AJAC names Canadian Car of the Year category winners

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From nearly 60 cars, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada has named its Canadian Car and Truck of the Year finalists.

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

The finalists were named after five days of testing in October were conducted by leading automotive writers across Canada. Each of today’s finalists are now in the running for the Canadian Car and Truck of the Year award.

From nearly 60 new cars, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) has named its Canadian Car and Truck of the Year category winners.

The 2014 Mazda3 walked away with two category wins from AJAC. In the Small Car Under $21,000 bracket, the Mazda3 GS took top honours, while the Mazda3 Sport GT was named Best Small over $21,000.

The Best New Family Car under $30,000 went to the funky 2014 Kia Soul. Meanwhile, the Mazda6 took top honours in the fiercely competitive Best New Family Car over $30,000 category, beating out the Chevrolet Impala and the Honda Accord Hybrid.

In the Best New Luxury Car under $50,000 category, the Lexus IS 350 took the win over the all-new Kia Cadenza and the new-for-2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA. AJAC named the Infiniti Q50 Hybrid as the Best New Luxury Car over $50,000. Not walking away empty-handed, Mercedes-Benz took the Best New Prestige Car over $75,000 with the thorougly redesigned 2014 S-Class.

Living up to the accolades from the automotive world, the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray beat out the all-new BMW 4 Series and the Porsche Cayman in AJAC’s Sports/Performance Car over $50,000.

2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk

The Jeep Cherokee, Subaru Forester XT and Toyota RAV4 were the top three contenders in the Best New CUV/SUV under $35,000 category. The Cherokee nameplate not only returned to the baby Jeep after a 13-year hiatus, but it did so as winner of its respective category.

In the $35,000 to $60,000 bracket, the Kia Sorento took top honours, followed by the Acura MDX over $60,000. Last but not least, the 2014 GMC Sierra was named AJAC’s Best New Pickup. (By Nick Tragianis, driving.ca)