#CarsAwards judge Juliet McGuire is a regular in front of Cars.co.za's cameras and, with more than a decade of motoring journalism behind her, offers a wealth of experience.

Juliet is a motoring journalist who sarted her career at CAR magazine more than 10 years ago after completing an honours degree in journalism at the University of Stellenbosch. She currently presents forCars.co.za’s popular Youtube channel and contributes as a motoring expert to Women's Health, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, House & Leisure and Good Housekeeping. Juliet has a motoring slot on Cape Talk with John Maytham every second Monday and was a presenter for Tech Report which aired on ENCA.

Where did your love for cars start? Who were the people and what were the cars that featured in your past and which helped spark the "petrolheadedness"?

Juliet's first automotive love affair was with the Volkswagen Golf VR6.

When I was about 16 I dated a guy who was obsessed with cars. He spent a lot of time taking them apart and putting them back together. His love for car was very infectious. Ialways had an interest in cars from my Dad, but this was something different, this was passion! Like many South Africans, we loved Volkswagen and especially the Golf VR6. Iremember thinking that one day I would own one. I never did buy it (my Dad didn't want me driving such a "fast" car) so I had to 'settle' for the GSX.

What was your first car?

My very first car was a white 1,6 Citi Golf. It went like a bomb!

What do you drive now?

I am lucky enough to not have to own a car due to always having a test car to drive, but the last car I owned was a Volkswagen Polo.

Tell us about your favourite motoring memory?

Juliet at the wheel of a Ferrari 458 Spider. (pic credit CAR magazine)

Being a motoring journalist means I have so many special memories to choose from. But one that stands out for me, and I think its because it was the moment I realised I had made my dream job a reality, was when I was still at CAR magazine. It was just before Hannes Oosthuizen left and as a goodbye we planneda day of driving Ferraris (the California, FF and 458 Spider). I took the 458 Spider along Misty Cliffs here in the Western Cape. The day was perfection and it was the first time I felt my confidence kick into gear. I wish I could have bottled that feeling, it was just pure joy!

You have all the money in the world, what would be in your fantasy 2-car garage?

Audi Q5 for practical reasons, as it is my "every day" sort of car. And then for the fun weekend, coastal drives, the Porsche 911 GT3.

You were a judge in the Compact Hatchback category of the CarsAwards, what do you look for on the day of testing?What in your view makes a good Compact Hatch?

Juliet is a judge in the Compact Hatchback segment, featuring these 3 contenders from Toyota, Renault and Mazda.

This segment is an extremely competitive one and so quite a difficult one to judge. A good compact hatch has to do so many things for so many different people. It needs to look good, it needs to be practical, it needs to be economical and it needs to be affordable. On the testing day, thefirst thing is to look at the package as a whole and then oncein the drivers seat, to put myself in thepotential buyer's mindset. I want to feel how comfortable the drive is and how it handles each of the courses. Once I have driven all 3 back-to-back I then look at each package as a whole once again. Finally, I often base my decision on which I would confidently recommend to a family member.

You may also be interested in;

Meet #CarsAwards Judge Wendy Knowler

Meet #CarsAwards Judge Khutso Theledi

The finalists in the 2017/2018 Cars.co.za Consumer Awards – Powered by WesBank

#CarsAwards – Gerotek turns up the heat