I have to say that this is one of my favourite discussion topics when it comes to automotive opinion these days. I have, over the years, having read too many local and international (except, of course, non-English ones) publications, come to form my own view on automotive journalism and car reviews. I won't bore you with the details; whilst I'm certainly no fence-sitter on the matter, I prefer to think of myself as one who sits in a tree, observing from what is both a distance and a vantage point. [A contrived metaphor, I concede, but then I'm not getting paid to write this.]
Aside of raw test numbers I believe that there is no such thing as objective journalistic appraisal of an automotive product. Same goes for wine, golf clubs, condoms and just about any other product - you name it. Human beings, thankfully, by either the grace of God or the nature of chance, (depending on where your belief system resides) have the in-built predisposition for individualised personal preference. This individual preference is founded in millions of unique experiences, circumstances and influences and, in particular, how these experiences make us feel.
Cutting through the philosophical crap and straight to the point: every automotive journalist out there has a particular preference, a unique frame of reference and, also, a specific level of skill. The great thing about automotive journalists is that they can be judged against their peers given that their level of skill, depth of talent and quality of work is out there in the public domain for all to see. And therein lies the value of automotive journalism - the informed public know who they're dealing with, and can assess the level of credibility of the opinion being conveyed. Some journalists are better drivers than they are writers (e.g. Harris) and others, the other way round (e.g. the late and sublimely gifted scribe LJK Setright) and their opinion carries weight in different aspects of the product's evaluation. Simply put, without automotive journalism we have no credible and measurable frame of reference, hence...
I would happily agree that EVO is still the best automotive publication still by a considerable margin. I will also say that they are no longer as incisively brilliant as they were in their heyday. Things change and people move on - when the part-owner and founder jumps ship, that's got to have an impact on the "culture" of the publication. We can only hope that long-standing stalwarts, Bovvers, Dickie and Catchpole continue to imbue the publication with what it is to be "EVO".
I can't disagree with you more on this, klier. As I've said above, at least automotive journalism has much more of a semblance of credibility than people posting on the internet. I couldn't care less if someone owns a Ferrari yet posts on a forum under the shroud of anonymity. Who are they? I'll tell you - they're
nobody. And, hence, their opinion carries no credibility because there simply is no measurable frame of reference. Harris has alluded to this in a number of his online postings. At least with a chap like Andreas who so passionately posts about his driving experiences, we have a frame of reference - we know he's not Ken Block behind the wheel (he has never claimed to be) - but we also know where he fits in to the scheme of things and this makes his opinion that much more credible than Mr I've-owned-30-cars-in-the-last-ten-years Anonymous. With a journalist, like Chris Harris in this context, we can readily determine where he fits into the scheme of things.
Being a good writer and writing in fine grammar and neat sentences is equally important because the better the quality of the writing, the better the nuances of the entire experience are conveyed to us, the interested - and, thusly informed, mind you - readers.
It should come as no surprise that a car maker in the business of making the best sports cars in the world would do their utmost to ensure the maximum outcome possible given the importance of such an outcome. If it were my product I wouldn't leave it to pure chance and journalistic whim in order to realise the best possible result when this result has a tangible effect on how my product is perceived in the market. Consistently good results creates a reputation and reputation sells cars.
I am personally bemused by a number of UK publication's stance on the new M3/M4 as their views are inconsistent with those from far and wide - including those of Chris Harris.
And, on the topic of journalistic consistency, I'd like to leave you on a lighter note with this, surely my favourite piece of automotive insight ever.
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