Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV crosses finish line first as Korea's Car of the Year

The JoongAng Ilbo's Car of the Year award went to the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV for its performance and comfort.

A total of of 13 judges of the JoongAng Ilbo's Car of the Year award inspect cars at the Korea Automobile Testing & Research Institute (Katri) in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, on Feb. 17. [KIM JONG-HO]

The Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV has been selected as Car of the Year by the JoongAng Ilbo, a leading newspaper based in Seoul, in recognition of its high driving performance and design.

The EQE garnered 1,721 points to land in the top spot out of 23 of the latest cars from 12 brands during an evaluation spanning more than two months. A total of 13 judges including researchers and car experts evaluated the candidates in six categories such as customer value, design and safety with a maximum of 25 points for each.

Mercedes-Benz's EQE SUV [MERCEDES-BENZ KOREA]

The Benz received high scores in three categories — driving performance, design and efficiency.

“The longer I spent behind the wheel of the EQE, the more satisfaction it offered with its driving capabilities and spacious interior,” said Jeong Seung-ryul, the president of Kookmin University who led the judging panel.

The EQE came in 19th in the first round of evaluations, which was done based on documentation. However, it ended up No. 1 in the second round, after judges actually got behind the wheel of the cars on the proving ground at the Korea Automobile Testing & Research Institute (Katri) in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi.

Song Gye-ju, a senior researcher at Nexen Tire, praised the EQE as an “impressive model as it performs consistently in all conditions.”

Hyundai Motor’s Santa Fe was selected as the Korean Car of the Year, recognized for its innovative design and spacious interior. The SUV earned 1,604 points, the highest of any car from local brands.

“Its surprising exterior design also came with a spacious interior when I actually got behind the wheel,” said Yang Jeong-ho, a senior researcher at Hankook Tire.

Kim Hak-sun, a senior researcher at Katri, described the Santa Fe as the “best choice for a family car.”

Santa Fe [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Kia’s EV9 claimed Future Mobility of the Year, a designation bestowed upon a car that shows excellence in various next-generation auto technologies like connectivity, advanced driving assistant systems (ADAS) and electrification. Future Mobility of the Year is also one of the three main prizes form the JoongAng Ilbo along with Car of the Year and Korean Car of the Year.

“The EV9 is full of various useful features like the massage function in the second row of seats and a folding seat in the third row, as well as the vehicle-to-load [V2L] function" that allows owners to charge and power other devices with interior and exterior power outlets, said auto columnist Kim Woo-sung.

Kia's EV9 [KIA]

The EV9 is “a future-oriented model,” said Kim Ki-tae, the chief editor at AutoView, a local media outlet specializing in the auto industry, adding that it is indicative of “Kia’s vision for its future mobility.”

The JoongAng Ilbo also selected five cars for other categories: Performance, Design, Utility, ADAS and Best Change.

In the performance category, Porsche’s Cayenne Turbo GT won for its driving capabilities at high speed, the second consecutive year Porsche took the performance award.

Porsche's Cayenne Turbo GT [PORSCHE KOREA]

“The Cayenne showed the best driving capability [among other candidates],” judge Jeong said, while Jang Min-yeong, a senior researcher at Kumho Tire, complimented it as the “picture of a high-performance SUV in the aspects of driving performance and safety.”

The Design award went to BMW’s XM, a high-performance SUV that comes with a plug-in hybrid engine.

BMW's XM SUV, the first plug-in hybrid under the high-performance M brand [BMW KOREA]

“From the exterior and interior to driving performance and display, the XM represents the brand’s unique identity well,” said Koo Sang, a fine arts professor at Hongik University.

BMW also took home an award in the ADAS category with its i5, which was recognized unanimously by all judges in the ADAS sector.

“The i5 was excellent at identifying passersby at night, and also perfectly handled the emergency braking system and lights,” said a senior researcher at Aptiv, a tech company.

The BMW's i5 [BMW KOREA]

Lee Hyuck-kee, a senior researcher at the Korea Automotive Technology Institute, praised the i5’s lane capture capabilities and emergency steering system as something that he has never seen in any car from other brands.

The GMC Sierra pick-up was given the Utility of the Year award for its range of use as a full-size pick-up and its luxurious design.

The Sierra Denali pickup truck, the first model released in the Korean market under the premium GMC brand. [GM KOREA]

This is the third consecutive year GM Korea took home the Utility title since the Cadillac Escalade large SVU was selected in 2022 and the Chevy Tahoe won last year. The Sierra, Escalade and Tahoe all share the same GMT T1XX platform.

The Best Change of the Year award was given to Hyundai Motor’s Ioniq 5 N, its first high-performance all-electric model, for its inventiveness. The N badge is Hyundai's high-performance line, targeting the same market as Mercedes-Benz’s AMG and BMW’s M ranges.

“The Ioniq 5 is equipped with various new technologies such as virtual shift, and suggests a new vibe for electric-powered cars,” said Professor Koo from Hongik University.

The ceremony for the winners is scheduled for March 15 at the Shilla Hotel in central Seoul.

Hyundai Motor's Ioniq 5 N [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

BY SARAH CHEA, KANG KI-HEON [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]