2010 WHEELS Car of the Year Australia

[Mr. Mercedes]

Surprisingly I haven't seen a thread about this.

The gong was given to the VW Polo for being a superbly complete small car. Quite a well deserved victory.

I was expecting the 5-series to win given the great reviews from the magazines and favourable comparisons to the E-class, even in Wheels itself. However, as is often the case the fact that testing for car of the year goes well beyond what a normal road test would cover, the 5 started to fall short. They were particularly hard on the handling/ride compromise of the vehicle, and as is often the case, what works over in Europe doesn't work so well here. The active suspension, which has been key to the 5 taking honours in so many comparisons, is priced at a ridiculous $7000, and the standard set up was found to be wanting in terms of ride refinement and body control.

It was an extremely interesting read given the praise that has been lavished on the 5 since it's release.

I think I'm gonna dig up last years car of the year review of the E-class and scan both reviews in.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

I've scanned a few pages from last years COTY and this years COTY which I think would be interesting to the guys here.

Where can I host a PDF document for viewing?

It's got from last year:
BMW 7 series - kicked out in stage 1
Audi Q5 - kicked out in stage 1
MB E-class - Stage 3 and runner up to the winner the VW Golf

From this year:
Audi A1 - kicked out stage 1
Audi A5 sportsback - kicked out stage 1
BMW 5 Series - kicked out stage 2.
VW Polo - The winner!

 

[Deleted member 1071]

The German BIG 3 premium manufacturers' have really been on a roll lately with stunning new entries. Mercedes-Benz CLS, BMW 6 series, Audi A6 and A7. All highly desirable cars. And all targeted at an affluent demographic.

But the Polo is indeed a good "real world" choice. Affordable for most, excellent packaging, impressive assembly and detail quality, economical and rather pleasant looking. In fact, it may be considered a good (and less expensive) alternative to the VW Golf.

 

[Monster]

Thanks Mr.Mercedes, I have dropped the ball on this one, should have posted it earlier. I am not as fond of Wheels magazine as before, they are still a good read with some very interesting articles, but I have noticed a decline in the quality of the reviews(their M3 vs C63 vs RS5 review is full of bogan garbage talk) and the new layout of the magazine is a bit messy.

It wasn't a surprise that Polo won this year because the Golf won it last year. Both cars offer the same combination of quality, safety, economy, practicality, technology and affordability, thus they excel in all the criterias Wheels use to judge the cars.

 

[klier]

^ It's a great little car. I have a new Polo Bluemotion in the family, and quite like it, the looks too.

 

[Human]

^
Oh yes! And the interior (materials, fit & finish + layout etc.) is BEST-IN-CLASS

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Thanks Mr.Mercedes, I have dropped the ball on this one, should have posted it earlier. I am not as fond of Wheels magazine as before, they are still a good read with some very interesting articles, but I have noticed a decline in the quality of the reviews(their M3 vs C63 vs RS5 review is full of bogan garbage talk) and the new layout of the magazine is a bit messy.

It wasn't a surprise that Polo won this year because the Golf won it last year. Both cars offer the same combination of quality, safety, economy, practicality, technology and affordability, thus they excel in all the criterias Wheels use to judge the cars.

You're right monster. The quality of the journalism has deteriorated and I find myself enjoying the magazine less and less.

I still think however they are the most objective measurment of how a car performs on Australian roads, and they do a good job of testing real world performance and the overall quality of vehicle when they do COTY testing. They uncover what often doesnt show up in a brief comparison or road test.

Heres the PDF's:
http://freepdfhosting.com/abf9934ae4.pdf
http://freepdfhosting.com/f671f53e52.pdf
http://freepdfhosting.com/7e130b438b.pdf
http://freepdfhosting.com/ac0ff48b15.pdf
http://freepdfhosting.com/cf4697ff55.pdf

 

[K-A]

Interesting. Nice to see the favorable review on the E-Class last year, although Mag Reviews have lost most respect from in general anyways.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Interesting. Nice to see the favorable review on the E-Class last year, although Mag Reviews have lost most respect from in general anyways.

Yeah KA, though it's not apparent in the short summary of the E, when you read through the entire testing process they were very impressed by the way the E drove on both the standard suspension and the airmatic. They felt it offered the blend of ride and handling befitting a car of its price.

Whats interesting, and the article even makes mention of this, is that the 5 beat the E in a comparison test in the magazine just a a month or two earlier. However the car of the year testing procedures have obviously brought things to surface that weren't apparent in that test.

 

[Zafiro]

So the point with this thread is to try convincing us that E-class is a more comfortable car than a 5-series?

I've driven them both and my personal experience is that both cars are pretty much equal in terms of comfort. So whatever Wheels think, I dont share their opinion.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

So the point with this thread is to try convincing us that E-class is a more comfortable car than a 5-series?

I've driven them both and my personal experience is that both cars are pretty much equal in terms of comfort. So whatever Wheels think, I dont share their opinion.

The point of this thread was to make the point that BMW engineers are not GODS of chassis engineering that have somehow managed to engineer a car that is not only far superior to the E in terms of handling, but also ride comfort. That's all.

Oh yah and it was a cunning marketing ploy to fit out all the test cars with a suspension option that is absurdly priced in many markets rather than the standard set up which appears to be less than brilliant. That's all.

Sorry just me, jokes aside, I'm not trying to start an argument, I'm just trying to bring some prespective to the board. After months of being told that the 5 absolutely trounces rivals in all aspects, heres a review that is less than happy with the set up after extensive testing. I'm not saying it's the be all and end all to the debate, but at least it brings some prespective to those who have been blowing the 5's trumpet and claiming the E is anything less than great car. They're both good.

To be honest, after the glowing reviews of the 5 from Europe, and the favourable comparison against the E in Wheels itself, I expected the 5 to walk home as Car of the Year. After all it does appear to be an incredbily accomplished and well rounded package. It was quite an eye opener to read the article and their take on it.

 

[Sunny]

The point of this thread was to make the point that BMW engineers are not GODS of chassis engineering that have somehow managed to engineer a car that is not only far superior to the E in terms of handling, but also ride comfort. That's all.

By that definition, the engineers at M must be "gods of chassis engineering" for making M3 both handle better and have better ride than C63.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

By that definition, the engineers at M must be "gods of chassis engineering" for making M3 both handle better and have better ride than C63.

Lol. Good call Sunny. The M3 does seem to be brilliantly resolved. But then again there is a reason it doesn't have runflats like the regular BMW range. There have been reviews that have favoured the C63's handling, but the M3 alwasy trumps it for ride comfort.

 

[Top Secret]

Wheels have always been critical of the ride quality and suspension of recent BMW's though, haven't they?

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

They have been critical of BMW's ride quality since the adoption of runflats. They love the way the M3 rides however, as it's true to BMW's of old.

It seemed that with this new generation of vehicles and with the latest generation of runflats BMW had resolved the ride quality issues.

 

[Zafiro]

They have been critical of BMW's ride quality since the adoption of runflats. They love the way the M3 rides however, as it's true to BMW's of old.

It seemed that with this new generation of vehicles and with the latest generation of runflats BMW had resolved the ride quality issues.

They have. No other carmag has complained on ride quality besides Wheels. Does that mean others are wrong and Wheels are right. Noway, Wheels doesnt speak for others and doesnt set the facts. To me it sounds that you believe in Wheels and not what others had said.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

They have. No other carmag has complained on ride quality besides Wheels. Does that mean others are wrong and Wheels are right. Noway, Wheels doesnt speak for others and doesnt set the facts. To me it sounds that you believe in Wheels and not what others had said.

It sounds like I believe what is said about a cars suspension set up when tested on roads that are less than perfect. Roads like what the majority of the world drives on, rather than the super smooth roads in European countries. Open Car magazine from the UK, where the roads aren't as good as continental Europe, and they say the 5GT's ride is fidgety, despite the praise is garnered in other magazine. Wheels says the same thing.

 

[Zafiro]

It sounds like I believe what is said about a cars suspension set up when tested on roads that are less than perfect. Roads like what the majority of the world drives on, rather than the super smooth roads in European countries. Open Car magazine from the UK, where the roads aren't as good as continental Europe, and they say the 5GT's ride is fidgety, despite the praise is garnered in other magazine. Wheels says the same thing.

.
UK magazines also says the new v5/7 ride well, dont they? Or am i wrong? Look at autocar and autoexpress


EDIT: New X3 seem to do well. From autocar:
"One of the biggest criticisms of the first-generation X3 was its overly hard ride, and BMW has given the new car a far more compliant set-up. Despite riding on upgraded 18in wheels and optional run-flat winter tyres (Pirelli Sottozeros, an £1800 option), our X3 rode out rougher British road surfaces with almost effortless disdain."

740d M-package
"We drove the 740d in M Sport specification, with optional 20-inch alloy wheels, and yet it rode extremely quietly, and surprisingly comfortably with its adaptive dampers, active anti-roll bars and myriad other tailored driving systems set to Comfort."

Autoexpress:530d
"Not only does it handle with the poise and balance we’ve come to expect from the firm, but it also provides superior comfort and refinement. On twisty roads, its front tyres generate huge amounts of grip, and if you get caught out by a tightening bend, or surprised by an unexpected bump, it maintains its composure with superb body control. Then, when you hit the motorway, the supple suspension provides the kind of soothing ride comfort the Jaguar can’t match."

7-series and X3 seem to do better than new 5-series on british roads then. We have UK members like Footie and Betty who driven the new 5-series, perhaps they can tell us their own experience.

BTW European roads are far from perfect. They have bumps, potholes and uneven roads too.