AutoTrader NZ
Published 3 September 2020
The awards were held last week with VIPs from the motor industry seeing the Skoda Yeti named as Car of the Year.
Auto Express editor in chief, David Johns, said, “The result is a reflection of just how far Skoda has come and how good its cars now are. They have always represented fantastic value for money, but increasingly they have come to stand for great quality, driveability and reliability.
“The Yeti, in particular, just blew our judges away. It is a car that combines the best of a family hatchback with the looks and go-anywhere ability of an SUV. Two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, it is a car that is truly worthy of being our Car of the Year.”
The Yeti TDI 4X4 fitted with the DSG gearbox arrives at Škoda dealers throughout New Zealand next week priced from $48,000 plus on road costs. Powered by a 2.0 TDI engine, the Yeti features 103 kW of power and 320 Nm or torque; together with a high level of standard equipment.
Other winners on the nights included Volkswagen, which claimed two gongs. The Golf was awarded Best Compact Family Car, for the second year in a row; and the Golf GTI was voted Best Hot Hatch.
Johns said: “There are rivals that are faster and more eye-catching, but few can match the Golf’s all-round ability and appeal.”
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class was awarded Best Luxury Car for the fifth consecutive year at the Auto Express Awards.
The Nissan Leaf won its first ever award, eight months before it goes on sale. The zero-emission Leaf picked up the coveted Special Award in recognition of the best new innovation in the motor industry.
Land Rover’s Discovery 4 and Freelander 2 both picked up awards – the former winning Best Large SUV, and the latter Best Compact SUV.
The BMW 3 Series won Best Compact Executive Car and Best Convertible, while the BMW 5 Series took home the accolade for Best Executive Car. The Mini was crowned Best Premium Supermini.
The Ford S-MAX was declared Britain’s best MPV for the third successive year.
Peugeot’s new RCZ won the Design Award and Best Coupe.
