German car of the year 2019

The Jaguar i-Pace is the best car in Germany. In the independent election of the German car of the year 2019, the electric Jaguar i-Pace was imposed against the German premium models Audi A6 and VW Touareg.

For the first time, a jury of 14 independent journalists has selected the German car of the year 2019. The first winner of the German car of the year is therefore a real success, because with the Jaguar i-Pace she directly won an electric car. And none of the German production. Behind him on the podium: the Audi A6 and the Touareg VW in third place. No chance for the first three of the finals of the five best participants at GCOTY to have the chic Peugeot 508 and Hyundai Nexo hydrogen.

German car of the year 2019

This will really hurt the German premium competition. First of all, the British give the Jaguar i-Pace their electric SUV clearly ahead of the direct competition of the Audi E-Tron and Mercedes EQ C on the market, then the big national favorites of the first event of the German car of the year always behind sort it. Thus, the 4.68-meter Jaguar i-Pace gets shortly after its launch car award in the 2019 year market in Germany. Car manufacturers are excluded from GCOTY as sponsors. The event is supported by the global supplier ZF.

The i-Pace data: 294 kW / 400 hp, 696 Nm of maximum torque and a range of 480 km. 200 km / h is a bit of a drawback for the German motorway operation, but otherwise the electric cat, manufactured in Magna Steyr near Graz, is not to blame. From a stop in less than five seconds to a tempo, then to each tempo, this intense acting game – in the performance driving program cheerfully accompanied by the sound of its synthetic turbine – creates an electric car for The rapids. A well-equipped i-pace quickly costs between 90,000 and 100,000 euros and is therefore at the level of a Tesla Model S.

All the candidates in the video

Audi: perfection and elegance enough for second place

In the jury, the electric crossover finally triumphed in the Audi A6 as a favorite. In our latitudes, the sedan version of the Audi A6 leads a dark existence, as the inclined Audi customer prefers to get into the clbady version of break called Avant. However, in the new edition, the sedan is particularly elegant and elegant, and the Avant remains one of the most beautiful break – and not only in the upper clbad segment.

Inside, there is no big surprise, as the new A6 offers what the old A8 and A7 were presenting successfully. Although the three-liter V6 is the ideal choice for the Audi A6, most European customers have so far opted for the entry-level diesel 2.0 TDI, which in the new Audi nomenclature is respectively called A6 40 TDI and 150 kW / 204 hp and 400. Nm provides maximum torque.

VW Touareg: a solid and comfortable ship without real innovations

Even the new VW Touareg could not seriously endanger the pace. The Touareg is in the luxury SUV category since its launch, tied with the high-end competition of Audi, Mercedes and BMW. Volkswagen has taken a huge step with its Touareg in infotainment and connectivity.

Now designates a powerful 15-inch touch screen as a central means of capture. This works well after some installation time because of the many menu items that appear as on-screen applications. Important functions can also be selected via the controls on the steering wheel. It is nice to see that VW does not subordinate everything to digital, but has traditionally placed the adjustment of air conditioning, direct and straightforward, on the screen.

Peugeot shines with its design and ergonomics

When driving the VW, the European customer has no choice. The 2.2-ton heavy-duty AWR is powered by a 300-liter V6 producing 210 kW, which is no problem with this mbad thanks to the maximum torque of 600 Newton-meters. With a sprinting capacity of 6.1 seconds from zero to 100 km / h and a top speed of 235 km / h, the Touareg can also compete in the car comparison.

SUV hydrogen: little space in the big car

The Audi A6 and the VW Touareg did not show any real weakness in the driving tests; However, they were finally condemned by the lack of innovation in their choice. The cool Peugeot 508 shone in particular by its design, could convince in terms of driving dynamics and driving (225 hp from 1.6 liter, no four-wheel drive available) but not completely. The Hyundai Nexo is next to the Jaguar i-Pace, a second model featuring an alternative transmission among the five most prestigious cars of the German car of the year. However, the training – despite a high electrical reach – and practical weaknesses such as the badpit or the handy cargo space prevented a better result.

Database, tests, test driving: All electric cars in Germany