 AJAC 2013 CCOTY TestFest Cars ready for testing. Click image to enlarge |
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2013 Canadian Car of the Year Testfest
Another successful installment of the annual Automobile Journalist Association of Canada’s (AJAC) TestFest has come and gone and in the end, 11 category winners were announced. For those unfamiliar with the AJAC Canadian Car of the Year Award (CCOTY) process, the whole system may seem a bit confusing and every year several questions are asked regarding it. We at Autos.ca are here to help explain the process and will feature a series of articles to help consumers learn what exactly goes into deciding the Canadian Car of the Year. Already, Senior Editor Jonathan Yarkony described what it is like to be a part of the testing process, and then described it some more, and in the coming week, we will post articles on how the CCOTY scoring system works and why the CCOTY is important to Canadian consumers, manufacturers, and the auto industry. But for now, we will dive into each of the eleven CCOTY categories and discuss the highlights, the low lights, and ultimately, help provide some insight into why the winners did just that—win. Today we will focus on the ‘everyday’ vehicles—the small cars, family cars, and CUV/SUVs.
CITY CAR, by Mike Schlee
In a category of only two vehicles, there has to be a winner and a loser. Or, if you are more optimistic, both cars were guaranteed at least second place. This class was almost decided before it started as what we had here was one electric car, and one electric pod. Ok, that may not be fair to the i-MiEV, but many still do not get its futuristic styling, bare-bones interior and unusual driving traits. The Focus EV beat the i-MiEV in every category but visibility, range and price. The reason is that the Focus EV drives just like a regular Focus, an already well-built compact. Well, “just like” may be a stretch.
The Focus EV silently whooshes down the road and produces gobs of on-throttle front-wheel spin thanks to its low-rolling-resistance tires. All that wheel spin does lead to a nearly five-second advantage to 100 km/h from a standstill for the Focus EV. The i-MiEV was airier inside and can better accommodate rear passengers, albeit in less comfort. In the end, though, the Focus EV, even with its much higher price tag and limited range was still more than enough ‘car’ to hold off the i-MiEV. In layman’s terms, it isn’t full of compromises for an EV, it looks like a regular car and although it has a limited range, all EVs do.
BEST NEW SMALL CAR (Under $21K), by Chris Chase
Officially, this was a six-car race, but unofficially, only five ever had a chance. The Mazda3 Skyactiv Sedan took first place by three points over the Kia Rio sedan, and the Nissan Sentra finished another nine points back of the Kia for third spot.
In fact, there was a 17-point spread between the first-place Mazda3 Skyactiv sedan and the fifth-place Toyota Prius C—and then there was the poor Chevrolet Spark, which finished another 36 points behind the Prius C.
It’s clear that the tiny Spark would have been a better fit in the City Car category, but entry to that group was limited to purely electric vehicles. The Spark lost points not only for being the smallest car by a fair margin, but also for an as-tested price nearly $1,000 more than that Kia Rio. General Motors would have done well to enter a Spark priced closer to its $13,495 starting point, a move that would have at least earned it points in the subjective value vote. It struck me that Chevrolet has positioned the Spark in this contest to compete with more fashionable small cars, like the Fiat 500, Smart Fortwo, and Scion iQ. The Spark is not without merit, but it is more appealing closer to the low end of its price range, rather than the $18,000(!) price tag attached to the one entered in this category.
After we’d completed our official category testing on Wednesday, other writers asked me which vehicle I thought would win in this Small Car Under $21K group. The Mazda3 was my pick all along, a decision based on the fact that this car always does well in Car of the Year voting, no matter how long it has been since its last major redesign (which, in this case, was the 2010 model year). It was eligible for this year’s contest because of its new Skyactiv powertrain.
The Kia Rio placed second partly for being a decent car, but mostly for being a decent car loaded up with a lot of standard kit at a very attractive price. Finally, third place went to the Nissan Sentra. This totally redesigned car competes with compacts on price, but comes with a mid-sized interior. The Dodge Dart, which finished a respectable fourth, was notable for its TigerShark 2.0L engine, which isn’t particularly strong, but runs very smoothly and sounds fantastic (relative to most economy cars) when pressed for maximum power.
By this point, you all know my thoughts on the Toyota Prius C, which placed fifth. Despite being the only hybrid of the bunch, this car was a good fit in this category. It also proved that choosing the base car’s 15-inch wheels allows a tighter turning circle than my long-term tester, which sported optional 16-inch alloy wheels. They look better, but the compromise in maneuverability isn’t worth it.
BEST NEW SMALL CAR (Under $21K), Second Opinion by Greg Wilson
Of the six contestants in this category, one was a microcar, two were subcompacts, and three were compact cars. The microcar, the Chevrolet Spark, came in last place because it just couldn’t compete with the others on performance, vehicle dynamics, interior size, and ride comfort. Its 0 to 100 km/h time of 14.1 seconds, for example, was 2.4 seconds slower than the next slowest car, the Toyota Prius c hybrid. Ouch!
The economical Prius c, which came in fifth, had the best fuel economy by far of any of the entrants, and testers liked its interior and cargo capacity, but weren’t that impressed with its performance and handling even though it had the shortest braking distance. The other subcompact, the Kio Rio LX+, did much better, even beating out the larger Dodge Dart and Nissan Sentra. At $16,695, the Rio LX+ was the lowest priced car of the bunch, even cheaper than the Spark, giving it high marks for value. Its attractive styling, comfortable interior, and nimble handling gave it enough points to earn second place.
Personally, I thought the third place Nissan Sentra and fourth place Dodge Dart were better cars than the smaller Rio, but I was obviously out-voted here. The new Nissan Sentra is a big improvement over the previous model. It’s roomy, quiet, comfortable and easy to drive with the second-best average fuel economy of the group of 5.8 L/100 km. Despite its continuously variable transmission, it’s almost as quick to 100 km/h as the second-place Rio. But it’s not particularly fun to drive, and that may have been why it was bested by the Rio.
The real surprise in this category was the poor showing of the Dodge Dart. Despite earning the highest marks for interior styling, features, cabin quietness, and ride comfort, it fell short of the Rio, Sentra, and Mazda3 in fuel economy and acceleration and was relegated to fourth place. This Italian-derived compact sedan deserved much better—it should be on your test drive list if you’re looking for a small car under $21K.
The winner here was the Mazda3 SkyActiv sedan, which got top marks for performance and handling, driving position and ergonomics, and quality (tied with Sentra). It’s more of a driver’s car than the other contenders, and has been a favourite with AJAC journalists since it won Car of the Year in 2004. Still, I was a little surprised that its aging exterior and interior design elicited such enthusiasm from journalists who are always on top of the latest trends. And its oft-promoted fuel-saving Skyactiv powertrain isn’t as fuel-efficient as the powertrains of the Sentra, Rio, and Prius c. Yes, the Mazda3 Skyactiv is a good car, but it wasn’t my top choice here.
BEST NEW SMALL CAR (Over $21K), by Mike Schlee
This class came down to a bizarre four-horse race. Think of a half-hybrid-robot horse competing against two thoroughbreds and one Clydesdale and you get the idea (sorry Sonic, but you were like a pony trying desperately to keep up).
The new-to-Canada Ford C-Max is a hybrid offering that Ford intends to take on the likes of the Toyota Prius. With that in mind, I was surprised at the levels of power this hatchback had; it destroyed everything else in the small car category from 0–100 km/h by a half second or more. Out on the handling course, the C-Max was a mess, but that should be expected for a tall, heavy vehicle on low rolling resistance tires. The C-Max had the nicest interior and was full of content, but couldn’t overcome its massive price penalty of nearly $6,000 to the next-most-expensive Beetle and over $9,000 to the class-winning Elantra GT.
The other oddball in this group was the only two-door, the only diesel, and the only vehicle equipped with a dual-clutch transmission: the Volkswagen Beetle TDI. As expected, torque was great, but the TDI-DSG combo once again was not a match made in heaven. At low speeds the diesel’s turbo lag combined with the DSG’s lag made for slow starts and herky-jerky operation. As well, the Beetle was kept within reach of the other vehicles price-wise by being a complete base model missing options found in the others, although the interior did look cool.
The next pairing we drove was the Mazda3 Sport Skyactiv and Hyundai Elantra GT. These two were the two favourites going in and for good reason; only three points separated these two for first and second place. The Mazda3 by far is the best handler of the group, but also the roughest riding. Its power is adequate and it ended up in a dead heat with the Beetle TDI in the 0–100 km/h runs; both cars were 0.7 seconds faster than the Elantra GT. The Elantra GT was the antithesis of the Mazda3 and countered the Mazda’s zoom-zoom nature with the most content for the money, one of the better exterior appearances, and a more comfortable ride. Although the Elantra GT just barely won this class, it would all come down to personal preference as to which one of these hatchbacks would be right for you. For example, I picked the Elantra GT to win the class, and it won our recent Compact Cars Comparison Test, but would buy the Mazda3 myself.
BEST NEW FAMILY CAR (Under $30K): by Greg Wilson
One of these five new family sedans under $30K wasn’t really in the same class as the other four: the compact Mitsubishi Lancer AWC (all-wheel control) had the advantage of standard all-wheel drive but it was noisier and coarser than its competitors and the interior felt smaller and looked cheaper than the others. It was also the least fuel efficient of the bunch. And with an as-tested price of $27,998, the compact Lancer AWC was actually more expensive than the first place finisher in this category, the mid-size Honda Accord. Not surprising then that it came in fifth place.
The fourth-place finisher, the Chevrolet Malibu Eco, proved a pleasant surprise with its electrically assisted four-cylinder engine, decent fuel economy and comfortable ride, but testers weren’t overly enamoured with its styling, performance, handling, interior room, and value for money, so it had to make do with the number four spot behind the all-new Nissan Altima.
The third-place Altima scored points for offering the best fuel economy and being the fastest from 0 to 100 km/h (8.6 sec.) despite having a standard continuously variable transmission. Testers also liked its comfortable ride, roomy cabin, and good driving position, but weren’t so impressed with its styling and vehicle dynamics.
The second-place Ford Fusion sedan was only one point behind the winning Honda Accord in this category, so it could be considered a virtual tie. The Fusion impressed with its stylish exterior, roomy cabin and entertainment features, the biggest trunk, the shortest braking distance, and the most safety features. Its unique turbocharged 1.6L four-cylinder engine also impressed testers with its responsiveness but surprisingly it only managed a second-to-last finish in fuel economy.
The winning Honda Accord drew testers’ praise for its reasonable price, high quality, roomy and quiet cabin, smooth 2.4L engine, and all-new continuously variable transmission, quick acceleration, good fuel economy, and large trunk. A high score for “subjective value” indicated that AJAC voters also gave it points for Honda’s solid reputation for reliability and quality. The top four contestants in this category were very close in most respects, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend any one of them.
BEST NEW FAMILY CAR (Over $30K), by Peter Bleakney
With only four cars entered, and two being hybrids, this was still a very diverse group. Yet for the 2013 Fusion Hybrid it was a well-deserved win.
The previous hybrid iteration of Ford’s midsized family sedan was arguably the best-driving hybrid on the market, and this all-new 2013 car carries the mantle forward. The best thing you can say about this new Fusion Hybrid, other than that it is an exceptionally good looking car, is that you’d be hard pressed to know it was a hybrid from behind the wheel. Okay, so it will hum silently away from a stop, but all the powertrain transitions are seamless and silent and the regenerative braking smooth. The $29,999 Fusion Hybrid (plus $1,595 freight pushing it over $30K) has a nice buttoned-down feel, but the ride doesn’t suffer and it has an exceptionally quiet cabin. If you get even close to the “official” 4.0 L/100 km combined, the polar bears will be high-fiving. The downer is you lose some trunk space to the battery pack.
The top-shelf Malibu LTZ ($34,040 MSRP; $36,115 as tested) impressed with its roomy cabin, massive trunk and surprisingly smooth and strong 2.0L turbo four that kicks out 259 hp and 260 lb-ft from 1,700–5,500 rpm. The steering felt reasonably direct and the six-speed auto was seamless. Again, very smooth and quiet on the road.
Mercedes-Benz has redone the B-Class. It looks a whole lot slicker, yet retains the tall body and utility of the outgoing model. The interior gets the big round vents first seen in the SLS supercar and the dash looks more contemporary, although the overall sense of quality isn’t up there with more expensive Mercedes vehicles. With a base price of $29,900, the B 250 is your entry point into the world of M-B. Along with a seven-speed auto, all Bs get a new direct-injection 208-hp 2.0L four—there is no longer a naturally aspirated base engine.
If there was a car here universally loathed by the assembled pencil pushers, it was the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid at $35,700. To be fair, the regular Prius is very good at what it does, although as a driving device it is surely one of the most joyless contraptions money can buy. Steering feel, handling, ride quality, and cabin quietness can be charitably categorized as “alleged”. The problem with the Plug-in version is that you’re paying almost 10 grand more for the privilege of driving maybe 20 km on electric power alone before it operates like a regular Prius. Insult to injury, I say.
BEST NEW SUV/CUV (Under $35K), by Mike Schlee
This was another hotly contested group. The top three crossovers were separated by only three points and the top five by only twelve points. The recently introduced Subaru XV Crosstrek, for the price, was very attractive both to my sensibilities and my eye. It was voted the best looking of the bunch and was $1,000 cheaper than the CR-V while offering more options, like alloy wheels. The CR-V was bigger and more powerful than many in the group, but not as well composed on the road. Its drivetrain may not be as refined as some of the competitors, but it was the fastest from 0 to 100 km/h, although all six of these crossovers were within one second of each other to 100 km/h.
The Mazda CX-5, here in loaded up GT trim, is like a larger, more expensive, nicer XV Crosstrek… or maybe the XV Crosstrek is a smaller, cheaper, less optioned CX-5 GT? Either way, proof is in the numbers; their numbers for styling were nearly identical as were their numbers for vehicle dynamics; both class leaders.
The ultimate winner of this group ended up being the Ford Escape 1.6 Ecoboost. It’s in the sweet spot of the Escape line-up. Priced in the low $30s, it does not give up much to the low $40s Titanium edition found in the more expensive CUV/SUV Over $35K category. The power difference from the 2.0L EcoBoost to the 1.6L EcoBoost is surprisingly closer on the butt dyno than expected, even if the CR-V is faster to 100 km/h. Options like the magical foot-waving trunk opener are missing, but the core goodies are all there. The Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, on the other hand, seems like a lot less CUV in this price range than the 2.0T Santa Fe Sport found one class higher. Whereas I do not see why anyone would get the most expensive Escape when the 1.6L EcoBoost is such a great package, I do see why someone would skip over the Santa Fe Sport 2.4 GLS when their 2.0T Limited is not that much more money, but a lot more vehicle.
BEST NEW SUV/CUV ($35K–$60K), by Mike Schlee
This group was the second largest after the Sports Cars Under $50K category. It featured three compact crossovers, two mid-size crossovers, and three luxury crossovers. The Ford Escape and GMC Terrain priced themselves out of competition for what you get at this level. The Nissan Pathfinder was nipping at the heels of the Infiniti JX, making the JX a bit redundant as both vehicles were similar in options and performance but separated by $20,000 in price. Unless you really prefer the JX styling or want the Infiniti badge, I don’t see the argument against the Pathfinder.
The Chevrolet Traverse has been updated surprisingly well, but did not find favour with the judges. The interior, although not great, is much improved and the linear, predictable drive was very nice. Although it can seat eight passengers, it is priced much higher than the Pathfinder and was the only front-wheel-drive vehicle in the group.
The Lexus RX 350 was the most refined, most comfortable, and most expensive. The engine is a real gem in this vehicle; best of the group and the Lexus RX 350 would actually oversteer off throttle on the handling course. But its steep price, controversial exterior styling, and limitations in cargo space and seating (five only) really hurt it in the end as it finished near the back of the back. The Acura RDX was the rocket ship and sports car of the group as it aced both the acceleration test and the handling course. By being a base model RDX, price was kept in check even if it was missing some of the more luxurious options found in other crossovers. Personally, this is the crossover I would take in the group.
But in the end, it was impossible to deny the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T’s combination of good looks, good performance, good quality, good content, and a great price and it easily walked away the winner.
