Here are the Car of the Year finalists

After much speculation, the 10 finalists for next year's Car of the Year competition have been announced.

It's an interesting mix of vehicles - from the entry-level Kia Picanto 1.2 EX to the Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 BlueEFFICIENCY - and the jury of 30 will have a tough time making their final selection come March 2012.

Two days of testing will be held at the Gerotek test facility just outside Pretoria during February. Time jurors will look at the cars' build quality, cost, safety features, cost of replacement parts, fuel consumption and obviously, how it performs and handles in the conditions it was designed for.

The 10 finalists are:

Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.4 125kW MultiAir Distinctive

Audi A6 3.0 T TDI Quattro S tronic

Citroën DS4 THP 200 Sport

Ford Focus 2.0 TDCI Trend Sedan Powershift

Hyundai Elantra 1.8 GLS

Kia Picanto 1.2 EX

Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 BlueEFFICIENCY

Peugeot 5008 2.0 HDi Active Man

Suzuki Kizashi 2.4 SDLX Man

VW Jetta 1.4 TSI 118kW Highline