Mercedes A-Class SA's Car of the Year

MOTORING NEWS - The Mercedes-Benz A-Class is the 2019 AutoTrader South African Car of the Year and won the title by a healthy margin. The runners-up are the Porsche Cayenne and Volvo XC40. The award was presented at a function at Shepstone Gardens in Johannesburg on Thursday 4 April.

Mercedes-Benz last won the South African Car of the Year in 1987 with the Mercedes-Benz 260E. Porsche was the winner in 2018 with the Panamera, while Volvo's XC90 wore the crown in 2016.

The jury members were full of praise for the A-Class during the test days. "The judges were particularly impressed with its interior comfort, stunning design, innovative technology, terrific road manners and exemplary safety features. Furthermore, the advanced engine offers the optimal blend of efficiency, performance and driving fun," says Rubin van Niekerk, chairman of the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists (SAGMJ).

The Porsche Cayenne which placed second, also scored highly during the evaluation days. "The jury were particularly intrigued by the fact that this is a sports utility vehicle (SUV) which is as impressive to drive as most sports cars. Furthermore, they commented on the fact that the vehicle is well engineered while the driveline is simply faultless," Van Niekerk explains.

The vehicle that came third – the Volvo XC40 – also attracted widespread praise from the judges. This vehicle has notched up award after award – most notably Women's World Car of the Year and European Car of the Year. The jury members were unanimous in their praise for Volvo's smallest SUV. Judges particularily liked its minimalistic dashboard design and they commented favourably on the build quality, which is the best in the business. Naturally, being a Volvo, the safety features are exemplary too.

In a first for the South African Car of the Year, winning categories were introduced.