The Cars.co.za Consumer Awards (#CarsAwards) powered by WesBank recognise the best cars available in the South African new vehicle market using a unique, multi-faceted judging process. We recently put the finalists in each of the respective categories through their paces at the Gerotek Testing Facility, north of Johannesburg.
What are the #CarsAwards?
Read about how the Cars Awards works here
There is much more to this awards programme than handing out trophies – the goal ultimately is to identify the best buys within each of their respective categories, and thereby assisting the consumer in making informed choices. Whether you end up buying one of the winners, or one of the semi-finalists, you – the consumer – should rest assured you are buying a very good car… based not only on the findings of our panel of experts, but public feedback. But how does it work? With around 2 000 derivatives available in the South African market, the process of finding the right car can be a daunting one.
Our test jury comprised both the in-house team of journalists from Cars.co.za and an external jury featuring candidates that are knowledgeable about cars but not necessarily active in the automotive space (to ensure that alternative viewpoints to the "petrolheaded" test team's opinions were incorporated).
Read more about the Cars Awards jury here
Where can you test vehicles safely?
The Gerotek Testing Facilities complex is an imposing place. Carved into the side of the mountain, the layout features multiple grades of road, skidpans and discrete circuits where vehicles can be comprehensively evaluated. Gerotek was formerly a military facility where tanks and assorted military vehicles were developed in South Africa's isolation era. It's an incredible place and while the military activity has largely ceased, car manufacturers often conduct hot-weather and altitude testing with their forthcoming products. During our two days at Gerotek, we spotted some irregular vehicles driving around the complex, but, for obvious reasons, we couldn't take photos of them…
The facilities' helpful and experienced staff set up a comprehensive test route on which the vehicles could be put through their paces, but also offered the consistency and safety to ensure fairness across the board. Each one of the 13 judges was required to test the finalists that were available during the two days of testing (with the exception of the First Class category) on the predetermined course before scoring the respective vehicles in the categories to which they were assigned. In between their driving stints, the judges did exhaustive static evaluations of the cars' packaging, build quality and interior features
The test route comprised:
- Skidpan/gymkhana
- 400m straight with braking zone
- Slalom course
- Emergency lane change test
- Dynamic handling track
- A variety of road surfaces to drive on, such as "Belgian" cobblestones
- Ride and handling track up a mountain
- 4×4 course (for appropriate 4×4 vehicles)
- Sand pit (for appropriate 4×4 vehicles)
The route provided a thorough test of the machinery and demanded sustained concentration from the judges (we were thoroughly briefed beforehand). Despite the heat and the challenging test regimen, none of the vehicles suffered major mechanical issues – a testament to how good these finalists are.
The logistics
Losing 39 keys was a real risk. Some are missing from this photo… we found them eventually.
The challenge of delivering 39 cars from respective manufacturers' fleets to Gerotek on a specific date was no simple task. A big thank you to the fleet managers who worked behind the scenes to juggle media bookings and to the respective drivers for bringing clean, fuelled vehicles to Gerotek on time. Some vehicles were sourced from various dealerships and head offices, which would have been impossible had it not been for the willing JHB Cars.co.za team who volunteered for driving duty. That said, who would turn down a chance to drive a #CarsAwards finalist as opposed to spending a day in the office?
There was one thing we forgot…
Hats and summer attire – perfect for the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards powered by WesBank testing days.
The weather, obviously. While it was something we had no control over, none of us could predict the intense heatwave that gripped the Gauteng region during the 2-day test period. By 9 am on the first day, most cars were registering mid-20C readouts and by 11 am, the mercury had risen above 30C and kept climbing. In fact, during the lunch break, various cars displayed temperatures of 40C or more. The vehicles seemed to cope well with the heat (a few judges remarked that some of the sportier cars felt "a little lazy", their engine management units ostensibly curtailing performance to avoid overheating).
The second day marked a vast improvement with reduced temperatures, but then there was a threat of rain. Admittedly it was desperately needed as the country is in the middle of a drought… In the event, the judges completed their scoring shortly before dusk and handed in their #CarsAwards score books.
It may have been two long and hot days, but all of the team were still smiling after it all. With the scoring tallied up and verified by our auditor from KPMG and 50% of the final result depending on the findings from the ongoing Cars.co.za Owner Satisfaction Survey (developed in association with leading automotive data specialists, Lightstone Consumer), the 14 winners of #CarsAwards (including Brand of the Year) will be announced in January 2017.
Further Reading
Read more about the Cars Awards jury here
Read about how the Cars Awards works here
View all the Cars Awards finalists
Have your say in the Cars.co.za Owner Satisfaction Survey
