Car of the Year Philippines, 2010

**niky** · November 25th, 2010 06:21 PM

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...48472055165040

(photo by Ardie of AutoExtreme)

Very happy to be participating in this event again after a year's hiatus.

In PCOTY, cars are judged on both quality and performance. This isn't a popularity contest, a la FHM's 100 ***iest Women. This is a straight up Miss Universe beauty pageant, complete with swimsuit competition, talent segment and question and answer portion.

PCOTY is judged by automotive journalists from various publications. It's a joint effort which we pour our time and love into to come up with the best results possible.

This year's class of all-new entries includes nearly sixty vehicles, and we tested all of them at Clark Raceway in just two days. This included acceleration tests, braking tests and handling tests. In other words, our performance testing is not only about speed, but also how well a car can deal with emergency situations on the road... something which consumers should be able to appreciate.

Time to place your bets. Lots of great new cars came out this year.

**ghosthunter** · November 25th, 2010 06:26 PM

Can I place my bet?

And if I win, do I keep the car?

**tidus1203** · November 25th, 2010 06:31 PM

Is their a category for it or talagang one pick lang regardless of car class?

**mazingerZ** · November 25th, 2010 06:31 PM

My bet goes to the Mitsu Lancer ralliart spec. Why? The evo's too hardcore, impreza sti medyo old na, focus TDCI old rin. I think the lancer ralliart spec fits the judges' criteria. And believe you me I do not own a mitsu (nor am I a rabid fanboi)

**mazingerZ** · November 25th, 2010 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by tidus1203

Is their a category for it or talagang one pick lang regardless of car class?

All encompassing format - as what they did in the previous years IMHO

**isa1023** · November 25th, 2010 06:36 PM

AFAI remember, Subaru got the last two grand awards for 2008 and 2009.

Now I wonder if it's Subaru again.

Legacy GT as COYP 2009 when I rarely see it even on progressive cities' streets?

Anyway, I'm guessing it'll be the Tucson this time for the People's Choice.

**Starex_Gold** · November 25th, 2010 06:39 PM

I think the winner would be the Kia Sorento

Kidding!

May laban talaga yung Lancer Ralli Art. Pero hindi ko makita yung Lancer sa pic.

Pwede rin Ford Fiesta S hatch or Mitsubishi ASX. Hindi natin masasabi..

**niky** · November 25th, 2010 06:58 PM

Originally Posted by isa1023

AFAI remember, Subaru got the last two grand awards for 2008 and 2009.

Now I wonder if it's Subaru again.

Legacy GT as COYP 2009 when I rarely see it even on progressive cities' streets?

Anyway, I'm guessing it'll be the Tucson this time for the People's Choice.

Like I said, it's not a popularity vote like FHM's 100 ***iest. It's a straight-up contest where a panel of judges scores the cars based on set criteria.

Doesn't matter if the winner is not a popular car... the winner is a car that presents the best blend of performance, comfort and value-for-money. That's why Subarus and Volvos often get wins... because they give you a premium experience for mainstream money. ;)

That's the good thing about PCOTY... it lets people know there are excellent cars out there that they wouldn't normally think of.

Originally Posted by Starex_Gold

I think the winner would be the Kia Sorento

Kidding!

May laban talaga yung Lancer Ralli Art. Pero hindi ko makita yung Lancer sa pic.

Pwede rin Ford Fiesta S hatch or Mitsubishi ASX. Hindi natin masasabi..

That pic is only from the second day of track testing. The Ralliart is in the running in the Sportscar/Sports Sedan category. Honestly, I was surprised by the car. There's lots to like about it, even in comparison to the 300+ hp competition it faces. In fact, the big equalizer for the Ralliart is the incredible dual clutch system, which gives it performance above and beyond its stated power levels. Only question is: is the rest of the package that much better than a Lancer EX GTA?

All the contestants in the sports category this year are turbocharged AWD four-door sedans (except for the Impreza WRX STi hatch). We've got the Subaru S60 T6, the Lancer Ralliart, the STI hatch (automatic) and the STI sedan. A pretty good set of cars... and surprisingly, performance numbers are all very close in this group.

Originally Posted by mazingerZ

All encompassing format - as what they did in the previous years IMHO

Yup. There is one overall winner, but the class winners are equally important.

Originally Posted by ghosthunter

Can I place my bet?

And if I win, do I keep the car?

What color do you want?

-

I'd hate to pick a winner this year. So many new and deserving cars... the ASX, the Ralliart, the Tucson, the Fiesta and Mazda2, the Sorento... heck... it might even be a Volvo or Subaru again, for all we know...