AJAC Canadian Car of the Year Winners for 2019
What does the Kia Stinger, Jaguar I-Pace, Ford F150, and Mazda CX-9 all have in common? They were all named on the AJAC 2019 Canadian Car of the Year Winners list. Read on to discover exactly why each vehicle won the prestigious award...
The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), a reliable and integral part of Canada’s automotive landscape, hosts The Canadian Car of the Year and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards to announce the best vehicles for Canadian consumers every year.
After months of road evaluations and testing on performance, features, technology, fuel consumption and overall value by roughly 70 of Canada’s most-esteemed automotive professionals, the winners were selected after an anonymous vote from over 1,000 ballots and announced at the opening ceremony for the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto, Ontario
Read more: Compare these 2019 AJAC honorees with the 2020 and 2021 winners. Notice any repeat winners?
2019 Canadian Car of the Year Winner: Kia Stinger
The 2019 Kia Stinger, a sports and luxury sedan made by South Korea’s second-largest manufacturer, Kia, took home the award for the 2019 Canadian Car of the Year.
2019 Canadian SUV of the Year Winner: Jaguar I-Pace
The Jaguar I-Pace, a battery-operated electric crossover SUV, was announced as the 2019 Canadian Utility of the Year.
2019 Canadian Car of the Year Finalists
Here are the category winners of this year’s Canadian Car of the Year and Utility Vehicle of the Year Award Finalists.
Best Small Car: Kia Forte
The Best Small Car award was presented to Kia Forte – a compact car produced by Kia Motors, South Korea’s second-largest automobile manufacturer after Hyundai Motor Company. The Kia Forte is available as a two-door Forte Koup, sedan, hatchback, or hybrid. The 2019 Kia Forte offers enhanced driving features that are both stylistic and valuable to Canadian drivers. Forward Collision Avoidance-Assist, parking guidance, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and Standard Lane Keeping Assist-Line are just some of the features that offer convenience, smart technology and comfort for drivers. The Kia Forte was rated 7.9 in overall quality, 7.9 in safety and 8.2 in fuel economy, beating out the Honda Insight, Hyundai Accent, Mazda3, Toyota Corolla Hatchback, and the Volkswagen Jetta. The starting MSRP for the 2019 Kia Forte is $17,790.
Best Large Car: Kia Stinger
Another win for Kia Motors, the Kia Stinger was awarded Best Large Car by the AJAC. The Kia Stinger is a compact executive car with a 5-door fastback styling feature. Its curb weight varies from 1,638 to 1,825 kg and includes an 8-speed automatic transmission. According to Kia’s chief designer, the style of the Stinger was partially inspired by the Coco-Cola bottle and it wears the E badge, which symbolizes Korea’s “Engineered by Excellence”. The 2019 Kia Stinger reps a stylish and sporty appearance, high levels of performance, a refined interior, and generous warranty coverage. Its overall quality and safety scored 8.0 and its fuel efficiency scored 5.7. The Kia Stinger beat out the Buick Regal Sportback, Mazda6, and Toyota Avalon.
Best Premium Cars: Mercedes-Benz E 400 and Volvo V90 R-Design
Mercedes-Benz E 400The Mid-Size Premium Winner is the Mercedes-Benz E 400, awarded a score of 9.0 for overall quality, 8.8 on safety, and 5.6 on fuel economy.
Its high level of technology and safety features stand out amongst other premium cars as it dominated the Genesis G70, Lexus ES, and Mercedes-Benz C 300 4MATIC Wagon.
Volvo V90 R-Design
The Volvo V90 R-Design won for Best Large Premium Car and was awarded a score of 8.4 on overall quality, 8.7 for safety, and 6.3 for fuel economy. It defeated the Lexus LS, which came in second place.
Best Sports-Performance Car: Mazda MX-5
The Mazda MX-5 takes the cake for Best Sports-Performance Car. The lightweight, two-passenger car has a roadster style with a heavy emphasis on sporty appearance. Manufactured at Mazda’s automobile manufacturing complex in Japan, the Mazda MX-5 boasts a lightweight and compact exterior with a smooth interior, state-of-the-art technology features and high horsepower and torque. It scored an overall 8.0 for quality, 7.3 for safety, and 7.0 for fuel economy, outdoing the Buick Regal GS, Ford Mustang, Hyundai Veloster Turbo, and Volkswagen Golf R.
Best Small SUV: Hyundai Kona
The Best Small Utility Vehicle was won by Hyundai Kona – the first electric sub-compact SUV in Canada, which combines SUV styles and features with electric driving range. Its overall quality and safety was awarded with a score of 7.7 and its fuel economy scored 7.6. The Nissan Kicks took second place and the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross scored third for the Best Small Utility Vehicle.
Best Mid-Size and Large SUVs: Mazda CX-5
The Mazda CX-5 received first place for the Mid-Size Utility Vehicle and Mazda had another win for Best Large SUV for the Mazda CX-9.
Best Mid-Size Premium SUV: Infinity QX50
First place for the Mid-Size Premium Utility Vehicle was given to the Infiniti QX50 which received a score of 8.2 for overall quality, 8.2 for safety, and 6.5 for fuel economy. The Infiniti QX50 beat the Acura RDX, which came in second-place, and the Alfa Romeo Stelvio which came in third.
Best Pick-Up Truck: Ford F-150 Diesel
The Ford F-150 Diesel was awarded Best Pick-Up in Canada, beating the GMC Sierra 1500, the Ram 1500, and the Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The Ford F-150 has some of the best-in-class features for a pick-up, including high torque, capability, and towing up to 13,200 lbs. Its lightweight body is military-grade and includes driver-assist technologies and innovative systems. The Ford F-150 scored 7.9 on overall quality, 7.3 for safety, and 6.2 for fuel economy.
Best Electric Vehicles: Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid and Jaguar I-Pace
Chrysler Pacifica HybridThe Best EV (Electric Vehicle) was given to Chrysler’s Pacifica Hybrid, which scored a 7.9 on overall quality, 8.0 on safety, and 9.2 on fuel economy. It beat out the Honda Clarity PHEV, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Nissan LEAF, and Volkswagen e-Golf. The Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is Canada’s only hybrid minivan and is considered the most technologically advanced minivan ever. It can sit up to seven passengers and has a 2.7/100 km city fuel economy rating, which means Canadians can drive longer and save a ton of money on the road.
Jaguar I-Pace
The Jaguar I-Pace, Jaguar’s first all-electric vehicle, was awarded Best Premium EV and received a score of 8.4 on overall vehicle quality, 8.1 for safety, and a whopping 9.6 on fuel economy. Second place was given to the Volvo S90 T8 and third-place was awarded to the Volvo XC60 T8.
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