Motor Magazine

[stazza]

Is it just me or is that magazine completely Holden biased?

I don't read it all the time, but whenever I see it in the newsagency or servo it always has a Holden of some form on the cover. And they're always Holdens with some power figure quoted, but you'll never actually see them released. WTF is with that?

And the thing that really gives me the shits is when they put the FPV Boss 315 Super Pursuit up against a Maloo, but had the Maloo as a manual 6spd and the Boss as an Auto. IMO that's not really a fair test.

Then the most recent issue I picked up had a Camaro, Shelby, GTS and a GT all lined up for a showdown, and surprise surprise, the GT was an Auto while all the rest were Manuals. And in the write up about the GT they cited the Auto gearbox as letting the car down in the corners because they couldn't smash it back and get the rear end around (or something to that effect), therefore resulting in a slower laptime.

Anyone else get the vibe that Motor is just a LITTLE biased towards crapodores?

[M&Ms]

mate that's old news.... my subscription finished about 2 years ago and I haven't got a Motor mag since.

Originally Posted by stazza

Is it just me or is that magazine completely Holden biased?

I don't read it all the time, but whenever I see it in the newsagency or servo it always has a Holden of some form on the cover. And they're always Holdens with some power figure quoted, but you'll never actually see them released. WTF is with that?

And the thing that really gives me the shits is when they put the FPV Boss 315 Super Pursuit up against a Maloo, but had the Maloo as a manual 6spd and the Boss as an Auto. IMO that's not really a fair test.

Then the most recent issue I picked up had a Camaro, Shelby, GTS and a GT all lined up for a showdown, and surprise surprise, the GT was an Auto while all the rest were Manuals. And in the write up about the GT they cited the Auto gearbox as letting the car down in the corners because they couldn't smash it back and get the rear end around (or something to that effect), therefore resulting in a slower laptime.

Anyone else get the vibe that Motor is just a LITTLE biased towards crapodores?

[Giant Cranium]

they also said that the fg interior was plan. but liked the gts interior. now that is biased

[ivorya]

I just don't know why Jurno's in this country are like this. They crucified Mitsubishi until they folded manufacturing in this country and now it seems, they wont be happy until FORD shut up shop here as well. It seems everyone in publishing now are of the era when FORD pulled v8's out and so they're all Holden supporters. Holden can't do anything wrong at the moment even considering how many recalls and what a total flop this SIDI crap has been proven to be.

[potsyfromparkes]

We have Holdens at work as crew cars to drive train crews around and I can tell even though I drive a Ford I have tried being unbiased. I cannot believe that anybody would buy a Craptiva. Three of the cars at work with less than 30,000ks have stuffed gloveboxes that you cannot open let alone the other problems that arise. We do have a couple of Holden SIDI cars and I have found them to be OK when driving. What are the issues with these cars that I do not know about.

regards
Potsy

[flappist]

Motor?

The magazine that had GT40/Cobra/FG/Territory/many more on the cover?
The magazine that praised the XR6T and F6 so much?
The magazine that lampooned SIDI for using more fuel than FG?
The magazine that outed holden for supplying "hotted up" test vehicles?
The magazine that is constantly babbling on about how good coyote should be?

That Motor?

[GTsteveMkII]

^^^ Nicely said!^^^ ha ha ha ha!!!

[snappy]

I read this in a book that could be of some relevance here .

"And i Quote"

As a motoring journalist, you spend much of your life on exotic car launches. feeding form the bottomless pit of automotive corporate hospitality. And then you come home to tailor a story that perfectly meets the needs of the public relations department that funded it. For sure,you dislike the new'xyz' but what the hell. Say it fabulous and you're sure to be invited on the next exotic press launch . And so what if some poor sucker reads what you say and buys a hateful car? You're never going to meet him because by then, you'll be on another press launch, maybe in Africa maybe, trying out the 'zxy' .
I used to live like this,trying out the 'zxy'.
I used to live like this and it was great . But sadly, I had to climb off the gravy train............

Quoted from Born to be riled "jemery clarkson 1999"


This would be the case for every car manufacturer , who pays wins.

[Brendo_GSUte]

I find Wheels to be more Biased to holden than Motor... They just make it too obvious that they are holden thru and thru...

I stopped buying wheels when i read in an article the brembos were "appalling on the ford" and the ZF was inferior to the holden box. Pretty obvious that these are reputation built good products and its just trash talk.

Wether its a pay off by holden or whatever it made me stop buying the mag. now i buy Street fords because its what i want, written by people who share my enthusiasim for fords and has USEFUL info in it. I may still buy the odd motor mag but only koz there is something i want to read in it and even then i dont believe what they say, i tend to look at the stats...

Sure you get unfair comparos but eveyone knows the F6 will trounce most of the holden 8's but its not what the public want to hear or read about, as there are more V8 owners buying thier mag than turbo 6 owners...

They are only going to run articles that the majority want to read and the majority is the holden and V8 owners, but starting to swing toward ford favour now that people are buying more fords. They are going to tell/write to the majority to sell their magazine. End of story.

[slimbo]

The funny thing is, you get the same complaint from the fan base of every marque out there, levelled against pretty much every automotive publication out there. VW/HSV/FPV/Mitsubishi/BMW/Audi fans all claim bias against their brand of choice on a regular basis...

A sad fact is that some people feel a little hard done by when a magazine doesn't justify the fan's purchase or agree with their opinion.

I don't find the Aussie publications to be at all biased, I quite like the balance I see in Wheels/Motor.

[RAPID_BA]

I do find that they are biased.

Everytime the F6 runs up against the HSV 317kw... the F6 is clearly faster but they conduct the test in a fashion where the HSV has a best chance of winning.

It still loses but they always make it by 1/1000000th of a second and say its not really faster.

Also ive noticed not many can replicate the Holden times quoted at the drag strip. but the F6 and GT times seem reasonable.

[SteveJH]

*cough*Top Gear Australia*cough*

The few episodes I actually bothered to watch....fairly sure the only falcon variant they ever tested was an XT...whereas they showed the HSV and Walkinshaw commodores several times....

[Redrum]

Yes, it is bias, Motor Mag = glossy toilet paper!

[flappist]

Originally Posted by SteveJH

*cough*Top Gear Australia*cough*

The few episodes I actually bothered to watch....fairly sure the only falcon variant they ever tested was an XT...whereas they showed the HSV and Walkinshaw commodores several times....

Watch it again......

Several Falcon models were tested in various ways including one iconic variation.

[shepv8]

they always praise the commodore because at the moment the current Gts/clubsport is a quicker car than the gt. Hopefully that will change with the new blown V8 .
Actually it has been for some time. What are they supposed to do when a test driver gets around wakefield 3-4 seconds quicker in the holden car than the equivelant ford. You cant say a car is quicker when its slower, and, a lot slower at that. In the real world with shmuck drivers and speed limits the difference is negligable but it is a performance car mag and as such must put the cars through their paces. Dont forget that the XR6 turbo is constantly being talked up against cars twice the value including the V8 holdens and has been since its inception in 02 and the F6 is definately motors preferance over the boss v8's , but at the end of the day, like it or not, the falcon V8 has always been behind the holden equivelant . Mybe not in outright power or torque , but in real world performance. I agree they seem to like these aftermarket "walkinshaw" type commodores, but if a ford aftermarket tuner presents a car equivelant to one of these walkinshaws Im sure theyd get a run. Trouble is there arent that many places that offer such a product. Sure, there are plenty of tuning houses who will do a flash tune, engine mods and exhaust, and fit a set of rims but its not really the same thing as going to your holden dealer and buying one of these cars off the showroom.
the best thing to do is put pressure on ford to build a better car, not motor to put more fords on the cover. And a better car dosent mean a limited edition special variant with " unique stripe package" and wheels and a name casting back to the 70's. You can almost hear the press release fo the allan moffat special already........

[stazza]

Some good points raised here.. I guess ford aren't really doing much at the moment to gain a better reputation, everytime I turn on the tv Holden has q new ad rambling on about a new car or some new gag like sidi. Ford need to pull their fingers out and get some proper marketing happening, because I can't remember the last time I saw a decent ford ad on tv. They don't seem to make the slightest attempt at all to advertise any fpv's ore even xr's for that matter. Put it this way, if I wasn't a ford fan from years ago then i probably wouldn't be one now.

I mean even Holden cAr dealers have advert rambling on about their latest gag, but I've never seen a ford dealer ad...

[drew`SEVNT5]

Originally Posted by stazza

Is it just me or is that magazine completely Holden biased?

I don't read it all the time, but whenever I see it in the newsagency or servo it always has a Holden of some form on the cover. And they're always Holdens with some power figure quoted, but you'll never actually see them released. WTF is with that?

And the thing that really gives me the shits is when they put the FPV Boss 315 Super Pursuit up against a Maloo, but had the Maloo as a manual 6spd and the Boss as an Auto. IMO that's not really a fair test.

Then the most recent issue I picked up had a Camaro, Shelby, GTS and a GT all lined up for a showdown, and surprise surprise, the GT was an Auto while all the rest were Manuals. And in the write up about the GT they cited the Auto gearbox as letting the car down in the corners because they couldn't smash it back and get the rear end around (or something to that effect), therefore resulting in a slower laptime.

Anyone else get the vibe that Motor is just a LITTLE biased towards crapodores?

Its just you.

[Peuty]

I look forward to receiving my Motor every month...been a subscriber for a very long time.

The thing I look forward to seeing the most is Chris Brashers photography though.....

[dannyhilton]

WHEELS isn't any better. Infact after a review I read in WHEELS, and then a similar stupid review in MOTOR the next month I vowed never to buy the magazines ever again. I have every WHEELS since 2001-2008 but both magazines, while having some good articles, are just biased trash. Magazines are a thing of the past, I get also my info online now, and while it may still be biased, I know how to read between the lines and get the real review. Plus I get news in real time, not a month later with a horrid write up. They won't be around for much longer so relish them while you can...

[T3ts50]

Ive been reading both Motor and Wheels for quite sometime now and I dont find either as biased as people make them out to be. Ford/FPV have won just as many comparisons as Holden/HSV have.

[Peuty]

Buying car mags for me isn't about the info, it's about seeing the cars on nice glossy pages, photographed in interseting ways and reading articles written by people with a sense of humor, unlike the countless online journo-bots that you can care to name.

So what if they are biased toward one make or another? In my mind, that's not really the point of such mags I reckon, enjoy the yarn, then go make your own mind up about the cars.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by stazza

Is it just me or is that magazine completely Holden biased?

Nope sorry just you.
I have read Motor for 10+ years and while I do not agree with all their articles that doesn't make them biased. I actually enjoy reading Wheels and Motor, find them pretty impartial. They report based on what they're given like any other journo. Why so many Holdens? Holden could very well be a little easier to get cars from than other makes? They may have more performance variations that can be tested. I have tried TG AU magazine but it reads like it was written by high school drop outs. EVO is the only other magazine i will read, though it is quite pricey. So I only get it when there is something i really want to read in there.

Motor have been quoted as stating the XR6T is "...surely the world's best value sports sedan - fast, agile, quiet, comfy and huge fun."

Yet claim the Calais V as a "cashed up bogan."

You guys just need loosen up a little.

[Iggypoppin']

Originally Posted by stazza

Some good points raised here.. I guess ford aren't really doing much at the moment to gain a better reputation, everytime I turn on the tv Holden has q new ad rambling on about a new car or some new gag like sidi. Ford need to pull their fingers out and get some proper marketing happening, because I can't remember the last time I saw a decent ford ad on tv. They don't seem to make the slightest attempt at all to advertise any fpv's ore even xr's for that matter. Put it this way, if I wasn't a ford fan from years ago then i probably wouldn't be one now.

I mean even Holden cAr dealers have advert rambling on about their latest gag, but I've never seen a ford dealer ad...

i don't watch much telly...however, i have not failed to notice the mondeo ads with the cute girl and her german shepherd, the fiesta econetic ads that clearly dump on a toyota prius, the territory ads that inspire jelousy of non-territory owners, the G6E and other G series models that show a swarm of photographers around a fantastic example of a G series.....granted, i only see the FPV ads during V8 supercar showings, but then, i only see HSV ads on at the same time too....

[Revolver]

Originally Posted by stazza

I don't read it all the time

Maybe here is your problem, you only (by coincidence) wind up reading the ones that are praising holden, but missing the ford ones. Try reading it every month.

[Falcon_Crazy]

Been reading Moptor since it was modern motor (Remember the milenium Falcon Ute? Or what about that su[erchargded XF they did..and then the AIS Turbowed AWD XF!!) not sure i see them as biased. Ive subscribed for so long i can check back if someone wants to bring around a few cases of beer to assist process

[Wally]

Originally Posted by Peuty

Buying car mags for me isn't about the info, it's about seeing the cars on nice glossy pages, photographed in interseting ways and reading articles written by people with a sense of humor, unlike the countless online journo-bots that you can care to name.

So what if they are biased toward one make or another? In my mind, that's not really the point of such mags I reckon, enjoy the yarn, then go make your own mind up about the cars.

How refreshing to read a post that is honest and to the point. Please don't tell me you are one of us that enjoys cars for the sake of cars...next meeting of Cars Anonymous 8.00pm, bring your own oil.

[tranquilized]

I have a huge collection of Wheels and Motor magazines going back some time, and have never found them biased against any particular make. The only slight bias I've ever noticed has been in favour of Australian built cars - like the 380 when it came out. Was highly praised despite it clearly being below par. They aren't in a position to be biased against any manufacturer, especially an Australian one as they're the ones that keep the magazines relevant.

[The Snout]

Originally Posted by tranquilized

...The only slight bias I've ever noticed has been in favour of Australian built cars.....

Yeah I agree with this but can understand why they might be too.

If I remember correctly, in 2008 when the Honda Accord Euro won the COTY it didn't even get the front cover to itself. If it was a Falcon or Commodore that had won it would have. Maybe someone with a back issue can confirm that.

May even have been the same for the VW Golf in 2009.

[merlin]

I stopped buying Motor and tried the Top Gear magazine. IMO much better value (lots thicker) and more well written than both.

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by tranquilized

The only slight bias I've ever noticed has been in favour of Australian built cars

i've noticed top gear uk is very biased to British cars