BMW IS SA’S CAR OF THE YEAR

For the eighth time, a BMW has been awarded South Africa’s Car of the Year. The BMW X3 beat 16 other finalists to win the coveted prize.

The Suzuki Swift took second place, with another BMW, the M5 hybrid, taking third spot.

South Africa’s Car of the Year has been organised by the South African Guild of Mobility Journalists (SAGMJ) for the past 39 years.

This year, there were several categories announced as well.

The budget category winners went to the Suzuki Swift, while the family category was won by the Volkswagen Tiguan. In the premium category, the BMW X3 reigned supreme, with the BMW 5 Series reaching the same level in the executive category.

BMW also won the performance category, while the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado took home the adventure utility category prize.

The SAGMJ said the locally-produced BMW X3 is “a beacon of the local industry’s capabilities and exceptional manufacturing standards”.

The Suzuki Swift was applauded by the SAGMJ for its priority towards safety. The new Swift now has six airbags standard across the entire range.

To determine the overall winners as well as the category winners, the 17 finalists were put through their paces during a three-day evaluation held in March.

Last year, the BMW 7 Series took the crown.

Image credit: CAR Magazine