Twice crowned

After claiming top prize in the Carsguide Car of the Year award for 2008 the blue oval brand's family favourite has also been named as Best Family Car in the Australia's Best Cars awards for 2008.

It is the only homegrown champion among the 12 winners in the annual contest judged by Australia's motoring clubs as a consumer guide to new-car showrooms.

The winners claimed their crowns after a massive assessment of 280 individual contenders, who are judged against three basic measurements: value for money, design and on-road performance.

The field was trimmed to 36 finalists across the 12 categories, and these were then extensively road tested to find the winners in each size and price class.

The champion crew for 2008 runs from the Mazda2 Neo at the bottom, through the Falcon and Hyundai iMax people mover to the luxury Lexus GS450h hybrid and the luxury BMW X5 four-wheel drive.

But it is the Falcon which has made the biggest impact, according to Best Cars' chief judge Ernest Litera.

"The winning 2008 Ford Falcon XT represents a concerted effort on product refinement; the model is not an all-new chassis and engine but more a refinement to the engine to produce better performance and fuel economy," says Litera.

"The ride and handling package has also improved significantly and feels more like the quality cars we would expect to come out of Europe, without compromising on space, touring ability and towing that Australians also often look for."

Litera praises the general standard of the vehicles which made the shortlist in 2008.

"The finalists are a good set of cars - we are very pleased with the sorts of cars that have come on to the Australian market this year.

"The judges are seeing a steady improvement in the quality of vehicles on the Australian market - particularly in the area of safety equipment and crash test results alongside their on-road performance.

"They have to perform well in crash tests conducted by Australia's leading crash test and vehicle safety advocate, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program, and the ANCAP results show vehicles are definitely safer today without compromising performance."

But he says the choices, even exotics such as the Audi TT-S sports car and the heavyweight Land Rover Discovery four-wheel drive, are always assessed against the needs of potential owners.

"These are consumer awards where every score on every vehicle is made available to help buyers make informed purchasing decisions," says Litera.

Full details of the Best Cars awards can be viewed at australiasbestcars.com.au or in the Australia's Best Cars magazine, available from newsagents.

Australia's Best Cars 2008 Winners

Best Small Car: Mazda2 Neo

Best Mid-Size Car under $28,000: Hyundai i30 SX

Best Mid-Size Car over $28,000: Mazda6 Classic

Best Large Car: Ford FG Falcon XT

Best People Mover: Hyundai iMax

Best Sports Car: BMW 135i Coupe Sport

Best Luxury Sports Car: Audi TT-S TFSI Quattro

Best Prestige Car: Audi A4 TDI

Best Luxury Car: Lexus GS450h

Best Recreational 4WD: Volkswagen Tiguan TDI

Best Luxury 4WD: BMW X5 3.0d

Best All-Terrain 4WD: Land Rover Discovery 3SE TDV6