2009 Motor Trend Sport Utility of the Year - Judging - video Dailymotion

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Motor Trends 2009 Sport/Utility of the Year competition reaches its final stage -&nbsp; the judging

Transcript

00:00 Welcome back to the 2009 Sport Utility of the Year judging.

00:08 Well all of the editors have driven all the cars on our road loop, so we're now ready

00:11 to vote.

00:12 And the first step is going to be a walk around, informally comparing our impressions and notes.

00:24 Way to support the DeLobrego.

00:25 I mean, coming in I thought, well this is going to be really strong in value.

00:29 You've got all the equipment you want, really good price.

00:32 But when it's full of people like we have now, I mean it's almost riding on its stops

00:36 the whole way.

00:37 It's benching bounds over imperfections in the pavement.

00:42 It strikes me as a great checklist vehicle.

00:44 So they've put, they've assembled the long checklist of all the things we have to have

00:49 to have a good vehicle for the American SUV segment.

00:52 They've even gone to some of the same exact suppliers in those segments and said, "Okay,

00:56 we want this material, this button, and these types of things."

01:00 Why would you want this instead of a 3 Series Coupe or a 5 Series Sedan?

01:05 I can't answer that question.

01:06 I totally agree in terms of, it doesn't make any sense.

01:09 It's heavy, it's expensive.

01:10 Damn, it's good out here.

01:11 Dynamically, it's phenomenal.

01:12 It seems like a big waste of a lot of neat technology on a vehicle.

01:21 Is this the wrong place?

01:23 This thing is proof that Toyota really aren't the smartest guys in the room, like everyone

01:29 thinks they are.

01:30 You know, Detroit gets Hillary for producing big gas guzzling SUVs.

01:31 Well, this is as big and as gas guzzling as anything that's ever come out of a motorhome.

01:32 For a while after the big meteor hit, it killed off the dinosaurs.

01:33 So, Stegosaurus and Cymbronosaurus has been wandering around for a short time.

01:34 Here's our current example.

01:35 We've had the informal walk around.

01:36 Now it's time for the deliberations and the vote.

01:37 Every vehicle will be weighed against the three criteria, superiority, significance

01:58 and value.

01:59 Every editor will talk about every car.

02:01 Then we'll have a secret ballot, count up the winners and see who won.

02:04 Let's see how it goes.

02:05 The bottom line to me is it's just cool.

02:06 It's just neat.

02:07 I sit in that car and I smile a little bit.

02:08 It's just friendly and interesting and innovative.

02:09 It's something that's a little bit rarer these days to have.

02:10 And it reflects fun courage to really kind of make a giant swerve in design and attempt

02:11 that.

02:12 I think it's been very successful.

02:13 I like the honesty in this thing.

02:14 It's not overloaded with gadgets.

02:15 It doesn't have a gazillion buttons.

02:16 It's got a lot of fun.

02:17 It's got a lot of fun.

02:18 It's got a lot of fun.

02:19 It's got a lot of fun.

02:20 It's got a lot of fun.

02:21 It's got a lot of fun.

02:22 It's got a lot of fun.

02:23 It's got a lot of fun.

02:24 It's got a lot of fun.

02:25 It's got a lot of fun.

02:46 It actually was for me one of the pleasant surprises of this entire contest.

02:52 Direct injection engine zings right to 7,000.

02:56 A really nice dashboard array and instrument panel.

03:00 I think again a pleasant surprise there.

03:02 Great easy intuitive controls.

03:04 Pleasant materials.

03:05 Easy to read gauges.

03:06 Okay so now it's crunch time.

03:07 Time to vote.

03:07 Well we have a winner.

03:33 Not unanimous but a winner.

03:42 Yay.

03:45 (upbeat music)

2009 Motor Trend Sport Utility of the Year - Judging

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