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2016 World Car of the Year Winners and Losers

As I’m sure many of you already know, there’s a Car of the Year shindig for every country and region and continent there is on this beautiful blue planet we call Earth. There’s European Car of the Year, North American Car of the Year, but the most influential COTY award is the one we’ll talk about today.
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Yes, ladies and gentlemen. The World Car of the Year is what’s what and you’ll be surprised to find out who the winners and the losers of the 2016 edition are. Before we go through them, it’s worth mentioning that WCOTY is organized and conducted by automotive journalists from all over the world.

“Objectivity, credibility, and integrity” sum up the credo of the peeps who have the right to vote in the awards. These being said, how much of a difference is there between the finalists of 2015 and the finalists of 2016?

At the 2015 edition of the New York International Auto Show, WCOTY announced its winners across five categories: World Car of the Year went to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class; World Luxury Car to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe; World Performance Car was won by the Mercedes-AMG GT; World Green Car by the BMW i8; and World Car Design of the Year was awarded to the Citroen C4 Cactus. Make no mistake about it, the Germans have utterly dominated last year’s awards.

This year, however, things have changed. Japan is the big winner, with three finalists across five categories. Germany had to settle for two finalists, which is half as good as what it had in 2015. Nevertheless, the WCOTY panel of jurors has spoken. Whenever you’re ready, let’s find out which are the best cars of 2016.

2016 World Car of the Year - Mazda MX-5 Miata (ND)

2016 Mazda MX\-5 Miata
Photo: Jeffrey Ross
Hooray for the best-selling two-seater convertible sports car ever! The fourth generation of the MX-5 has snatched the World Car of the Year title from the C-Class, but it was a close fight. With 764 points under its belt, the Mazda MX-5 has bettered the Mercedes-Benz GLC (758 points) and the Audi A4 (750 points).

This award couldn’t have arrived at a better time for Mazda. I’m referring to the fact that the MX-5 is approaching a production milestone of one million units since the NA generation started rolling off the assembly line in Hiroshima in ’89. The World Car of the Year jurors praised the Mazda MX-5 for its performance (8.3 points out of a maximum 10), value (8.1 points), and emotional appeal (9 points).

Performance is so and so if you consider that it doesn’t get better than a 2-liter engine with 155 horsepower (157 PS) and a 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) time of 7.3 seconds. But out-and-out power and straight line get-up-and-go aren't the idea. As my colleague said in his review of the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata, you have a serious problem if you’re not smiling after driving this thing on a curve-laden road.

In the United States, the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata starts at $24,915, which is $770 more than the entry-level Ford Mustang V6. To be frank, I would take it over the pony car. The MX-5 is that fun of a car. Its low curb weight is what gives it its trademark handling characteristics. The MX-5 RF, on the other hand, could not be that fun to drive because the retractable targa roof mechanism sure weighs more than a rag top.

2016 World Luxury Car - BMW 7 Series (G11/G12)

2016 BMW 7 Series
Photo: Florin Profir
A Bavarian land yacht. The sportiest of all European full-size sedans. Call it whatever you want, but there’s no denying the BMW 7 Series is an impressive machine. If it weren’t, the all-new BMW 7 Series wouldn’t have had the edge over the second generation of the Volvo XC90 and the second-generation Audi Q7.

Most of all, WCOTY waxed lyrical about the interior and performance of the BMW 7 Series. autoevolution has learned first-hand about how good this product of Bavaria is in our review of the BMW 750Li xDrive. This car manages to integrate performance and luxury into a seamless experience for both driver and passenger.

Don’t get me started with the technological aspects. What BMW dubs iDrive 5.0 is an infotainment system unlike any other. I’m referring to the fact that the 7 Series is the first production car to feature gesture control, something Volkswagen will bring into production on more affordable cars in the nearest of futures. That’s if VW won’t go bust after paying for all the damage it did with the Dieselgate fiasco.

A niggle that could put off some prospective buyers is the BMW Display Key, essentially a key fob with the functionality of a smartphone. I don’t mind the fact that it is huge, but you have to charge it either wirelessly in the car of via a micro-USB charger. On the upside, the BMW Display Key lets you maneuver the 2016 BMW 7 Series in or out of forward-parking spaces without anyone at the wheel.

2016 World Performance Car - Audi R8 Coupe


2016 Audi R8 V10 plus
Photo: Audi
The most powerful and the fastest production vehicle ever made by Audi had this one in the bag. The R8 outclassed other World Performance Car nominees by a hefty margin. Compared to the Audi’s 205 points, the Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe came in second (195 points) and the Honda Civic Type R settled for third (151 points). The Chevrolet Camaro and the Range Rover Sport SVR tied at 122 points.

As the strongest calling card with four rings and the flagship of the Audi Sport division, the 2016 Audi R8 is one hell of a thriller. Just like its Lamborghini-branded half-brother, the Audi R8 is motivated by a 5.2-liter V10, which produces up to 602 horsepower (610 PS) and 413 lb-ft (560 Nm) if you go for the R8 V10 plus model.

But output alone isn’t worthy of the World Performance Car title. According to the WCOTY jurors, the “Le Mans-inspired R8 has been the most desirable, head-turning supercar of the decade.” I’m not that sure about this remark, especially if you pit the R10 and the Huracan side by side, but then again, to each their own.

For the 2017 model year, the Audi R8 lineup has grown with the arrival of the Spyder. With the soft top down and the ten-cylinder engine revving its valves as hard as it can, the second generation of the Audi R8 Spyder should deliver maximum aural pleasure to the driver and the passenger. I admit I would sell my left foot for such a machine. After all, I don’t need two feet to drive an automatic.

2016 World Green Car - Toyota Mirai

2016 Toyota Mirai
Photo: Toyota
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles aren’t all that new. The Toyota Mirai, on the other hand, is one of the exclusive few that are sold commercially. Under the EPA test cycle, the 2016 Toyota Mirai can travel up to 312 miles (502 kilometers) on a full tank, at a combined 66 miles per gallon (3.6 liters per kilometer). Ladies and gents, put your hands together for the most efficient hydrogen fuel cell vehicle of them all.

With a score of 260 points, the Mirai speared ahead of the Toyota Prius (233 points), Chevrolet Volt (191 points), BMW 330e (167 points), and the Volkswagen Passat GTE (154 points). The thing is, evolutionary models cannot compete with a revolutionary machine such as the hydrogen-fed and electric-powered Toyota Mirai.

When Toyota decided to pour money into the research and development of the Mirai, the higher-ups briefed the team as such: “We want the most up-to-date, high-value eco-car in the world today. That’s all.” Now that’s what I call a tough briefing. Despite the rigorousness, Toyota engineers have made the impossible happened.

If you’re one of those courageous individuals who plan to drive the hydrogen movement forward, you’ll need a lot of money to do that because a Mirai starts at $57,500. A fourth-gen Prius, on the other hand, goes for $24,200. But then again, the Prius has a bigger overall impact on the environment compared to the Mirai.

2016 World Car Design of the Year - Mazda MX-5 Miata (ND)

2016 Mazda MX\-5 Miata
Photo: Mazda
Wait, what? The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata wasn’t happy with the World Car of the Year title, so it went to win the World Car Design of the Year award as well? I’ll be damned! On second thought, I am not surprised because the KODO - Soul of Motion design language is one of the highlights of all contemporary Mazda vehicles.

I could go on and talk about how great that line is integrated into that curve and how the rear end of this thing gets my heart racing, but I won’t. From my point of view, the hallmark of the fourth-generation MX-5 Miata is the ideal proportions. It is a struggle, if not impossible to find a bad angle on this MX-5, the shortest of them all.

The low-slung nose and the short overhangs give onlookers a hint at the car’s roadholding. As for the bite-the-back-of-your-hand rear end, that is where the MX-5 gives a lingering impression, where all lines converge through the flared fenders. If you think about it, there’s not a single bad-looking Mazda in production right now.

Starting from the Mazda 2 and up to the Mazda CX-9, every single model looks the part. Mind you, I have a complaint to make. Dear Mazda, what were you thinking when you designed the MX-5 RF? The Retractable Fastback is a work of art on four wheels, but there’s no fooling anyone the quarter windows are bits of plastic with a glossy black finish. Too bad this little detail spoiled an otherwise pretty sports car.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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