The brutal Japanese Skyline GT-R was the first and unanimous choice for this year’s Carsguide Car of the Year shootout, claiming the first of 10 shootout spots for the two-day judging that will decide the best car of this year.

It is followed into the field by a polar opposite, the green-focussed third-generation Toyota Prius hybrid.

But that’s what you expect for the Carsguide COTY contest. It’s all about the best of the best, regardless of what they cost or who buys them or their size or colour or the engine under the bonnet.

Things get much, much tougher once the judging gets underway, but making the field is the first hurdle when the new-car lineup for 2009 in Australia includes more than 100 arrivals as diverse as the baby Suzuki Alto and the outrageous Porsche Panamera.

Some newcomers arrive too late for judging, including the Toyota Prado SUV and the price-leader Proton S16, but still the lineup for 2009 is as good as any in the 13-year history of the COTY contest.

Following the Skyline and Prius are a diverse first group of first- five favourites. They are the Volvo XC60, the Mercedes-Benz E250 and the Hyundai i30CW.

The final five will be revealed next week, ahead of the final judging and announcement of the COTY winner on Friday, November 27.

Judging time is when the contenders are matched against their top-10 rivals, but also against their individual class competitors. And they are also evaluated against the same sort of strict judging standards set by showroom shoppers on everything from value and safety to comfort, performance, fuel economy and efficiency.

Nothing escapes the focus of the Carsguide COTY judges, a nine-member panel who are the only coast-to-coast crew to evaluate the best of the best for 2009. And they have more than 150 years of combined experience on the job.

There is a lot more to come on COTY, but here are the first five, the way we chose them for the 2009 shootout.

source: CarsGuide.com.au