Ser membro do Car Of The Year, o mais antigo e mais prestigiado prémio da indústria automóvel impõe várias obrigações aos 60 jurados oriundos de 23 países europeus.
Acima de tudo, a independência, claro, mas também a exclusividade. Os membros não podem pertencer a nenhum outro painel de jurados, internacional ou nacional.
É também obrigatório que a sua principal ocupação, enquanto jornalistas, seja a publicação de testes de automóveis novos. Só assim se garante a especialidade do grupo e a sua competência.
Os critérios de avaliação estão publicados no site oficial http://www.caroftheyear.org e têm que ser seguidos por todos os jurados. Claro que, cada um, deve refletir a realidade do seu país.
Os preços e a relevância comercial de cada modelo deve ser tida em conta a nível de cada país.
Mas a maior prova de transparência é mesmo a votação final.
Todos os membros são obrigados a acompanhar a votação que derem a cada modelo, com um texto justificativo. Este texto é depois publicado no site oficial e ficará acessível a todos.
Nas linhas que se seguem, transcrevo as minhas votações para os sete finalistas e as justificações. Mas se quiser ficar a conhecer as dos meus outros colegas do júri, basta seguir este link:
http://www.caroftheyear.org/winners/2020/voting-grid.php
Peugeot 208 – 6 pontos
Very wide powertrain choice, including a good electric version. Competent dynamics in most of the driving scenarios and good comfort. Interior and exterior styling is obviously a strong point, making the new 208 stand out from the B-segment offer. There are innovative and useful solutions, like the 3D instrument panel, that really works.
Renault Clio – 5 pontos
Styling did not change much, making the new Clio look like the previous model. However, almost everything else is new, starting with the platform that gives it very safe and entertaining driving. New 1.0 petrol engine and manual gearbox lack a little behind the competition. There is a hybrid version with interesting technical details.
Porsche Taycan – 4 pontos
The first electric luxury sports saloon, the Taycan exceeds expectations when driven fast on a closed track. Body control and steering precision are even more impressive than the available strong performance. Comfortable and easy to use on the road, too. Ergonomics gathers the best from Porsche tradition and new digital screens. Battery range should be better.
BMW Série 1 – 3 pontos
Roomy, stylish and well built, the new 1 Series fits the compact premium car briefing very well. It is a real improvement from the old model. Change from rear wheel drive to front wheel drive did not affect driving pleasure much; it simply is of a different kind, now. Interior styling lacks ambition and there’s no hybrid version available, yet.
Ford Puma – 3 pontos
Ford did what was expected from them: to produce a really engaging to drive B-segment SUV. Better than any competitor by a fair amount, the suspension set-up is a little hard on uneven roads. Mild-hybrid system works very well, giving a real help to the three cylinder petrol engines that are still very good, if noisy.
Tesla Model 3 – 2 pontos
Good performance and battery range in all versions. Iconic big central touch screen concentrates almost all the cabin functions. Not always easy to use, while driving, however it has strong connectivity. Build quality is not Model 3’s strongest point: panel gaps are not consistent. Dynamics are average, considering the performance available.
Toyota Corolla – 2 pontos
The return of the name Corolla to the European C-segment offer from Toyota did not change much from the previous Auris. Still a well-built, roomy and competent car, the new generation adds a second Hybrid version, more powerful and equally economical. Comfortable and easy to drive but not exciting.
