Who Do You Trust For Reviews?

terdancam · May 25, 2005

Have just finished reading the lex Gs Vs BMW/Audi/Merc etc compariosn in this months edition.

Bmw got first place, then they bottled it by giving evrybody joint second :duh:

Ok it raised some valid points about the new GS eg; rear leg room, not as cavernous as the others in the interior, slower engine, brakes, and boot space, but then paid scant attention to the reliability factor which could have probably done with some further facts.

Its all very well having the cheaper to buy/service/run the faster and "better" BMW but how often does it need repairing etc....?

Are What Car? badge snobs or is that BMW the better all round, start to finish, buy to sell car? Who knows?

So this got me to thinking about which "authority" people use when making their choices or getting their information. Is it Top gear and Max power, or 5th gear and autoexpress, for instance? Do you just go by JD Power, or by what your mate says? Do you care about all the relevant info, or are you just swayed by a cars looks or 0.60 time and could care less about things such as dealer reputation, or fuel economy, or a motor being notorious for a certain type of fault?

Lets find out what are peoples information "bibles", and maybe whether the BMW is the better car in this specific comparison only.

javadude · May 25, 2005

Guess they can't talk about reliability of a new model so have to look at it on its other merits.

I was sold on the IS from a write up of the car by a japanese guy at Lexus on how they designed it for handling, looks etc. Not too independent I guess. A test drive convinced me.

Parthiban · May 25, 2005

That's really strange, I don't understand why the BMW consistently tops everything. I do agree that it is by far the best drive, it handles brilliantly, but the downside to it is that its ride is awful. Its really hard and never feels settled. Its very strange if they haven't mentioned that. It also has the worst interior I have seen for a while, with a very unstructured design and the cheapest plastics they could probably find. I saw two cars when I went to the dealer and they both already had some part of the dash that had been broken

It can be argued that its not necessary to talk about reliability in a new car test (as the reliability of the new GS is still not fully known) but it would be nice for them to give a full constructive argument of all the pros and cons of each car

I used to read Autocar a lot as I thought they gave the most informative reviews (haven't had much time lately tho)

Kazi · May 25, 2005

I wanted soemthing different, something which speaks class and no so much the "Lemming Factor"

Not everyone is so pro BMW. Recent poll on a tv programme placed Lexus as a brand more prestigeous than BMW.

Didn't agree on what came above Lexus mind. Jag got top spot, followed by Merc then thirdly Lexus. BMW 4th, Audi 5th and 6th palce was awarded to VW.

This poll was done by the general public but only had a select few manufactures to choose from. Saab wasn't even listed and id rank them above VW.

Anees · May 25, 2005

Jeremy Clarkson!!! :lol:

jaylist · May 25, 2005

I trust whichever one backs up my preconceived notions and agrees with me.

But seriousley, I read a lot of autocar , used car buyer and what car, topgear on the web.

Most motor journalists like most people have pre-conceived notions about a brand. If they already like a brand then that will add 'halo' points at the start. So I journo A like BMWs then he is already in a good frame of mind coming from the right context for a BMW.

Most people are like this and even journos who try and be idepenedant are the same to some degree.

I think BMW are trading of their brand like Mercedes did, it took a while but the shine cam of Mercedes and they are a lot more objectivley scrutinised nowarays in interior trim etc.

The sane will happen with BMW. They are already less liked by the general public (excluding reps) . This inertia takes a while to change that's all.

I am not knocking BMW's (they make some great cars) , just trying to place why reviews always favour them.

Also for the actual majority of the public who don't particularly care about their cars handling BMW's have more flaws than other cars of similar ilk (poverty spec, dodgy electronic interface, poor interior room on the 1 and x3 etc). It's just that most journos decide that drive is the most important thing, wintness the consitently lower marks that Audi get over BMW, yet Audis have better build quality and spec.

J