This year the SA Guild of Motoring Journalists did things differently. Although the awards are still scored on the European scoring system, an equaliser (in the form of a formula) was introduced to place all finalists on a level playing field. This was done due to a number of manufacturers failing to comply with the COTY rules of supplying the vehicles in standard specification for evaluation. Several manufacturers supplied their vehicles with an unreasonable amounts of optional equipment which in some cases included optional extras that improved the vehicle’s handling and ride quality.