That leaves us with just one category left to announce, Drive Women Magazine’s Car of the Year 2025! For this year I can say that the winner not only took out the overall award, but it was also my Son’s Car of the Year and my Daughter’s Car of the Year because I didn’t drive a Mustang in 2025.  The Mercedes-AMG E 53 Hybrid 4MATIC+ is the first of the new generation electrified Mercedes-AMG vehicles that I really liked. The basis for the sporty and efficient drive in the E 53 is the clever AMG 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder turbo engine combined with a 120kW plug-in electric motor, translating into dynamic acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds when you use RACE START, offered as standard for the Australian market. But the performance was just the beginning and what I really loved about the E 53 was the cabin tech and that sealed the deal for its win. This vehicle has the first useful passenger screen that I have ever seen, with built-in internet, so your front seat passenger can stream their favourite show or become the hail spotter when there are thunderstorms about. There were plenty of special features on this E-Class that I wasn’t expecting including the very cool start up and shutdown display from the headlights that even display ‘AMG’ as they are dancing. The light show continues inside the cabin, not just thanks to the MBUX Superscreen with a 14.4-inch central display and the aforementioned 12.3-inch passenger display. But because the E 53 has Active Ambient Lighting, that beats in time with the music you blast on the exceptional Burmester 4D surround sound system with 17 speakers to complete the atmosphere. This is the best ambient lighting of any vehicle I have ever driven and it made me very happy. And that’s why the Mercedes-AMG E 53 Hybrid 4MATIC+ is Driven Women Magazine’s Car of the Year for 2025! I would also like to give Highly Commended awards to a couple more exceptional sedans that I drove in 2025, the refreshed Toyota Camry SL and the all-new Kia K4 GT-Line. Both are a breath of fresh air in the passenger car market, proving that the sedan isn’t quite dead yet. @mercedesbenzau @mercedesbenz @mercedesamg - - - #Caroftheyear #COTY