btm
27th November 2007, 10:24 AM
http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=45751&s_rid=smh:ClassiePuff&IsPgd=0
Nominees: http://www.drive.com.au/editorial/minisite/caroftheyear.aspx?MiniSiteID=6
Six days, eight judges, 44 cars, 20,000km... Drive's Car of the Year test is the toughest on wheels, writes JEZ SPINKS.
Some might call it the ultimate new-car comparison test. We simply call it Drive Car of the Year. Over six long days last week eight of the most experienced judges in Australia drove more than 20,000km to test 44 new vehicles.
Our motoring experts from The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Drive.com.au believe this is the most comprehensive guide to the best cars on sale in Australia. No one else puts together this many individual new models in one single test. Drive's judges have used their combined experience of more than 100 years of road-testing and vehicle evaluation to select 13 category winners and one ultimate Drive Car of the Year.
Vehicles worth a total of nearly $3 million were subjected to meticulous static inspections and dynamic on-road - and track - evaluation. Seats were tipped, flipped and folded; buttons were pressed, pulled and rotated; cargo and passenger space was checked and measured.
Cars were steered, braked and provoked - in the safety of a controlled racetrack environment - to test on-limit handling and active safety features such as anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control systems.
There are many other car awards and events but the Drive version is unique. We don't discriminate against cars that went on sale before this year; our view is that buyers are looking at the best cars available in showrooms and not necessarily the newest.
We also believe for a vehicle to be worthy of being a Car of the Year, it should be better than older, established rivals also on sale.
It's an award that is controversial because a vehicle's popularity (in terms of sales) has no bearing on the judging. Half of Australia's 20 best-selling vehicles were not nominated for Drive's 2007 Car of the Year awards.
Australia's second favourite vehicle, the Toyota Corolla, was one of the big-name casualties of Drive Car of the Year's nomination process. The 10th-generation version of Toyota's small car was launched early this year but during a lengthy preselection debate our eight judges deemed it unworthy of participating in the Car of the Year test program.
The new Corolla is better than its predecessor, although it doesn't significantly move the small-car game forward. The biggest black mark against the Corolla is that stability control, a proven crash avoidance technology that's reducing fatalities around the world, is not available on any model - even as an option.
The Corolla's defeat in a Drive comparison test this year sealed its fate. It was beaten by the Mazda3, which won the Small Car Over $20,000 category in the 2006 Drive Car of the Year awards.
More expensive cars weren't guaranteed passage either. Audi's venture into supercar territory has been a brilliant success. The R8 is based on the underpinnings of sister company Lamborghini's Gallardo, although there's no mistaking the build and interior quality for anything other than an Audi.
The R8 is one of the most user-friendly supercars money can buy but its value equation - one of the key Drive Car of the Year criteria - came under question during the nominations discussion. Starting at $259,900, the R8 is more than $100,000 dearer than BMW's all-new M3 coupe ($157,000). Both are powered by a 309kW V8.
In the just-missed-out box sit the Volvo C30 and second-generation (BMW) Mini. The Swedish brand's new entry-level model has much to commend it - including good engines, respectable handling, compliant ride - but the small Volvo is wanting in the standard-equipment department and has some ergonomic glitches.
The new New Mini has improved refinement in key areas such as engines and interior quality while retaining its fun-to-drive characteristics. But counting against the reborn icon is a ride quality that remains bumpy despite improvements and price tags that are expensive for a car of its size and impracticality.
Twenty-three of the 50-plus all-new vehicles launched in Australia this year survived Drive's initial cull to slot into one of the 13 categories. And to prove safety is ever improving, every Car of the Year contender - from cheapest to most expensive - had anti-lock brakes and at least one airbag.
We have added an extra category since the inaugural Drive Car of the Year awards last year. The Best Ute award recognises the workhorse's status as an iconic Australian vehicle that also makes up a substantial chunk of the new-vehicle market.
Each of the 44 contenders is evaluated against our Car of the Year judging criteria - comprising the areas of Under the Bonnet; How it Drives; Price, Quality and Equipment; Comfort and Practicality; Safety - because even in the individual categories there are differently priced vehicles that are not always direct rivals.
The Car of the Year criteria is equally crucial when choosing the overall 2007 Drive Car of the Year from the 13 category winners that will vary not just in size and shape but also price - anywhere from $14,990 to $315,000.
Determining it took every one of the six evaluation days, every kilometre of the 20,000-plus kilometres on road and track, and every year of the judges' road-testing experience.
We will reveal the winners of our 13 categories along with the winner of the grand prize, the 2007 Drive Car of the Year, on the evening of 29 November.
Nominees: http://www.drive.com.au/editorial/minisite/caroftheyear.aspx?MiniSiteID=6
Six days, eight judges, 44 cars, 20,000km... Drive's Car of the Year test is the toughest on wheels, writes JEZ SPINKS.
Some might call it the ultimate new-car comparison test. We simply call it Drive Car of the Year. Over six long days last week eight of the most experienced judges in Australia drove more than 20,000km to test 44 new vehicles.
Our motoring experts from The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Drive.com.au believe this is the most comprehensive guide to the best cars on sale in Australia. No one else puts together this many individual new models in one single test. Drive's judges have used their combined experience of more than 100 years of road-testing and vehicle evaluation to select 13 category winners and one ultimate Drive Car of the Year.
Vehicles worth a total of nearly $3 million were subjected to meticulous static inspections and dynamic on-road - and track - evaluation. Seats were tipped, flipped and folded; buttons were pressed, pulled and rotated; cargo and passenger space was checked and measured.
Cars were steered, braked and provoked - in the safety of a controlled racetrack environment - to test on-limit handling and active safety features such as anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control systems.
There are many other car awards and events but the Drive version is unique. We don't discriminate against cars that went on sale before this year; our view is that buyers are looking at the best cars available in showrooms and not necessarily the newest.
We also believe for a vehicle to be worthy of being a Car of the Year, it should be better than older, established rivals also on sale.
It's an award that is controversial because a vehicle's popularity (in terms of sales) has no bearing on the judging. Half of Australia's 20 best-selling vehicles were not nominated for Drive's 2007 Car of the Year awards.
Australia's second favourite vehicle, the Toyota Corolla, was one of the big-name casualties of Drive Car of the Year's nomination process. The 10th-generation version of Toyota's small car was launched early this year but during a lengthy preselection debate our eight judges deemed it unworthy of participating in the Car of the Year test program.
The new Corolla is better than its predecessor, although it doesn't significantly move the small-car game forward. The biggest black mark against the Corolla is that stability control, a proven crash avoidance technology that's reducing fatalities around the world, is not available on any model - even as an option.
The Corolla's defeat in a Drive comparison test this year sealed its fate. It was beaten by the Mazda3, which won the Small Car Over $20,000 category in the 2006 Drive Car of the Year awards.
More expensive cars weren't guaranteed passage either. Audi's venture into supercar territory has been a brilliant success. The R8 is based on the underpinnings of sister company Lamborghini's Gallardo, although there's no mistaking the build and interior quality for anything other than an Audi.
The R8 is one of the most user-friendly supercars money can buy but its value equation - one of the key Drive Car of the Year criteria - came under question during the nominations discussion. Starting at $259,900, the R8 is more than $100,000 dearer than BMW's all-new M3 coupe ($157,000). Both are powered by a 309kW V8.
In the just-missed-out box sit the Volvo C30 and second-generation (BMW) Mini. The Swedish brand's new entry-level model has much to commend it - including good engines, respectable handling, compliant ride - but the small Volvo is wanting in the standard-equipment department and has some ergonomic glitches.
The new New Mini has improved refinement in key areas such as engines and interior quality while retaining its fun-to-drive characteristics. But counting against the reborn icon is a ride quality that remains bumpy despite improvements and price tags that are expensive for a car of its size and impracticality.
Twenty-three of the 50-plus all-new vehicles launched in Australia this year survived Drive's initial cull to slot into one of the 13 categories. And to prove safety is ever improving, every Car of the Year contender - from cheapest to most expensive - had anti-lock brakes and at least one airbag.
We have added an extra category since the inaugural Drive Car of the Year awards last year. The Best Ute award recognises the workhorse's status as an iconic Australian vehicle that also makes up a substantial chunk of the new-vehicle market.
Each of the 44 contenders is evaluated against our Car of the Year judging criteria - comprising the areas of Under the Bonnet; How it Drives; Price, Quality and Equipment; Comfort and Practicality; Safety - because even in the individual categories there are differently priced vehicles that are not always direct rivals.
The Car of the Year criteria is equally crucial when choosing the overall 2007 Drive Car of the Year from the 13 category winners that will vary not just in size and shape but also price - anywhere from $14,990 to $315,000.
Determining it took every one of the six evaluation days, every kilometre of the 20,000-plus kilometres on road and track, and every year of the judges' road-testing experience.
We will reveal the winners of our 13 categories along with the winner of the grand prize, the 2007 Drive Car of the Year, on the evening of 29 November.