Motor Trend magazine has announced the winner of their coveted Car of the Year award. The Tesla Model S electric car rides away with the top honor for 2012 in a decision that's sure to surprise a lot of automotive enthusiasts. What's more, the publication says the competition wasn't even close this year.

For the first time in as long as editors can remember, every judge on the panel agreed that the Model S was the clear winner. It beat out a number of other qualified candidates like the Subaru BRZ, BMW 3 Series, the Lexus GS and the Porsche 911.

Writers say the Model S drives like a sports car but is as smooth and effortless on the road as a Rolls-Royce. What's more, you can fit almost as much stuff in it as you can Chevy's Equinox crossover and it's more efficient than Toyota's Prius.

Tesla's flagship sedan weighs 4,766 pounds but still manages to accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in just four seconds. The car is able to reach a top speed of 133 miles per hour using electric motors that have the equivalent power of a 416 horsepower gasoline engine. The magazine says they were able to get the electric equivalent of 118 miles per gallon out of the car.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a statement that the aspiration for the Model S was to prove that an electric car can be better than any gasoline vehicle. He believes that nothing illustrates this point more than winning Motor Trend's Car of the Year award.