mmarshall

Their reviews really haven't changed much over the years. John's been at it now since the early 1980s. The show's biggest problem (and there doesn't seem to be much they can do about it), is that MPT (Maryland Public Television) only gives them 30 minutes for the show, and in that 30 minutes, they have to fit in in a couple of reviews, Latest Auto-News, Announcements, Pat Goss's service-tips, and sometimes other features as well. That doesn't leave a heck of a lot of time to concentrate on each vehicle. If and when I see John at local auto show, for instance, he has a lot more time to discuss each model. I also like him because he's sensible and not a typical pedal-to-the-medal, slide-and-drift guy like some of the other ones in that business.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

no, the problem with the show is they waste so much time with fluff like talking about trash trucks in some city now running on natural gas and pat goss' 'tips' which are WORTHLESS to 99.999% of the viewers who will never have the gizmos to do what he suggests, or want to. get rid of those two and you've added 10 minutes back. then they usually have a segment about something weird like a guy with a home made go-kart or some obscure ancient motorcycle or vehicle...

i'm sure the ratings are tiny. thank god for a dvr - i can watch the show in 5 minutes.

PROV8

There are car-enthusiast readers, which include many of those who are posting on this thread, who are well-informed and may be entertained by the works of some of the quality writers mentioned. But, the needs of gear heads and the views of great magazine writers aren’t always in sync with those of the general public.


As mentioned by a previous poster, the average reader may only want to be informed about solid point-A-to-B vehicles, styling, comfort, fuel economy, etc. So maybe simple bullet-point information – truthful writing in a condensed brochure-ish format is the real-world ticket.


The writer who best combined "real" with entertainment was Denise McCluggage. Her genuine personality and old-school journalism newspaper background helped her relate to the general reader. One thing I used to be amused by was her love for the Suzuki Samurai, which she owned.

swajames

I'm a big fan of Chris Harris and also like Dan Neill's work. Both are excellent writers and I really like their reviews and commentary. As a general rule I agree that the UK mags set the standard. The writing is generally excellent and the mags seem to take more care over the quality of their output. I still get all the U.S. mags too though and generally like them too.

PROV8

I've also talked with him at an auto show, and he is nice to visit with . While the need-for-speed guys are fun, I appreciate his Average Joe approach.

mmarshall

Well, that's part of what I was saying above about their auto news and latest technology segments.


Well, I'm not going to defend everything Goss says......I've long felt he goes overboard on telling people to do power-flushes on everything every 2 years/24,000 miles.......transmission, power-steering (for older hydraulic units), brake-lines, etc......Do that, and you'll spend a fortune for maintenance. Also keep in mind that he owns a repair shop....and profits from that type of business. I also don't like the idea of flushing, though, because if not done correctly by very skilled people, it either doesn't get all the dirt and grime out, or feeds in too much pressure and damages seals and gaskets.

mmarshall

Yeah, John's not exactly Grandpa behind the wheel, but he's a long way from guys like Brock Yates and their idiotic Cannonball runs.

mmarshall

I take it, then, that you read the TOP GEAR magazine? As I mentioned earlier in another post, IMO it is a far better source for car reviews than their TV show.

swajames

Yes Sir. I get Top Gear, Evo and Car every month. All very good mags. Totally agree on the Top Gear mag, it does have proper car reviews as you say and some great articles. I'd highly recommend Evo and Car too, but note that Car is much more geared towards the mainstream car buyer/enthusiast. Evo is a bit more hardcore and performance-oriented.

mmarshall

Denise, though, being an expert driver, knew how to drive a Samurai without flipping it. The Samurai, with its critical center-of-gravity and easy flip-overs, was not a machine to toss around carelessly like a lot of young kids did a quarter-century ago. Daihatsu, which was selling the competing Rocky at the time, was smart, and widened the track between the wheels in American-market versions for better stabilty.......Suzuki didn't. And the Rocky didn't get the class-action suits that plagued the Samurai, either.

Here's an American-spec Rocky. Note the bulged-out, wider fenders...they are there to accommodate the wider track, compared to the home-market Asian version.

mmarshall

Well, I can agree with you on some of the others, Bob, but not Yates. At times, he disgusted me. I thought he was grossly irresponsible behind the wheel on public roads, and essentially drove like a moron....especially on his Cannonball runs.

PROV8

Lots of 'em drive like morons on public roads. I've witnessed writers running in packs on a regular route in the Napa Valley area. They operate at excessive speeds, and I pity the normal guy they run up on at a mountain curve.


Yep, that vehicle is no problem with the right person behind the wheel. It definitely had its advantages on a tight off-road course.

MattyG

The thing with John Davis and MW is that he's fairly consistent. I've watched that program for over 30 years. As the show likes to brag, they're television's original motoring show.

C&D tried to compete with them and did a weird over the top show with a gravelly voiced host sporting a "stache" and driving the test vehicles like he was on a race track. It went off the air pretty quickly. Thank god.

And then there's Jeremy Clarkson. I tried to watch the show and did so for a couple of seasons. But do I want the racist buffoonish rantings of the Clarkson's of this world? Only if I'm in the mood to hear about how much better the Briddish must be at everything.

In fact insulting the U.S., Argentina and several other countries was the main sport of its hosts. No thanks. It may be entertaining but as others have pointed out, it's narrowly focused.

It just shows you that television is a very shallow and stupid medium when it wants to be. What next? Kim Kardashian reviews one of her Bentleys or BMW's to see if it matches her shoes?

mmarshall

You will never hear the kind of rantings from John Davis that Clarkson routinely does (or, rather, did). That kind of stuff is just not in his nature.

One thing, though, that TOP GEAR does give us Americans credit for is the development of large-engined muscle-cars......and especially the Corvette.

.............just like Paris Hilton showing off the yellow LF-A her boyfriend gave her?

MattyG

Lol. I didn't know she got an LFA. A little too late to provide some automotive eye candy during the glory days of papparazi following her every move... luckily her 15 minutes were up a long time ago.

I do agree that Top Gear liked the Corvette but even there, they did the typical Brit/Canadian back handed complement thing - "we really don't want to like it but we'll pretend to".

They pushed on the back fiberglass panel and told you how cheap the Vette was without noticing that it cost about a third less than their Astons, Jags or Land Rovers. How Clarkson ended up with a Ford GT40 is beyond me. Maybe he had a secret love of some American cars.

But ultimately he put himself out of business with his ranting diva personality. I won't miss him, that's for sure. Hammond wasn't that much better. Loving American muscle cars from a Hemi Chrysler to a modern Mustang but calling them crude just to remind the audience they weren't British and sophisticated, ie. prone to ridiculously absurd quality control and reliability.

I guess I like the more balanced approach of MW/CR and they're not necessarily shy about testing high end cars either. It just doesn't include the Hollywood melodrama and theatrics.