CAR OF THE YEAR: Porsche does it again
by Mark Smyth,
2014-02-20 07:29:48.0
THE debate surrounding the Porsche Boxster winning last year’s South African Guild of Motoring Journalists Car of the Year title are set to be reignited with the announcement that the Porsche Cayman S is the 2014 winner.
Hopefully, though, most of the arguments were dispensed with last year as to how the competition actually works in terms of rewarding the car that excels the most in its class. In this regard, the Cayman S definitely does, although, if there is one debate to be had, it is that the car is perhaps far too close to the Boxster, which offers the additional enjoyment of being a rag top.
This year was one of the hardest competitions of all, with nine finalists including the Audi A3 Sportback, Jaguar F-Type, Lexus IS350, Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG, Peugeot 208 GTi, Porsche Cayman S, Renault Clio 4, Volkswagen Golf and the Volvo V40.
The current World Car of the Year title holder, the Golf, was a close contender, with many also expecting to see the Audi take home the spoils in a fight between the two vehicles that share the same platform and engine.
In the end, though, the Porsche screamed across the line in first place after voting by the jury of motoring journalists from across South Africa, including two members of the Business Day Motor News team.
The finalists had been put through their paces at the Gerotek testing facility in January where jurors got to experience the good and the bad of each one in tests ranging from high-speed driving and dynamic handling, to static evaluations and the teeth-rattling suspension tests.
There were plenty of surprises after the test days and then the hard graft of going through reams of specification and comparison sheets began. Here the real figures are laid bare in terms of the specifications of each finalist’s key rivals, as well as such things as cost of ownership and resale values.
Over the years the competition has produced a wide variety of winners, from entry-level vehicles to family hatchbacks and sedans, as well as executive cars and sports cars. Each winner has set a new benchmark in its class and this year appears to be no exception.
Choosing a Porsche for the second year in a row might well upset some, but given the fact that many have hailed it as providing all the thrills of the mighty 911 while costing substantially less, its new piece of silverware would seem to be well deserved.
The question now is whether, with Porsche launching its new Macan compact SUV later this year, the Stuttgart manufacturer could be on top yet again in 2015.
The Porsche Cayman S, the 2014 Car of the Year
THE debate surrounding the Porsche Boxster winning last year’s South African Guild of Motoring Journalists Car of the Year title are set to be reignited with the announcement that the Porsche Cayman S is the 2014 winner.
Hopefully, though, most of the arguments were dispensed with last year as to how the competition actually works in terms of rewarding the car that excels the most in its class. In this regard, the Cayman S definitely does, although, if there is one debate to be had, it is that the car is perhaps far too close to the Boxster, which offers the additional enjoyment of being a rag top.
This year was one of the hardest competitions of all, with nine finalists including the Audi A3 Sportback, Jaguar F-Type, Lexus IS350, Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG, Peugeot 208 GTi, Porsche Cayman S, Renault Clio 4, Volkswagen Golf and the Volvo V40.
The current World Car of the Year title holder, the Golf, was a close contender, with many also expecting to see the Audi take home the spoils in a fight between the two vehicles that share the same platform and engine.
In the end, though, the Porsche screamed across the line in first place after voting by the jury of motoring journalists from across South Africa, including two members of the Business Day Motor News team.
The finalists had been put through their paces at the Gerotek testing facility in January where jurors got to experience the good and the bad of each one in tests ranging from high-speed driving and dynamic handling, to static evaluations and the teeth-rattling suspension tests.
There were plenty of surprises after the test days and then the hard graft of going through reams of specification and comparison sheets began. Here the real figures are laid bare in terms of the specifications of each finalist’s key rivals, as well as such things as cost of ownership and resale values.
Over the years the competition has produced a wide variety of winners, from entry-level vehicles to family hatchbacks and sedans, as well as executive cars and sports cars. Each winner has set a new benchmark in its class and this year appears to be no exception.
Choosing a Porsche for the second year in a row might well upset some, but given the fact that many have hailed it as providing all the thrills of the mighty 911 while costing substantially less, its new piece of silverware would seem to be well deserved.
The question now is whether, with Porsche launching its new Macan compact SUV later this year, the Stuttgart manufacturer could be on top yet again in 2015.
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