Consumer Specialist Wendy Knowler has been a judge in all 3 iterations of the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards – Powered by WesBank, thus far. She is as passionate about cars as she is about your rights as a consumer, as you'll shortly see…

Wendy Knowler is one of South Africa’s most authoritative and respected consumer journalists. In her 30-year-plus journalism career, Wendy has covered politics, fashion and just about everything in between on a variety of media platforms. For the past 20-odd years she has specialised in consumer journalism, including writing the In Your Corner column for The Times and presenting a weekly Consumerwatch show for East Coast Radio, as well as doing weekly consumer-related crossings on 702/Cape Talk, Radio 2000 and Voice of the Cape. She’s also had a lifelong love of cars, and spent 15 years test driving and reviewing 4-wheelers of all kinds for several media brands, including Independent Newspapers’ motoring supplement, Fair Lady magazine and East Coast Radio.

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”?

On petrolheaded dad's lap in mom's 1964 Mini.

From my earliest memory – father was, and at the age of 90 still is, a petrolhead of note, and he had no sons, so when I as his elder daughtershowed an interest at a very young age, he nurtured it. He had a series of performance cars but the one I remember most fondly was his yellow Ford Capri Perana V8.

What was your first car?

It was a 1978 Ford Escort.

What do you drive now?

A 12-year-old Subaru Forester.

Tell us about your favourite motoring memory

The South African launch of the Land Rover Discovery 3 in Namibia ranks as Wendy's favourite motoring memory.

Easy one this.It was 2005, on the South African launch of the Discovery 3 in Namibia. The Land Rover team took us to the famous sand dunes of Sossusvlei. Seven up, including an instructor, we got to put the magnificent machine to the test on those mighty dunes. I remember thinking “whatever I did to get to this moment in this place, I am truly thankful..!”

The most challenging part of the “course”, had us going down one dune then turning to the right and roaring up another, huge one. Two thirds of the journos didn’t make it up the first time, involving some hairy reversing. So it was with sweaty palms that I set off in the driver’s seat when it was my turn. I made it up on my first attempt, to cheers from the back seats. Best driving moment ever.

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

Wendy would love to park the new Tesla Roadster in her garage.

I am hugely into all things “green” so even with all the money in the world, I wouldn’t want a car that’s ridiculously thirsty. Soo… Land Rover Discovery Sport HSE and a Tesla Roadster (you did say fantasy).

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

The Budget Car category is always fiercely contested. Wendy has been a judge in this category from the start of #CarsAwards.

Apart from price, naturally, I’d say the best safety features your money can buy – I admire manufacturers which put these unseen, unsexy features (especially traction/stability control) into cars in this most price sensitive of categories; fuel economy and a relatively decent-sized boot (just because you can’t afford a more expensive car, doesn’t mean you don’t have stuff to transport).

The only thing I’d like to add is I wish everyone about to buy a new car could put their top two or three choices through their paces, one after the other, at Gerotek, as we judges get to do. Sadly most base their choice on looks and price.

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