Braking News: Motor Trend magazine’s 2015 Car of the Year

Winner announced this morning on Fox

According to Motor Trend this is the vehicle that best represents exceptional value, superiority in its class and most significant development on the 2015 new car scene. In all there were 42 contenders and as you can see from this image you might be scratching your head like me when MT picked the 2015 Volkswagen Golf as the winner. Really? The winner is chosen in the following criteria: 

Advancement in Design
Quality execution of exterior and interior styling; innovation in vehicle packaging; good selection and use of materials.

Engineering Excellence
Integrity of total vehicle concept and execution, clever solutions to packaging, manufacturing, and dynamics issues; use of cost-effective technologies that benefit the consumer.

Efficiency
Low energy consumption and carbon footprint relative to the vehicle’s competitive set.

Safety
Primary safety — the vehicle’s ability to help the driver avoid a crash — as well as secondary safety measures that protect its occupants from harm during a crash.

Value
Price and equipment levels measured against those of vehicles in the same market segment.

Performance of Intended Function
How well the vehicle does the job its designers and product planners intended.

Ok I get it but when it was also revealed that the 2015 Mustang came in as runner-up I said, “What?”. I’m not alone either as I found out on the MT website comments section. Consumer Reports was not impressed with the VW either. “It’s not that big a deal,” editor Mike Quincy says. “You take out the GTI’s steering wheel, the GTI badging and put me in it, and I think ‘This is a redesigned Golf.’ There’s nothing sporty about this car.” Additionally he noted: “It just felt like a garden-variety Golf.” He says it’s too quiet and not enough fun. I’ve driven this car and would have to agree. Let’s see what MT comes back with after they get some miles on it because older Golf’s have been about as reliable as a parent with a drug habit. Read Mark’s review of the four-door version.

They didn’t pick the Mustang!

Now the 2015 Ford Mustang a fun car to drive and looks so much better. Pricing for the Mustang starts at $24,425 and goes up to $42,425. It’s EcoBoost 2.3 L, 4 cyl, Manual 6-spd, Turbo gets 22/31, while the 5.0 L, 8 cyl, Manual 6-spd 15/25. See our video when it was introduced at this year’s Chicago Auto Show.

The Golf’s base price is $17,995 and can go up to $27,815. It gets 25 mpg highway and 37 on the road. There is also an e-Golf on the way. Hmmmm. A lower price and better mpg for the Golf, you think that weighed in their decision? I’ve been a subscriber to MT for years but think they are leaning green. Just my two cents.

Definition of an SUV

I know, it sounds that I’m ragging on a great magazine but am scratching my head again about their SUV winner named last month, the 2015 Honda CR-V. Hello, grocer getter, kid hauler, second vehicle but SUV, no. There were some great finalists which are real SUVs such as the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, Ford Expedition, GMC Yukon, Jeep Cherokee, and Mercedes-Benz GLA. Now these are SUVs. Of, for those busting my chops because I’m a Jeep guy, the Trail Rated Trail Hawk is an SUV. BTW, the Jeep brand is the fastest-growing brand in the industry and sale were up 52 percent last month mostly because of the all-new Cherokee.

But back to the CR-V. According to Honda, it was chosen because of its improved fuel economy, and uncompromised driving dynamics, thanks to the inclusion of Honda’s Earth Dreams Technology™ powertrain, the launch of an all-new Touring trim, the debut of Honda Sensing™ safety and driver assistive technologies, and the CR-V’s excellent value.  Let’s go back to Honda’s Earth Dreams Technology™  which essentially gets more mpg than

past engines. Hmmmmm, green here? Honda Sensing™ is essentially a lot of sensors around the car so you don’t do something stupid. I’m not saying this is a bad car, but it’s a car and not an SUV. Beyond the definition above I would add that an SUV can be a people hauler, grocer getter, kid hauler, or second vehicle but additionally one where you could be driving on a highway and go off the beaten path.