Footdown
Alphard strikes gold
The Toyota Alphard won the gold award and best luxury multi-purpose vehicle awards at our sister publication Automobile's Car of the Year 2008 gongfest.
The glossy monthly's silver and best compact awards went to the Honda Jazz while the Toyota Corolla won the bronze and best family gongs. The magazine's other winners were the Rolls-Royce Phantom (best premium luxury sedan), Mercedes-Benz E-Class (best executive sedan), Mercedes-Benz C-Class (best luxury family car), Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG (best performance car), the double-clutch Porsche 911 (best sports car), the BMW 3-Series M3 (best convertible), the Range Rover Sport (best sports utility vehicle), the Audi A4 Avant (best wagon), the Honda Stepwagn (best compact multi-purpose vehicle) and Ferrari F430 Scuderia (best exotic car).
Toyota, Lexus and Daihatsu representative Crown Motors was also named best dealer of the year and the Toyota Service scooped the award for the top car service centre.
Our best on the road
Here are our observations on the best cars to beat in 2009:
Best car: The Mini Cooper JCW. BMW's latest Mini blends mesmerising speed and road-going agility with credible retro styling and the promise of good residual value. And it's an easy park with as much waah as a luxury fastie.
Best bike: The Vectrix electric bike. The plug-in is expensive but it performed well around Hong Kong in the Post's test drive and has been evaluated by the police.
Best luxury drive: The Bentley Continental GT Speed. We got nowhere near its top speed of 326km/h, but this 600bhp work of art hits 100km/h in 4.5 seconds and is a dream drive as oil prices plummet.
Best fastie: The Mazda RX-8. Nissan's GT-R has monster performance but its wind tunnel-crafted looks make it too much of a mid-life crisis car - and many inexperienced 40-somethings have come to blows on our roads as a result. The overpowered Mercedes C63 AMG is huge fun but should come with a hairy chest wig and crash helmet as standard. Our pick for a real-world sports car is the wonderful Mazda RX8, a rotary-powered 2+2 that can take on the big boys for sheer grin-value but doesn't cost the Earth to drive. Black paint best cloaks its styling features.
Best runabout: The Fiat 500. We still have a soft spot for the Mini Cooper and the Suzuki Swift, but the reworked Bambina stands out from the crowd. Only time will tell if the Fiat 500 Abarth can possibly match the Cooper's all-round value, but the standard 500 has beautifully styled retro proportions and a period interior. If you stick with the 50s feel and opt for a manual gearbox, it's good to drive, too.
Best SUV: Nissan Qashqai. The Mercedes-Benz M-Class still has the bling and the nicely styled but pricey Volvo XC90 still impresses on safety. The Lexus 450h has a notable hybrid engine but we reckon it's too soft a ride. We prefer the Nissan Qashqai five-seater, which gives sedan-like handling with much of the kit and capacity of the upmarket Murano - but at less cost. For seven seats, go for the no-frills Mitsubishi Outlander.
Most fun: The BMW's 135i coupe is a blast but the Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart pips it on cute styling, blistering pace and thrills.
Best Show: The Motorcycle Show. November's mix of high-octane Mong Kok and Hong Kong Sevens carnival drew all sections of the local biking community, but in bigger numbers.
Club of the Year: The Mad Dogs continue to work for charities and road safety, but the Classic Car Club of Hong Kong wins because it has attracted a new generation of classics and collectors who turned October's Chater Road show into an upbeat event. The club celebrates 30 years of gleam at Beas River in Fanling this month.
