Our favourite drives of 2017

Mike Sinclair – Vauxhall VXR8

BMW saved the best to last in 2017 – its M division’s mega M5. It truly is a step change for the biggest of the M sedans and proof positive that all-wheel drive doesn’t need to be boring. But my drive of the year was part circumstance part machinery. It’s not every time you get to drive up the hill at Goodwood. And it’s once in a lifetime that you get to do it in the last ever generation of Aussie built and designed rear-drive Holden/HSV. It wasn’t a particular fast trip up the hill but it was one of those special motoring.com.au moments.

There were plenty of great cars launched in 2017, many of them significant for different reasons.

More than a few car-makers released landmark models, perhaps none more important than HSV’s GTSR W1 – the finest and final example of Australia’s own Holden Commodore sports sedan.

There was also Audi’s slick new RS 5 Coupe, Ford’s swansong Focus RS limited-edition, Hyundai’s upstart i30 N hot hatch and the epic BMW M4 GTS – the most ferocious BMW I’ve ever driven.

But my favourite drive of this year was Honda’s new NSX, which has been a long time coming but – especially when driven alongside old-school super-coupes like the Nissan GT-R NISMO is without doubt the new supercar benchmark.

Yes, there have been superlative supercars, tough trucks and more this year, but the review that stands out most to this humble correspondent? That would be HSV’s last-hurrah utility model, the Maloo R8 LSA.

A full week with the two-seated sportscar was enough to demonstrate HSV’s Australian-based content bows out on a high.

Racetrack, skidpan and an extensive country drive – not to mention an informal comparison with my own beloved V8 VS hay hauler. This is my idea of a green car.

Ken Gratton – Jaguar F-TYPE SVR

Driving the Jaguar F-TYPE SVR and the Porsche 911 Turbo around the motorcycle track at Broadford (Victoria) has to rate as my favourite day for 2017. I’ve long been a fan of the F-TYPE, but the 911’s performance at the track made me a convert to the Porsche cause. Broadford is a track I’m beginning to feel like I know and understand reasonably well, having been there a few times now. And getting some tips from professional race driver and Bathurst winner Luke Youlden was excellent too. The icing on the cake? No jet lag, and someone else appearing in front of the video camera…

Lapping the Nurburgring in the Kia Stinger GT was my highlight drive review of 2017. Chasing accredited ’ring master Dirk Schoysmans around the legendary Nordschleife at an, erm… enthusiastic…speed was great fun and also gave me solid foundations for the belief that fans of affordable rear-wheel drive sports sedans now have something to aspire to following the death of the Holden Commodore.

The SUV may well be the popular choice for a great number of Aussies, but there has never been one that threatened my sedan stronghold.

Until the four-pot Porsche Macan.

The cheapest new Porsche available looked like it would tick many of the boxes I’d need to convert - Porsche pedigree at a reduced price, for starters.

Power from the 2.0-litre inline four was ample (185kW/370Nm) and the seven-speed dual clutch transmission a ripper. It moves too, from 0-100km/h in 6.7sec – not that I desperately need that but it’s a great talking point.

The Macan may not have been the most extravagant or memorable drive of 2017, but it challenged my thinking… and I liked that. An SUV with performance pedigree at its core, the Macan won my heart, but is yet to take my money.

Big, bad, small, ugly… no matter what the car, I really do enjoy them all. But I have to say my standout for 2017 has to be Project Miata. Seeing this little car transform from a lacklustre 26 year old example of its kind into a competitive track day toy has been great fun. Fine tuning the handling to suit my driving style and extracting what’s left of the MX-5’s 113 horses were particular highlights. For 2018 there are plans afoot to develop the little Mazda even further, and hopefully run the entire Club Calendar, with tracks including Phillip Island, Sandown, Winton, Symmons Plains and Baskerville.

Hands down my favourite review of 2017 has to be the BMW M140i Performance Edition, the car I was lucky enough to babysit for this year’s Australia’s Best Driver’s Car mega test. As Germany hasn’t really headlined hot hatches, the M140i is a rare rear-drive pocket rocket and this limited edition model was the surprise package of ABDC. It bundles together a sharp combination of performance and driveability which proved perfect for Tasmania’s rally routes. And the punchy 500Nm 3.0-litre, six-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine is such a strong performer it will also power the upcoming performance BMW X3 XDriveM40i, another absolute highlight of my driving year.

There's a part of my brain which says no car is worth almost $800,000… but after experiencing the Lamborghini Aventador S on the racetrack I'm beginning to think a semi-luxury two-bedroom apartment 35 minutes from Sydney's CBD can get stuffed. Yeah, I could almost be convinced that dropping 800-large on a car is a good idea. An exotic design, fire-belching V12 engine and heroic new four-wheel steering gizmo to make powersliding a cinch…well, the Aventador S was my favourite drive of 2017. Erm , until it left the racetrack, hah!