Mazda and Genesis take home 2021 Canadian Car and Utility of the Year

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The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) March 30 announced this year’s Canadian Car and Utility of the Year, handing the 2021 titles to Mazda and Genesis.

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Picking up top honors for Car of the Year is the Mazda 3, available as both a sedan and hatchback, and offered for the first time this year with a 2.5L turbocharged engine pushing 250 horsepower and more than 300 lb-ft of torque.

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Mazda and Genesis take home 2021 Canadian Car and Utility of the Year Back to video

Its good looks and sharp handling characteristics helped it take the title, making it just the second back-to-back win in the history of the awards, and the first for a car.

Genesis, meanwhile, is turning the luxury segment on its ear by introducing a raft of vehicles which are expressively styled and furbished unto the zenith of plushness.

The GV80 is built on what the brand is calling its ‘M3’ platform, a moniker which is surely a one-digit salute to Munich and a reference to the Genesis aim of beating the Germans at their own game. The vehicle is configured to be a rear- or all-wheel-drive platform, with the engine oriented fore-aft instead of side-to-side, a win for chassis balance and likely a key contributor to today’s win.

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“AJAC is very proud to present our highest honours today to the 2021 Canadian Car of the Year and Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year,” said AJAC President Stephanie Wallcraft. “2020 was a challenging year for everyone, our industry included.” The Canadian Car of the Year award presentation is typically held during the opening ceremonies of the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto; this year’s festivities were cancelled thanks to public health measures aimed at controlling the spread of COVID-19.

The two vehicles were awarded during a live broadcast of The Morning Show on Global Television, a culmination of months of testing and evaluation carried out by dozens of the country’s automotive journalists, who tested each vehicle on the same roads Canadian drivers ply each day. More than 250 vehicles were eligible for consideration.

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Assessment for this year’s awards were slightly different than past years, with jurors testing vehicles from their homes across Canada instead of at a big one-time event as in past years. The classification of vehicles can sometimes be a head-scratcher, such as the ‘mid-size’ classification of the Mazda 3, but the process is very transparent with scores and weightings publicly available on the AJAC website .

AJAC also bestowed its Best New Automotive Innovation awards on several new technologies that are now available to Canadian consumers. Honda’s next-gen front passenger airbag was selected as Best Safety Innovation thanks to its unique design, which catches the passenger’s head and upper torso to ease motion into the centre chamber of the airbag. It was first used on the 2021 Acura TLX.

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Ford did well, earning kudos for Best Green Innovation and Best Technical Innovation. The former was captured by the 2021 F-150 PowerBoost, a new full hybrid truck which blends large amounts of capability with reduced emissions and better fuel economy. While the selection of a full-sized pickup truck may initially seem anything but green, it’s important to note the F-150 is Canada’s best-selling vehicle and any reduction in its emissions will have a measurable impact.

As for the Best Tech Innovation, the brand’s ProPower On Board generator – available in various trims of the F-150 – took that award. Offered in three different power outputs, including a brutish 7.2-kW configuration, the tool provides electrical outlets for truck owners who wish to use their pickup as a power source at job sites, campsites, and anywhere in between.