Middle East Motor Awards 2013 – The Winners
We check out the winners of the region’s premier awards, and reveal what SHOULD have won
By Shahzad Sheikh
It’s the second year that I’ve been on the judging panel for the region’s most prestigious car awards – the Middle East Motor Awards. But I’m one of 18 motoring journalists from around the region, and I don’t always agree with my esteemed colleagues.
So last year I revealed which cars I thought should have won (read that here) and here once again I’ll reveal all the official winners and runners up as well as my own verdicts.
The way it works is that we all get sent scorecards for every car nominated in each category (which are dictated to us) with staggered deadlines throughout the year. We rate the cars according to our experience, knowledge and understanding of the vehicles at that time and the organisers total up the points.
For the overall Car of The Year (CoTY) we get a list of the highest scoring cars and we again send in ratings based in which cars we think should win the overall title, these are whittled down to the top three and then we send in final scores for each of these.
Until the awards night itself – we are actually as much in the dark about the winning cars as everyone else, although we can hazard a guess usually on some of the categories based on the scoring that we already know about.
Anyway, that’s all very complicated and unnecessary for you to worry about, so here we go:
Best Small Sedan
Winner: Peugeot 301
Runners up: VW Polo & Nissan Sentra
My Winner: Kia Cerato
Frankly there wasn’t much in it between the Sentra and Cerato, but I just like the style and appeal of the Kia more. The Peugeot did not really register with me, and I have not driven or even seen the Polo up close so couldn’t score it.
Best midsize sedan
Winner: Honda Accord
Runners up: Mazda6 & Nissan Altima
My Winner: Honda Accord
In this case, to that point it was the only one of the four contenders (Opel Insignia being the other) that I had driven, so I couldn’t vote any other way. Subsequently I did try the Mazda6 and it could have run the Accord close. Frankly it could even have won this, although the stronger dealer network might still have swung it back in the Accord’s favour.
Best large sedan
Winner Chevrolet Impala
Runners up: Toyota Avalon
My Winner: Chevrolet Impala
These were the only two cars in this category and there was no contest, the Impala was head and shoulders above the Avalon in every way, and in my book quite simply one of the best large saloons out there if you want no-fuss, no-hassle motoring in comfort, and the well-priced servicing packages are an added bonus.
Best executive sedan
Winner: Cadillac ATS
Runners up: Kia Quoris, Lexus ES350
My Winner: Cadillac ATS
The Lexus left me cold and I have not driven the Quoris, but the ATS thrilled me to bits when I drove it at the launch at Yas Marina circuit. It’s an incredibly sporty and fun-to-drive car, with great style and performance. It goes toe-to-toe with the BMW 3 Series yet is considerably cheaper. A worthy winner.
Best luxury sedan
Winner: Lexus LS460
Runners up: Cadillac XTS, BMW 7 Series
My Winner: Lexus LS460
Yep, in agreement again with the panel but only just. The refresh to the flagship Lexus has addressed all the bits that were getting a bit dated, particularly inside the car. But the XTS is a wonderful new contender to the market and the Seven is a solid seller of course. My scoring was very close with the Caddy and BeeEm level-pegging. So this was a difficult one.
Best luxury performance sedan
Winner: BMW M6 GranCoupe
Runners up: Audi S8, Lexus LS460 F Sport
My Winner: BMW M6 GrandCoupe
The Maserati Quattroporte was also a contender but I had not tried the car at the time. I just adore the way the BMW GranCoupe looks and the M version is supercool, so a strong winner. The Lexus would never have been in the running as a performance sedan, but the S8 has left me a little uncertain about this category. Thinking back to driving it, it was one of the most memorable and surprising cars I have tried, and subsequently I did change my mind about it. Today I might just vote S8 instead of M6.
Best Crossover
Winner: Toyota RAV4
Runners up: Ford Escape, Mazda CX5
My Winner: Ford Escape
As good as the Toyota is, it’s less than stand-out. And whilst the Mazda could have taken this one, I had not driven it at the time. I had driven the Ford Escape however, and not only was a good from behind the wheel and rather family-friendly, it’s also the best looking and most striking of these cars when it comes to road presence. So that remains my favourite.
Best midsize SUV
Winner: Jeep Grand Cherokee
Runners up: Hyundai Sante Fe, Nissan Pathfinder
My Winner: Jeep Grand Cherokee
So good is the Grand Cherokee, so versatile, good-to-drive, comfortable, practical, family-friendly, stylish, that it would win this category without leaving the starting blocks. The fact that it also has pretty much second-to-none off-roading ability, just puts it leagues out ahead. Frankly people should just stop buying Prados and try these instead. It’s that good.
Best luxury SUV
Winner: Range Rover
Runners up: Mercedes G500, Infiniti JX
My Winner: Range Rover
Another no-brainer this one. We drove the all-new Range Rover at its launch in Morocco, and such is its depth of ability and the height of luxury, that it simple retains its King of the Hill title and took this category without even getting out of bed.
Best Performance SUV
Winner: Porsche Cayenne Turbo S
Runners up: Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
My Winner: Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
The Cayenne is utterly brilliant, very very good indeed, and I particularly love the way it turns into a corner thanks to the Torque Vectoring System, but the fact that the big Jeep can keep the Porsche on its toes, for way, way less money, plus the fact that the SRT just looks absolutely the mutt’s nuts, makes it the winner.
Best small hatchback
Winner: Volkswagen Golf
Runners up: Opel Astra GTC, Alfa Romeo Giulietta
My Winner: Alfa Romeo Giulietta
The Astra didn’t figure for me as I hadn’t driven it, but the new Volkswagen Golf is an extremely good car. It’s probably the sensible and wise choice in this company, and frankly I’d have to concedes that my fellow hacks got this category right. But I’m a contrary sort of person, and for me the looks, style, appeal and desirability of the sexy Italian, along with the fact that it’s a very decent steer, would make it my choice. But yeah, you should all buy the Golf.
Best performance hatchback
Winner: Ford Focus ST
Runners up: Volkswagen Golf GTI, Renault Clio RS200
My Winner: Ford Focus ST
Like the previous category the amazingly capable GTI should probably have won this dual, as the VW is extremely good and is the pinnacle of the breed (I had no experience of the Renault so it didn’t figure in my scoring). But here’s the thing, you get quite a bit more horsepower for quite a lot less money with the Focus. That alone justifies the win. But for me, it’s also the old-skool hot-hatch appeal of the ferocious torque steer and mental hooligan tendencies of the ST that wins my heart.
Best premium hatchback
Winner: Mercedes A250
Runners up: Volvo V40
My Winner: Abstained
These are both totally all-new cars, and I have no experience of either of them. Repeated requests to Volvo have not resulted in a test car being forthcoming, and I’ve pretty much boycotted testing Mercedes cars since they expect us to go all the way to Jebel Ali industrial zone to pick up cars, despite the other manufacturers based there delivering and collecting test cars. So, no test, no scores, no winner. Sorry.
Best sports coupe
Winner: Porsche Cayman S
Runners up: Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
My Winner: Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
580bhp for less than AED250k in a proper muscle car that you need melon-sized cojones to tame – that’s the Camaro ZL1. As precision-perfect and staggeringly well-built as the undoubtedly excellent Cayman is, the ZL1 was one of the very few cars to really make me whoop out loud, and pine for it terribly after it had been collected. I’d have one in a heartbeat. So of course it’s my winner.
Best premium coupe
Winner: Maserati GranTurismo Sport
Runners up: Aston Martin Vanquish, Porsche 911 Carrera 4S
My Winner: Maserati GranTurismo Sport
If you’ve read my Vanquish review (the most honest Aston review you’ll ever read) you’ll know why it couldn’t be the winner. Meanwhile if you’ve read my Maserati review (the sexiest car review you’ll ever read) you’ll know that it just had to be the one. As for the Porsche, I’m sure it’s utterly brilliant, but I haven’t driven the C4S.
Best premium sports convertible
Winner: Jaguar F-Type
Runners up: Mercedes SL500, Porsche 911 C4S Cabriolet
My Winner: Mercedes SL500
However! The Mercedes is only my winner because it’s the only one I could score at the time. I still haven’t tried the C4S cab and only recently drove the Jaguar F-Type, so far in V6 guise only. Frankly I really like it. So today I would definitely have voted with my colleagues and gone for the Jag.
Best premium luxury convertible
Winner: Bentley GTC Speed
Runners up: Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe Series II
My Winner: the Rolls with the really long name
Actually I could only score the Phantom Drophead Coupe at the time, but even now having experienced the Bentley, I would still vote Rolls. If it quite simply the most ostentatious, decadent and sublime form of open top motoring you can experience. Nothing can or should touch it. It’s a Rolls-Royce for God’s sake!
Best supercar
Winner: McLaren MP4-12C Spider
Runners up: Lamborghini Aventador Roadster, Ferrari F12 Berlinetta
My Winner: McLaren…
However! Like the Mercedes above, it’s the only one I was in a position to score at the time. I had not driven either the Ferrari or the Lamborghini – although I had sampled the Aventador coupe at its launch. Frankly I think the Lambo should have won this, but I’m guessing that Lamborghini didn’t get enough of the judges into the car – otherwise it really should have walked this. As good as the Macca is, the Aventador is utterly mental, and a true holder of a ‘supercar’ title.
Car of the Year
Winner: Jaguar F-Type
Runners up: Range Rover, Cadillac ATS
My Winner: Cadillac ATS
Yes it’s all-new, indeed it is gorgeous, and of course it’s a great drive, but the F-Type is a niche product, let’s be honest. It’s a very expensive sports convertible for the stylish few.
On the other hand the Range Rover is instantly the massive hit that it was always predicted to be in the region. It may be niche elsewhere, but the number of them already out on our roads proves it would have been a worthy winner.
For me though it placed second, because the ATS is so much more accessible. And you get a car that’s a complete game-changer not just for Cadillac, but the American industry as a whole.
They’ve never put out a saloon as composed, well-conceived and satisfying to own and drive as this, something that genuinely puts the frighteners on the Europeans. It’s that good, that for me, it should have been this year’s MEMA CoTY.
Or it could have been the Camaro ZL1, or the Grand Cherokee SRT, or the Focus ST, or the Maserati GranTurismo… damn, it’s been a good year for great cars!
Who do YOU think should have won? Tell us below
