver

Spot on. Another example is the original wedge shaped Magna which won car of the year in 1985. They turned out to be the biggest smoke billowing, transmission blowing, unreliable pos you could imagine.

And as has been said before just because the car has some quality issues later on shouldn't exonerate it. Bet you think every oil leaking commonwhore should be car of the year. I had one of those Magnas for 10 years and when I bought it nearly new it was better than any Ford or Holden around for the money and yes I needed 1 only transmission paid for by MMA It did 240k and towed boats and fully loaded 8x5 trailers up and down the Nth coast and was only serviced when it had to be and not once did it let me down,not once. Remember Camira?,people in glass houses.

[Smoke Pursuit]

The 380 wont win, if it does then thats a complete joke!!

I heard that Mits stopped production early and wont start till later then they had planned as they have too much stock laying around and can't move them.

Very sad for their dealers and staff who were relying on this car to put them back in a profitable position, id say we will see a fair few mitsubishi dealerships finish up in the next 12 months if things dont happen, because at the end of the day the Magna was there only real big seller and now that the *** has fallen out of it theres really no where for them to move. Lucky for most dealerships Mitsubishi is only a sub part of their business and they will survive, the other bigger dealerships will more then likely continue with the rest of the range and try and rely on selling more of their other models due to the reduction in Mitsubishi competition.

[Fairlane]

I have my money on the new MX-5. Praticality issues aside, they seem to really be the best car in the class it which it single handedly ressurected.

Though I do believe that these cars might go close

Landrover Discovery
Lexus IS250
Toyota Yaris

[marcosambrose]

Originally Posted by The Taipan

My guess - top5:
Sonata
300C
Swift
Focus
Cherokee
380 or MX5 and possibly C4 to replace any of the bottom three.

300C? surely not, its a big american soft riding hunk of steel with no dynamic advantage over any australian car. The sonata will not win it, merely because its a sonata, id say MX5 or Focus.

[Thunder]

Originally Posted by marcosambrose

300C? surely not, its a big american soft riding hunk of steel with no dynamic advantage over any australian car. The sonata will not win it, merely because its a sonata, id say MX5 or Focus.

Relax. The 300C wont win........my thongs dont taste good.

Oh and by the way, how is preparation of your first Indy race going? :

[Dave_au]

Some of you say its a BS award, it's not at all, Im sure if I dragged up the threads relating to the Territory's or the Falcon's recent wheels car of the year win, some of you would be crowing a different tune.

Fact of the matter is that this award is *the* award in the motoring circle, irrespective of the fact that some die-hards disagree with what the automotive press say, but when you think about it, we enthusiasts make a very very very small percentage of car sales. For those mums and dads who spend their hard earned money on a base trim or medium trim sedan, this award means a great deal, only if it is something for the respective manufacturer to crow about in a marketing campaign.

[Dave_au]

Originally Posted by The Taipan

Lexus GS - Camry with a BMW price tag...

Your thinking ES, the GS is rwd with either a 3.0L v6 or a 4.3L v8.

[mik]

10 buks on lexus ls ,probably lose my shirt.

[Teki04]

Gosh... here you are all bagging the COTY awards, however the Ford Falcon won it back in 2002, and the Territory last year.

I think its a great read. Hey, the Fiesta did not win it last year, but if you actually read it, you would understand that it lost out on Value. However they really did love the car. I think same might go with the Swift and Focus. Focus would definetly be a possible winner if the XR5T was out earlier... because as such, their is only one engine in the Focus, so i think the more expensive models might just let it down.

The BMW 3 Series, bar the love-or-hate styling, might just win it. Its dynamically a great car, and its also put together really well with a good build. Also has award winning engines (bar the 4 cylinder). The Lexus IS is a great looking car with a great package, but once again like the Swift and Focus it might be let down by a common engine, with only increases in standard features as you pay more. Basically the three of them are optioned up base models. (Not saying they werent good to start with, just that the value for your money might decrease...) The Lexus GS on the other hand could be quite good... however if my memory serves me correctly, they arent exactly great spirited drives (Something the BMW does better...).

Bar the base model 380, i think they are overall a good car. I quite like them, but im not sure if Wheels will. It might be a finalist though!

A few are questioning the Yaris as being a contender... now bar the engines, they have created a great car with a list of standard features. Hey, it has made the only small car which achieved 5 star safety! So, for the reason they have a wider model range, i think they might tip the Swift off the edge.

Now, Mercedes CLS... this might start a mini war, but i think its been a great success with Mercedes world wide! I know for one that demand has been overwhelming... And i think it works. An E Class with sporty looks. As for the Cry 300C... after reading reviews and thinking about their target market, i think its a good car. Its NOT trying to be a performance vehicle... probably why alot of you dont like it. Its more a luxury cruiser, but with some style to go with it. I for one see the value in the 300C... its better then the top of the range Holdens and Fords (Um, its a 300C... not a beefed up Falcodore). And yet, its cheaper then the E Class and 5 Series, but with that "look at me" styling and uniqueness.

So, i believe it will be (in any order):

BMW 3 Series
300C
Toyota Yaris

[blutura]

good to see a well thought, well written post floating about in what has mostly been a sea of rotting turd posts so far. I cannot believe how pathetic some of you guys are being. Perhaps your fingers are just so used to typing "Ford rulz!" that your one-eyed responses are just typed and submitted before your brain starts to work.

i'm just as passionate about Fords as any of you, but I can still appreciate the offerings of other manufacturers as well. I wonder how many of you who bag the 380 have actually driven it? I have, and barring a few little things that bugged me, like the low hanging glove box that cuts into the front passengers leg room, the too-high window sills (especially in the back) and the fact that the rear air-con vents can't be turned off, it is really a class effort from Mitsubishi and one that will be a contender in COTY, and not because of sympathy or bribery.

Calling Australia's best car magazine, and COTY, Australia's longest running car award a POS simply shows how little you know about this magazine, and how few copies you have read. Yes, Wheels has screwed up a few COTY decisions in the past, but by their own admission, in the early days, Wheels' staff would get together over a beer and decide which car they thought was best, but now its a multiple day, extensive dawn til dusk, thorough testing of the best new cars on the market, and as has already been pointed out, I didn't hear any of you calling COTY an irrelevent, bribed-infested POS when the Territory won it, or the Falcon, or the Commodore (for you GM loving AFF members)

or perhaps in the years that Ford won it, there were no bribes received?

[XR Martin]

The 300C Top Gear tested was American spec with sloppy suspension.
The model Europe, UK and Australia get has a different suspension spec and is ALOT better by all accounts.

[SSBUB]

bought a used astra today for the misses from a mitsi dealer. The 380's are actually a nice car, both inside and out. If they had RWD with as much poke as a falcon and commodore i wouldnt hesitate. The VRX is pretty spiffy on the inside. the EVO 8 is kinda cool in a ricey sorta way (not sure about the huge a** wing). Head and shoulders above previous mitsi's. While we were waiting for our car to be delivered today, i had a yarn to a few of the sales people about the 380's. The said the move them pretty well but agree the FWD is off putting a lot of their sales. A few of them rekon they could have had so many more customers if they were RWD. Anywayz.

[blutura]

Originally Posted by SSBUB

i had a yarn to a few of the sales people about the 380's. The said the move them pretty well but agree the FWD is off putting a lot of their sales. A few of them rekon they could have had so many more customers if they were RWD. Anywayz.

exactly, when are mitsubishi gonna figure out that aussies like their big cars to be RWD?

[Dave_au]

Originally Posted by blutura

exactly, when are mitsubishi gonna figure out that aussies like their big cars to be RWD?

Half of that is because of marketing though, there is a perception that rwd is better for day to day driving, however, dare I say that the majority of cars are driven in such a way on the roads by the public, 97% of the time it wouldnt matter whether the car was front wheel drive or rear wheel drive.

Apparently MMAL left some of the underpinnings in the chassis of the 380s design to allow the re-introduction of the quadtec awd at a future date, dependant on the sales success of the 380, which at the moment could be a lot better than what their selling.

[MeestaNob!]

Yaris by a street.

[FPVWEPN]

CLS all the way!!!!!!!

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Iphido

Its avalible From Xt through to Fairmont Ghia. The only cars you can't get a ZF in is the wagons. Ok, its tided to the V8 but its still a option.

Seems like wheels thinks that changing the wheel base 5mm is far far more important that changing engines, transmissions, adding safety features and general improvement.

Whats so amazing about the Yaris over the Echo? Or the new boxster.

It is a realitively thin slice of the market. I know I wouldn't concider any of those cars for my next purchase.

The ZF is only available on the Fairmont Ghia, Fairlane/LTD and optional on the XR's. It is only avilable on the XT or Fairmont when you get the 230 V8. Not available on Futura or wagons.

The MX5 might be the darkhorse, it won the award back when the original was released.

[Bucknaked]

Originally Posted by gmhdriver

I don't think a new transmission and a few minor tweaks is enough to be judged as "substantial".

Good point.

Don't worry BF owners, you guys can come talk to us AU owners and we will look after you. We never really expected much from our model with the lack of awards, wins at Bathurst etc etc etc. We will help you through this difficult time. :

Seriously, who cares if it wins an award. As long as it lives up to your expectations when you buy it. You don't need a magazine to tell you whats good and whats not. Otherwise the AU would never have sold. :

[deesun]

OK who's going to start a poll?

[Lagom]

Originally Posted by Dave_au

Half of that is because of marketing though, there is a perception that rwd is better for day to day driving, however, dare I say that the majority of cars are driven in such a way on the roads by the public, 97% of the time it wouldnt matter whether the car was front wheel drive or rear wheel drive.

Absolutely - ultimately we see things from an enthusiast's perspective, but how many customers out there are enthusiasts, lets get no rosy eyed delusions that we are well and truly in the minority. We often spend time with other enthusiasts and that skews our perception at times about how the overall market feels about things.

The question's obviously begging - so why isn't the 380 setting the charts on fire? I personally reckon that the FWD factor isn't that big - lets not forget that Mitsubishi was selling 40,000 odd Magnas/Veradas back in the later 90s and used to lead Camry. Ultimately the 380 brand is a lot weaker than the well established Falcon/Commodore brands which have a different heritage and following to Magna, so it's got a difficult job to begin with. Lets not forget that the parent Mitsubishi brand isn't in the best of health either in the public eye.

It was always going to be pretty tough for the 380 at launch given the conditions - high petrol prices, decline in the large car segment (forecasts aren't great, I hope the VE stirs things up in large cars, because in the long term with tariff cuts, etc, it's going to be a bleak future for big Aussie cars), and heavy price competition. The 380 was launched at too high a price - apparently Oz wanted to launch it $2.5k lower, but Japan overrode them. When all the other majors are throwing thousands of incentives/discounts at their large cars, makes it harder to get a hold, when you don't want to discount.

Originally Posted by ltd

Difference is that alot of those journos that test drove the 380 panned it, unlike when Ford won. In actual fact, 9 out of 10 articles I've read about the 380 including those of both Drive and Cars Guide have panned it. I don't recall this happening with Ford.

The initial Wheels reviews of the 380 were fairly positive, I thought. I didn't think the last XR6/VRX/SV6 review was that bad for the 380. Even Cars Guide had quite a few positive things to say about it - sure they said the BF was better in a number of areas, but I wouldn't say the car was panned, after all Paul Gover actually wrote he'd buy it.

Next COTY will be an interesting read.

[Deanodriver]

Originally Posted by Steffo

And I don't doubt it. It's an American car... unless they handle worse then an aircraft carrier and have suspension so soft that an ant can bounce the car up and down... well, you get the idea. American car + good handling = oxymoron.

I think they're actually made in Austria, and based on an old E class Merc.

Then again, I believe it'll either be the 380 or the Focus.

The 380 has the edge because it's locally made (and Wheels does tend to favour the local product), and indeed it is a good car, however, in the current climate of fuel prices, and people downsizing, the Focus will probably get the nod, I reckon.