carsales Car of the Year 2019: The judges

Simply, an award as important as the carsales Car of the Year presented by Shell V-Power doesn’t happen without a team of experts.

And for 2019, carsales.com.au has not only assembled the largest ever field of vehicles, but the strongest judging panel yet.

So meet the team behind Australia’s biggest annual automotive consumer award.

Nadine is a car enthusiast who will literally give anything a go. She has her CAMS licence, has driven the Birdsville Track, conquered Big Red and mastered circle work.

Armstrong is a member of the Women’s World Car of the Year judging panel, sits on the VACC’s Women in Auto steering committee and is an active volunteer with the CAMS Dare to be Different initiative. She cherishes her late father’s 1977 Porsche 911 SC – and it’s a cracker.

“Car of the Year is an opportunity for the carsales team to come together to examine the entire car market and reward manufacturers who are evolving and continually improving their offerings,” said Armstrong.

“I love that COTY assesses driveability and dynamics, includes technology, safety, the environment, innovation and car ownership as a whole. It helps people to make a well-informed and more confident buying decision.”

Tim is the undisputed elder of the carsales team. This doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the wisest, but it does mean he has written more reviews than almost all of the other journalists combined.

Britten has edited high-profile national motoring magazines, worked for five years in public relations and, maybe unexpectedly, is also a keen cyclist. Now a three-time carsales COTY judge, Britten finds the annual award a fitting crescendo to 12 months behind the wheel of a diverse range of vehicles.

“COTY is always an eye-opening experience for me and since I was first involved I’ve been impressed by the thought, planning and passion that goes into the judging process,” said Britten.

“The outcome is consistently logical, deserving and unanimous.”

Matt heads the judging panel at carsales COTY 2019 and brings deep knowledge of the Australian automotive and motorsport scenes.

In his role as road test editor, he has organised several carsales Car of the Year and Australia’s Best Driver’s Car events, as well as countless comparison tests.

Matt also administers the regular weekly and long-term reviews that appear on the carsales site.

“The carsales Car of the Year program is important in recognising innovation and excellence in the Australian new car market,” said Brogan.

“It’s also an opportunity for the carsales team to select a vehicle that sets a standard others should aspire to, and provide our very best insights to the buying public.”

Sam’s fascination with the automotive world began at an early age, driving utes, tractors and motorcycles on the family farm – even before he had reached double digits.

Nowadays, Charlwood manages the carsales news desk and is a regular at the annual Car of the Year awards.

When he’s not writing about cars and bikes, Charlwood is never far away from a race circuit, covering MotoGP, Supercars and much more in his other role -- as a Network 10 motorsport presenter and reporter.

“The carsales Car of the Year is a showcase event for our team and something in which I take great pride in,” said Charlwood.

“In my opinion, it is the most practical, best-researched COTY event in the industry -- mixing the best and brightest motoring specialists from different walks of life with hard-to-argue numbers sourced from Redbook.”

Paul learned to drive in a paddock at age 11, had a Volkswagen Beetle as his first car, then went on to race a Supercar at Mount Panorama and co-drove with Peter Brock in a Bathurst 12-Hour race.

He is a member of the International Car of the Year jury and has decades of car testing under his belt. And he also has a Beetle in the garage -- alongside the weekly road test cars.

Gover is on the carsales Car of the Year judging panel for the second time.

“COTY is the culmination of who we are, what we do, and the newcomers every year,” said Gover.

“There are always surprises; good and bad!”

Ken spent years at club-level motorsport with varying degrees of success. Flipping a live-axle Escort converted him to the dark side: Datsuns with IRS.

Gratton has written and published information about cars and the automotive industry since landing a job at Glass’s Guide in 1989. He has been with carsales for 12 years and to date has written over 700 reviews.

“Car of the year is constantly evolving, and it improves with every passing year,” said Gratton.

“We have refined the procedures to achieve an outcome that’s highly credible; it’s a true litmus test for our readership, whether they’re in the market for a car or just enjoy the blood-letting.”

Ali’s life in the fast lane began in the fibreglass seat of her brother’s go-kart. After almost ten years of karting and a national title later, she built a Pulsar with her dad in the backyard and went circuit racing.

Still fresh to the world of motoring journalism, she is soaking up knowledge from industry experts and gaining experience from car launches, vehicle comparisons, driver training activities and more.

“This is my first COTY event with carsales and I’m so excited to be part of such an established event.” said Lawrence.

“I’m looking forward to basking in the knowledge and experience of the judges involved and can’t wait to see some of the best vehicles in their respective categories battling it out.”

John is a veteran of automotive magazines and websites, and worked both here and in the US before returning to his native London, where he’s now carsales man about town.

A lover of a long drive, his claim to fame is he once got chased by the Russian mafia in Siberia while driving to Europe from Japan.

“carsales Car of the Year is no doubt the highlight of my motoring year. The opportunity to test the very best cars of 2019, in one place, on the best roads Australia has to offer i a remarkable opportunity,” said Mahoney.

“But it’s not all about how the latest hatchback or SUV behaves on the black-top. To be a true contender requires much, much more. A winner must appeal to both head and heart and, in the cold light of day, the numbers just have to add up.

“I’ve been involved in many car of the year events back in the UK – but none deliver such a definitive verdict as the carsales Car of the Year. I wouldn't miss it for the world.”

Andrea has enjoyed a wide-ranging career in the automotive industry. She spent seven years working in the Holden Corporate Affairs team before starting her own independent workshop in 2014.

Matthews has been a regular contributor to carsales for four years. She is a two-time carsales COTY judge and brings unrivalled experience to Australian car award judging via her knowledge of the aftersales and service industry.

“I consider myself extremely privileged to participate as a judge at carsales Car of the Year as the judging process is the most robust in the business,” said Matthews.

“Thanks to the unique access we get to market data from RedBook, readers can feel confident that our assessments really do leave no stone unturned.”

If it’s on two or four wheels Bruce Newton will have a go at it. The veteran journalist started in motorcycles, progressed to motorsport coverage and has been writing about the automotive industry since the 1990s.

Newton enjoys all facets of the business, from breaking the latest news to participating in comparison tests. Over the years the former editor of Auto Action, Which Car and GoAuto has judged car of the year awards for several different automotive media outlets.

“There are many car of the year awards and most of them aren’t worth the trophies they hand out,” said Newton.

“It’s incredibly important that any COTY be rigorous in the applications of its criteria and processes.

“I think the judges at carsales Car of the Year understand that and that’s why its credibility is building. We’re not doing this as an academic exercise or for a week out of the office; we are trying to help people make buying decisions and rate the best automotive packages produced in the last 12 months.”

Cars and the car industry have changed a lot in the 30 years Marton has been an automotive journalist. But what hasn’t changed is his fascination for discovering what makes them both tick.

Also a former editor of Auto Action and GoAuto, he’s been part of many car, truck and bike of the year awards over the years, including every annual carsales COTY event.

“What sets this one apart is the combined experience of the judges, the exhaustive physical testing and the hard data only Australia’s biggest automotive website has access to,” said Pettendy.

“And the fact there’s only one winner!”

Feann cut his teeth as a technology writer in the early 2000s before delving into automotive in 2002 and today is part of the carsales fabric. As well as covering news and reviews, he has a keen interest in social media and video content.

Torr oversaw the Innovation and Technology element of judging at carsales Car of the Year 2019.

“When you whittle it down to the nub, carsales Car of the Year is about finding which vehicle not only brings useful, convenient and time-saving technology to the table, but also the manner in which it’s executed,” said Torr.

“As cars become more complex, from their connected infotainment systems to their drivetrains, it falls on us as consumer advocates to evaluate and rate which cars push the envelope.”