This is an Australian auto journalist revealing a caustic view of how auto journalists really review new cars.............

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS4DbiDYv60

 

Entertainingly cynical for sure! I fear there is a lot of truth in it though.

 

He's not wrong.

 

Well he sure won't be going to Ibiza to drive the new Golf or Montenegro for the launch of the 2018 Touareg all expenses paid...

 

He sure has good points. My only issue is that the entire industry, every vehicle and parts manufacturer is like that. Hate seeing VW being the scape goat here. Someone needs to shed light on the big picture.
Come to think of it, in the affordible categories, almost every consumable product now is made not to last.

 

I have a few good friends who are auto journalists.. If you're too critical you'll get banned/blacklisted from manufacture events and trips.. Some of those trips are pretty sweet. Even if they know the car is crap they can't really say it.

 

That's why I mess Clarkson, Hammond and May on Top Gear

 

Harris is a better journalist

 

Agreed. Clarkson's dislike of Porsches is legendary. No honest appraisals there.

 

Think he was spot on. Not sure how the Tiguan could ever beat a Honda CRV or Subaru for that matter.

 

He is right to nail VW and here's why: when VW decided to go after the "biggest in the world" BS things fell apart and it is a conscious decision to do so (testing the limits) as they race for the "title".

I have lived the reality when I worked for Goodyear and it almost bankrupted us! The quality of the product was garbage and we were forced to cut corners everywhere in the relentless pursuit of exponential production and sales at any cost - this was around 2000. Why? because of the bloated egos of the senior executives who wanted to create "lasting legacies".

If you hear of a company claiming that they want to be top of the mountain sales and units wise globally in a short timeframe do yourself a favour run as far as you can from their products!!

 

If parts of the car or the whole car for that matter is crap, I would prefer they actually said so. To hell with being politically correct. Tell it like it is. It's refreshing.

Sure some journalists may get black listed, but I would bet most manufactures would prefer some truth vs the sugar constant coated bull.
There probably was a very positive review of Yugo's somewhere.

Clarkson for the most part spoke his mind. Sometimes to the dismay of various companies. I think rarely if ever were he was not permitted to review a brand though. He did hate Porsche's sure, but he did also have positive reviews of them where warranted.

 

Top Gear is a bad example. The show was fake. Scenes of cars breaking down, electric cars running out of charge, numerous stunts, all kinds of stuff was just simply fake. BBC even defended themselves in court by stating Top Gear is "an entertainment programme, and should not be taken seriously".

Yes automotive journalism is a mess, but Top Gear wasn't journalism at all. More like parody.

 

The new Clarkson show on Amazon has precisely the same jokey laddish ingredients with no serious journalism.

 

did you guys know Clarkson got his start because of his mom...she invented Paddington bear. She got him on BBC.