Are local auto reviewers biased? unbiased? neither?

[midinite]

what do you think of jeremey clarkson? who of the motor press do you find credible, if any? because from the sound of it the consensus has it that the majority are already "tainted".

[Chip]

A related thread:

http://tsikot.yehey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28977

My opinion, as stated there, remains the same, i.e. most journalists are afraid to bite the hand that feeds them.

Plus, baka mabugbog ka pa if you say something against a certain brand as Top Gear Editor Vernon Sarne very well knows :
http://tsikot.yehey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26200

[IMm29]

The public normally doesn't get the full picture until they have bought the car and stuck with it, especially if its a lemon of a car.

I agree. If you were to rely on just the reviews by our so-called automotive journalists, you wouldn't get much more information than what's in the press kit. You'll hear a lot of praises, and just the token rant, so that the article doesn't sound too biased. Then again, why bite the hand that feeds you.

A bit but to a much lesser degree since in other countries, there are simply more car brands & models to choose from. This creates more competition from the car makers to get their cars noticed so they will try to put their best foot forward so the magazines will choose their car to be included in the next issue.

Compare the number of car makers & the number of car models in North America to what we have here. Kinda boring, right?

Since we're stuck with a relatively shorter list of brands and models to choose from, the car manufacturers, especially the big and hot selling ones, can throw their weight around. If they lend you a unit and you don't make it sound like a good buy, then good bye to your next article.

[OTEP]

what do you think of jeremey clarkson? who of the motor press do you find credible, if any? because from the sound of it the consensus has it that the majority are already "tainted".

Jeremy Clarkson is Jeremy Clarkson. Not everyone has to be like him to make it in the motoring world. Mas panget pa kung lalabas na parang trying hard to be JC.

I find Car and Driver credible enough. They're a good all around magazine. They test everything from econobox to exotica and everything in between.

[mbeige]

Consumer Reports is very objective with their tests, for one.

[OTEP]

Consumer Reports is very objective with their tests, for one.

They're ok as an all around magazine (they even test toasters!). They do have their hits and misses but if you are not really an enthusiast, it's a good rag.

[midinite]

Then again, why bite the hand that feeds you.

Question lang. Isnt the hand that feeds them the public since it is the public who buys the newspapers and mags? and the public they are meant to "serve". Eh di what is the point of writing a "review" when all they should say is why dont you get a brochure and pick it up in the showroom. Just a thought.

However, there are those who can argue that it is advertisers that feed the papers and mags.

Well whichever way you look at it...it probably isnt the car maker who loses out. But then again that is just an opinion.

[OTEP]

Eh di what is the point of writing a "review" when all they should say is why dont you get a brochure and pick it up in the showroom. Just a thought.

Most newspaper motoring sections are pointless. Of course they have to have a 'motoring' section para 'kumpleto' ang diyaryo. Para may mabasa yung mga wala naman masyadong alam sa sasakyan. Sort of like the 'medical' section ng diyaryo. Minsan puro pointless din ang sinasabi.

If a journalist makes a bad review, hindi na siya imbitado sa next launching, wala na siyang junkets abroad, wala nang access sa test unit, etc. Hindi naman ito parang restaurant review na pwede ka na lang basta pumasok sa resto.

Dito lang sa Tsikot minsan nanghihiram pa ng sasakyan mula sa fellow Tsikoteer for testing purposes. hehehe. Wala naman kami sa payroll ng automakers.

[Galactus]

The moment a motoring journalist accepts a free junket from a carmaker, he has crossed over to the dark side. Expect no bad reviews for that automaker's brands. Pag babasahin mo nga yung mga columns nila, proud pa sila to say that they are currently in some exotic place, all expense paid, courtesy of their sponsor.

Buti pa yung ibang food critics, sometimes incognito sila pag kumain sa restaurant (and they pay for their meals), para unbiased talaga yung reporting.

[Alpha_One]

Question lang. Isnt the hand that feeds them the public since it is the public who buys the newspapers and mags? and the public they are meant to "serve". Eh di what is the point of writing a "review" when all they should say is why dont you get a brochure and pick it up in the showroom. Just a thought.

However, there are those who can argue that it is advertisers that feed the papers and mags.

Well whichever way you look at it...it probably isnt the car maker who loses out. But then again that is just an opinion.

Yes, actually, advertisers actually contribute a pretty big chunk of the revenue pie. Moreso for newspapers I believe... that P18 (for a broadsheet) is only for the paper and some!

Anyway, my opinion is that local automotive "reviews" (especially newspaper ones) are more of an announcement of the existence of a certain car model than an actual review (i.e. press release). Also, I firmly believe that there's no substitute for doing your homework.

As for Jeremy Clarkson, he's the most biased automotive journalist there is... but that's why we love him (or hate him for some of you out there). Honestly though, he does show a lot of interest in topics related to engineering<message gets cut due to OTness>