Car and Driver's judgement day????
12-03-2003, 09:00 PM
#31
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Mags are all about making money, they're gonna put cars on the cover that'll make people pick up their magazines and buy, that means placing the latest and greatest on the cover. The GT2 isn't the latest. Also, C&D aren't gonna blow their load testing the GT against the Carrera GT or Enzo, they're gonna wait until the Ford GT and Carrera GT have properly reached the market and Enzo's are more readily available.
I thought it was a great write-up, and was happy to see the GT3 perform like a $200k car.
I thought it was a great write-up, and was happy to see the GT3 perform like a $200k car.
12-04-2003, 06:21 PM
#32
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I was a "road warrior" for Car and Driver in 1991-1992, and I will say that I never saw evidence of any internal or external pressure to favor "local" brands. We never got calls from our parent company telling us to be gentle with a certain vehicle, nor did we get calls from our ad sales rep (the closest one, by the way, was in a completely separate office an hour and a half away) telling us which OEM spent the most money that month.
The editors at C&D tell it how they see it, and we received a crate full of "are you nuts?" mail everyday to prove it.
I went on a bunch of "comparo's", and I wish you guys could see how much testing and driving was done, combined with the heated debates and copious notes in the vehicle log books. It's always a big deal coming up with a winner in a comparo, and the writers took it very seriously. I think you would see a mass exodus of the current writers (and subscribers) if C&D started giving awards to undeserving "local" OEM's, or to the companies that created the most ad revenue that month.
I know it has been a long time since I worked at C&D, but I'm pretty certain that things are still run the same way around there. Have any of you checked the "Ten Best" in C&D this month? Not many "locals" there.
The editors at C&D tell it how they see it, and we received a crate full of "are you nuts?" mail everyday to prove it.
I went on a bunch of "comparo's", and I wish you guys could see how much testing and driving was done, combined with the heated debates and copious notes in the vehicle log books. It's always a big deal coming up with a winner in a comparo, and the writers took it very seriously. I think you would see a mass exodus of the current writers (and subscribers) if C&D started giving awards to undeserving "local" OEM's, or to the companies that created the most ad revenue that month.
I know it has been a long time since I worked at C&D, but I'm pretty certain that things are still run the same way around there. Have any of you checked the "Ten Best" in C&D this month? Not many "locals" there.
12-04-2003, 10:17 PM
#34
Csaba Csere hangs out on a motorcycle forum I visit and unfortunately he sometimes takes crap for comparo ratings even there. He's a very nice guy and very fair and knowledgeable.
The fact is for some people, every comparo where their favorite car wins is fair and balanced, and everyone where it doesn't is rigged or incompetent.
If you want to see your horse always win regardless of reality, stick to Excellence.
The fact is for some people, every comparo where their favorite car wins is fair and balanced, and everyone where it doesn't is rigged or incompetent.
If you want to see your horse always win regardless of reality, stick to Excellence.
12-05-2003, 02:57 PM
#36
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IMHO, C&D is the only American car mag worth reading. Road & Track used to be interesting but their inability to be critical of anyone ("looks interesting" and "polarizes opinions" isn't good enough) is pathetic. Even worse, the articles sometimes sound like reading from a tech brochure (see the latest issue on the Carrera GT). Too bad the british car mags are too expensive (I only buy Evo every month, I skim Top Gear, Car and Autocar at the bookstore) and I can't read Italian or German!
As for quality, even C&D falls short, choosing instead to cram their pages with annoying cardboard insert ads that continue to force you to revisit those same ads when you flip pages (which is precisely their point). Any attempt to tear them out results in a ripped seam unless you use a knife. As far as photography is concerned, not only are US car mags lacking in them (you'll see comments about an interesting rear-end or interior but see only a front photo) but the shots are downright pathetic compared to those seen in Evo. As nice as Csaba Csere is, that's one area where I think he's and the C&D publishing staff are guilty of. Oh, and why do they feel compelled to list every car sold for that year in a single issue? The list lacks depth and only takes pages away from the articles. Do a real Car-Of-The-Year article, will ya? And I don't mean a ten best thing but something similar to what Evo does with actual insight (can you tell that I like Evo a *lot*?)
Still, I do like the C&D humor with comments like "we think the rear of the new 530i is angry at us"
As for quality, even C&D falls short, choosing instead to cram their pages with annoying cardboard insert ads that continue to force you to revisit those same ads when you flip pages (which is precisely their point). Any attempt to tear them out results in a ripped seam unless you use a knife. As far as photography is concerned, not only are US car mags lacking in them (you'll see comments about an interesting rear-end or interior but see only a front photo) but the shots are downright pathetic compared to those seen in Evo. As nice as Csaba Csere is, that's one area where I think he's and the C&D publishing staff are guilty of. Oh, and why do they feel compelled to list every car sold for that year in a single issue? The list lacks depth and only takes pages away from the articles. Do a real Car-Of-The-Year article, will ya? And I don't mean a ten best thing but something similar to what Evo does with actual insight (can you tell that I like Evo a *lot*?)
Still, I do like the C&D humor with comments like "we think the rear of the new 530i is angry at us"
12-05-2003, 05:09 PM
#37
Burning Brakes
Not sure what itch it is being scratched? Three manufactures all producing a great car - not much between any of them really and the vast majority of punters couldn't tell the difference between them. It is always difficult to find an exact match on price and spec.
Thought PeterS had it about right - great to see Ford creating a classic again.
PJC
Thought PeterS had it about right - great to see Ford creating a classic again.
PJC
