ABDC: HSV triumphs in ABDC 2017

Holden Special Vehicles’ final and finest all-Australian model, the GTSR W1, has been named the 2017 Australia’s Best Driver’s Car (ABDC).

The 470kW-plus supercharged super-sedan beat Porsche’s latest Cayman S and the giant-killing Ford Focus RS hatch for the honour. This is the first time a locally developed car has won the award.

For ABDC 2017, carsales took 12 of the market’s best performance cars to Tasmania for five days of rigorous testing covering almost 20,000km. Twelve judges put the cars through their paces on some of Australia’s best driving roads, a racetrack and dragstrip in trying conditions which included rain, hail, sleet, fog, wind and glorious sunshine.

“With automated vehicle technology becoming more widespread, ABDC stands alone in that its purpose is to find the car that provides its driver with the best ‘behind-the-wheel’ experience. And HSV’s GTSR W1 undoubtedly gave that to our judging panel,” said Mike Sinclair, Editor-in-Chief.

“And with Australian car-making coming to an end this year, what better send-off than the finest driver’s car the country has ever produced, the HSV W1,” he added.

HSV managing director Tim Jackson (pictured with motoring's Mike Sinclair) said winning the 2017 ABDC award was welcome recognition for the culmination of more than three decades of home-grown Holden Commodore-based sports sedans.

"It is both exciting and satisfying for the entire team who have worked on this project,” Jackson explained.

"We set out to deliver the best driver's car we had ever produced, and to have this confirmed via the ABDC evaluation is really the culmination of the work done by the great people working at HSV today. It’s also a great tribute to those who have contributed to the HSV organisation over the last 30 years, and a great partner in Holden."

Andrea Matthews, carsales contributing journalist and one of two female judges, said: “I love this award – it’s the one week of the year we get to ask ‘which car makes you feel most alive?’”

This year’s ABDC judging panel again comprised motoring.com.au’s editorial team including racing drivers Luke Youlden and Greg Crick. The 12 represented a diverse range of drivers and hundreds of years’ experience.

In the months leading up to the tour, the judges debated the pros and cons of every sports and performance car released in Australia over the past 12 months. The resulting 12-car line-up included a selection of coupes, sedans and hatchbacks ranging from the affordable Abarth 124 Spider ($41,990) through to the revamped Nissan GT-R ($189,000).

Read all about ABDC 2017 here.