Car of the Year: Australia’s best new cars revealed
We tested the best new cars on sale for the 2019 Car of the Year test. Now seven top picks will represent their category in a fight for the overall prize.
New cars
Don't miss out on the headlines from New cars. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Seven cars made the cut as category winners for News Corp Australia’s Car of the Year finale.
Choosing the best new car in a given year is not an easy process.
In previous years, the motoring team picked 10 finalists to face close scrutiny from a team of experienced judges.
This year, a new structure better reflects the preferences of Australian motorists.
Finalists need to have arrived in the past 12 months to be eligible — bestsellers such as the Toyota HiLux aren’t new enough to get a guernsey.
There are no narrow-funnelled classes for luxury or electric cars — they have to beat the competition from a broader range of rivals to be declared a winner. We divided the best new cars into seven categories: small, family and performance cars, plus small, medium and large SUVs, and utes.
Each category was the subject of a three-car comparison test to determine which models should be finalists in our overall Car of the Year awards, with the champion revealed on Friday, December 6.
These are the best new cars in each category:
Small Car: Mazda3 G20 Pure
The Mazda3 has a long history of success in Australia. The latest model represents a brave step from the brand, with a sleek approach to styling, a cabin to rival prestige brands and a price structure off-limits to budget buyers.
Loaded with safety gear and impressive to drive, the Mazda3 saw off competition from the outgoing Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus ST-Line in April, before knocking off the cheaper Ford Focus Trend and Audi A1 in November.
Family Car: BMW 330i
BMW returned to its brilliant best with the new-generation 3 Series. Within five minutes of getting behind the wheel at its Australian launch in April, we knew the car was something special. Since then, several members of our test team have racked up hundreds of kilometres in a car which could represent a high point for the German brand before hybrids and electric models take hold.
As veteran road tester Bill McKinnon put it, “the Ultimate Driving Machine is back”.
“If I didn’t drive other people’s cars for a living, I could be very happy with one of these. Car of the Year material.”
The BMW beat the best-selling Mercedes-Benz C-Class and new Genesis G70 in its first comparison test, before taking on serious competition in the Tesla Model 3 and Volvo S60.
It was a close call between the BMW and Tesla — the American car’s performance, tech and driver appeal are hard to beat. But quality and usability niggles let it down, giving the 3 Series a chance to win the overall prize.
Performance Car: Toyota Supra GTS
Hyundai’s i30 N beat the odds to take an overall COTY victory in 2018, joining the Holden Monaro and Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ in an exclusive club of affordable performance cars to have claimed the crown.
With no affordable performance car debuts this year, our attention turned to three of Europe’s finest: the new Porsche 911 Carrera S, Mercedes-AMG A35 and Toyota Supra.
Built in a joint agreement with BMW, the Euro-sourced Supra represents the return of a storied badge while underscoring Toyota’s commitment to building driver-focused cars.
Toby Hagon told readers the Supra “radiates sports car specialness”. The new Supra is fast, fun to drive, and represents reasonably impressive value — especially compared to Porsche’s new coupe, which costs the best part of $300,000 on the road.
Small SUV: Kia Seltos Sport+
Kia waited a long time to enter the baby SUV segment. Customers should be grateful, because the new Kia Seltos is a cracker.
We compared the Seltos with Audi’s Q3 and the new Hyundai Venue, finding that the Kia combines “a taste of premium tech, performance and refinement for budget-minded buyers”.
The Kia Seltos is an impressive machine, one that deserves a shot at the 2019 title.
Medium SUV: Toyota RAV4 GXL Hybrid
Toyota’s RAV4 Hybrid ticks a lot of boxes for modern families. It’s spacious, well-priced and packed with safety kit. Importantly, in an increasingly environmentally conscious age, it’s also a green champion with impressive fuel economy.
The RAV4 beat seriously tough competition to represent the class, edging out the Mazda CX-5 and Honda CR-V in a comparison test back in May, before more recently beating the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Citroen C5 Aircross to win its category.
Large SUV: Volkswagen Touareg Launch Edition
Volkswagen isn’t a luxury brand but its new Touareg doesn’t hesitate to tread on the manicured toes of prestige rivals.
The new Touareg is a brilliant machine with a hi-tech interior, magnificent diesel engine and impressive road manners that won over motoring editor Richard Blackburn in a showdown with the BMW X7 and Lexus RX.
“The VW may induce sticker shock but it has the tech and the power to mix it with the top end of town,” he said.
Ute: Mitsubishi Triton GLS Premium
Mitsubishi’s Triton ute doesn’t play the numbers game. It’s not the most powerful, largest or best-selling ute. It doesn’t tow as much as some others and won’t win many drag races.
But it is a complete package, able to get the job done with a minimum of fuss for a price that undercuts most rivals.
Factor in impressive standard safety kit such as autonomous emergency braking, and you can see why it beat the SsangYong Musso and Mercedes-Benz X-Class to become our category champion.
Find out which model takes the overall News Corp Australia car of the year title on Friday, December 6.
Previous winners:
2018 Hyundai i30 N
2017 Skoda Kodiaq
2016 Volkswagen Tiguan
2015 Kia Sorento
2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
2013 Volkswagen Golf
2012 Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86
2011 Kia Rio
2010 Volkswagen Polo
2009 Volkswagen Golf
2008 Ford Falcon
2007 Hyundai i30
2006 Holden Calais
2005 Suzuki Swift
2004 Ford Territory
2003 Honda Accord Euro
2002 Ford Falcon
2001 Holden Monaro
2000 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
1999 Toyota Echo
1998 Holden Astra
1997 Holden Commodore
Originally published as Car of the Year: Australia’s best new cars revealed