2017 Wheels Car of the Year: Readers’ choice

BEFORE THE 2017 Wheels Car of the Year was announced, and before we even revealed the finalists, we asked you, our faithful readers, to vote on what you thought should win the most coveted motoring award in Australia.

This year’s COTY contenders were one of the strongest fields in history, with the judges having a seriously difficult time witling down the six finalists. There was some intense verbal debate to decide on the final three of the Audi A4, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and Mazda CX-9.

Ultimately the Mazda CX-9 won with our judges, and we can confirm it also won with readers.

The CX-9 was the most popular car as voted by you, closely followed by the Ford Mustang and BMW M2.

Voting is still open for our competition until February 17 to give you a chance at winning $1000 so be sure to get involved.

The CX-9 is only the second SUV in the 54-year history of COTY to win the coveted gong, and it appears consumers are as impressed with Mazda’s effort as our judges.

“It's a great car and I love it, I've got the same colour, very quick and drives like a dream, excellent car,” one reader commented on Facebook.

“Great one, a car that a lot of people will buy, Mazda quality,” another added.

And finally: “The CX9 was always my bet to win. The price point is right for its target market. The features on the models are competitive. The integration of the features is generally intuitive. Aftersales care is comprehensive. Performance and dynamics exceed the required level for a seven seat SUV … and technology is utilised to maximise fuel consumption.”