International Car of the Year Awards by Road & Travel

Road & Travel Magazine recently announced its 10 annual Internation Car of the Year Awards and the winners are..

Title CategoryMost CategoryVehicleCar of the Year-Dodge ChargerTruck of the Year-Hummer H3Pick up Truck of the Year"Most Athletic"Honda RidgelineSports Car of the Year"Most Sex Appeal"Pontiac SolsticeSedan of the Year"Most Dependable"Hyundai SonataLuxury Car of the Year"Most Respected"Mercedes-Benz CLS500Minivan of the Year"Most Compatible"Honda OdysseyEntry Lever Car of the Year"Most Spirited"Audi A3Crossover of the Year"Most Versatile"Dodge Magnum SRT8Suv of the Year (Tie)"Most Resourceful"Ford ExplorerSuv of the Year (Tie)"Most Resourceful"Range Rover Sport

Comparing the list above do you agree or would you have selected something else?

Incidently I like the Pontiac Solstice, Honda Ridgeline, Sonata, Audi and Dodge Magnum from the above list.

TS out

Interesting picks to see I agree with most but the solstice is a love it hate it thing and well I'm not in the love it group.

What the hell? international?....6 out of all those car ain't sold anywhere else but north america....and not to mention not offering RHD how is international?

Or is America = the world?

I disagree with the ridgeline. I mean if you want a car and you are forced to get a "truck" than I guess it fits the bill, but as far as doing pick up truck jobs its total crap.

i find it amusing that they decided that the A3 was the most spirited in a year in which we saw the fiesta ST, suzuki ignis sport, colt czt, renault clio trophey not to mention the new gold gti as well.

"honda" and "pick-up truck" do not belong in the same sentence.
i would think the the S-class is a more respected model then the CLS-class, but what do i know?
also, i hate hummers, too bid, too ugly, and too underpowered. i've just always thought of people who buy them as people that don't have good taste in cars.
but other than that, i think it's a pretty good list

I found the Car of the Year, theSports car of the Year, and the Crossover of the Year questionable.
Dodge Charger for 2006? Wasn't the 2005 a Chrysler 300? Aren't they essentially the same car?
I prefer the MX-5 over the Solstice with no questions asked.
Isn't crossover mean a vehicle with SUV styling, but based on a car platform? I can see the Magnum as a striking new design, but that is just a STATION WAGON.

What the hell? international?....6 out of all those car ain't sold anywhere else but north america....and not to mention not offering RHD how is international?

Or is America = the world?
I have to agree with what you are saying here. I do feel that those awards are not really INTERNATIONAL. And I feel biased awards...

I found the Car of the Year, theSports car of the Year, and the Crossover of the Year questionable.
Dodge Charger for 2006? Wasn't the 2005 a Chrysler 300? Aren't they essentially the same car?


Isn't crossover mean a vehicle with SUV styling, but based on a car platform? I can see the Magnum as a striking new design, but that is just a STATION WAGON.

you could also put the magnum into the same argument between the 300 and the charger. all three are on the same platform and use the same engine. i guess that just means it's a pretty good engine and a pretty good platform if two of the cars are on the list.

i also would describe the magnum as a wagon, but nowadays, it seems like if a car is in the crossover, suv, wagon, minivan category, carmakers just call it whatever they like. for example: bmw doesn't call it's X5 an SUV, and Mercedes doesn't call it's R500 a minivan.

still, i would say that the magnum perfectly matches the "most category" it's in, that being, most versatile. there aren't a lot of cars that you can carry the wife and kids AND the new kitchen cabinets around in and still have 425 horsepower and sport tuned suspension to play with AND have it still be reasonably priced. it doesn't get much better than that.

I have to agree with what you are saying here. I do feel that those awards are not really INTERNATIONAL. And I feel biased awards...

i wouldn't say that they're biased. just look at the categories. european automakers just don't make trucks or minivans, and the SUV's that they do make wouldn't exactly fit under the "most resourceful" category.
and as far as asians go, they won the minivan category and the europeans have them (and the rest of the world) owned when it comes to luxury. i wouldn't pick an asian truck over an american one (although i would never buy a hummer), and they won in the most reliable category, which is what i think asian cars are best known for.
so no, i don't think the list is biased.

you could also put the magnum into the same argument between the 300 and the charger. all three are on the same platform and use the same engine. i guess that just means it's a pretty good engine and a pretty good platform if two of the cars are on the list.

i also would describe the magnum as a wagon, but nowadays, it seems like if a car is in the crossover, suv, wagon, minivan category, carmakers just call it whatever they like. for example: bmw doesn't call it's X5 an SUV, and Mercedes doesn't call it's R500 a minivan.

still, i would say that the magnum perfectly matches the "most category" it's in, that being, most versatile. there aren't a lot of cars that you can carry the wife and kids AND the new kitchen cabinets around in and still have 425 horsepower and sport tuned suspension to play with AND have it still be reasonably priced. it doesn't get much better than that.



So what I see is that the same company only need to rename one of their product to something else, then they can be awarded again.

Ford should name the Focus Sedan a name, and the ZX3 another one, the ZX5 another one, and the Station wagon another so they have a better chance in order to capture one of the prize if not all of them.

I don't really like this list. The A3 is an entry level car? They start over $25,000 in the US (obviously where this list is based). Luxury car goes to the CLS55? not a single magazine that I know of has placed it above the less expensive M5. And COTY goes to the Charger? its a decent car but surely there is something better or more revolutionary then that.