FIVE QUESTIONS WITH...

Tony Swan on the Range Rover Evoque being voted the 2012 North American Truck of the Year

Tony Swan, is Editor‑at‑Large for Car and Driver magazine and a founding member and organizing committee member of the “North American Car of the Year” and “North American Truck of the Year” awards. Here he explains the background to the Range Rover Evoque’s landmark win.

1. This is the first ever “North American Truck of the Year” victory for a Land Rover model.

Yes, the LR3 was a finalist in 2005 and the Range Rover 4.0 SE was a finalist in 1996, but this was the first win for the brand. What’s impressive about the Range Rover Evoque’s win in this year’s awards is the margin of votes ‑ it got 254 votes compared to 142 for the second‑placed Honda CR‑V, and 94 for the third‑placed BMW X3.

2. How does the voting process work?

The jury is made up of 50 full‑time automotive journalists from the United States and Canada. This year, we considered more than 50 vehicles, which must be new or substantially changed. Part of the selection process includes three days of driving all the contenders around the roads of Hell, Michigan ‑ yes, three days in Hell. Jurors then sent their ballots to the accounting firm of Deloitte LLP in Detroit. After the three car and three truck finalists were announced on December 15, the jurors were then asked to vote on the finalists to decide the winners.

3. What are the jurors looking for?

The awards are designed to recognize the most outstanding new vehicles of the year. We’re looking for vehicles that are the benchmarks in their segments based on factors like innovation, design, engineering, safety, handling, driver satisfaction, comfort and value for the dollar.

4. What makes these awards different from the many others around?

One word: Independence. We have no commercial ties with any car maker or enterprise connected to the auto industry. There are no paid positions ‑ they are administered by an organizing committee and funded with dues paid by the jurors. We’ve also been around for a while ‑ this is the 19th year of the awards.

5. Why do you think the new Range Rover Evoque received so many votes?

Style counts for a lot in any segment and the designers really nailed the styling with the new Range Rover Evoque. It also drives well and is fun to drive. I think the dimension it has that the other contenders don’t is that it is really good off‑road. The others don’t even pretend to be off‑roaders. It’s also the first Range Rover in the US not to have a V8, which shows an important new direction.