What’s your Car of the Year?
December 5, 2007 by Karl Peskett
Here at Car Advice, we pride ourselves on letting you, the reader, know everything there is to know about new cars. We endeavour to bring you the latest in news and reviews on a daily basis, so that you can make up your own mind on all sorts of subjects.
Now it’s your turn to tell us what you think.
It’s that time of year where COTY awards get handed out left, right and centre. Yesterday, the Audi R8 was voted “Car of the Year” by Germany’s leading automotive magazine Autobild. If we were to nominate a COTY, we’d have to agree, as a poll of Car Advice staffers had the R8 come up trumps.
But, instead of awarding our own, we’d like to know what car you would nominate as your Car of the Year 2007.
The criteria:
- It must be a new car, released to the Australian market, this year
- It must be under $400,000
- It must be a dealer supported brand, with warranty (i.e. one-offs are out)
That’s all. So get to it. We’re sure you’ll have some interesting responses, and please let us know why you’ve nominated your car.
To make things easier, we have started a poll, please pick from the selection below, or if we missed a car, add your own by clicking “add answer”.
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2007 Car Of The Year
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Print it: 
Hey Tonyn,you’ve driven one of these………is it your car of the year? I have NO idea what mine is still thinking!!
Its a hard question! I have no doubt the audi R8 is the
best car to be released this year!! But its not practical or affordable to most people..so taking into account practicality,safety,performance,resale,driveability,value for money, it would have to be new IMPREZA range with emphasis on new WRX…
Hahahaha Chris you Subaru whore :D
Wow, a range up to $400k is pretty big. If that’s the price range, I would also say the AUDI R8.
I would also say the Honda Civic Type R, but the Jap-spec one. So this wouldn’t be in
Ford Mondeo TDCi:-
Sheer elegance,economy,classy and European.
The New Ford Mondeo Range, mainly the Mondeo XR5…. what a car!!! all those features and only $45,000
Don’t like any particular car released this year, but if push comes to shove…
Yes the Ford Mondeo is a pretty good all rounder, its my pick too.
Hyundai i30 CRD 1.6DT
Anything that is not a Sang Yong?
Ford Mondeo by miles, it does push the bar high…
Good Question!
Small Car would have to be – Mazda 2
Small Medium – Subaru Impreza
Medium – Ford Mondeo XR5
Large Car – None really stand out to me
Small 4×4 – Jeep Wrangler Rubicon or TurboDiesel
Large 4×4 – Toyota Landcruiser V8 TurboDiesel
Sports Car – Subaru Impreza WRX
Supercar – Audi R8
They’d be my realistic choices for each category i could think of!
I’m with the new Mondeo too.
A COTY should be a vehicle that changes the automotive landscape in one way or another. The new Mondeo really lifts the bar in so many ways.
The new Impreza would be up there too.
The R8 isn’t different enough to warrant getting COTY. You have been able to get a mid-engined sports car of similar spec and quality for many years. And the styling is just a TT on steroids.
And in the end, will the R8 be one of those cars that significantly changes the automotive landscape? I really don’t think so. Too few people will ever drive one to experience what it can offer and will be looked on from a distance.
Fiat 500
Although not here yet, won the BIG one in Europe [THE most important award] and also countless wins o/s., inc. CAR mag of UK and TopGear
So, the FIAT 500, and daylight 2nd
Cheers
F-0
Hard to judge without driving these models, but from what I’ve read the Mondeo ticks a lot of the boxes and it’s backed up by a strong range.
I agree with Mondeo as well. The diesel is a great engine!
Hyundai i30 CRDi Range.
Innovative.
Insipration.
Intelligence.
Impressive.
Yeah the Hyundai i30 would be up there too. They are meant to be a good thing. Just having driven the impreza its just so comfortable and quiet and refined. With 5star safety from the very base model and everything else i find it hard to look past the Impreza as COTY.
Thats on a budget though, or realistic cars, id love that R8 parked in my garage!
Only two contenders come to mind for me: Mazda2 for being lighter and smaller than its predecessor while being an improvemnet in every area and Hyundai i30 diesel for doing more than all the Europeans to popularize diesels in Australia — without actually doing anything. Honourable mention to the new Smart For2 (if it’s out)
R8? Irrelevant. Give me an Atom or a tuned (new) Evo.
Mondeo? Too big, too heavy, too expensive. Put its TDCi motor in a Fiesta.
JC
Jeremy, the Atom is not released in Australia, and EVO X is next year’s model.
So they don’t count, read the rules.
True Blue Blood……thats why I’m having a problem coming up with what I think would win!
I’d have to go with Hyundai i30 CRDi. Drives well, is excellent value and great from an environmental viewpoint. It’s also swung the perspective BIG time for the brand.
The R8 is pretty cool though I could never afford it.
Ok this is the list for World Car of the year 2008.
Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster
Audi A5 Coupé / Audi S5 Coupé
Audi R8
BMW X5
Cadillac CTS
Chrysler Sebring / Sebring Cabrio
Dacia Logan MCV
Dodge Avenger
Dodge Caliber
Dodge Nitro
Fiat Bravo
Ford Mondeo
Ford S-Max
Honda Fit / Honda Jazz
Hyundai i30
Hyundai Veracruz
Jeep Compass
Jeep Patriot
Jeep Wrangler
Land Rover LR2 / Freelander 2
Mazda2 / Mazda Demio
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
MINI Clubman
Mitsubishi Lancer
Mitsubishi Outlander
Nissan Qashqai/Dualis
Nissan Skyline Coupe/Infiniti G37 Coupe
Nissan X-TRAIL
Peugeot 207
Peugeot 308
Renault Laguna
Renault Twingo
Skoda Fabia
Smart ForTwo
Subaru Impreza/WRX
Toyota Auris
Volvo C30
Volvo V70
Volvo XC70
My choice the Mondeo!
Here’s one from left field: the Citroen C4 Grand Picasso
I know it’s not a sexy sports car, but it’s truly innovative in that it offers class leading interior space within a small exterior footprint, and thus challenges the trend towards environmentally damaging SUV’s/WMD’s.
It’s also got everything you could want in terms of style, safety, gadgets, and green credentials with it’s economical range of diesel variants from the PSA stable.
There’s a good reason why there’s still a 6 month waiting list on these almost a year after their release.
More concencus for the Ford Mondeo. I have been living under a rock. What’s good with the mondeo? is it the engine? or the whole package?
I wouldn’t pick it, but the HSV Maloo won the People’s Choice for Carsguide I think. Maybe it or a SS ute should join the list?
Toyota Corolla Ultima
Simply the best.
Actually, Holden Commodore won Carsguide’s Peoples choice. ute maybe drive?? don’t know.
Aston, for no other reason than its secks on wheels
I must admit the mondeo xr5 is a great car!! .and for the money it is a bit of a bargain.. But the rest of the range is just average,,thats why IMPREZA gets my vote, envery model is a great car for the money…
The Impreza gets my vote if this is the 2007 Ugliest Car of the Year award.
Sorry Momo, but the ugliest car award has already been awarded to EVERYTHING with a Dodge badge, with Chrysler an honorary mention runner-up.
I like the Mondeo because it is the right car for the right time, has a good range with both deisel and performance versions. It is every thing a car in this segment should be: it ticks all of boxes that 380 & Aurion should but don’t.
Yeah, I quite like the Mondeo too.
And the SaangYong gets the ugliest car prize :P
The Courier Mail. The Ford Mondeo has won for the mid-size car.
….Sorry, the exact model Mondeo was the TDCi.
I have just driven the new Maloo ute & mate it”s awesome….I think that it is now ahead of the Impreza for car of the year….
Impreza is a POS! Underpowered, cheap and nasty, ugly, and S L O W; even the WR-yawn X. Anything Mazda or Ford get my vote. Engrave the 2008 trophy with the letters MAZDA, and the numeral 6!
VE SS-V Ute…the only bad point that I can think about it is that there isnt one in my garage.
Someone added the Focus XR5 to the poll, that came out last year…
Hi Momo
The two cars I nominated (i30 and Mazda2) are released . The Evo and Atom were my examples of preferred sportscars. They were given as examples of why I don’t find the R8 so impressive so wouldn’t be nominating it. I thought the Atom was available in Aus but for track use only, BTW.
JC
Suprise Suprise all the Fords get heaps of votes. It could be a 1 star safety rated Chinese Ford and it would still get votes.
Mondeo : Over-rated (Paritcularly in terms of looks)
Cobra : Marketing effort by Ford to con idiots into buying them… and even bigger idiots into buying them in the second hand market for more
XR5 : FWD piece of junk that torque steers like a biatch and for a $40k car doesnt even have cruise control
so whats your pick FFF?
do you have some input or did you come here to bash on a certain name plate?
FFF, say something relevant…but if you stay the same, I’m sure you’ll shortly be banned. All your comments are the same – don’t make sense and crazy/random.
Hey..FordFinaticallyFantastic………..The Mondeo has been named in the Top cars in the World for 2008 awards…….Im sure those critics are just that when deciding on the Mondeo!! A great Car!
As far as the Cobra………who cares the gimmick worked….dealers made money on top of what they would normally get and the owners are happy at receiving a legend!!Win,win!!
XR5…..torque steer ….of course but no where as bad as the Astra VRX!!!!!
Who cares if it doesn’t have cruise control!!!!! Unless your cruise control works ….you know brakes going down hill its not really working for you anyway!! Oh yeah…..BMW does brake for you!! Cruise control thats it??XR5 is a HOT CAR!!
So what is your pick?????
New Impreza owner
Paint defects
Speedometer looks good but does not display correct speed
hahaha You ……..so we now have ….ME and YOU!!
Paint defects?? Like what…………….How far is the speedo out…….my M3 is about 5ks!!
Have to remember my name has a full stop at the end. Well don’t you think it’s better than ‘Nathan M’, OPPS! BTW “You” was a song… oh great, it’s in my head now!
FFF, have you driven an XR5T ? Workmate of mine bought one (which amazed me because he’s always had Commodores). I had a spin in it and found very little torque steer considering how hard it went. Any reviews I’ve read say the same thing, and that the VXR, while a little quicker in a straight line, had bad torque steer.
I’d vote the Audi R8 if I could afford one, but my choice for a new car I could realistically afford is the Mondeo.
The count is 220 so far :-)
yeah when you get realistic about it, its hard to go past the mondeo.
sure we would all deam about the Audi R8 and if 2 sets of keys were held up we would take the audi.
but such an award needs to be categorised a little further.
the mondeo ticks more boxes than others especially when the main car buyers questions come into play which are such things as running costs, initial cost, value for money, quality, etc etc etc
I guess thats why I picked it too AndrewM…….I LOVE the Aston but as a general car for the year the Mondeo is it!
Fabulous looking car too!!!! I am hoping the new Orion is going to look similar as Tonyn says!
for sure if given the keys to what ever for free the mondeo would be a hell of a lot further back in the pack.
but we have to keep it real. its not a fantasy car of the year we are choosing