Here are the cars you should buy in 2015
Fuel-efficient, light and spacious: the new Audi Q7. Photo: motoring.com.au
Mazda has beaten Mercedes-Benz to top the list as the most awarded brand in the 2015 motoring.com.au Recommends awards.
The ever-popular Japanese brand beat the German luxury icon eight to seven to take out the most awards in the 2015 list.
The brands with the next best performances were prestige marques BMW and Audi, which tied with six gongs each.
Mass-market brands Ford and Volkswagen rounded out the top five with five and four ‘Recommends’ awards respectively.
The Model S, the first four-door from controversial disruptor car brand Tesla, was awarded in two categories.
• Electric cars could turbo charge economy
• Understanding the VW scandal
• The most stolen car models in Australia
The vehicles recognised are motoring.com.au’s top picks across 13 categories for real-world new-car buyers and consumers.
Mazda received awards for its CX-3 and CX-5 crossovers and well as Mazda 2, 3, 6 and BT-50. The brand-new MX-5 roadster also received a motoring.com.au award.
Hyundai’s i-20 won out in the cheap family car market. Photo: motoring.com.au
Mercedes models that were ‘dubbed’ include the new Mercedes-AMG GT S sportscar and Mercedes-Benz C-, CLS- and S-Class models.
The full motoring.com.au ‘Recommends’ award winners are listed below.
“We judge new cars in the real environment – where consumers use and abuse them,” motoring.com.au and carsales.com editor-in-chief Mike Sinclair said.
“The cars chosen all represent informed choices for new car shoppers.”
The categories are: First Car; City Car; Family Car under and over $30,000; SUV under and over $50,000; Performance Car under and over $100,000; Prestige Car under and over $100,000; Off-road 4×4; Tradie; and Green.
A wide range of attributes are considered in making choices for each of the categories, including performance; refinement; handling; suitability for purpose and value for money.
Resale, reliability and factors such as warranty and the availability or otherwise of benefits such as capped-price servicing are also considerations.
Only cars on sale to the general public and driven by motoring.com.au before September 1, 2015 were eligible for the awards.
Click on each category to read the full reviews and browse cars for sale.
2015 motoring.com.au Recommends winners
City Car:
BMW i3
BMW’s i3 comes in both pure electric and extended plug-in range. Photo: motoring.com.au
Kia Rio
Mazda CX-3
Renault Clio
Volkswagen Polo
First Car:
Ford Fiesta
Kia Rio
Mazda 2
Skoda Fabia
Volkswagen Polo
Family Car under $30K:
Hyundai i30
Mazda3
Peugeot 308
The Grand Picasso won points for its fresh and clean aesthetic. Photo: motoring.com.au
Skoda Octavia
Volkswagen Golf
Family Car over $30K:
Citroen C4 Grand Picasso
Hyundai Santa Fe
Kia Sorento
Mazda 6
Skoda Octavia Scout
Green:
Audi A3 e-tron Sportback
BMW i3
Mercedes-Benz S 300 Hybrid
Tesla Model S
Toyota Camry Hybrid
Off-road:
Ford Ranger
Land Rover Discovery 4
Mazda BT-50
The updated Toyota Prado is a smooth operator for its size and weight. Photo: motoring.com.au
Nissan Navara
Toyota LandCruiser Prado
Performance Car under $100K:
Audi S1 quattro
BMW M235i
Ford Fiesta ST
Mazda MX-5
Mercedes-AMG A 45
Performance Car over $100K:
Jaguar F-TYPE
Mercedes-AMG C 63
Mercedes-AMG GT
Porsche 911
Porsche Cayman
Prestige Car under $100K:
Audi A3
Audi A6
BMW 3 Series
The Tesla Model S – the ‘disruptor’ car changing the automotive industry. Photo: motoring.com.au
Jaguar XE
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Prestige Car over $100K:
Audi A7 Sportback
BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe
Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Tesla Model S
SUV under $50K:
Honda HR-V
Hyundai Sante Fe
Hyundai Tucson
Kia Sorento
Mazda CX-5
SUV over $50K:
Audi Q7
BMW X5
Land Rover Discovery Sport
Fuel-efficient, light and spacious: the new Audi Q7. Photo: motoring.com.au
Porsche Macan
Range Rover Sport
Tradie:
Ford Ranger
Ford Transit Custom
Mazda BT-50
Renault Trafic
Volkswagen Amarok
This article first appeared on motoring.com.au.