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The Porsche Boxster has been named 2013 South African Car of the Year, the first Porsche to win since the competition began in the 1980's.
The SA competition has for the past few years been based on the European Coty points-based scoring system but is unique in that each finalist, 12 vehicles in 2012, is also put through a series of tests at the Gerotek Vehicle Testing Facility west of Pretoria.
FIRST PORSCHE TO WIN
The competition claims to reward automotive excellence and the winning vehicle must score highly in its own class, not against the other finalists.
A parallel Wheels24 Coty voting poll open to the public and eventually taking a total of 19 431 votes was won by the Ford Ranger.
Wheels24 reader ADRIAAN VAN WYK shares his thoughts...
"No, it's not yet April. Yet this is classic April Fool's material...
The fact that this car won this award, shows clearly that the Judges of the COTY have lost touch with what South Africans value in a car. There can be no denying that the Boxter is indeed a fantastic car. I however feel that it's pretty pointless to award this prize to a car in that category. How many average South Africans will ever own one?
If you do have the dosh to fork out for a car like that, I'm pretty sure you're not going to walk around saying "I bought myself the Porsche Boxter because it won the 2013 COTY!" Nope. You buy a car like that because you can and probably because you need a toy or are having a bit of a crisis...
If you're going to award a COTY prize, it should go to a vehicle that Average Joe can actually own. A vehicle that is practical, efficient, offers real every day usability, use for the family vacation, take you where you want to be safely in comfort and style, while still putting a smile on your dial.
Again, I'm certain that in its class, the Boxter offers all of those things. But so does a Ferarri, or a Rolls Royce... Granted, the Fezza and the Roller are in a stratosphere all of their own in terms of the cost of ownership, but compared to the other cars that made the finals, so is the Boxter (especially once the optional extra boxes are ticked to spec it to the same level as say, the Ranger or the Kia Rio!).
I think the Wheels24 readers have it spot on by saying the COTY award should have gone to the Ford Ranger. Here is a vehicle that managed to dethrone the King of Bakkies for many years in SA (The Toyota Hilux), a vehicle that has set new standards in it's class, is competitively priced and has changed the way we look at the good old "bakkie" and yet held true to the things we value in such a vehicle.
A real winner in the books of the majority of us!
So, a hearty congratulations to Porsche on winning this award. But please, whatever you do, don't put a "The 2013 Car of the Year!" sticker in the rear window? That would be like Cindy Crawford tattooing "Supermodel" on her forehead.
Pointless."
The SA competition has for the past few years been based on the European Coty points-based scoring system but is unique in that each finalist, 12 vehicles in 2012, is also put through a series of tests at the Gerotek Vehicle Testing Facility west of Pretoria.
FIRST PORSCHE TO WIN
The competition claims to reward automotive excellence and the winning vehicle must score highly in its own class, not against the other finalists.
A parallel Wheels24 Coty voting poll open to the public and eventually taking a total of 19 431 votes was won by the Ford Ranger.
Wheels24 reader ADRIAAN VAN WYK shares his thoughts...
"No, it's not yet April. Yet this is classic April Fool's material...
The fact that this car won this award, shows clearly that the Judges of the COTY have lost touch with what South Africans value in a car. There can be no denying that the Boxter is indeed a fantastic car. I however feel that it's pretty pointless to award this prize to a car in that category. How many average South Africans will ever own one?
If you do have the dosh to fork out for a car like that, I'm pretty sure you're not going to walk around saying "I bought myself the Porsche Boxter because it won the 2013 COTY!" Nope. You buy a car like that because you can and probably because you need a toy or are having a bit of a crisis...
If you're going to award a COTY prize, it should go to a vehicle that Average Joe can actually own. A vehicle that is practical, efficient, offers real every day usability, use for the family vacation, take you where you want to be safely in comfort and style, while still putting a smile on your dial.
Again, I'm certain that in its class, the Boxter offers all of those things. But so does a Ferarri, or a Rolls Royce... Granted, the Fezza and the Roller are in a stratosphere all of their own in terms of the cost of ownership, but compared to the other cars that made the finals, so is the Boxter (especially once the optional extra boxes are ticked to spec it to the same level as say, the Ranger or the Kia Rio!).
I think the Wheels24 readers have it spot on by saying the COTY award should have gone to the Ford Ranger. Here is a vehicle that managed to dethrone the King of Bakkies for many years in SA (The Toyota Hilux), a vehicle that has set new standards in it's class, is competitively priced and has changed the way we look at the good old "bakkie" and yet held true to the things we value in such a vehicle.
A real winner in the books of the majority of us!
So, a hearty congratulations to Porsche on winning this award. But please, whatever you do, don't put a "The 2013 Car of the Year!" sticker in the rear window? That would be like Cindy Crawford tattooing "Supermodel" on her forehead.
Pointless."