Should Auto Reviewers Hold Any Punches On A Review Or Tell It Like It Really Is?

My local paper loves every car....the worst they would ever say is "long in the tooth" or something. Not really a review if they're all great.

Nice how you pulled this from a Toyota site so all the examples are of things he doesn't like from Toyota. Well done 009.

They should tell it like it is without nitpicking and complaining about thing that people don't really care about. What's the word?...... balance

I hate when reviewers go on and on about the most insignificant pet peeves and don't get to the points that as a reader I'm looks for. Sometimes an article that could be one page goes on for several.

One word: Sponsors

Try to *NOT* hold punches to the guy who pays your salary.

If the company is wining a dining you then you've been bought like a cheap prostitute, so you had better perform admirably. If a reviewer were to be afraid that if he wrote something too honest that he would not be invited back, then my prostitute analogy is indeed valid.

Taking the wining and dining and then whining about not being able to speak freely is hypocritical.

When the new Barbie convertible came out--I think it's called a Miata--the reviewers were falling all over themselves to praise it, yet even with its all-new, supposed amazingness, it's not a brisk seller. Of course, if we are being wined and dined by Mazda, we must not suggest that the Miata needs a version with a lot more power to attract a broader audience because that would go against their stubborn BS that the Miata is "balanced".

Car and Driver used to be rather scathing in their reviews and people loved them for it, but these days all cars are great and wonderful and perfect, because C&D has lost its values.

I believe that it depends on what they are actually driving. If it is a pre-production sample - certain traits of those cars (Such as hit and miss fit and finish) should not reflect on the review. However - some reviewers are actually intelligent people - enough so as to determine what the target buyer of a vehicle would be - and then review the car for that person - rather than reviewing everyone as a german small sports sedan. You can "Like" traits of a Mini-van (Horrors and I have a new one)- without having to consider buying one. ANd people who don't buy two seaters can still dream of the days when they wished they could afford one too. But one of the worst reviewers traits is their preference for another manufacturers product for whatever reason.

My local paper has the worst and blandest reviews. It's almost plagiarism from the cars’ own websites or printed brochures. In the end all reviews are excellent.

You mean the reveiwers have been dishonest and duplicitous all these years?
I am shocked.
So the new Z06 Vette really not does do 0-60 in 2.9 seconds as C&D reported?
And the new Camaro does not do 0-60 in 3.8 seconds?

I am shocked!

Reviews are just like opinions. Never rely on them. Go out and gain your own real-world experience and ask real people (mainly family and friends whom you can trust). If I relied on current reviews of the car I recently purchased, I would have thought it was not a great car, whereas my own personal experiences with it have been quite the opposite, especially compared to my old car which was resoundingly lauded in almost every publication. So, take anything that is said in a review with a grain of salt. There are clearly reviewers who are biased and/or influenced one way or another. There are clearly reviewers who focus on the negatives and those that focus on positives. Get your own experiences and take time with the process before making the buying decision.

What I find very annoying about reviewers is when they don't seem to take into account the true "mission" of a specific vehicle. Why would I expect a minivan to be fun to drive? Why would I expect a Huracan to have a more supple ride? Should I really expect a Lexus ES to handle like a BMW 335i? Why should I expect a compact/sub-compact to have more legroom/cargo room?

I do think that some reviewers exaggerate a vehicles flaws. For example the Chrysler 9 speed transmission has taken a royal beating among journalists in various vehicles. I own a Fiat 500X Lounge AWD. here is my take on the transmission. It does seem a little cranky when the vehicle is called. Primarily it seems to hold 1st gear a bit long before shifting up into second. I would not really call it jerky, however. Once the vehicle is warmed up it shifts much smoother. Further now that I have about 1600 miles on the car the transmission seems smoother still. Another thing they said was that the 2.4 Tiger Shark engine is thrashy at high revs. I'm not hearing any thrash at all. In fact it has a decent growl to it. Then they said it's slow to get to 30 MPH when accelerating. Again I've not experienced this. If you put your foot into it the performance is quick and snappy. Another criticism a firm choppy ride. My car has the 18 inch alloy wheels. I don't know if that makes the ride better or worse. Generally the ride is smooth. It is a bit harsh going over significant bumps, however. Another complaint was that the car was loud on the highway. Simply not true. The car is actually fairly quiet on the highway. The last criticism was the interior plastics were cheap. Again I have to disagree. No they are not as fine grained as my brothers Audi Q5. However they are not that inferior either and the Fiat is almost 1/2 the price. I sometimes think that journalists simply enjoy nit-picking a vehicle to death. However It does not help the average consumer who is in the market. So I have to say that sometimes you need to take a journalists review with a grain of salt.