After the short list with three finalists in each category was released a couple of weeks ago, time has come to talk about the winners of the ‘2016 Canadian Car of the Year’.

Journalist members of the AJAC (Automobile Journalists Association of Canada) voted on vehicles in nine different categories, after driving them over on a performance course, a handling course and public roads, simulating conditions that consumers might encounter.

The “Best New Small Car” was named the Honda Civic Sedan, followed by the Volkswagen Golf Sportwagon 1.8 TSI in the “Best New Family Car” category. The “Best New Sports / Performance Car (under $50,000) saw the Volkswagen Golf R as a winner, while the “Best New Sports / Performance Car (over $50,000) brings the Mercedes-AMG C63 S forward.

Another Mercedes model, the AMG GT, was named as the “Best New Prestige / Performance Car”, the Mazda CX-3 won the “Best New SUV / CUV (under $35,000) and the Kia Sorento was the “Best SUV / SUV ($35,000 – $60,000). The final two categories, the “Best New SUV / CUV (over $60,000)” and the “Best New Pickup” were won by the Volvo XC90 and the Chevrolet Silverado, respectively.

In order to qualify for the awards, all vehicles are new or have been significantly updated for the 2016 model year.

Best New Small Car:
– Honda Civic Sedan 709 points
– Volkswagen Jetta 1.4 TSI 686p
– Toyota Yaris Sedan 668p

Best New Family Car:
– Volkswagen Golf Sportwagon 1.8TSI 693p
– Hyundai Sonata Hybrid 676p
– Chevrolet Volt 668p

Best New Sports/Performance (under $50k):
– Volkswagen Golf R 700p
– MINI John Cooper Works 3 door 676p
– Mazda MX-5 675p

Best New Sports/Performance (over $50k):
– Mercedes-AMG C 63 S 654p
– Ford Shelby GT350 640p
– Cadillac ATS-V 639p

Best New Prestige / Performance:
– Mercedes-AMG GT S 645p
– Cadillac CTS-V 644p
– Porsche Cayman GT4 635p

Best New SUV/CUV (under $35k):
– Mazda CX-3 667p
– Honda HR-V 662p
– Jeep Renegade 646p

Best New SUV/CUV ($35k-$60k):
– Kia Sorento 667p
– Honda Pilot 666p
– Hyundai Tucson 664p

Best New SUV/CUV (over $60k):
– XC90 Volvo 664p
– Lincoln MKX 640p
– Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe (GLE 350d 4MATIC Coupe) 632p

Best New Pickup:
– Chevrolet Silverado 638p
– GMC Canyon – Diesel 630p
– Toyota Tacoma 4×4 Double Cab 629p

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