Who made the list for the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards?

To reduce the selection of vehicles per category from five to three, the same team ranked the contenders against predetermined pillars of success in each category. No fewer than 18 brands are represented in the list of finalists and 27 of the final 39 vehicles are produced by German and Japanese marques. The BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen lead the nominations with five derivatives apiece, while Toyota South Africa Motors and Jaguar Land Rover SA have four each.

The judges

WesBank, which finances the majority of private vehicle purchases in South Africa, was confirmed as the headline sponsor of the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards in September. The next phase of the programme will take place in November when a combined panel (the Cars.co.za editors and seven guest judges) will evaluate the finalists back-to-back during a two-day test at Gerotek.

The Cars.co.za judges include: Ashley Oldfield (Road Test/Technical Editor), Ciro de Siena (Manager - Cars.co.za Video), David Taylor (Senior Journalist), Francisco Nwamba (Contributor), Gero Lilleike (Journalist), Hannes Oosthuizen (Consumer Experience Manager), and Mike Fourie (Content Manager).

Guest judges include: Branko Brkic (Founder and Editor - The Daily Maverick), Eddie Kalili (Group Motoring Editor - Destiny, Destiny Man and Sawubona), Juliet McGuire (Editor - Women on Wheels), Khutso Theledi (journalist/presenter/DJ), Kojo Baffoe (journalist/writer/media strategist), Nafisa Akabor (tech journalist and Cars.co.za contributor), and Wendy Knowler (consumer journalist - The Times).

Ownership Satisfaction Survey

However, the findings of the 14 judges will only count for half of the finalists' total scores - the remaining 50% will be based on rankings that the respective vehicles' brands achieved in the Cars.co.za Ownership Satisfaction Survey, in partnership with leading data specialists Lightstone Consumer. The data incorporates feedback from thousands of vehicle owners, based on their experiences of their vehicles (less than five years old and serviced through franchised outlets).

"We are confident that we have very strong candidates in each category, though they're not always strong for the same reasons. It will be fascinating to see how the judges - our own and the external panel - vote, and what impact the Cars.co.za Ownership Satisfaction Survey's data will have," says Cars.co.za consumer experience manager Hannes Oosthuizen.

"The scene is set for a very interesting final test routine and judging," he adds. "We urge all South African car owners to complete the survey. We want real, credible input and the only way to do that is for the public to give us their views on the cars they know best - the ones they own."

Members of the public can follow developments of the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards (such as the respective phases of the judging process) on Cars.co.za's channels. Related content will feature the #CarsAwards hashtag. More information on the Cars.co.za Ownership Satisfaction Survey, as well as the programme, including its categories, judges, and finalists, is available on here.

The finalists are (in no particular order):

Budget car (less than R160 000)

• Suzuki Celerio 1.0 GL
• Renault Sandero Expression
• Toyota Aygo X-Play

Compact hatchback (between R160 000 and R250 000)

• Honda Jazz 1.2 Comfort
• Opel Corsa 1.0T Enjoy
• Volkswagen Polo 1.2 TSI Comfortline

Compact family car (between R250 000 and R350 000)

• Nissan Qashqai 1.2 Visia
• Renault Captur dCi 90 Dynamique
• Suzuki Vitara 1.6 GL+

Family car (between R350 000 and R500 000)

• Hyundai Tucson 2.0 NU Elite Auto
• Nissan X-Trail 2.5 SE CVT AWD
• Volkswagen Tiguan 1.4 TSI Comfortline DSG

Performance car (between R600 000 and R1 000 000)

• BMW M2 M-DCT
• Mercedes-AMG A45 4Motion
• Ford Focus RS

Premium hatchback (between R350 000 and R500 000)

• BMW 120i M Sport sports-auto
• VW Golf GTI DSG
• Mercedes-Benz A220d Style

Fun car (less than R600 000)

• Mazda MX-5
• Mini JCW auto
• VW Golf GTI Clubsport

Lifestyle SUV (between R500 000 and R750 000)

• Ford Everest 3.2 LTD
• Toyota Fortuner 2.8 GD-6 4x4 Auto
• Land Rover Discovery Sport TD4 SE

Executive sedan (between R750 000 and R1 000 000)

• Jaguar XF 25t Portfolio
• Lexus GS350 F-Sport
• Mercedes-Benz E220d Avantgarde

First class (more than R1 000 000)

• Mercedes-Benz S500e LWB
• BMW 750Li Design Pure Excellence
• Range Rover SDV8 Autobiography LWB

Leisure double cab (more than R450 000)

• Ford Ranger 3.2 Wildtrak 4x4 Auto
• Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD-6 4x4 Raider Auto
• VW Amarok 2.0 BiTDI 4Motion Highline Auto

Business class (between R500 000 and R750 000)

• Audi A4 2.0T FSI Sport S-tronic
• BMW 330d M Sport sports-auto
• Mercedes-Benz C250 AMG Line

Premium SUV (between R750 000 and R1 200 000)

• Audi Q7 3.0 TDI Quattro
• Jaguar F-PACE 30d R-Sport
• Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine Inscription