Hyundai Elantra 1.8 GLS wins SA Car of the Year Award

Tweet It’s official, the Hyundai  Elantra 1.8 GLS has trumped its competitors and won the South African Car of the Year Award announced by the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists at Gallagher Estate in Midrand, Johannesburg late last night.

It may not come as a big surprise considering that the Hyundai Elantra won the North American Car of the Year as well as the Canadian Car of the Year. It is in fact the first time that a Korean car brand has won the South African Car of the Year Award, and with the Kia Picanto in second place, the proof is in the pudding that Korean car manufacturers are enjoying success in the South African car market.

The Hyundai Elantra 1.8 GLS looks modern and stylish from the outside and is spacious and beaming with confidence on the inside. Although the engine has been downgraded from a 2.0 to a 1.8, the Elantra still performs above board with either a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox.

More than this, the Elantra 1.8 GLS is packed with luxury features making it a superb choice of vehicle in the mid-size sedan class. Luxury features include power windows, locks and mirrors, keyless entry, air conditioning, cruise control and telescopic steering. The navigation system has a large LCD touch screen and comes with voice recognition for phone, audio and destinations, including real-time traffic and weather. Bluetooth and audio streaming come standard and a rearview camera accompanies the navigation system. The Elantra 1.8 GLS also rates highly for affordability, quality, safety, performance and fuel economy.

Sounds like a winner to me. Here are the final results of the 2012 South African Car of the Year Award. 

 Final results:

1. Hyundai Elantra 1.8 GLS: 230 Points
2. Kia Picanto 1.2 Ex: 155 Points
3. Volkswagen Jetta 1.4 TSI 118kW Highline: 141 Points
4. Suzuki Kizashi 2.4i SDLX 6MT: 49 Points
5. Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.4 125kW MultiAir Distinctive: 48 Points
6. Audi A6 3.0 TDI quattro S tronic: 30 Points
7. Ford Focus 2.0 TDCi Trend PowerShift Sedan: 27 Points
8. Citroën DS4 1.6 THP 200 Sport: 22 Points
9. Peugeot 5008 Active 2.0 HDi: 20 Points
10. Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 BlueEFFICIENCY: 3 Points

Mercedes Benz SLK 350 BlueEFFICIENCY for South African Car of the Year

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It’s anyone’s guess as to what car will drive into the power seat as South Africa’s Car of the Year to be announced on 14 March 2012. It’s a tough battle, with 10 cars in the running for the coveted crown.

The competition, sponsored by Wesbank, is considered to be unique in that the winner is decided after three rounds of voting by the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists with the final round already having taken place over two days at the Gerotek test facility near Pretoria in February.

In deciding on a winner, the jury will be paying close attention to the cars’ aesthetics, build quality, and ergonomics. Other factors to be noted will be cost, safety features, spare parts prices and fuel consumption.

The 10 finalists for the South African Car of the Year Award are:

  

Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.4 125kW MultiAir Distinctive

Audi A6 3.0 T TDI Quattro S tronic

Citroen DS4 THP 200 Sport

Ford Focus 2.0 TDCI Trend Sedan Powershift

Hyundai Elantra 1.8 GLS

Kia Picanto 1.2 EX

Mercedes Benz SLK 350 BlueEFFICIENCY

Peugeot 5008 2.0 HDi Active Man

Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 SDLX Man

VW Jetta 1.4 TSI 118kW Highline

The Mercedes Benz SLK range has always been an aesthetically pleasing car, but in terms of winning the Car of the Year award, the SLK 350 BlueEFFICIENCY might fall short in terms pricing. Nonetheless, the SLK 350 looks like a great car to drive and it may very well be a top contender for the South African Car of the Year, we just have to wait and see.

             

What car do you think will win the South African Car of the Year Award?