To snatch the title the Honda Accord had to beat eight other tough contenders, the Ford Fiesta 1.6 Trend 5-door, Suzuki Swift 1.5 GLS, Mazda6 2.5 Individual, Jaguar XF 3.0 V6 Premium Luxury automatic, VW Tiguan 1.4 TSi Trend&Fun 4Motion, Audi A4 1.8T Ambition Multitronic, Honda Jazz 1.5 EX and Suzuki SX4 2.0.
This was the first year that two manufacturers, Honda and Suzuki each had two finalists for the title.
In 2007 Honda won the title with Honda Civic 1.8 VXi. Last year's winner was the Mazda2 1.5 Individual.
Since 2000 Renault and Audi have also won the South African Car of the Year title twice.
Renault won in 2000 with the Renault Clio 1.4 RT and in 2004 with the Renault Megane 1.9 dCi.
Audi won in 2002 with the Audi A4 1.9 TDi and in 2006 with the Audi A3 Sportback 2.0T.
The winning Honda Accord received the accolade - one of the most coveted in the local motor industry - after an exhaustive nomination and evaluation process involving members of the SA Guild of Motorists.
The process includes an initial vote by Guild members, followed by comprehensive testing of the finalists by members of the Guild's Car of the Year jury panel.
“The Accord's victory in the SA Car of the Year contest is particularly sweet, given the highly competitive market conditions, and the widely held expectation that the title would be bestowed on a compact contender,” says Honda SA managing director, Yoshiaki Nakamura.
“While buying trends are favouring smaller, more economical models, the Accord is a perfect example of how space, performance and luxury can be combined with frugality, efficiency and value to deliver a highly desirable and relevant motoring package.”
The Accord sedan range currently offers a choice of 2,0-litre and 2,4-litre petrol engines, as well as a recently announced i-DTEC turbo-diesel option, while transmission choices include a six-speed manual, as well as five-speed and six-speed automatic gearboxes.
Pricing starts at R270 900, which includes a three-year/100,000km warranty, and a five-year/90,000km service plan.
