Motoring Magazine Test Reports

[Duncan]

Hi guys

Compared to many years ago, I find motoring journalists (with the exception of a few like Clarkson) these days not so critical when carrying out test reports on new cars. This makes reading these reports quite worthless and a waste of time.

In my opinion, in this age of commercialisation, one bad report and thats the last time that magazine would get another new car to test. Pitty!

Some testers tend to throw in a few bad remarks, but I find these to be rather pathetic excuses then anything quite tangible.

Here are few such comments from various local and foreign magazines........

Toyota Hilux D/Cab.........."central locking makes noise" (does this matter???)

Honda Civic............" looks a bit like a frog" (shouldn't it be the buyer that should make this conclusion?)

350Z.........."not much boot space" (it's a sports car for crying out loud!!)

Nissan Murano........."not so much an off-roader" (Nissan does not clain this to be an off-roader. So tell us something new!)

Cheers

[Supra_Natural]

Duncan,

I think you are right...... Seems to be an international Malady as well...... Take CAR Magazine (UK).... They used to have a No-Holes-Barred Approach to reviewing; if a car was Bad they'd say so.... they caused a huge furore in the 1990's by declaring the VW Golf VR6, which everyone else was Raving about, a "Lemon" because of It's Dodgy build quality and poor high speed handling....... and in the 70's they annoyed Volvo so much that Volvo didn't advertise with them for a decade...... because they called volvos Boring!!!!!

But Advertising I think is the other major issue....... the mags get the majority of the revenue from ad budgets of manufacturers, so even CAR has toned it down.....

As for SL Mags..... Well Let's not even go there.......

[GTAm]

  Duncan said:

Here are few such comments from various local and foreign magazines........

Toyota Hilux D/Cab.........."central locking makes noise" (does this matter???)

Honda Civic............" looks a bit like a frog" (shouldn't it be the buyer that should make this conclusion?)

350Z.........."not much boot space" (it's a sports car for crying out loud!!)

Nissan Murano........."not so much an off-roader" (Nissan does not clain this to be an off-roader. So tell us something new!)

Cheers

Toyota Hi-Lux - I agree central locking making a noise hardly matters.

New Hond Civic sedan - It doesn't look like a frog more like a fish with its face wider than its tail.

350Z - Well some people buy only one car. And if for example you need to travel with your girl/boy friend or wife/husband on holiday, you would need a car with decent boot space. If you have a sedan as a 2nd car this would not matter.

Nissan Murano - Well this is the problem with all SUVs that are not off roaders. They have no real purpose. It's more a fault with the buyers of such vehicles. Why spend extra money and buy extra weight and consume extra fuel when the same use can be got from a car? Its simply a fad and the false feeling that SUVs are safer. So I think that's a justified comment.

  Supra_Natural said:

Duncan,

I think you are right...... Seems to be an international Malady as well...... Take CAR Magazine (UK).... They used to have a No-Holes-Barred Approach to reviewing; if a car was Bad they'd say so.... they caused a huge furore in the 1990's by declaring the VW Golf VR6, which everyone else was Raving about, a "Lemon" because of It's Dodgy build quality and poor high speed handling....... and in the 70's they annoyed Volvo so much that Volvo didn't advertise with them for a decade...... because they called volvos Boring!!!!!

But Advertising I think is the other major issue....... the mags get the majority of the revenue from ad budgets of manufacturers, so even CAR has toned it down.....

As for SL Mags..... Well Let's not even go there.......

Yeah you're right. CAR has become more GQ than the critical auto mag that I used to love, since their current editor Jason Barlow took over. I've been reading CAR since the 1990s but last month I bought a Top Gear as well. I find that they are much more critical and unafraid to say things. The format of the mag though is quite a mess compared with CAR's excellent layout. But what's to be done, we can't have it all!!!

[Supra_Natural]

  GTAm said:

Yeah you're right. CAR has become more GQ than the critical auto mag that I used to love, since their current editor Jason Barlow took over. I've been reading CAR since the 1990s but last month I bought a Top Gear as well. I find that they are much more critical and unafraid to say things. The format of the mag though is quite a mess compared with CAR's excellent layout. But what's to be done, we can't have it all!!!

Spot on..... it seems more of a "Lads" mag with an emphasis on cars, than the CAR we know and love..... I've been buying some 1990's copies lately and the difference is just shocking.......!

"World's Best Car Magazine"? Not Anymore.....

If Top Gear Mag works on the layout a bit more...... They'd deffa have CAR well and truly beaten

[Blazin]

  Supra_Natural said:

Spot on..... it seems more of a "Lads" mag with an emphasis on cars, than the CAR we know and love..... I've been buying some 1990's copies lately and the difference is just shocking.......!

"World's Best Car Magazine"? Not Anymore.....

If Top Gear Mag works on the layout a bit more...... They'd deffa have CAR well and truly beaten

Yea its like 'Autovision' in Sri Lanka. They are too scared to point out any faults with the cars. That must be the worst motoring programme I've ever seen.

I think the Evo magazine is a good car mag, but they do focus on very high performance cars.

[GTAm]

  Blazin said:

Yea its like 'Autovision' in Sri Lanka. They are too scared to point out any faults with the cars. That must be the worst motoring programme I've ever seen.

I think the Evo magazine is a good car mag, but they do focus on very high performance cars.

I like Evo as well. But its not available in SL. My new CAR mag has already arrived so I guess next month I'll switch to Top Gear!

[alfaQ]

just for ur info guys, top gear is gonna be back on air on the 28th of Jan! seriously looking forward to that episode! in my opinion, no other motoring mag or program can match that of Jeremy Clarkson and Top gear!

alfaQ

[Supra_Natural]

  Blazin said:

Yea its like 'Autovision' in Sri Lanka. They are too scared to point out any faults with the cars. That must be the worst motoring programme I've ever seen.

I think the Evo magazine is a good car mag, but they do focus on very high performance cars.

Autovision? nowadays its more like "Everything but Auto" Vision..... and ur right, never a single criticism, never a proper drive of the cars.... just a smooth 20kph run up parliament or sum such road and alls good...... Clarkson would jump off a cliff.........

Still, keep an eye on the horizon

Edited January 11, 2007 by Supra_Natural

[Blazin]

  alfaQ said:

just for ur info guys, top gear is gonna be back on air on the 28th of Jan! seriously looking forward to that episode! in my opinion, no other motoring mag or program can match that of Jeremy Clarkson and Top gear!

alfaQ

Can't wait for 2007 series to start, I've been watch all the old 2004 ones these days. Apparantly they are going to show the 'Richard Hammond Crash' in the first episode.

[alfaQ]

  Blazin said:

Can't wait for 2007 series to start, I've been watch all the old 2004 ones these days. Apparantly they are going to show the 'Richard Hammond Crash' in the first episode.

so i heard as well. looking forward to hearing the story of his crash from the hamster himself. wonder wht they have lined up for the new season....

[KLM]

The world's best automotive publication, IMHO, is Road & Track. Check out their website, www.roadandtrack.com. They have the best balance between pure automotive journalism, motorsport, and sportscars.

[Supra_Natural]

  KLM said:

The world's best automotive publication, IMHO, is Road & Track. Check out their website, www.roadandtrack.com. They have the best balance between pure automotive journalism, motorsport, and sportscars.

You know what? I think you might well be right...... Road & Track ARE very well balanced and they aren't afraid to say what they think...... I guess the mag's rep will keep the revenue coming so they can afford to be truthful......

[GTAm]

The other thing is lots of cars have improved. I mean the differences are now getting minimal. For example in the 80s build quality was best with German and a few Japanese manufacturers. Now while Japanese and German are still on top you can't call any car badly built.

[Blazin]

  GTAm said:

The other thing is lots of cars have improved. I mean the differences are now getting minimal. For example in the 80s build quality was best with German and a few Japanese manufacturers. Now while Japanese and German are still on top you can't call any car badly built.

Apart from the Rovers. And I'm sure some of those Chinese cars aren't very well built either.

[milindu]

' ......you can't call any car badly built.' was a famous quote from the 90's from the UK. The UK car market didn't have any dysfunctional cars as such. Even Rover was not all that bad with relatively reliable models coming out by then (despite the company not doing too great). Either that of the Brits were to proud to diss Rover.

I guess even in a Sri Lankan context....smaller jap cars were the bottomline as taxes were quite low till a few years back. We are starting to see junk in the market only due to the high taxation.

I have noted some of the T*ta Cars, some Chinese Cars/Vans/Suv not being up to the mark. But 'the mark' is a relative term which keeps going up everyday. Even our 'local car' has a long way to go. But I have never read anything negative about any of these cars in the local reviews.

[GTAm]

  milindu said:

' ......you can't call any car badly built.' was a famous quote from the 90's from the UK. The UK car market didn't have any dysfunctional cars as such. Even Rover was not all that bad with relatively reliable models coming out by then (despite the company not doing too great). Either that of the Brits were to proud to diss Rover.

I guess even in a Sri Lankan context....smaller jap cars were the bottomline as taxes were quite low till a few years back. We are starting to see junk in the market only due to the high taxation.

I have noted some of the T*ta Cars, some Chinese Cars/Vans/Suv not being up to the mark. But 'the mark' is a relative term which keeps going up everyday. Even our 'local car' has a long way to go. But I have never read anything negative about any of these cars in the local reviews.

Tata's are terrible. I had the opportunity of being a passenger in two recently when I went to India. Made me want to puke. The ride was horrible and the diesel engines sounded like a tractor. Interior plastics were very poor too.

The old Marutis are very cheap feeling as well.

The Chinese cars are pretty poor as well. Sometime back a Chinese van was featured in the Motormag and it came in for critisism. This months mag covers the Geely and the tester is trying hard to find something nice to say !

The Brits can be famous for their cock ups. The 1st Land Rover Discovery had terrible build quality. CAR magazine said "Panel gaps visible from space" And you can see its true when you next see one on our roads. The initial Freelanders came to the market with hundred of faults and Rover hid them.

The Alfa Romeos of the early 90s were very poorly built. A short drive in a 155 or 146 will convince you. They rattle like crazy. What about the Fiat Tempra and Tipo? They were disasters.

[Supra_Natural]

  GTAm said:

Tata's are terrible. I had the opportunity of being a passenger in two recently when I went to India. Made me want to puke. The ride was horrible and the diesel engines sounded like a tractor. Interior plastics were very poor too.

The old Marutis are very cheap feeling as well.

The Chinese cars are pretty poor as well. Sometime back a Chinese van was featured in the Motormag and it came in for critisism. This months mag covers the Geely and the tester is trying hard to find something nice to say !

The Brits can be famous for their cock ups. The 1st Land Rover Discovery had terrible build quality. CAR magazine said "Panel gaps visible from space" And you can see its true when you next see one on our roads. The initial Freelanders came to the market with hundred of faults and Rover hid them.

The Alfa Romeos of the early 90s were very poorly built. A short drive in a 155 or 146 will convince you. They rattle like crazy. What about the Fiat Tempra and Tipo? They were disasters.

I Agree totally on most of this, but can I just ask one question? The Alfa 155 was a well documented case, but wasn't there a facelift in the mid 1990's that sorted them out? I remeber reading a 1995 Review of a 155 (in CAR) that concluded "A Car Transformed"....... iT said the facelift had taken the 155 to a whole new Level .......

Or was that only in the UK?

[GTAm]

  Supra_Natural said:

I Agree totally on most of this, but can I just ask one question? The Alfa 155 was a well documented case, but wasn't there a facelift in the mid 1990's that sorted them out? I remeber reading a 1995 Review of a 155 (in CAR) that concluded "A Car Transformed"....... iT said the facelift had taken the 155 to a whole new Level .......

Or was that only in the UK?

Transformed in terms of dynamics. It got a wider track and quicker rack. It's a great drive. My bro owns one and it's a cracker if you can live with the rattles.

[GTAm]

Coming back to the topic, I just got the Feb issue of CAR and it seems they've got their balls back. They're back with the original size and seem to be objective again in their analysis and cut off some of the gloss.

For example, they've given the new Shogun/Montero a two star review and the Kia Cee'd a four star and they justify it convincingly. Funny thing how different Brit mags give varying reviews. Examples - CAR give the Renault Megane 230 F1 R26 just 3 stars, Autocar gives it four and a half. Autocar gives the new CRV 4 stars and Top Gear gives it a thubs down with 2 stars!

Nice preview in CAR of the E90 M3 even if the styling sucks.

[Supra_Natural]

  GTAm said:

Coming back to the topic, I just got the Feb issue of CAR and it seems they've got their balls back. They're back with the original size and seem to be objective again in their analysis and cut off some of the gloss.

For example, they've given the new Shogun/Montero a two star review and the Kia Cee'd a four star and they justify it convincingly. Funny thing how different Brit mags give varying reviews. Examples - CAR give the Renault Megane 230 F1 R26 just 3 stars, Autocar gives it four and a half. Autocar gives the new CRV 4 stars and Top Gear gives it a thubs down with 2 stars!

Nice preview in CAR of the E90 M3 even if the styling sucks.

Thats Brilliant.... CAR was the only mag that i truly respected, and it was sad to see them going down the "lads mag" route........ So great if they've sorted themselves out..... must go out and buy a Feb issue......

ya i've noticed the uk mag scene too......I can't explain it myself......

[Supra_Natural]

Reviving this topic, has anyone seen the new editions of the indian car mags?? Specifically AUTOcar iNDIA AND oVERDRIVE...? I got the latest issues yesterday and i must say i was V. Impressed..... give or take the odd spelling mistake and a few layout issues, they were bloody good..... I had previously dismissed indian car mags as useless based on CAR India (Suffering from the generic CAR poblem....) but these are actually pretty darn good....... very informative and a genuine interesting read for the car guy (or girl)....

[TurboSeavy]

I'm afraid I think I have to agree with Duncan and others who feel that most of the reviews are not worth reading...

I was going through some SUV reviews and the complaints were,

Nissan X-Trail - The meter panel is in the middle, and it looks cheap

Honda HRV - Interior is spacious, more like a van (Hello???)

Most of the time you don't even feel like reading the rest of the review, because you feel that there is no gain in knowledge in them. What a pity!