Motor Trend vs. Automobile | FerrariChat

Motor Trend vs. Automobile

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by Jerrari, Jan 21, 2004.

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  1. Jerrari

    Jerrari F1 Veteran

    Jul 24, 2001
    5,463
    Michigan
    Full Name:
    Jerry Wiersma
    I am going to subscribe to one of these 2 magazines (already get R & T). They are very similar IMO, so what one do you guys recommend? Are there any significant differences? Thanks, Jerry.
     
  2. karmavore

    karmavore Formula 3

    Dec 29, 2002
    1,641
    Hell
    Full Name:
    Karmavore
    I never liked Motor Trend. Very domestic. Very SUV.

    Automobile I like a lot. They do these "Design Analysis" sidebars that I love.

    Luke.
     
  3. Jerrari

    Jerrari F1 Veteran

    Jul 24, 2001
    5,463
    Michigan
    Full Name:
    Jerry Wiersma
    Definitely NOT interested in the domestic or SUV's...thanks Luke.
     
  4. writerguy

    writerguy F1 Veteran

    Sep 30, 2003
    6,786
    NewRotic
    Full Name:
    Otto
    Prefer Automobile and Car and Driver < MT RT i have never liked that much > MT lost me back in the 80's when they picked the Caprice as the "Car of the year"
     
  5. TCM

    TCM Formula Junior

    Nov 10, 2003
    552
    Tyngsborough, MA
    Definately go with "Automobile". Motor Trend is very domestic oriented and always post rediculous numbers for cars. Automobile has better articles and great pictures.
     
  6. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Apr 28, 2003
    75,395
    Texas!
    I buy R&T and Cycle World just to read Peter Egan. The rest is just recycled toliet paper.

    DrTax
     
  7. F328 BobD

    F328 BobD Formula 3

    Mar 17, 2001
    2,327
    Southlake, TX
    Full Name:
    BobD
    Neither, get the best... AutoWeek.
     
  8. jimpo1

    jimpo1 Two Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Jul 30, 2001
    24,510
    Dallas, TX
    Full Name:
    Jim E
    I get Car and Driver and Automobile. I sometimes buy Road & Track on the newstand. The only time I'll read a Motor Trend is if I'm in the Doctors waiting room.
     
  9. BigHead

    BigHead Formula Junior

    Oct 31, 2003
    995
    Outside of Boston
    Full Name:
    Dennis
    I subscribe to a LOT of car magazines. Unfortunately, none of the US mags can touch most of the British ones, which tend to be the best written and have the best feature articles.

    IMHO, Motor Trend is a joke - they are massively influenced by advertisers, and when they run a comparison test, more often then not, they say nice things about everyone.

    The most objective by far is Car & Driver. Different mentality than R&T and Automobile, though.

    If I had to choose, this is the order in which I'd subscribe (and I subscribe to all):

    Car & Driver
    Autoweek
    Automobile
    Road & Track
    Sports Car International

    And I also get Forza, Grassroots Motorsports, Excellence, Roundel, Panorama, Prancing Horse, and lord knows what else.

    For Brit mags, consider Evo, Performance Car, or Octane.

    I wouldn't bother reading Motor Trend even if it were free.

    vty,

    --Dennis
     
  10. Jerrari

    Jerrari F1 Veteran

    Jul 24, 2001
    5,463
    Michigan
    Full Name:
    Jerry Wiersma
    Holy crap Dennis, how do you have time to do anything else?
     
  11. sjmst

    sjmst F1 Veteran
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jul 31, 2003
    9,853
    Long Island, NY
    Full Name:
    Sam
    Automobile and or Car & Driver.
     
  12. FLATOUTRACING

    FLATOUTRACING F1 Rookie

    Aug 20, 2001
    2,684
    East Coast
    Full Name:
    Jon K.
    Let's have a contest. I bet I have everyone here beat on the # of car magazines (this is why I had to sell the 355)!!!

    Car and Driver
    Road and Track
    Motor Trend
    Sports Car International
    Grassrootsmotorsports
    Autoweek
    Automobile Magazine
    Sports Car Magazine (SCCA)
    EVO
    CAR
    Forza
    Total BMW
    Bimmer
    BMW Car
    GT (Porsche)
    Porsche World
    Excellence (Porsche)
    Sports Compact Car (for the ricer in me)
    Top Gear
    Auto Italia
    Classic Cars
    Classic Sport Cars
    European Car
    Roundel


    Racing Magazines

    Race Car Engineering
    Racer
    Motorsports
    F1 (official magazine)
    F1 Racing
    Autosport (best weekly race angazine)


    Regards,

    Jon P. Kofod
    www.flatoutbroke.net (from buying all these car mags!)
     
  13. Maximo_Tifoso

    Maximo_Tifoso Karting

    Jan 8, 2004
    223
    Houston TX
    I got a subscription offer to Automobile for 10bucks. I will probably try it out.....I still think Road & Track is the best domestic car mag. Of course not counting FORZA.
     
  14. AJS328

    AJS328 F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Apr 23, 2003
    7,520
    New Jersey
    Full Name:
    Augustine Staino
    I agree with some that the Biritsh mags are without question the best. They seem to be the most objective when it comes to rating cars. That is unless the car is British. In that case, they usually love it to pieces!
     
  15. BigHead

    BigHead Formula Junior

    Oct 31, 2003
    995
    Outside of Boston
    Full Name:
    Dennis
    Dang, Jon, you might the first guy I've met in a long time that challenges me in the mag department. You do, admittedly, crush me on the list of CAR mags. Here's a list of ALL the periodicals I get....

    Car and Driver
    Road and Track
    Sports Car International
    Grassrootsmotorsports
    Autoweek
    Automobile Magazine
    Forza
    Excellence (Porsche)
    European Car
    Roundel
    Panorama
    Prancing Horse
    F1 Racing
    Sports Car Market
    Rosso

    American Rifleman
    TV Guide
    People
    Forbes (inc. FYI & ASAP)
    Esquire
    GQ
    Maxim
    The Economist
    Razor
    Boston
    Improper Bostonian
    Style@Night

    This doesn't include the ones I shamefully admit to love reading at the gym - People, Entertainment Weekly, US magazine, etc. Oh, and the Wall Street Journal and Boston Globe. Wish I could afford all the Brit mags like Jon!

    Thankfully, I've stopped a few, like all the motorcycle mags, the weaponary mags, and some I've lost interest in, like Esquire and National Geographic.

    Here's the key thing - I read almost every issue of every magazine from cover to cover... yes, I need to get a life.

    vty,

    --Dennis
     

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