The truth about automotive reviews,...

[Altis6453]

The only cars which get a bad rap in TGP are those made in China (Foton, Chery, etc.). Minsan, parang lahat ng kotse ayos. So it doesn't really help you in discerning which car is good for you.

[wezz_zzew]

Suggest ko lang sa mga bibili ng mga bagong auto, wag magmadali. Maghintay ng at least 6 months tapos read ng mga forums tungkol sa sasakyan na gusto. One way to avoid lemon car like my GD. Nung binili kc namin ung auto ko, wala pa advertisement Honda naka reserve na kami ng isa. Ayun, CVT failure ang lagi ko problema.

[ghosthunter]

Suggest ko lang sa mga bibili ng mga bagong auto, wag magmadali. Maghintay ng at least 6 months tapos read ng mga forums tungkol sa sasakyan na gusto. One way to avoid lemon car like my GD. Nung binili kc namin ung auto ko, wala pa advertisement Honda naka reserve na kami ng isa. Ayun, CVT failure ang lagi ko problema.

ON the other hand... the CVT tranny of the Lancer EX seems to be quite durable. Only failure reported was due to extreme turbocharger mods and racing activities done by the car owner.

[wezz_zzew]

ON the other hand... the CVT tranny of the Lancer EX seems to be quite durable. Only failure reported was due to extreme turbocharger mods and racing activities done by the car owner.

Sa tingin ko naman lahat ng auto kahit ano pa yan pag minodify mo tapos ni rezing-rezing, bibigay at bibigay talaga ung mga parts. Just like my GD, ung ibang mga kasabayan ko wala pa naman naging problema sa auto nila. Yung sa akin kc pag nasa maluwag na kalsada ako lagi ko ginagamit nun ung 7-speed mode.

[bayen]

Very nice read. Makes you really practice critical thinking.

[Leerz Meneses]

outstanding article. ayos.

[BratPAQ]

Owner tends to exaggerate his review on his car. There is this one owner I've read claiming that his AUV is faster than a sedan with same engine displacement.

Posted via Tsikot Mobile App

[chigurh]

Insightful read. This really applies to many products not only cars... ;)

[Premier]

This is a very insightful thread. Thanks a lot!

[dr. d]

Owner tends to exaggerate his review on his car. There is this one owner I've read claiming that his AUV is faster than a sedan with same engine displacement.

Posted via Tsikot Mobile App

perhaps he was falling down a cliff that time..?
heh heh.
we should always take these reviews with a kilo of salt..
there was probably no intention to mislead, but... what they wrote, is strictly what they experienced, using that particular unit, under conditions that only he, experienced.
what i do, is to source several reviews, and see if the reviewers agree.

[jick.cejoco]

Not necessarily what you want to hear. Sometimes biased based on who pays the highest advertisement space. Sometimes not what you already have experienced. Use proper judgment.

[dct]

The best review of cars talaga ay dito sa tsikot. From owner's experience talaga

[Kestana]

If reviewers here in the Philippines review cars like Team BHP does, car manufacturers here would stop lending them cars to review.

Official New Car Reviews - Team-BHP

They still make one of the best and most thorough reviews imo. Makes reviews by local publications like TGP look laughably amateurish by comparison. Just read their latest review, which is the Hyundai Creta/ix25. It's in-depth, insightful and thorough. Hyundai Creta : Official Review - Team-BHP. They don't just review for the sake of throwing a few comments here and there. They make an effort to make objective criticism instead of making generally vague, generic comments that don't really tell much about the car against the competition. It's like reviewers here make extra effort not to draw comparisons against a potent competitor, lest they never hear from the manufacturer again. If they do make comparisons, they rarely mention the direct model of the competitor. If it's a head-to-head comparison, they're extra careful not to lay down the hammer too hard even if the differences are glaring.

[Just_in5]

Do you think hindi biased ang Topgear PH sa reviews? Dun kasi ako minsan tumitingin ng reviews about cars.
Pls. advise..

[Just_in5]

Do you think hindi biased ang Topgear PH sa reviews? Dun kasi ako minsan tumitingin ng reviews about cars.
Pls. advise..

[niky]

If reviewers here in the Philippines review cars like Team BHP does, car manufacturers here would stop lending them cars to review.

Official New Car Reviews - Team-BHP

They still make one of the best and most thorough reviews imo. Makes reviews by local publications like TGP look laughably amateurish by comparison. Just read their latest review, which is the Hyundai Creta/ix25. It's in-depth, insightful and thorough. Hyundai Creta : Official Review - Team-BHP. They don't just review for the sake of throwing a few comments here and there. They make an effort to make objective criticism instead of making generally vague, generic comments that don't really tell much about the car against the competition. It's like reviewers here make extra effort not to draw comparisons against a potent competitor, lest they never hear from the manufacturer again. If they do make comparisons, they rarely mention the direct model of the competitor. If it's a head-to-head comparison, they're extra careful not to lay down the hammer too hard even if the differences are glaring.

Team BHP rocks.

Sadly, the website and magazine format for TGP doesn't allow us to make reviews that detailed. Hell... intro palang, lampas sa word limit ng website. That's the sad part about working for a publication that has a style guide. Back in the old days, I could make articles as long as I liked.

[niky]

If reviewers here in the Philippines review cars like Team BHP does, car manufacturers here would stop lending them cars to review.

Official New Car Reviews - Team-BHP

They still make one of the best and most thorough reviews imo. Makes reviews by local publications like TGP look laughably amateurish by comparison. Just read their latest review, which is the Hyundai Creta/ix25. It's in-depth, insightful and thorough. Hyundai Creta : Official Review - Team-BHP. They don't just review for the sake of throwing a few comments here and there. They make an effort to make objective criticism instead of making generally vague, generic comments that don't really tell much about the car against the competition. It's like reviewers here make extra effort not to draw comparisons against a potent competitor, lest they never hear from the manufacturer again. If they do make comparisons, they rarely mention the direct model of the competitor. If it's a head-to-head comparison, they're extra careful not to lay down the hammer too hard even if the differences are glaring.

Team BHP rocks.

Sadly, the website and magazine format for TGP doesn't allow us to make reviews that detailed. Hell... intro palang, lampas sa word limit ng website. That's the sad part about working for a publication that has a style guide. Back in the old days, I could make articles as long as I liked.

[Dende]

Eto lang napapansin ko sa review ng topgear ph, panay good review liban na lang kung chinese car or kung talagang pangit yung sasakyan.

Sinasabi naman nila yung mga negative sa sasakyan, pero may quick counter parati na positive para hindi magfocus yung reader dun sa negative

[niky]

There are really no "bad" cars that we review. If the car is really, really, REALLY bad, then most of the time we don't bother to review them at all.

-

I think I'm guiltier than most in selecting really cheap and crappy cars to review. I've reviewed cars from almost all the Chinese (except Geely, Great Wall and Lifan... though I have driven their cars) and the Indians. Truthfully, if I were comparing them to our personal cars, no... nope... never. But if you're looking at what you're getting for the money, it's easier to understand why they're so cheap-feeling...

It's because they're cheap.

Then again, maybe my reviews are not so critical because I'm not picky. I drive an ancient Crosswind, and I've driven everything from tuktuks to Chinese bike-powered cars to crude Chinese and Indian micro-trucks. If I slag off on an economy car like Jeremy Clarkson simply because it doesn't feel like a Rolls Royce, then I'm doing local readers a disservice. Oo nga... alam naman natin na hindi luxury car ang Mirage. The question is: How does it compare to other cheap-ass cars in the same market segment?

That's what I try to do every time I write a review... provide an assessment of a car based on what it competes with. Simply saying cheap cars suck, like every American who's ever reviewed a cheap car does, tells the readers nothing.

[niky]

There are really no "bad" cars that we review. If the car is really, really, REALLY bad, then most of the time we don't bother to review them at all.

-

I think I'm guiltier than most in selecting really cheap and crappy cars to review. I've reviewed cars from almost all the Chinese (except Geely, Great Wall and Lifan... though I have driven their cars) and the Indians. Truthfully, if I were comparing them to our personal cars, no... nope... never. But if you're looking at what you're getting for the money, it's easier to understand why they're so cheap-feeling...

It's because they're cheap.

Then again, maybe my reviews are not so critical because I'm not picky. I drive an ancient Crosswind, and I've driven everything from tuktuks to Chinese bike-powered cars to crude Chinese and Indian micro-trucks. If I slag off on an economy car like Jeremy Clarkson simply because it doesn't feel like a Rolls Royce, then I'm doing local readers a disservice. Oo nga... alam naman natin na hindi luxury car ang Mirage. The question is: How does it compare to other cheap-ass cars in the same market segment?

That's what I try to do every time I write a review... provide an assessment of a car based on what it competes with. Simply saying cheap cars suck, like every American who's ever reviewed a cheap car does, tells the readers nothing.