Australia's Best Driver's Car starts here

There are cars and there are driver's cars...

The difference is hard to quantify in terms of hard data – the factors that separate the best from the A-to-Bs are more than just acceleration times or power to weight ratios. But if you have even an ounce of petrol in your veins, you'll pick them after just a few minutes behind the wheel.

Welcome to Australia's Best Driver's Car, a new motoring.com.au initiative that seeks to crown the best new driver's car on sale today.

Since the inception of motoring.com.au, we've strived to deliver the good oil on every new car available on the Australian market. Clear, concise information and opinion to help you choose your next car... If we entertained you along the way, that's all the better...

But some drivers expect more – and thanks goodness, there are still some cars that can deliver. They’re why we created Australia's Best Driver's Car (ABDC).

motoring.com.au's 2015 Australia's Best Driver's Car
>> Porsche Cayman GTS
>> Mercedes-AMG A 45 review
>> Jaguar F-TYPE R review
>> Audi S1 review
>> Behind the scenes: From the inside
>> Ford Fiesta ST review
>> Track day: Wet, wet, wet…
>> Nissan GT-R Premium review
>> Volkswagen Golf GTI review
>> HSV GTS review
>> BMW M4 review
>> Renault Megane RS 275 Trophy-R review
>> Toyota 86 review
>> Kia pro_cee'd GT review
>> Lexus RC F review
>> Subaru WRX STI review
>> Ford Falcon XR8 review

The basic rules of eligibility are simple: the car cannot cost more than $250,000 and it must be available as a series production model Down Under. Compiling a short (enough) list was the first hurdle...

But before we spill the beans, equally important is the judging process. Great cars succeed or fail on their ability to work across a variety of roads and create a dialogue with their drivers. A few laps of a track and a short drive rarely allows you to really get to know a car...

So, against the weather bureau's advice we headed south – in our sights, long days, plenty of kilometres and some of Australia's finest driving roads.

Tasmania has always felt like a spiritual home for Australian riders and drivers. The topography lends itself to flowing ribbons of tarmac that challenge car and driver in equal measure. It's also a state that plays host to Australia's biggest and longest tarmac rally event – Targa Tasmania – and one of Australia's most involving racetracks – Baskerville Raceway.

For the very first ABDC, Tassie was the logical choice.

So too our judging line-up... The normal motoring.com.au team was augmented by regular 'elite' tester, V8 Supercar Enduro driver Luke Youlden and, given we'd lobbed in his backyard, Australian GT and TCM regular and racing legend, Greg Crick.

In conjunction with Baskerville challenging, bumpy and slippery layout, Youlden and Crick's job was not to break lap records but to deliver an unambiguous interpretation of each ABDC entrant's overall performance in a controlled environment. Combine this with the feedback of some of country's most experienced motoring journalists over a road route featuring multiple Targa stages and we reckon we've got the nuts and bolts covered...

And just to add some extra numbers to the mix – we also timed the cars down a standing 400m. As always, we eschewed launch control (owners simply do not use it!) and performed what we call ‘fast street starts’. Under our ‘rules’ we also timed the cars with two people onboard each vehicle (Youlden driving and Road Test Editor, Brogan). When it comes to 0-100km/h and the standing quarter, V-Box’s don’t lie like OEM marketing departments…

Selecting just which machines would be accompanying us on the boat to Tasmania generated robust debate. Consideration was given to a readers poll, but that would have spoiled the surprise. Perhaps something for 2016…

Instead, examining each of the manufacturers' ranges we culled, culled and culled again to a point where we believe the cars nominated represent the best of their respective segments, genres and brands. We settled on on our choice but fate culled a couple more from the list. The final number was 15.

There’ll be arguments to and fro on the relative merits of the cars we chose. So be it. The new releases of each year (and, let’s face it, the availability of test cars) will shape each ABDC as we move forward. We think that's a good thing. There's little point in us recommending a car you cannot buy...

So, what vehicles are set to paint a real-world picture of the current performance landscape in Australia?

The multi-faceted hot hatch scene is represented by the all-wheel drive Audi S1 quattro, our cheapest entrant, the feisty Ford Fiesta ST, the surprising Kia pro_cee’d GT, manic Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG, hard-core Renault Megane RS 275 Trophy R and the ever-capable Volkswagen Golf GTI.

Similar in price to our cheaper hatches, though not in premise, is Toyota’s 86 GTS. But from the diminutive Toyota the remaining coupes on-test offer a massive step in price and performance. We jump almost $100K to land behind the wheel of its V8-powered Lexus RC F cousin, which has the turbocharged BMW M4, agile Porsche Cayman GTS, crushing Nissan GT-R Black Edition and musclebound Jaguar F-TYPE Coupe R for company.

Speaking of muscle, traditional V8 Aussie favourites are represented by the Ford Falcon XR8 and HSV’s GTS. They are joined on the sedan list by the all-paw Subaru WRX STi.

With a ‘powerband’ spanning 134 to 430kW (ST to HSV), there’s no doubting our fleet delivers variety. Just as intriguing is how these vehicles generate their performance. We have atmo cars, turbocharged and supercharged engines; front, front-mid and mid-engine locations; and front, all and rear-wheel drive...  Variety, it seems, is more than just the spice of life…

But which is the best. Not the fastest, nor the most powerful... The best...

Which car delivers best on its on-paper promise?

One-trick ponies won't cut it and overseas impressions may not hold sway on Tassie's at times bumpy and always changeable roads...

Over the next week or so, all these questions – and more – will be answered. For now, the pristine roads of Tasmania await.