First Annual TMR 'BEST DRIVE, BEST VALUE' Award

AUTO CENTRAL – December 31, 2008: The Motor Report (TMR), Australia’s fastest growing automotive news site, is proud to launch its first ever ‘Best Drive, Best Value’ Car Awards.

“This will be an annual Award, conferred each New Year’s Eve and granted to the car that, in the view of The Motor Report’s road testers and writers, wins on a ‘best drive, best value’ comparison,” The Motor Report Director Steane Klose said.

This year, the inaugural year of the TMR Awards, there are two categories: Best Drive Best Value Light / Small Car, and Best Drive Best Value Medium / Large Car. In each category, both a winner and runner-up will be announced.

To be in contention for The Motor Report ‘Best Drive, Best Value’ Award, a car must:

Be enjoyable at the wheel

Have ample power and sharp driving dynamics

Be well-finished inside and out

Be comfortable and capable in the driving environment for which it was designed

Offer sharp value for money

Be a ‘best buy’ in its category for the totality of the package

Have been released in the preceding calendar year

“The Motor Report ‘Best Drive, Best Value’ Award is simple and easily understood by consumers. It will provide unbiased guidance to car buyers faced with an astonishing choice of vehicle brands and model configurations.

“If a car is not good value, if it does not make you feel good when you slide behind the wheel, if it does not bring a smile to your face when driving, then it will not get a look-in to this Award,” Mr Klose said.

What is the ‘Best Value, Best Drive’ light / small car and medium / large car of 2008?

The inaugural winners and runners-up are:

Winner: ‘Best Drive, Best Value’ Light / Small Car – 2008 Mazda2 3-door Winner: ‘Best Drive, Best Value’ Medium / Large Car – 2008 Falcon XR6 Turbo

Runner-up: ‘Best Drive, Best Value’ Light / Small Car – 2008 Hyundai i30 diesel (auto) Runner-up: ‘Best Drive, Best Value’ Medium / Large Car – 2008 Honda Accord Euro 2.4-litre

“The Mazda2 is a standout winner as the ‘Best Drive, Best Value’ Light / Small Car. Starting at $15,750 for the Neo three door, it is simply terrific buying. The Mazda2, in three door (or five door), is huge fun at the wheel with a zesty free-spinning and economical 1.5 litre engine. It also offers sharp driving dynamics and is comfortable whether punting around town or on the occasional country drive. It is appealingly styled inside and out, and offers surprising interior space. You simply cannot drive it without a smile on your face. As such it is a worthy inaugural winner of The Motor Report’s ‘Best Drive, Best Value’ Small Car Award for 2008.

“It edges out the excellent Hyundai i30 diesel automatic in this category, which also offers fun and efficient driving in an excellent value, stylish package.

“In the ‘Best Drive, Best Value’ Medium / Large Car category, the Falcon XR6 Turbo is also a standout winner. That Ford Australia has been able to provide such a superbly engineered performance car, one that can also carry the family in safety and comfort, is a remarkable achievement. At $45,490 for the manual, the power of the turbo, the robust balanced handling, and the sheer quality of the drive puts it at the head of the pack, and a clear winner for both dynamics and buying value. The XR6 Turbo is, quite simply, a ‘tour de force’. As such, it too is a worthy inaugural winner of The Motor Report’s ‘Best Drive, Best Value’ Medium / Large Car Award for 2008,” Mr Klose said.

“Also an excellent car, offering surprising levels of refinement, is the runner-up in the Medium / Large car category, the Honda Accord Euro 2.4-litre.

“This time of year is traditionally a quiet period for automotive news, but a busy time for car buyers making use of the ‘end-of-calendar-year’ car sales.

“The Motor Report ‘Best Drive, Best Value’ Awards will give some food for thought for these buyers, especially those who are looking for a car they will enjoy living with, every time they slide behind the wheel,” Mr Klose said.