United States vs. European Car Magazines

[rebel88]

Last night I finished reading my first issues of Top Gear and Car magazines. All I can say is I was blown away by the depth and detail of the reporting. Car and Driver and the other US magazines have some serious work to catch up to these Europe magazines. I started to wonder why there would be such a difference. It seems like Europe has much more of a die hard car culture where here in America we go through cars without ever taking pride in what we drive. Why do you think there is such a difference between Europe and America regarding cars as evidenced by a comparison between leading auto magazines?

[Tomerville]

Reader interest. A lot of americans are "superficial" and shallow car enthusiasts. They only want to hear good, and no bad. For istance, that Evo article on the faults of Porsche's PCCB brake system you would never find in an american publication.

[graywolf624]

For istance, that Evo article on the faults of Porsche's PCCB brake system you would never find in an american publication.

Not true.
The issue is that american car magazines are split into 2 types. The broad superficial and the car or make specific. The broad doesnt go very in depth, but the specific car ones go just as in depth(maybe even more so). Apparently technical wise americans want more specialized content.

[bobafett]

The US magazines are CRAP. I can't stand "Crap and Drivel" or "Rubbish and Tarnish", automobile or any of the rest.

They're simply shallow mind-numbing pages written towards those with a 7th grade comprehension level who are bench racers at best.

EVO, CAR, Octane - these are magazines where written prose is considered a pleasant thing. The photography, the content of the articles (funny how CD, RT, etc. all have the same comparisons every issue), hell, even the paper they are printed on are incomparably better.

I mean, it's really this. CD typical opening: "Here we are. Two very fast cars. Did I say fast? I mean fast like a Hemi is fast.

Typical car opener: "We pop out of the Mont Blanc tunnel, curling round onto the autostrada that tumbles like meltwater down the Aosta valley. It cuts through rock, it swerves, it arcs downward, monolothic white peaks towering above as it levels and straightens onto the valley floor."

Cmon...one is something I would have been ashamed to have written in grade school. The other is poetry. Look at the columnists. Rowan Atkinson & Sterling Moss vs. no-name self-proclaimed pundits?

--Dan

[BADMIHAI]

Rowan Atkinson & Sterling Moss vs. no-name self-proclaimed pundits?


HAhahaah.
I agree. The European magazines give me the pleasure of reading. The American ones just lack passion.

[mindgam3]

Although what most of you have said is pretty harsh, i do have to agree, having read a wide variety of american car magazines they just do not compare with european versions. Firstly on the technical side, they dont really seem to know what they're talking about, even though they may do. And secondly on an emotive side, theres nothing there as there is in european magazines that backs up the photos and wants to make u be there driving the car. I.e bobafetts typical car opener

[schnell318]

Hahaha, bobafett you were really harsh on the american magazines but I´m not complaining at all, they really are crap if you compare them to Car, Evo and the likes.

[ahmedgiyab]

European car magazines have much more to say.....I mean they share more

information to the readers..... :wink:

[graywolf624]

Guess no one read my buddies article in mustang enthusiast.. Good example of my statement of really technical model or make specific articles. As I said.. americans prefer there technical data car specific.

Id buy topgear for my overall news except its too damn expensive and sometimes pictures are what i want.

[chipanggo]

top gear magazine is way better than car and driver in my opinion. however, here in our country top gear is way more expensive than car and driver.

[komotar]

My favorite:

CAR -the best imo
EVO -I can't buy it in stores here, I can only subscribe, so
I read whatever available here in magazine scans.
Auto Moto und Sport. (german)

The last Car and driver I bought was I think earyt this year,
when they compared the 360 CS, GT3 and Ford GT.

[fabro_s]

What I like of Europeans regarding on car criticism, is that they are honest and hard, yeah I have a lot of car magazines and yes, all you can read in an american magazine is that everything is perfec, but in the European magazines, if a car is crappy, then its crappy doesnt matter if its a ferrari or a lancer evo or a porsche, if its shitty then they are going to say that its shitty and thats real car criticism! good for the europeans, and common we people know what cars are made in europe and what cars are made in america, dont compare car culture, here in america is all for the muscle, but in europe its style and class, althoug I respect american cars, corvette, GT4, Saleen S7, but common Europe has all the history of automovilism in their hands.... :)

[number77]

Primedia dominates the mag business. The writters do a good job with what they have though. and example is that primedia will own multiple car mags, and htty have to share stories. so if a car is featured in one mag on month, it could be in another the next. and i'm sure they have to share engines/partts also.

but these are do-it-yourself type of magazines, not car and driver, where you read someone elses opinion on a car.
C and D sucks horribly. They have no basis for opinions and are just stuck up
(i am from america)

[rob_e1]

I've read a few US mags - nothing i've seen comes close to the mags we have here in the uk. EVO is top IMO :D

[SFDMALEX]

Only the Brits are good at this job. Period. American magazines are shit! Not because it has anything to do with America, they are just shit.

So are the American and Canadian auto related TV shows. Shit, shit shit.

Leave it to the Brits.

[fireguy]

European magazines are by far the better to read because their writers actually know how to communicate their excitement and passion for their jobs. The American magazines should find better writers and while their at it, print their magazine on paper that doesn't fall apart after a month!

[5vz-fe]

Looks like we need to get some of the Editors of "Car and Driver" "Motortrend" "Road and Track" "Automobile"....into this post =P~

I couldn't agree more, I always find myself sitting in Chapters reading those European car magzines rather than buying those cheap american ones. Yes, sometimes if I were to shop for cars, numbers do play an important role, but that just account for 5% of the time or less. I find that American car magazine spend too much time repeating information. IF I WANT CARGO SPACE I WILL GO TO UR INFO PAGE, don't have to repeat it in the text....

[heyloo]

Any ideas how to subscribe European magazines to US addresses?
...well if it wouldn't cost me a huge amount..-_-;

:?

[TT]

It will cost you a huge amount, but you can subscribe to UK magazine in UK, in Europe like I do or in US, Australia or wherever :D

Already for continental europe the price goes quite high, but for US it is even worst, but for evo IMO, well worth: https://secure.widearea.co.uk/dennis/campaigns/1728/SOCC.html

[SilviaEvo]

Euro publications have more resources to rarer cars because i think more people are interested in Europe's Supercars and have to go all the way to Europe to go write or film on them and waste money for that

[SFDMALEX]

Euro publications have more resources to rarer cars because i think more people are interested in Europe's Supercars and have to go all the way to Europe to go write or film on them and waste money for that

cars have nothing to do with it. We are talking about writing. In an English magazine they can put passion into trucks and ford ka's while American and Canadian magzines have hard time extracting some emotions from Ferraris and Lambos.

[HeilSvenska]

US magazines ARE horrible. I mean it's a country that likes Camries for god's sake (personally i love the country). For one thing, most American journalists are not witty, nor are they good with words. American columns are dull, except for Jamie Kitman's, who writes for the CAR. Quality of the papers themselves are horrid too. Once, some water got on to my Motor Trend mag and it bled, unlike high quality pages of UK mags. And the Photography...as a student who took a photography class, photography in American mags are appalling. They have no artistic value...they are mere profiles of cars. They are so bad that they make Lotus Elise and Ferrari 575M look boring. From what i see, the journalists in American magazines are old, at least 40 i guess, unlike young brits such as Tom Ford.

And for specialized mags in US, although they are focused, they hardly have any writing at all, mostly how to tune stuff, like Super Chevy and Sports Compact Car. and the magazines themselves are pretty naffy.

I say UK mags are the best and US (still) has one or two things to learn.