AJAC's 2017 Canadian Car of the Year Awards

TOP THREE FINALISTS IN EIGHT "BEST NEW" CATEGORIES ANNOUNCED FOR 2017

Data driven by Canadian expertise.  That's what makes a winner for Canadian consumers.

TORONTO, Nov. 10, 2016 /CNW/ - The top three finalists in eight "Best New" categories have been announced for the 2017 Canadian Car of the Year Awards (CCOTY). The annual awards are determined by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), with results tabulated by KPMG.

The overall category winners from the finalists will be announced in early December in Toronto, Ontario. These winners will then compete for the top honour of 2017 Canadian Car of the Year, Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year, Canadian Green Car of the Year, and Canadian Green Utility Vehicle of the Year.

The results represent voting by the largest group of Canada's best-known automotive journalists, who gathered this October at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) in Clarington, Ontario for four days of intensive testing of all-new or significantly updated vehicles for 2017. The event was hosted by CTMP, with Michelin /BF Goodrich Canada providing lunches, registration and Media Centre partnership.  AJAC also welcomed the Steel Market Development Institute as a lunch partner and Canadian Black Book provided our Key Station refreshments.

The program capitalizes on the experience of some 90 member journalists, who drive all category entries on a series of drive routes, including public roads, a performance course, a handling course, and an off-road course, covering a range of conditions that consumers are also likely to experience.

Dozens of factors are scored, and everything from noise levels and cargo space, to fuel economy and acceleration figures are considered and weighted. Vehicles are categorized by their type and price, and all entries in each category are driven back-to-back, on the same day and in the same conditions.

"The benefits are twofold," says Justin Pritchard, CCOTY co-chair. "First, back-to-back testing brings out even subtle differences between competitors, which are reflected in the scoring results. And second, all of our results are quantified. When a vehicle wins or loses in the program, the public can see precisely why, since all of our testing and voting data is published online at www.ajac.ca. This isn't a popularity contest. When we declare a winner, we've got hundreds of thousands of data points, collected during thousands of man-hours of controlled test-drives, to back it up."

This year, 1,384 test drives occurred at TestFest generating over 100,000 objective and subjective data points throughout the week for the calculation of the Canadian Car of the Year Winners.

TOP THREE FINALISTS
2017 CANADIAN CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Best New Small Car :
-  Chevrolet Cruze
-  Hyundai Elantra
-  Subaru Impreza

Best New Large Car :
-  Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid
-  Kia Optima HEV
-  Volkswagen Golf (Alltrack)

Best New Large Premium Car:
-  Buick LaCrosse
-  Mercedes-Benz E-Class (E 300 4MATIC)
-  S90 Volvo

Best New Sports – Performance Car:
-  Fiat 124 Spider
-  Ford Focus RS
-  Hyundai Elantra (Sport)

Best New Premium Sports – Performance Car:
-  BMW M2
-  Mercedes-AMG C-Class Coupe (AMG C 63 S)
-  Porsche 911 (Carrera 4S)

Best New Small Utility Vehicle:
-  Ford Escape
-  Kia Sportage
-  Subaru Forester

Best New Large Utility Vehicle:
-  Chrysler Pacifica
-  GMC Acadia
-  Mazda CX-9

Best New Premium Utility Vehicle:
-  Buick Envision
-  Cadillac XT5
-  Mercedes-Benz GLC (GLC 300 4MATIC)

PRESS ROOM FOR MEDIA:
All media have access to AJAC's virtual online press room where the following can be downloaded:
VIDEO: B-roll of the four-day event, as well as 90-second videos ideal for YouTube
AERIAL VIEW: Drone footage of the event
FACT SHEET: Including recent press releases
Link is:  http://ajac.ca/web/ccoty/pressroom.asp

SOURCE Automobile Journalists Association of Canada

For further information: For further information about the AJAC CCOTY Awards, please visit the AJAC web site: ajac.ca. Or contact: Justin Pritchard Co-Chair ([e-mail]), Gary Grant Co-Chair ([e-mail]), Brian Early Director ([e-mail]), Haney Louka Director ([e-mail]), David Taylor Director ([e-mail]) or Charles Jolicoeur Director ([e-mail])