Wesbank’s CEO Chris de Kock made a particularly telling remark in his welcoming speech to the attendant journalists, industry big-wigs and marketing boffins gathered for the Wesbank –SA Guild of Motoring Journalists’ Car of the Year announcement at the posh Inanda Club in Sandton this week.

“What we are really hoping for is that the Car of the Year chosen will be relevant,” said De Kock. Many of the assembled industry-watchers took this to mean that after two back-to-back wins by Porsche in this competition that the feeling was it would be nice to have a more affordable car as the winner.

The line-up of 11 finalists, when it was announced, didn’t contain any cars in the R100000 to R200000 range, which might lead to criticism in some quarters that the Guild is a bunch of spoilt elitists. But, as the SAMGJ’s Car of the Year panel chairman Bernard Hellberg explained, first and foremost the chosen car has to exhibit excellence in its category. No-one could argue that a Porsche Boxster or Cayman S doesn’t fulfill those requirements.

So, that’s the insider background to the competition in recent times. What should be noted, too, is that the past year hasn’t produced the launch of a breakthrough car in the entry-level category in the league of, say, a Kia Picanto. And taking a look at the cars that made the finalists, it’s easy to justify the inclusion of every single one of them.

2015 Car of the Year finalists

Let’s go through them, using a price scale rather than alphabetical listing:

Renault Duster 1.5 DCI Dynamique AWD, R255900. This Renault offers a lot of car for the money, in a package that has surprised every single journalist who has driven it. It is also good-looking in an appropriately chunky manner, and has some real off-road ability, hence the choice of the AWD model.Toyota Corolla 1,4 D-4D Prestige, R259900. It was a toss-up whether to opt for the less-expensive 1.6-litre petrol model, but the diesel engine works extremely well in this Corolla package. And it’s a package that ticks so many boxes for the family man or woman, that it is unobtrusively brilliant, in concept and execution. An excellent car at the price.Citroen C4 Picasso E-HDI 115 Intensive, R345900. I’m really glad the Citroen C4 Picasso made the cut. It’s a great example of French expertise in the use of space in a quirky, but nevertheless practical way.Audi A3 Sedan 1,4 SE S Tronic, R380 000. Such a beautifully made car, with such crisp, practical styling, and a great powertrain. Sheer class in this price range.Nissan Qashqai 1,6 DCi Acenta Auto, R382500. Nissan established the cross-over concept with its previous-gen Qashqai and the new one is more refined and has more utility in every respect.Subaru WRX Premium, R449000. Subaru’s latest WRX is much more mainstream than in the past, with less extroversion in terms of engine noise and visual eye-candy. But its interior is the best-equipped yet, and mechanical integrity is outstanding. By current pricing standards you get a huge driving experience for the money.Mercedes-Benz C-Class C200 Auto, R455729. This is one of the breakthrough cars of the 2014 launch year. Superb. If I was a betting man….Lexus ES 250 EX, R462500. Lexus really established itself here as a player with the previous ES, and this latest-generation model is even more refined, and offers so much equipment at an all-in price. But does it have that indefinable essence that we call character?Honda Accord 3,5 V6 Exclusive, R549000. Those that have driven it rate it as a great car with a superb engine. But then it’s a Honda isn’t it? Whether it makes it, given its price, though, remains to be seen.Porsche Macan S Diesel, R862000. This is a game-changing car, a breakthrough car in its category as it has introduced undoubted sports-car levels of competence into a large five-seater family SUV. But will Porsche’s previous two victories count against it when judging time comes in February next year?BMW M4 Coupe Auto, R1099092. So, the most costly finalist is not a Porsche, but a BMW. How can it be appropriate to include one as a Car of the Year finalist? Well, drive around Johannesburg’s northern suburbs and see how many people have the wherewithal to afford an M3/M4. And once you’ve driven one, you’ll be gob-smacked at the near supercar levels of performance this car offers. Expensive? In terms of what it offers, it may just be considered a bargain!

Next step for the 25-strong Guild of Motoring Journalists’ COTY jury is to stew on things. In February 2015 we all convene in Gauteng for three days of evaluation, back-to-back. Note, we don’t judge a Porsche directly against a Renault Duster, we judge whether a BMW M3, for instance, is the best in its category, in terms of design, competence, value for money in terms of equipment, and in terms of design and engineering excellence. The winner has to push the envelope the furthest, in its particular category.

And the car with the most votes garnered is the winner. It’s a fantastic exercise and a huge honour to win the Car of the Year title. Wesbank has been sponsoring it since 1986, and incidentally the writer was on that very first jury when a Toyota Gli Twin Cam was the first winner. Looking back, that was indeed a worthy Car of the Year!