I am done with Car and Driver Magazine
01-02-09, 08:42 AM
#16
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the gtr and m3 are different cars
while the gtr outperforms the m3, the experience will be different. i havent driven the m3 so im not sure how different it is, but i wouldnt think it 'impossible' for 'someone' to prefer the m, depending on their tastes, what the roads and conditions are like where they are/test, etc. when they say the m dispatched the gtr i think thats what they were referring to - their comparison where they preferred the m.
having said that, is the gt-r a bit clinical? well it is very efficient at what it does. but its still very involving and very dynamic. the roads and conditions where i live, combined with my tastes , have lead me to also own a s2000 (in addition to the gtr)- which i drive on days where i want simplicity.
now getting back to c&d i admit its hard to defend them. i remember when they reviewed the IS and 3 and they declared the 3 the winner even though it broke down... and was more expensive... and they miscounted the points.
i also remember when they said the v36/g35 was pretty even with the e90 3, but liked the 328 more for intangibles and made it their pick - even though it was $7k more expensive as tested (too big of a difference in that price range for the 'intangibles' in my opinion)
my guess is theyre just big fans of the kinds of cars bmw makes. nothing wrong with that. just like many people here are big fans of lexus cars.
it still gives their reviews value to me because its interesting to hear the take from a party that has a view that often runs contrary to my own. it would be good for them to be more consistent, concise and up front about their view/base though.
while the gtr outperforms the m3, the experience will be different. i havent driven the m3 so im not sure how different it is, but i wouldnt think it 'impossible' for 'someone' to prefer the m, depending on their tastes, what the roads and conditions are like where they are/test, etc. when they say the m dispatched the gtr i think thats what they were referring to - their comparison where they preferred the m.
having said that, is the gt-r a bit clinical? well it is very efficient at what it does. but its still very involving and very dynamic. the roads and conditions where i live, combined with my tastes , have lead me to also own a s2000 (in addition to the gtr)- which i drive on days where i want simplicity.
now getting back to c&d i admit its hard to defend them. i remember when they reviewed the IS and 3 and they declared the 3 the winner even though it broke down... and was more expensive... and they miscounted the points.
i also remember when they said the v36/g35 was pretty even with the e90 3, but liked the 328 more for intangibles and made it their pick - even though it was $7k more expensive as tested (too big of a difference in that price range for the 'intangibles' in my opinion)
my guess is theyre just big fans of the kinds of cars bmw makes. nothing wrong with that. just like many people here are big fans of lexus cars.
it still gives their reviews value to me because its interesting to hear the take from a party that has a view that often runs contrary to my own. it would be good for them to be more consistent, concise and up front about their view/base though.
01-02-09, 10:00 AM
#17
Lexus Test Driver
It's no secrete that C&D likes Honda and BMW. I read the magazine because it's so cheap and there are still some good information like car news, comparison tests (I don't worry too much about the ranking), etc. If you can get over with the comparison test result, you might find the magazine fun to read especially the readers’ backfire section.
01-02-09, 10:24 AM
#18
Guest
Posts: n/a
I've been saying for quite some time now I send my free subscriptions to the Atlanta ZOo where they use them to wipe up Panda crap.
They were very good in the 1990s and have turned to crap. You see I can totally understand the BMW bias in the 1990s but TODAY the game has changed and they refuse to recognize it.
Their writers for the most part have the automotive experience of a lima bean. Their old writes/editors are well old and no longer relevant. Its like reading Ralph Nadar Times.
At least their funny articles are still funny, but the REAL articles should not be funny with their ridiculous outcomes.
They were very good in the 1990s and have turned to crap. You see I can totally understand the BMW bias in the 1990s but TODAY the game has changed and they refuse to recognize it.
Their writers for the most part have the automotive experience of a lima bean. Their old writes/editors are well old and no longer relevant. Its like reading Ralph Nadar Times.
At least their funny articles are still funny, but the REAL articles should not be funny with their ridiculous outcomes.
01-02-09, 11:08 AM
#19
Lexus Test Driver
Back a few months ago, they did a comaprison, of the GT-R, 911 turbo, M3 and the Corvete Z06. All the other cars, beat the M3 in every peformance catagory, but they still picked the M3. Also in another article they quote" automakers should stop making thier own cars and just make BMW 3 series." It is a funny magazine, but this is obvious bias. In other magazines the M3 in comparison tests has lost to the MB C63 AMG and Audi RS4, so if it can't beat it's main catagory, how can it be better then the GT-R and 911 turbo?
01-02-09, 11:29 AM
#20
Lexus Fanatic
There are reasons why auto magazines often choose BMW's over their competitiors. While Bimmers are not always the fastest cars in their category, or the best-built from a reliability standpoint, they have power- steering systems, chassis dynamics, and brakes, that, IMO, are some of the best on the market. BMW chassis engineers, for example, have an almost magical ability to combine sharp handling with an at least acceptably smooth ride (even on the stiffer-sprung, lower-tire-profile Sport packages). The brake pedals have NO sponginess, instant response, effective deceleration, and, thankfully, lack the annoying dragging sensation that Mercedes brakes often have when you lift your foot of the pedal. And the steering-feel has to be sampled to be believed. IMO, it is simply THE best among production sedans, coupes, and SUVs. You can almost steer a BMW blindfolded, just from the feel of the tires and steering gear alone. The only major BMW shortcoming, as I see it (besides the Bangle-inspired designs and the unreliability of some models), is the annoying, complex I-Drive.....a real pain in the a** when you are trying to drive. Even non-nav, non-I-Drive BMWs tend to have complex dash controls.
So, you may not agree with the way that car mags seem to often pick BMWs over their competitors, but it is often done for a good reason.....and not just BMW's advertising money. BMW is not the classic driver-enthusiast brand it is for nothing....they have earned many of the ratings they got. Other cars may offer better quality, better acceleration, more space efficnency, slicker paint jobs, lower prices, better warranties.......any one of a number of things, but, for simple driving pleasure, it's hard to beat a Bimmer, though, I agree that they are not the cars for everybody. I, myself, like Subarus.
So, you may not agree with the way that car mags seem to often pick BMWs over their competitors, but it is often done for a good reason.....and not just BMW's advertising money. BMW is not the classic driver-enthusiast brand it is for nothing....they have earned many of the ratings they got. Other cars may offer better quality, better acceleration, more space efficnency, slicker paint jobs, lower prices, better warranties.......any one of a number of things, but, for simple driving pleasure, it's hard to beat a Bimmer, though, I agree that they are not the cars for everybody. I, myself, like Subarus.
Last edited by mmarshall; 01-02-09 at 02:13 PM.
01-02-09, 01:04 PM
#21
Lexus Fanatic
Opinions in car magazines are always nothing more than opinions. In the end I reach my own conclusions. I do place some value in the objective testing data published in C&D, R&T.
01-02-09, 01:16 PM
#22
Speaks French in Russian
Internet reviews, forums, etc make print magazines damn near obsolete IMO.
01-02-09, 02:24 PM
#24
Lexus Fanatic
Their writers for the most part have the automotive experience of a lima bean. Their old writes/editors are well old and no longer relevant. Its like reading Ralph Nadar Times.
.
01-02-09, 05:36 PM
#25
mmarshall, the game has definitely changed in the last 10 years. Back in the 90s if one wants a "legitimate" sports sedan the 3-series is the only game in town, A4 back then was an also-ran, not even close. Today there are so many legitimate contenders out there such as the G, IS, C, A4, CTS and dare I say, Acura TL... Sure the 3-series is still the the bench mark but the gap has been closed significantly, the biased C&D had to assign one baloney "must have" point in order to break the tie between the IS350 and e90 330i couldn't make it more obvious.
I have no problem admitting that BMW is still the performance king but C&D needs to stop pretending that they are the only real deal and everything else are poseurs. Just because other manufactures have other ideas about how to make a sports sedan doesn't make them poseurs, if that's the case then why don't they just pack up, go home and let BMW have it all. I don't know about you but I sure don't want a Lexus 3-series...
I have no problem admitting that BMW is still the performance king but C&D needs to stop pretending that they are the only real deal and everything else are poseurs. Just because other manufactures have other ideas about how to make a sports sedan doesn't make them poseurs, if that's the case then why don't they just pack up, go home and let BMW have it all. I don't know about you but I sure don't want a Lexus 3-series...
