What a year 2019 was for Driven Women Magazine; I drove 50 different cars from 24 marques. These cars may not have been a new model launched in 2019, but our Car of the Year awards are based on the cars I have driven only and the judging panel includes myself and my family.
So without further ado, at a very glamorous ceremony held in my kitchen while juggling the preparation of dinner, I would like to announce Driven Women Magazine’s Best Cars of 2019.
My Daughter’s Car of the Year
My daughter has chosen the Ferrari Portofino as her Car of the Year because it was red. She also gave a Highly Commended to the Ford Mustang GT and will shout ‘Mustang’ every time we see one on the road, which is a lot!
My Son’s Car of the Year
Proof that even a child can appreciate the quality of a Ferrari (but has no concept how much hard you need to do to get one) my son has chosen the Ferrari GTC4 Lusso that I reviewed for Issue Four of DWM. In the review he described it as ‘Perfect’, but at $750K it would want to be pretty darn good (the V12 engine is worth the price of admission though)!
He also gave a Highly Commended Award to the Tesla Model S over the Tesla Model 3 because he didn’t like the glass roof in the Model 3.
SUV of the Year
My SUV of the Year goes to the BMW X7 M50d. I liked that it had seven adult-sized usable seats, that the third row got all the comforts everyone else enjoyed, the tech meant it didn’t feel like a large car to drive and for $170k, I think it competitively priced for what you get.
The Highly Commended award goes to the Kia Sportage GT-Line CRDi, I still can’t believe how much car you get for the money and I recommend it to anyone who is after an affordable urban SUV.
Fun Car of the Year
This was the such an easy choice, the Lamborghini Urus! The Urus is bonkers to drive and does things a 2.2 tonne SUV just shouldn’t be able to. Everyone who either heard or rode in the Urus agreed that it was a fun car and it has the added advantage that you can share that fun with your family and friends.
There are a long list of Highly Commended cars in this category including the Alpine A110, the Nissan GT-R, Jaguar F-TYPE SVR Coupe and the Ford Mustang GT.
Sub-category: Fun Car with Five Seats
Other fun cars that you can also share with your family include the BMW ALPINA B5, the Mercedes-AMG C63S and the Tesla Model 3, which was the real surprise car for year.
Car of the Year 2019
Modern cars are becoming so good that it is getting harder to choose one car over another. So selecting a Car of the Year meant that car needed to do a lot of things well and that is why I have chosen the Volvo XC60 T8 Polestar. The XC60 is a stylish SUV that is relaxing to drive, with some of the best safety features of any car I have driven, and the hybrid technology means that it is very fuel efficient as well.
A Highly Commended award go to the Genesis G70 3.3T Ultimate Sport, not just because of the car but also because of the level of service that Genesis Australia is offering to car owners. Really the other car companies could learn a lot from them!
The Kia Cerato GT also gets a Highly Commended award for what you get for the price, plus the seven year Kia warranty and seven year’s capped price servicing.
2020 has already started with a bang for DWM and I can’t wait to share my thoughts on the cars I will have the pleasure to drive this year.
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.