The tension was mounting and it could almost be seen emblazoned across the cloudy sky above Kyalami, where the weather had been rather undecided, not sure whether to sneak the sun out for a tease or pelt us with another thunderstorm.

We, on the other hand, were getting closer to ‘decided’. We’d spent a day getting reacquainted with these cars (and bakkie) at the race track and surrounding roads, not forgetting that we’d also gotten to know most of these cars during the course of the year.

Yet as the weather was getting more hostile, our debates were getting less intense and we were coming closer to a consensus on which cars made the grade and which didn’t. As you saw in the previous section, we managed to eliminate six cars fairly easily, but as you’ll soon read, it was going to be a very close tussle between the remaining five.

After a good night’s rest and waking up to sunny skies, we snatched the keys of the Audi S5, BMW M3, Chev Ute SS, Opel Corsa OPC and Subaru Impreza STI and heeded the calling of the open road. The plan was to crawl through Jo’burg’s sluggish traffic and then head to some quiet and twisty roads outside the city.

That way we’d have one last chance to reflect on each car before finally declaring a winner. Drive, drive and drive some more, was the plan of action as we attacked some neat stretches of asphalt where Gauteng meets North West Province, in the region of the Cradle of Human Kind.

Then it was time to stop for a stretch, look over the pics our lensmen had snapped and tally up that scoreboard one last time. Our team gathered around each car as we shot a video for our website and summed up each car one last time.

First up was the Audi S5. It has such a lot going for it, we all agreed, and it’s so much more than a pretty face.

And a pretty face it is. It’s the car that brought tears to the eyes of its designer, Walter da Silva, and though it never quite moved us in the same respect, we can’t deny that it’s a beautiful piece of machinery, with just the right dose of aggression without going over the top. Same story inside, where you’re greeted by a driver-focussed dashboard wrapped in the finest materials.

Under the hood is a naturally aspirated V8, which is possibly this car’s weakest link. It’s not tuned for massive performance like the RS 4’s version of it, and the performance it offers hardly justifies having a big thirsty V8 lump like this in the first place. This engine will soon be replaced by a more frugal supercharged V6 that makes a lot more sense.

S5’s most delightful aspect is its chassis. Previous Audi quattros understeered too quickly but the S5 actually lets you play with the rear end far more, whether you want to set up a neutral stance for the corner or even oversteer. This car is now a dynamic match for the equivalent BMW.

Talking of Bavaria, the BMW M3 is another prime PCOTY candidate. The coupe came very close last year and M3 qualifies again this year because since then the range has been expanded to include a four-door version and a brilliant double-clutch gearbox.

Four-door M3 is the perfect compromise between the family car you feel obliged to buy and the sports car you really want to own. With the new DTC sequential gearbox, it’s really peachy to drive no matter how you’re driving. Unlike the old SMG, it’s very smooth and user-friendly around town, but also delivers lightning-quick yet ‘feel-able’ cog swaps when you’re really thrashing it.

It’s the perfect way to exploit that 309kW, 400Nm M-fettled V8 as you rev it all the way up to its 8300rpm peak.

For pure cornering bliss, M3 sends this force to the back wheels via that variable M differential that creates the optimal power distribution between those wheels. And the cherry on the cake for those seeking a Jeckle and Hyde-type car, is its multitude of different settings you can punch in for the engine, gearbox and chassis.

There’s really not much counting against the M3 sedan, besides that its styling is perhaps just little too subtle in places and that is rather expensive.

» Continued on page 2

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