Maruti Grand Vitara, Bajaj Pulsar N160 bag top honours at Autocar Awards 2023

    Tata Motors won the Manufacturer of the Year award for the second consecutive year.

    Published On Feb 23, 2023 09:34:00 PM

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    The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara has been crowned the Car of the Year at the Autocar Awards 2023, while the Bajaj Pulsar N160 is the Bike of the Year. The Grand Vitara had to contest closely with the likes of the Mahindra Scorpio N, Toyota Innova Hycross, Hyundai Tucson and several others to bag the top honour. Maruti’s first midsize SUV impressed the jury with its fuel-efficient hybrid system, clever packaging and quality that Maruti's flagship has brought to the table.

    1. Maruti Grand Vitara adjudged Car of the Year
    2. Bajaj Pulsar N160 crowned Bike of the Year
    3. Suzuki Katana wins Premium Bike of the Year
    4. Porsche 911 GT3 RS wins Performance car of the Year

    2023 Autocar Awards category winners announced: cars

    The Maruti Grand Vitara not only won the top honour overall, but it also topped its own segment with the Midsize SUV of the Year title. Meanwhile, the Mahindra Scorpio N took home the Off-roader of the year award – it impressed with its fabulous engines, robust build and hardcore off-roading ability.

    Moving up the price ladder, the Hyundai Tucson was declared as the Executive SUV of the year, topping others like the Jeep Meridian and BYD Atto 3. The Tucson impressed the jury for its radical looks and all the technology it has brought into the segment. The Audi Q3 was announced as the luxury SUV of the year, over contenders like the Volvo XC40 Recharge and Jeep Grand Cherokee. In the MPV category, the new Toyota Innova Hycross moved the goalposts further in its segment, and likewise, was crowned as the MPV of the Year.

    While SUVs continue to be the majority, last year saw quite a few competent hatchbacks and sedans being launched in the market. The Maruti Suzuki Baleno bagged the Hatchback of the Year title, while the Volkswagen Virtus took away the award for Midsize Sedan of the Year. Meanwhile, the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class was adjudged as the Luxury sedan of the year, over its stablemates the new C-Class and all-electric EQS.

    Even though styling is a subjective matter, our jury agreed that the radical looking Kia EV6 was a deserving winner of the Best Design and Styling Award. The Performance Car of the Year award went to the phenomenal driver’s delight that is the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, while the Green Car of the Year award was given to the humble and practical Tata Tiago EV.

    2023 Autocar Awards category winners announced: bikes

    Moving on to two-wheelers, the new Bajaj Pulsar N160 was a revelation to our jurors, impressing with its brilliantly smooth engine, packaging, quality and ride and handling balance. It’s also a massive improvement over its predecessor – the Pulsar 150 – thereby deserving the top honour for two-wheelers.

    Meanwhile, the 2023 Premium Bike of the Year was won by the gorgeous, inline-four Suzuki Katana, while the Import Bike of the Year was awarded to the superb and capable Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Pro, topping some heavy weights such as the Ducati Streetfighter V2 and the BMW F 850 GS.

    Last year also saw a slew of new electric two wheelers launch in the market with the TVS iQube S, Bajaj Chetak and Ather 450X Gen 3 being the most competent of the lot. Topping it all, however, was TVS' iQube S, which won the title of Green Two-Wheeler of the Year – it impressed our jurors with its practicality, comfortable ride quality, and good performance and range figures. At the other end of the spectrum was the screaming Ducati Streetfighter V2 that bagged the Performance bike of the Year Award.

    Viewer’s Choice and Industry awards

    The Viewer’s Choice awards for both the Car of the Year and Bike of the Year were won by two reputable Indian brands – Mahindra and Royal Enfield – for the Scorpio N and Hunter 350, respectively. Both products have hugely wowed the Indian audience for their value and packaging, and their popularity can certainly be seen on Indian roads.

    On to the industry, the 2022 Person of the Year was Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director of Mahindra & Mahindra, while the coveted Manufacturer of the Year award went to Tata Motors, just as it did last year. Here’s the list of all the winners:

    Autocar Car of The Year Award winners
    CategoryWinner
    Car of the YearMaruti Suzuki Grand Vitara
    Bike of the YearBajaj Pulsar N160
    Hatchback of the YearMaruti Suzuki Baleno
    Midsize Sedan of the YearVolkswagen Virtus
    Luxury Sedan of the YearMercedes-Maybach S-class
    Midsize SUV of the YearMaruti Suzuki Grand Vitara
    Off-roader of the YearMahindra Scorpio-N
    Executive SUV of the YearHyundai Tucson
    MPV of the YearToyota Innova Hycross
    Luxury SUV of the YearAudi Q3
    Performance Car of the YearPorsche 911 GT3 RS
    Green Car of the YearTata Tiago EV
    Best Design & StylingKia EV6
    Premium Bike of the YearSuzuki Katana
    Import Bike of the YearTriumph Tiger 1200 Rally Pro
    Performance Bike of the YearDucati Streetfighter V2
    Green Two-wheeler of the YearTVS iQube S
    Viewers' Choice Car of the YearMahindra Scorpio-N
    Viewers' Choice Bike of the YearRoyal Enfield Hunter 350
    Person of the YearRajesh Jejurikar
    Manufacturer of the YearTata Motors

    Also see:

    Autocar Awards 2023 video: Maruti Grand Vitara, Bajaj Pulsar N160 bag top honours

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