ABDC: The 2016 verdict

In the end it came down to basis points – fractions of a per cent. The top two of the 13 cars in motoring.com.au's and carsales.com.au' largest head-to-head test of the year were separated by a hair’s breadth.

Indeed, after 16,469km of testing, 3965 litres of fuel, more than 300 gigabytes of data assets (including over 52km of drone footage), hundreds of laps of Baskerville Raceway and I’d hate to think how many calories, the judges decided the winning margin was one point… Out of a possible total of 520!

BMW’s M2 is Australia’s Best Driver’s Car for 2016. But the sub-$100K turbocharged six-cylinder pocket rocket was pushed to the very edge by a car two and half times its price and with a pedigree that is impeccable: the 2016 Porsche 911 Carrera S.

It’s telling that even at that multiple price premium, the 911 came so close.

The final margin was so close it demanded not one but three recounts. Our judges were asked to double-check their scores and a couple that couldn’t separate their top choices were firmly told to go back into the hurt locker and come out with their pick.

We were determined there could be only one winner.

But right from the start of our rollout of the ABDC 2016 results – published in order from last to first -- there was controversy. Many of you were unhappy with the fact Ford's sold-out XR6 Sprint was stone motherless last.

One of our one-eyed Ford fans went so far as to accuse us all of a GM-funded marketing conspiracy. That same reader’s apostolic fervour saw them create multiple Disqus identities to give us a kicking. So be it…

ABDC is not about kiloWatts or even ultimate lap times. It’s about how the mechanical engages with the organic. How a car makes you feel behind the wheel...

That’s why we ask a range of drivers to participate as judges – from highly skilled racers through to more consumer-focussed testers. Sure, they all have different wants, but they all have a love of driving and therefore produced a solid, broad-based result.

The final fast Falcon fell short of accomplished rivals despite decent track and strip numbers. But it wasn't the only car to disappoint. The Mercedes-AMG C 63 S was super-fast at Baskerville but significantly flawed on the road.

An early favourite, Audi’s RS 3, worked exceptionally well to around 7/10s but was found wanting on Tasmania’s bumpy roads. This translated to a disappointing result at the track too.

That didn’t stop one judged rating it as their favourite overall.

The surprise standout was the lion-hearted Peugeot 308 GTi 270. The smallest capacity engine powered the car towards the top of the pack for some.

On the track, the Pug’s race-ready limited-slip diff and big brakes helped make the most of a well-sorted chassis. On the road, torque and bump steer were constant companions, but bad ergonomics and pointless Gallic gimmicky ruled it out for most.

Holden’s ‘saved the best to last’ Commodore SS-V Redline made the judges shake their heads – in amazement of its sheer competence and balance across all of the ABDC disciplines.

The head-shaking continued when we considered that Holden's greatest ever Commodore, which overall is far better than the sum total of its parts, will disappear into the maw of GM’s international beige-ness in another year or so… A bloody shame.

Not that dollars are part of our ‘hard’ deliberations for ABDC, but they inevitably filter into people’s own sub-conscious scoring ‘matrices’… At some stage almost every judge suggested the SS-V edged out even Mazda’s fine-boned and fleet-of-foot MX-5 on bang-for-buck basis.

It also beat its supercharged HSV counterpart and Ford’s wonderfully charismatic Mustang. That said, the US-built Ford deserves a special mention for confirming it’s far from a one-trick pony. We can’t wait for the powered-up versions to come. A right-hand drive and elemental GT350R could be in the running for this award in years to come.

While not able to ascend to the overall performance levels of the Pug, our other hot hatches in the shape of the MINI John Cooper Works and RenaultSport Clio RS220 Trophy were both a barrel of fun and surprising in their own right. Stick some decent rubber under the JCW and it’d be even closer to the mark, while the RS needs a front diff to be a serious driver’s car.

The Jaguar F-TYPE S AWD showed all-wheel drive, engaging chassis dynamics and good steering aren’t mutually exclusive. Alas, however, it didn't reach lofty heights of the supercharged V8-powered, rear-drive F-TYPE R last year

In the end, after a week of testing across what we believe are Australia’s best roads, track laps, straight line datums and many, many formal and less formal ‘discussions’ between judges, two cars were head and shoulders above the rest.

In the end, BMW's first M2 won by the tightest possible margin, after being top-scored by eight of our 13 judges.

In analysing the point scores and talking to each of our judges, it’s clear the BMW triumphed because more of our judges could access and appreciate more of its performance.

Driving a 911 fast requires commitment and no shortage of technique. As we’ve noted elsewhere, it's the driver that must adjust to Porsche’s characteristics -- the 'accommodation' never happens the other way around.

In contrast, the M2's relationship with its driver is more conventional. Even at the very limit, it’s quite forgiving and that instils a sense of connection with a wider range of enthusiast driver types and abilities.

Indeed, the M2 delivers on its promise of being the  born-again compact six-cylinder BMW coupe we were waiting for in spades, thanks to a combination of exquisite steering, brakes, handling and, to an extent in this company, real-world ride comfort.

As evidenced by the numbers, the 911 was ultimately quicker, faster and better on track, and has the higher dynamic limit. Indeed, like the Cayman GTS last year, it was a clear winner of all hard-data attributes.

But the M2's perfect blend of power, grip, balance and interaction made it the most rewarding driver's car for most of our judges, on most of the roads, most of the time.

One point! One winner.

Congratulations BMW M2.

motoring.com.au’s 2016 Australia’s Best Driver’s Car

>> 1st - BMW M2

>> 2nd - Porsche 911 Carrera

>> 3rd - Audi RS 3

>> 4th - Jaguar F-TYPE S AWD

>> Inside the dragging den - Performance Testing 

>> 5th - Holden SS-V Redline

>> 6th - HSV ClubSport R8 LSA

>> 7th - Peugeot 308 GTi 270

>> 8th - Ford Mustang Fastback GT

>> Lapping it up - Track Testing (Baskerville Raceway)

>> 9th - Mercedes-AMG C 63 S

>> 10th - MINI John Cooper Works

>> 11th - Mazda MX-5 Roadster GT

>> 12th - Renault Clio RS220 Trophy

>> 13th - <a href="/editorial/details/abdc-ford-xr6-sprint-2016-review-102278/?__source=editorialArticle&driver_crosssell=editorial.in.article.link" data-article-id="ED-ITM-102278"><em>Ford Falcon XR6 Sprint</em><br> </a>

>> Get the full story of Australia's Best Driver's Car here