Motor Magazine

[RedHotGT]

Originally Posted by merlin

I stopped buying Motor and tried the Top Gear magazine. IMO much better value (lots thicker) and more well written than both.

Its certainly a lot thicker.... because it has way more ADS!!

[mcnews]

Originally Posted by stazza

And the thing that really gives me the shits is when they put the FPV Boss 315 Super Pursuit up against a Maloo, but had the Maloo as a manual 6spd and the Boss as an Auto. IMO that's not really a fair test.

It really annoys me that Ford didn't insist they take an F6 along for comparison also. I sometimes think FPV don't do this on purpose so as not to shame the V8 models even more than they have been in comparison to the HSV.

[DJR-351]

Originally Posted by Peuty

Buying car mags for me isn't about the info, it's about seeing the cars on nice glossy pages, photographed in interseting ways

I disagree, I also buy Penthouse for the interesting in-depth articles....

[Redrum]

Go to page 145 of the April issue. Have a look at the start ratings on the utes. All the Holden utes get 8 stars except the Maloo which gets 7 stars. The more stars the more the vehicle is a dream ride. The Fords get 5 to 7 stars. The F6 is beaten by the SV6. How can this be so?

[Airmon]

Did it every occur to anyone that perhaps the Holdens are just a better product? :

I agree it seems as though they are Biased, and while a couple of the writers may be, I think overall they are pretty fair. I can remember countless wins to Ford over Holden in motor. XR6T won their BFYB title twice IIRC.
They rated the XR6 over the SV6, highly, loved the improvements the FG GT made, and 2 months ago the editorial was a rant about how the media isn't giving Ford Oz a fair go. (3 pages over and they were Highlighting the Falcons unknown Future though....).

I think it only seems prominent due to the large Walkies they seem to get through, and the only Tuner fords they ever get are Herrods. But all in all its not too bad.
However if Cockburn doesn't make it back to writing full time I'll reconsider my subscription.

Besides, maybe Ford will get the hint and up their game even more?

[tranquilized]

Originally Posted by The Snout

Yeah I agree with this but can understand why they might be too.

If I remember correctly, in 2008 when the Honda Accord Euro won the COTY it didn't even get the front cover to itself. If it was a Falcon or Commodore that had won it would have. Maybe someone with a back issue can confirm that.

May even have been the same for the VW Golf in 2009.

Wheels havn't been putting the COTY on the cover for several years now. It gets complained about constantly in the letters to the editor, but 9 times out of 10 there is a Holden or Ford on the cover for the simple fact that it increases sales of the magazine, even though the Falcodore on the cover often only gets one page devoted to it in the news section.

[mcnews]

Damn right, magazine covers are only to sell magazines and not to reliably inform the potential buyer of content. It is marketing, pure and simple.

[Polyal]

Yeah I gave up buying that rubbish years ago, although I must say I still have 10+ years of both Wheels and Motor mags sitting in my closet. It just got to a point where you grow up and see through the mud.

I buy Unique Cars and Australian Muscle Cars, thats about it. Just wish AMC was monthly, because if the main article is about a Holden then it doesn't take long to read the whole thing.

Top Gear is shocking, so bogan, having some Australian slang here and there is ok but they go overboard; and the amount of ads is disgraceful.

Guess they are just trying to make a buck.

[trippytaka]

I always got the impression that they loved the handling and steering of Ford products... plus, it seems that Holden/HSV et al is constantly releasing a "new" model.

And in this month's issue they featured our Ford XY GT shirt, leaving out the Holden ones.

[trippytaka]

Originally Posted by loftie

Its certainly a lot thicker.... because it has way more ADS!!

Haha, true... but editorial content to ad ratio would stay the same. It's pretty much set at a maximum.

Interestingly, Men's Health is claiming to be the biggest selling men's monthly this issue, which means they knocked Top Gear off in the audits last round.

[Quicksand]

Originally Posted by stazza

Anyone else get the vibe that Motor is just a LITTLE biased towards crapodores?

Speaking of bias....??

People in glass houses shouldnt throw stones.....

[auxr]

I must admit that my wife works in our local library and I receive every month's first release Motor, Wheels, AMC, Performance Ford, Top Gear etc to read before it hits the shelves. Not bragging, just lucky I suppose.

From all the issues I have gone through, my 2cents worth is that as a marketing tool these magazines do very well, bias, meh - runs evenly between the mag's depending what new brand is on offer.

These mag's are pure entertainment, they offer a good write up on many performance vehicles that many people can only dream about, some offer good technical knowledge and tips, but that is about it.

One tip though - I'm considering buying a few shares in some of these publications -I would say that all of these publications would be currently awaiting, I would say salivating, on the release of the Coyote - sales marketing must be anticipating the rush, and the unprecedented sales that the release of a new blown Ford V8 would be offering to their bottom line profit margins.

[sprint347dave]

Camaro, Shelby, GTS and a GT all lined up for a showdown,,,and no 0-100 or 1/4 miles times due to time contrants,,,,
due to a motor magazine not being able to manage there time i have no time to buy it

[flappist]

Originally Posted by sprint347dave

Camaro, Shelby, GTS and a GT all lined up for a showdown,,,and no 0-100 or 1/4 miles times due to time contrants,,,,
due to a motor magazine not being able to manage there time i have no time to buy it

The camaro and mustang probably came from Gympie and the tests were done on Lakeside.

There is no drag strip there or straight long enough to do those tests safely.

You can have your revenge though. Buy your new Comaro or Mustang somewhere else........

[The Snout]

Originally Posted by tranquilized

Wheels havn't been putting the COTY on the cover for several years now. It gets complained about constantly in the letters to the editor, but 9 times out of 10 there is a Holden or Ford on the cover for the simple fact that it increases sales of the magazine, even though the Falcodore on the cover often only gets one page devoted to it in the news section.

Thanks. Yeah I've been getting the mag on an off and noticed that it was all Holden and Ford and thought it a bit rough that when Honda had something to crow about that it didn't get the cover.

I think it's a bit rough that all Ford or Holden ahve to do is rumour bringing out a car and they get a cover, meanwhile someone like Honda or VW win COTY and can't buy one for love or money.

[Peuty]

Originally Posted by DJR-351

I disagree, I also buy Penthouse for the interesting in-depth articles....

Ah well....each to their own

[DJR-351]

Originally Posted by Peuty

Ah well....each to their own

Sorry, it was a tounge in cheek comment, in my disagreement i was agreeing with your original comments, think about it.....

[Peuty]

Ahaha yeah....don;t make me think too hard about stuff.

[platinumXR]

Originally Posted by Polyal

Yeah I gave up buying that rubbish years ago, although I must say I still have 10+ years of both Wheels and Motor mags sitting in my closet. It just got to a point where you grow up and see through the mud.

Top Gear is shocking, so bogan, having some Australian slang here and there is ok but they go overboard; and the amount of ads is disgraceful

Yeah, I am about the same; I let my subscriptions to WRX Monthly and HSV Monthly go, ages ago for the same or the abovementioned reasons.

I also stopped buying Street Machine (after buying EVERY issue since 1986) for the same reason and also as it was getting way too bogan and West Coast Chopper orientated. Which are fine for some but not why I bought it.

I'm sticking to a very few select relevent ones now (a couple from USA) 5.0 &FF, DeLuxe etc...

[mcnews]

The cars in Street Machine in the 80s were tops, I can still look at them and lust. Rarely do I see anything in recent Street Machine mags that give me the same level of interest.

[BFZ Wagon]

We all know that Holden = Bogan... and this being 'Austraya', Bogan's reign supreme in this country. Holden have to buy their support somehow.... They can't just rely on having a good product that speaks for itself.. Which other car companies actually do.
Now which other Aussie car company would do that & doesn't need to buy their customers support???
Ford of course! ;)

[jcxr]

Originally Posted by Peuty

Buying car mags for me isn't about the info, it's about seeing the cars on nice glossy pages, photographed in interseting ways and reading articles written by people with a sense of humor, unlike the countless online journo-bots that you can care to name.

So what if they are biased toward one make or another? In my mind, that's not really the point of such mags I reckon, enjoy the yarn, then go make your own mind up about the cars.

And you buy Playboy for the same reasons?

[Silver Ghia]

For many many years Motor and Wheels have had far too much journalistic garble in their reports which exagerate things to entertain the average reader who will never get to drive the cars being reported on (at least when new or nearly new anyway). Gave up on them long ago, a quick glance at the newsagents now and then reaffirms that opinion.

If you want more factual articles, I've found that Australian Muscle Car magazine is a much better read on new models from Ford and Holden, especially the more performing ones.

[auxr]

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

If you want more factual articles, I've found that Australian Muscle Car magazine is a much better read on new models from Ford and Holden, especially the more performing ones.

+ 1 - totally agree.

[sk8xr8]

Why are you getting upset about it, if you were working there and you were a ford fanatic, would you admit if a holden was in actual fact maybe a little better??

NO

You would find a reason to dislike or critisize the car and favour your own, the point im tryin to make here is dont worry so much what they think, drive it for yourself and make up your own mind, in part it sounds like you have already, so whats the problem????

[sk8xr8]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7njW...ger_r2-2r-8-HM

wheels magazine.

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by sk8xr8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7njW...ger_r2-2r-8-HM

wheels magazine.

Oh dear.....

Bogans have taken over YouTube !

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Barraxr8

Oh dear.....

Bogans have taken over YouTube !

Yep, now the the 6.2 is not good enough, Holden will have to step up to 7.0 litres.
Seriously though, both cars lacked grip and I wonder what times are possible with
a sticky track and good rubber...

[pottery beige]

I was having a look at that Top Gear mag when it first came out.. 'blaa blaa blaa Dick Johnson article'.... It was nearly two year's old Dicky with 1st rock instead of Jim Beam's.. Top Gear mag is just full of networked, recycled, cut and pasted crap!!