2017 Canadian Car of the Year Awards

Canadian Auto Experts are Gearing Up for an Intensive Fall Testing Program "TestFest" 2016

The Canadian Car of the Year is a vehicle that truly stands out, in its market segment, in the industry, and in the collective evaluation of Canada's most trusted automotive experts.

TORONTO, Oct. 20, 2016; Next week, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) will commence vehicle testing that will ultimately crown winners in specific categories, as well as the overall Canadian Car of the Year, Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year, Canadian Green Car of the Year, and Canadian Green Utility Vehicle of the Year.

Canada's top auto reviewers will test vehicles back-to-back in each category. The testing not only determines winners, but creates data and scores that buyers can use to compare models when they're in the market for a new vehicle.

Each vehicle is tested on a series of drive routes, including public roads and a handling course that represent the range of conditions that consumers are likely to experience on the daily drive, along with a performance course and off-road course when appropriate for a vehicle. Numerous other factors are also scored and considered, including passenger comfort, noise levels, ease of entry and exit, visibility, cargo space, fuel economy, braking distances and more, all weighted and applied to each vehicle's point score. Each reviewer judging a category must drive all the vehicles on the same day and along the same route.

"The benefits to our system are twofold," says Justin Pritchard, co-chair of the Canadian Car of the Year Committee. "First, back-to-back testing highlights even subtle differences between competitors, which are reflected in the scoring results. And secondly, all of our results are quantified. Whether a vehicle wins or not, the public can see exactly why, since all the testing and voting data is published online at www.AJAC.ca. This is not a popularity contest. When we declare a winner, we have hundreds of thousands of data points from controlled test-drives to back it up."

The vehicles are scored both objectively and subjectively, with scores weighted for importance. This data-driven, unbiased program ensures an accurate appraisal of each vehicle tested. The program is open to vehicles that are all-new or significantly updated for the current model year.

The testing takes place from October 24 to 28, 2016 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Clarington, Ontario. The winners in each category will be announced later this year, while the overall winners will be presented in 2017 at auto shows in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.