The Ford Fiesta has been judged the 2009 Car of the Year at the annual AMI Insurance NZ Autocar Car of the Year Awards.
The Fiesta was competing against five other cars vying for the award, which identifies the best new cars released in the last 12 months. Judges took the cars to Hampton Downs MotorSport Park to put them to the test.
The Ford was awarded 512 points out of a total of 600, beating the Nissan GT-R by 21 points.
NZ Autocar editor and chief judge, Kyle Cassidy, said the Fiesta was a clear winner with five of the six judges scoring it as their top pick.
“The Ford Fiesta is a dynamic little car that re-defines value in the small car class. It impressed the judges with its plentiful safety and convenience features, edgy styling and entertaining handling. As one judge commented, it’s ridiculous value and stupendous fun to drive.”
The other finalists were the Mazda3 (Compact Car of the Year), the Subaru Legacy (Medium/Large Car of the Year), the Kia Sorento R (SUV of the Year), the Jaguar XF-D (Luxury Car of the Year), and the Nissan GT-R (Performance Car of the Year).
Last year’s winner was the FPV F6.
Read our review of the Ford Fiesta here.
See the Ford Fiesta for sale here.
Compare the Ford Fiesta to other models here.
