Subaru Legacy, Ford F-150 claim top AJAC honours
The Canadian Automotive Journalists’ Association of Canada named Subaru Legacy the 2015 Canadian Car of the Year (CCOTY).
Legacy, which also won its class as the best new family car under $30,000, bested Volkswagen Golf, Mercedes-Benz C300 and the Hyundai Genesis.
“Subaru had an outstanding year in 2014,” said Shiro Ohta, chairman, president and CEO of Subaru Canada.
“In the past year, Subaru sold a record number of vehicles and celebrated a new milestone in company history with unprecedented sales success. This award from AJAC is a wonderful tribute to our recent achievements.”
Canada’s best-selling vehicle, Ford F-150, claimed top spot for utility vehicle of the year over Porsche Macan S and Subaru outback. The 2015 Ford F-150 was previously named best new pickup by AJAC last December.
This is the second time F-150 has earned the title having previously won in 2004. It is the fourth time Ford claimed overall top honours having won in 2011 (Ford Edge), 2009 (Ford Flex), 2004 (F-150).
Fifteen “Best New” category winners were eligible for the top honours after being announced on Dec. 2.
Subaru was a double winner as were Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.
Other category winners were BMW, Ford, Honda, Kia, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo. The fifteen “Best New” categories cover the full new-model spectrum, including “Best New Small Car,” “Best New Luxury Car,” and “Best New SUV/CUV.” Most mainstream categories are further divided by price, such as over or under $35,000, to better provide fair and relevant comparison.
The category winners represent the vote results by AJAC members who gathered last October in Niagara Falls, Ont. for a five-day test-drive evaluation of brand-new or significantly changed vehicle models.
The Niagara Parks Commission hosted the event, known as TestFest; Shell Canada was the official fuel supplier.
The accounting firm KPMG tabulates all vote results.
“TestFest is the most intensive new vehicle evaluation process on the planet,” said CCOTY co-chair, Gary Grant. “No other organization employs such stringent testing methods to determine their car of year award winners. Data driven and Canadian expertise: that's what makes an AJAC winner.”
