BMW Group Dominates 2009 Wheels Gold Star Car Awards

MULGRAVE, AUSTRALIA – October 29, 2009: For the third consecutive year BMW Group has dominated the 2009 Wheels Gold Star Car Awards. Published in the November issue of the ‘new look’ Wheels magazine, the Gold Star Car Awards lay testament to the best ownership proposition for new car buyers.

In total, nine BMW Group models featured in this years Gold Star Car Awards of which five BMW and MINI models were crowned outright category winners.

Wheels Gold Star Cars is not just about the drive experience of the vehicle; it extends well beyond and rates the overall ownership proposition from a financial perspective, critically assessing the purchase price, retained value, insurance cost, fuel costs, warranty coverage, servicing costs, safety and drive experience.

“BMW Group holds the Gold Star Car Awards in the highest regard and like BMW EfficientDynamics the awards are highly relevant to the real world, said BMW Group Australia’s managing director Stavros Yallouridis.

“The Gold Star Car Awards are further proof the premium ownership experience of a BMW or MINI is also a cost effective one.

“The concept of premium motoring in Australia is being re-defined. Customers today expect a premium car to deliver efficiency, dynamic performance and a realistic cost of ownership experience,” said Stavros.

One of the most compelling category wins for BMW Group was the X3 xDrive20d that continues to set new benchmarks in the compact SUV segment. The X3 2.0-litre turbo diesel was voted to have the best ownership experience ahead of Audi’s Q5 2.0 TDI and Volvo XC60 2.4 D5 LE as well as cheaper rivals such as the Mitsubishi Outlander VRX and Subaru Forester XS.

For the second consecutive year the BMW 135i Coupe was recognised as the best Sports Coupe under $150,000, earning points with its highly competitive purchase price and insurance costs, low servicing costs and exceptional driving experience. This was closely followed by the BMW 335i Coupe that took out second position in the same category surpassing the Audi TTS and S5 Coupe as well as Porsche Cayman.

In the Premium Medium category between $45,000 and $100,000 the BMW 325i sedan achieved line honours against the Lexus IS250, Mercedes-Benz C300 and Audi A4 3.2FSI quattro, claiming the best ownership experience within the class.

MINI too achieved great success. The MINI Cooper S Chilli received the award for best Premium Compact vehicle between $30,000 and $50,000, ahead of the 2008 category winner the BMW 120i Sports Hatch, which ran third this year. The MINI Cooper S Chilli scored over 90 points out of a possible 100, excelling in the in the areas of purchase price, resale value, fuel and service costs and safety.