2005 Canadian Car of the Year – NOT!

By John LeBlanc

December 10, 2004 - Last December when I was writing our annual "car of the year" column, I noted for car zealots that it’s just getting better and better. With the car manufacturers now thoroughly behind performance cars of any ilk, rear-wheel drive making a comeback, SUVs on the wane, and cheap financing not going away anytime soon, my expectations for what was coming down the pipe for 2005 were fairly high.

This is now our fourth crack at doing the "best" cars of the year thang. And despite some questionable category assignments, we use the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada’s selections to start with, and then give you the car zealot’s choice. Despite categories for "Best New Crossover" or "Best New Alternative Power", we’ll stick to the categories of interest for those who love to drive.

As for the overall AJAC Canadian Car of the Year that will be announced at the Toronto Auto Show in February 2005? With the car’s Bramalea, Ontario plant keeping thousands employed, my cynical money’s on the Chrysler 300C.

Best New Economy Car
AJAC Nominees: Chevrolet/Pontiac Pursuit, Hyundai Accent5, Kia Spectra Sedan LX, smart fortwo cdi coupe and cabriolet
AJAC Winner: Kia Spectra Sedan LX
SS.com choice: smart fortwo cdi coupe and cabriolet At $25k for a properly optioned model, the Chevrolet/Pontiac Pursuit twins are a hard pitch as "economy" cars. The Accent and Spectra are better (imagine the next gen of both of these cars!). However, we’re talking cheap and fun, right? If you analyze the overall economies of size, weight, space utilization, fuel consumption, purchase price and running costs, it has to be the micro-Mercedes. Oh, and it’s rear-wheel drive…

Best New Family Car
AJAC Nominees: Buick Allure, Ford Five Hundred, Mazda6 Sport, Pontiac G6, Subaru Legacy
AJAC Winner: Mazda6 Sport
SS.com choice: Mazda6 Sport The Buick and Ford are more traditional family cars. You know, something your grandfather may drive (don’t take me to task on that generalization if your grandfather happens to be Stirling Moss). The Pontiac will be one of GM’s better cars—but wait for the hot GTP model with the six-speed stick. Between the Mazda and Subaru, the Mazda gets the nod for its out-and-out pandering as to what we drivers want/need

Best New Luxury Car
AJAC Nominees: Acura RL, Cadillac STS, Chrysler 300C, Infiniti G35X, Kia Amanti, Volkswagen Phaeton
AJAC Winner: Chrysler 300 C
SS.com choice: Cadillac STS The Infiniti really isn’t "new", and for that matter, neither is the chromed-over Kia. Acura still hasn’t figured out that part of the luxury equation is some cojones in the engine department, and the VW is a boat. It’s hard to beat the Chrysler’s inherent value, but this is about driving pleasure, not saving a few toonies. So congrats to Cadillac for producing a well-balanced driver’s car

Best New Sport Compact
AJAC Nominees: Ford Focus ST, Kia Spectra5 Pkg. 1, Mazdaspeed MX5 Miata, Saab 9-2X, Saturn ION Red Line, Toyota Corolla XRS, Volvo S40
AJAC Winner: Volvo S40
SS.com choice: Kia Spectra5 Pkg. 1 Yes, I know—a Kia! First off, I still can’t forgive Ford for killing the Focus SVT hatch, so bye-bye neutered ST sedan. I know the marketing folks at Saab and Volvo would like the words phat and sweet to form part of their older buyer’s lexicon, but these cars are just too darn pricey for a typical hard-up-for-cash sports compact buyer. Same for the Miata. The ION is too unrefined, and the Corolla, is well, too refined. As a reward to sticking to one of this genre’s basic principles of bang-for-the- buck, it’s the Kia

Best New Sports / Performance Car
AJAC Nominees: BMW 645Ci Coupe, Cadillac CTS-V, Chevrolet Corvette, Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 Roadster, Ford Mustang, Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG
AJAC Winner: Ford Mustang
SS.com choice: Chevrolet Corvette This is too easy. If we’re talking all-out performance, it’s the new Chevrolet. Think of it this way: could any other car in this list challenge the all-mighty Porsche 911? There you go…

Best New Station Wagon
AJAC Nominees: Chevrolet Malibu Maxx, Chevrolet Optra Wagon, Dodge Magnum RT, Jaguar X-TYPE Sport Wagon, Mazda6 Sport Wagon, Subaru Legacy, Volvo V50
AJAC Winner: Mazda6 Sport Wagon
SS.com choice: Volvo V50 The Maxx is not a wagon, and the Optra is not new. It’s hard to rationalize the Jag, unless you really, really want a leaping cat on your hood. With FWD only, the Mazda is out. The Dodge earns respect for its muscular drivetrain and "Wow, look at me" factor. And the Subaru, especially the GT, is a refined, practical and sporty choice. They just can’t match the overall refinement and fun-to-drive aspects of the Volvo

Best New Convertible
AJAC Nominees: Audi S4 Cabriolet, Chevrolet Corvette, Chrysler PT Touring Convertible, Mercedes SLK350, MINI Cooper S Convertible, Saab 9-3, Toyota Solara
AJAC Winner: Mercedes-Benz SLK 350
SS.com choice: Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 Early exits: The Toyota, Chrysler and the Saab are just too vanilla compared to the tiger tails of this bunch. The Audi loses out because of its avoirdupois, and the Chevy because of its literally "rag" top. If this was our money, the MINI wins. But if we had just won the lottery, we'd take the keys to the Mercedes. The M-B raodster's slick retractable metal roof, plus its new-found driving soul conjured up by the lusty vee-six and delightful six-speed stick make it more than just a convertible: the Mercedes is a true all-season sports car

You can obtain a copy of the comparative test and performance data as well as the actual "Best New" vote results for all of the AJAC selections by visiting www.ajac.ca.

- John LeBlanc, Publisher, straight-six.com