Doha Marketing Services Company (Domasco), the exclusive distributor of Honda in Qatar, has announced that the Honda CR-V has won the Best Small SUV at the 2018 Middle East Car of the Year (Mecoty) Awards held recently.
Now in its fifth year, the Mecoty awards are the biggest, most coveted awards ceremony of the regional automotive industry and the judging panel includes some of the most respected motoring journalists from around the region. Winners of the Mecoty awards were chosen based on test drives by the jury members and public voting. Vehicles that are ‘All New’ model over the period of six to 12 months are nominated. The cars then go through a three-stage process such as nomination, jury test drives, and final scores based on jury scoring and public voting. Jurors score the nominated cars on a standard points table system; from a scale of 0–5 points; with 0 being the minimum and 5 being the maximum awardable points.
The vehicles are scored on: Exterior and interior design, handling and drivability, safety and durability, performance and capability, technological innovation, emotional appeal and driver satisfaction, value for money, comfort and practicality, environment-friendly, and regional appeal.
The new CR-V boasts of bold new styling, a more premium interior and a host of new features and technologies. The CR-V targets the highest levels of quality and driving refinement in its class with top class steering precision, ride comfort, body control and cabin quietness.
The new CR-V comes in four grades – DX and LX in 2 Wheel Drive (2WD) and EX and Touring in All Wheel Drive (AWD).
The CR-V is powered by a 2.4-litre DOHC, direct injected i-VTEC engine that is mated to a smooth shifting and sporty continuously variable transmission (CVT) with Honda G-Shift control logic. The new CR-V targets the highest available collision safety ratings, including an NCAP 5-star Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and boasts of top of class active and passive safety features.
In addition to the CR-V, Accord which was launched in October 2016 won the Best Midsize Sedan in the 2018 Mecoty awards.
The Accord has undergone a full-model change on March 2018. Faisal Sharif, managing director of Domasco, said, “We are extremely pleased to have won these prestigious awards as the Mecoty awards recognise the very best in the automotive industry. These awards are also further testament to the quality and performance of these vehicles and a fantastic accolade for the brand as the judging panel includes some of the biggest names in automotive journalism and experts in their field.”