Motor Trend's 2007 Car of the Year is the Toyota Camry.

Camry didn't even make it on Car and Driver's 10Best list.

Discuss.

 

Every car magazine is entitled to their own opinion, which is by proxy their advertisers' opinions.

I just received this month's Road and Track mag....they're pitting a Corvette Z06 and Z51 against a Shelby Cobra GT500 and Mustang GT. a complete and utter mismatch.

 

Have you been noticing Camry ads in MT? If not, you will.....

 

Apologies, I should have been more specific. I wanted to discuss Camry's merits and whether, based on our opinions, it should have been on C&D's list, or if a different car should have been COTY.

 

It's a significant redesign of a significant vehicle in the U.S. market. I'm not surprised at all. What would be mildly surprising is if Toyota also took Truck Of The Year to make it a clean sweep like Honda did last year. I'd expect the Silverado/Sierra to take that.

Also keep in mind that C&D is a bit more enthusiast-based and their 10-Best list helps to reflect that. The Camry doesn't exactly get the blood pumping, even when compared to the Accord.

 

Both magazines have VERY different guidelines in picking their winners.


Motor Trend picks the most sigfnificant NEW car. Any car that was on the list the previous year is disqualified. Also, by "significant", they mean a car that has the most impact on the automotive scene that year. If Yugo had came up with a fusion reactor for their car that never needed refueling, yet still was a junk heap, it would probally get COTY because it has technology that has great impact on the automotive world. That's why MT has had such a ragtag roster of COTY over the years.

Car & Driver, on the other hand, has no such restrictions or lame guidelines. They go by everything from fit & finish to how it performs to it's value for the price. You'll always see BMW and Honda on C&D lists because Bimmers are forever great handling, well made cars, and Honda knows how to screw cars together without rattling or trim falling off. Corvette's becoming a regular because it's essentially a supercar at a near-luxury price.


Unless you think the latest design or technology on the newest car possible car warrants car of the year, you probally would give more stock to Car & Driver's 10 best. They have different catagories and they don't exclude cars simply because they came out more than 12 months ago, so at least it's more subjective in theory.

 

Cars and alot of drivel........WGARA! They are all commited to the same goal.

 

Got my Motor Trend the other day and threw it in the trash without opening it. The cover was enough for me. Thank God it was my last issue. Paul.

 

We need more like Paul here, who finally get what these tools are up to. This site alone, is way more informed than any of those propaganda rags. Advertising tools for the foriegn brands, nothing more the lot of em'!

 

Wasn't the Pirus COTY last year? Toyota is on a roll

 

Nope. Honda Civic. Ridgelame won Truck of the Year, first time in the award's history both the car and truck of the year were from the same company.

 

No Toyota spends more in advertising in MT and thus they get the COY.
They will need to increase spending next year in C&D to make the 10 Best.

 

Prius won COTY the year before the Civic.

 

I think you guys are getting a bit paranoid about car magazines pandering to advertisers. Motor Trend might do it (and btw, my subscription was free), but I'd be willing to bet that C&D is on the up-and-up.

Guy, you make a good point about the awards being based on different merits. At no point does Motor Trend claim that their COTY is a wise purchase, pleasant to drive, or anything actually consumer-oriented. They give the award to the groundbreakers, the new and different, and if you're a conspiracy theorist, the advertisers with the most money.

10Best, on the other hand, appears to be an actual list of cars worth buying and enjoying.