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Here are the cars you should buy in 2015

Fuel-efficient, light and spacious: the new Audi Q7. Photo: motoring.com.au

Fuel-efficient, light and spacious: the new Audi Q7. Photo: motoring.com.au

Mazda has beaten Mercedes-Benz to top the list as the most awarded brand in the 2015 motoring.com.au Recommends awards.

The ever-popular Japanese brand beat the German luxury icon eight to seven to take out the most awards in the 2015 list.

The brands with the next best performances were prestige marques BMW and Audi, which tied with six gongs each.

Mass-market brands Ford and Volkswagen rounded out the top five with five and four ‘Recommends’ awards respectively.

The Model S, the first four-door from controversial disruptor car brand Tesla, was awarded in two categories.

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The vehicles recognised are motoring.com.au’s top picks across 13 categories for real-world new-car buyers and consumers.

Mazda received awards for its CX-3 and CX-5 crossovers and well as Mazda 2, 3, 6 and BT-50. The brand-new MX-5 roadster also received a motoring.com.au award.

hyundai-i20

Hyundai’s i-20 won out in the cheap family car market. Photo: motoring.com.au

Mercedes models that were ‘dubbed’ include the new Mercedes-AMG GT S sportscar and Mercedes-Benz C-, CLS- and S-Class models.

The full motoring.com.au ‘Recommends’ award winners are listed below.

“We judge new cars in the real environment – where consumers use and abuse them,” motoring.com.au and carsales.com editor-in-chief Mike Sinclair said.

“The cars chosen all represent informed choices for new car shoppers.”

The categories are: First Car; City Car; Family Car under and over $30,000; SUV under and over $50,000; Performance Car under and over $100,000; Prestige Car under and over $100,000; Off-road 4×4; Tradie; and Green.

A wide range of attributes are considered in making choices for each of the categories, including performance; refinement; handling; suitability for purpose and value for money.

Resale, reliability and factors such as warranty and the availability or otherwise of benefits such as capped-price servicing are also considerations.

Only cars on sale to the general public and driven by motoring.com.au before September 1, 2015 were eligible for the awards.

Click on each category to read the full reviews and browse cars for sale.

2015 motoring.com.au Recommends winners

City Car:

BMW i3

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BMW’s i3 comes in both pure electric and extended plug-in range. Photo: motoring.com.au

Kia Rio

Mazda CX-3

Renault Clio

Volkswagen Polo

First Car:

Ford Fiesta

Kia Rio

Mazda 2

Skoda Fabia

Volkswagen Polo

Family Car under $30K:

Hyundai i30

Mazda3

Peugeot 308

Citroen Grand Picasso

The Grand Picasso won points for its fresh and clean aesthetic. Photo: motoring.com.au

Skoda Octavia

Volkswagen Golf

Family Car over $30K:

Citroen C4 Grand Picasso

Hyundai Santa Fe

Kia Sorento

Mazda 6

Skoda Octavia Scout

Green:

Audi A3 e-tron Sportback

BMW i3

Mercedes-Benz S 300 Hybrid

Tesla Model S

Toyota Camry Hybrid

Off-road:

Ford Ranger

Land Rover Discovery 4

Mazda BT-50

Toyota Prado

The updated Toyota Prado is a smooth operator for its size and weight. Photo: motoring.com.au

Nissan Navara

Toyota LandCruiser Prado

Performance Car under $100K:

Audi S1 quattro

BMW M235i

Ford Fiesta ST

Mazda MX-5

Mercedes-AMG A 45

Performance Car over $100K:

Jaguar F-TYPE

Mercedes-AMG C 63

Mercedes-AMG GT

Porsche 911

Porsche Cayman

Prestige Car under $100K:

Audi A3

Audi A6

BMW 3 Series

Tesla Model S

The Tesla Model S – the ‘disruptor’ car changing the automotive industry. Photo: motoring.com.au

Jaguar XE

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Prestige Car over $100K:

Audi A7 Sportback

BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe

Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Tesla Model S

SUV under $50K:

Honda HR-V

Hyundai Sante Fe

Hyundai Tucson

Kia Sorento

Mazda CX-5

SUV over $50K:

Audi Q7

BMW X5

Land Rover Discovery Sport

Audi Q7

Fuel-efficient, light and spacious: the new Audi Q7. Photo: motoring.com.au

Porsche Macan

Range Rover Sport

Tradie:

Ford Ranger

Ford Transit Custom

Mazda BT-50

Renault Trafic

Volkswagen Amarok

 

This article first appeared on motoring.com.au.

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