AJAC Test Fest Best for 2007
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At their late October gathering of over 100 Canadian automotive journalists, the AJAC (Automotive Journalists Association of Canada) worked tirelessly to thoroughly evaluate each and every new-for-2007 car and truck. Well, the tire smoke and brake dust have cleared, the votes have been counted, and unanimous winners have been anointed in each of the 13 categories. To see all of the winners and contenders in each category, keep reading after the jump.
Thanks for the tip Peter!
(See the complete list of winners as well as contenders after the jump!)
[Source: Auto North]
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The 2007 category winners are:
Best New Small Car under $18,000
Honda Fit LX
The Contenders: Hyundai Accent, Nissan Versa, Pontiac Wave and Toyota Yaris
Best New Small Car over $18,000
Volkswagen Rabbit 2.5
The Contenders: Dodge Caliber, Hyundai Elantra, Nissan Sentra, Suzuki SX-4
Best New Family Car $22,000 - $30,000
Toyota Camry LE
The Contenders: Chrysler Sebring, Kia Magentis, Nissan Altima 2.5L
Best New Family Car over $30,000
Toyota Camry Hybrid
The Contenders: Kia Amanti, Nissan Maxima, Saturn Aura, Volkswagen Passat Wagon
Best New Luxury Car under $50,000
Lexus ES 350
The Contenders: Infiniti G35X, Lincoln MKZ
Best New Prestige Car
Audi S8
The Contenders: Jaguar XK Convertible, Lexus LS 460L, Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Best New Sports/Performance Car under $50,000
MazdaSpeed3
The Contenders: Saturn Sky Redline, Volkswagen GTI 2.0T
Best New Sports/Performance Car over $50,000
BMW 3-Series Coupé
The Contenders: Audi RS4, Audi S6, BMW M Coupé, Lexus GS 450h, Shelby GT500
Best New Convertible
Volkswagen EOS 2.0T
The Contenders: Audi A4 Cabriolet 2.0T, Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder, Pontiac G6 Convertible
Best New Pick-up Truck
Chevrolet Avalanche
The Contenders: Cadillac Escalade EXT, Ford Sport Trac Limited 4X4
Best New SUV/CUV under $35,000
Toyota RAV4 – V6 Sport
The Contenders: Dodge Nitro, Ford Edge, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Sante Fe, Jeep Compass, Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Mazda CX-7, Saturn Vue Green Line
Best New SUV/CUV under $60,000
Acura RDX Technology Package
The Contenders: Chevrolet Tahoe, Chrysler Aspen, Lincoln MKX, Suzuki XL7
Best New SUV/CUV over $60,000
Mercedes-Benz GL Class
The Contenders: Acura MDX, Audi Q7, Cadillac Escalade, Ford Expedition, GMC Yukon, Lincoln Navigator
The overall Canadian Car of the Year, Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year, as well as the Canadian Truck of the Year will all be announced on February 14th, 2007, at the 2007 Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, Ontario.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joe 7:56AM (11/22/2006)
Looks pretty balanced to me... not many of their choices would I disagree with. (given the criteria that these are the best NEW...)
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Gardiner Westbound 8:15AM (11/22/2006)
COTY awards range from blatant merchandising to mutual self-promotion to just plain silly.
This one is hosted by the grandiosely self-titled Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), aka the Fraternal Order of Automotive Junketeers, and paid for by the manufacturers. Several years ago General Motors and others balked at paying thousands of dollars for a week-long party and booze-up and boycotted the proceedings. The journalists' reaction was predictable and continued until the manufacturers capitulated.
The prime failing of most is restricting the selection criteria to new or substantially changed cars which, coincidentally, also have the largest marketing budgets. That means many stellar cars including the Honda Accord aren’t even in the running this year.
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Hamud 8:33AM (11/22/2006)
Where's the Fusion, the Civic, Volvos, MazdaSpeed???
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Phil Bailey 8:37AM (11/22/2006)
Gardiner Westbound got it exactly right. These Canadians adopt this "hoilier-then-thou" stance towards other motoring journalists while they go through this ritualistic pretence. Even their own members disagree with the outcome and to pretend, as they did last year, that the Kia Rio5 is a better buy than a Mazda3 is ridiculous. The public is not well served by any COTY, but this one is particulaly bad.
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Mike from Scarborough 9:44AM (11/22/2006)
Mazda 3 beat the GTI,,ya right,,In the FAMILY CAR SECTION no 300 / charger? The Golf City at $14,900 CDN,got beat out by the fit...Humm.Another Bullshit car study if you ask me.Hey Gardener,I hope Miller Doesn't take the expressway down.
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Bedhead 9:51AM (11/22/2006)
Gardiner Westbound and Phil Bailey are right. Not to mention AJAC lost some credibility in changing their venue from Shannonville racetrack to an airfield in the Niagra region. For reading material, check out the (funny) column of a disgruntled editor from Belleville, the town nearest to the old venue:
http://www.intelligencer.ca/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=267194&catname=Chris%20Malette%20%92At%20Large%92&classif=Editorials
Am I right in saying that Canada is one of the only countries with an auto journalists club that stifles competition to established writers?
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ruggels 10:15AM (11/22/2006)
lmao i love shoddy little tests:
"Like the Jaguar in the Prestige class, the Saturn Sky Redline is a black sheep here. It was the only car without four doors"
It truly was the only car without four doors, unless, of course, you're not blind and can see the GTI they reviewed was, gasp, the two door model... but it doesn't count.. because of the hatch? ahhh ok.
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aaron 11:27AM (11/22/2006)
so is freight and delivery in our out?
If it is in:
the rav4 v6 with frieght and delivery is 35300 or thereabouts.. congrats on winning the best under 35k suv and seemingly being over 35k.
If it is out:
The caliber se starts at 15995 (17095 with delivery)
the caliber sxt starts at 17695.
It of course was in the over 18k segment, but appears to be under 18k.
Congrats on having your shit together folks.
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Ian 12:25PM (11/22/2006)
Mike from Scarborough:
The City Golf is not new. New under that name maybe but it is essentially last years golf.
I have one complaint and that has to do with the selection of the Lexus ES350. I have driven the 330 and it was rubbish - my father in law has driven the 350 and he thought it was very noisy and still rubbish to drive. Are the Infiniti and Lincoln really that bad?
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Bumbaclut 3:48PM (11/22/2006)
All you people are DUMB ASSES, all the cars in contention has to be launch this year!!! 07 MODELS!!!
Always criticize when you don't know what you're talking about especially the fagot from Scarborough, They are testing the Mazda(SPEED)3 not the normal 3 dumbass.
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neox 9:10PM (11/22/2006)
What?...Best New Sports/Performance Car over $50,000
"BMW 3-Series Coupé" no way!, second maybe.
It was first than the Audi RS4, they must be smoking something. (WTF?>".)
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wtf? 7:35PM (11/23/2006)
#2, why are you calling Canadian Car of the year, COTY??
Coty = canadian of the year???? what??
Shouldn't it be CCOTY??
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Eddie 10:09AM (11/28/2006)
the Civic, Volvos, MazdaSpeed???
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