A candid look inside Wheels Car of the Year 2016

IT IS EFFECTIVELY the world’s biggest car comparo: 55 cars from 25 model ranges brought to the one place at the one time for a ruthless evaluation.

So what goes on during the always secret Car of the Year testing process? How do the Car of the Year judges treat the cars during testing, and what do they say behind closed doors about the vehicles’ merits and shortcomings?

This video, shot inside the Holden proving ground at Lang Lang, south east of Melbourne, during the first three days of assessment for Car of the Year 2016, will give you some answers. It covers the period when the 25 candidates were reduced to eight finalists.

After the proving ground tests, we take the finalists onto public roads for a further four days before reaching a verdict.

Strap in, and crank up the volume!