I was surprised. I not only got a response, but got a phone number as well. The following is their response to my letter which is listed below it. If you missed the issue, Forbes reviewed the TL with a number of errors. If you aren't satisfied with the response, drop Michael Frank a note or give him a call.

Subj: RE: Acura TL
Date: 7/30/2001 2:48:19 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: mfrank@forbes.net (Michael Frank)
To: bombs@aol.com
CC: cDemairo@forbes.net

Didn't you write before? I believe I replied to this letter already. If not,
let me clarify. The images were limited because we don't control what's
provided, Acura does. Therefore we had to show the TL Type S, despite not
mentioning it in our review. We didn't include the Type S in our review
because, as you read, we were measuring the car the way both J.D. Power and
Auto Pacific measure the car -- and they don't have reporting on the Type S.
What their research shows is that the TL sells largely because it is
considered a better deal than either the BMW 3 Series or the Lexus ES300.
You wouldn't by any chance be the owner of a Type S, now would you? Seems to
be a lot of you out there bent out of shape by why we felt was a very fair
story on a car that's largely ignored by the buying public at large.

And by the way, Edmunds has a vested interest in selling cars (aka, being
kind to certain marques who they might have better relationships with). I'm
not saying this is actually what's going on, but would you trust coverage of
consumer products (say, air conditioners, or refrigerators) from Sears?
That's what you're getting when you go to someone like Edmunds for coverage,
because their number 1 job is selling, not reporting. They are in the
business of selling cars. We are in the business of testing them and giving
our opinions. You don't have to like what we say (clearly), but we don't
have to say something nice to pay the bills.

Michael Frank
Senior Editor,
Forbes.com
28 W. 23d Street, 11th Floor
NY NY 10010
P. 212 366 8944
F. 212 366 8804


------------------------------------------------
Its apparent that your magazine's journalist are best suited for the
financial articles for which your reputation was built. As to reviewing
automobiles, they and your editing crew are out of touch. The Acura TL
photos were inconsistent, starting with last year's model and then using the
Type S model (260hp) that was not even mentioned in the article. Go take a
look at Edmund's car site. They just finished a comprehensive review of
the
entire entry luxury market. Even they were surprised when the Acura TL-Type
S won, beating the highly praised BWM new 330 series. I would suggest that
you stick to your forte or spend a little more time on research and editing.

 

I just forwarded this response of Forbes to the editors at Edmunds. Hopefully, they should be able to tackle this guy.

 

This guy is crazy. I'm an ex-Edmunds.com employee, most people do not know that they have been around since the 1960s. They are pretty respected in the industry and are less biased than some renowned magazines I know...

For a guy writing for one of the top magazines his english is a little rough using incorrect constructs like "<b><i>largely</i></b> ignored by the public at <b><i>large</i></b>"

 

Forbes is definitely not in the car business. They should focus on what they do best.

 

what an idiot! how can it be "largely ignored" when it is the #2 top seller behind the BMW 3? :p

apparently you pissed him off enough that he had to have his licks in without considering the consequences. i'd love to hear what his boss has to say when they hear the next volley of cannons from TLS owners and edmunds!

 

Guys,

I received some responses from the Editors at Edmunds......

John Dipietro (Road Test Editor) replies:
===========================
Hi all,
I had to laugh when I saw this. A few days ago, I received an e-mail from Automotive Wire with a link to Forbes "The Best Sports Car Buys in America." I didn't read all of it (it was rather
frustrating) as it seems Mr. Frank doesn't know of what he writes. To wit:

-- He refers to the MR2 as the MR. OK, no big deal. But then he goes on to say that
"The new MR Spyder is still not a true convertible, with an arrangement more like that of the old Porsche 914.."

Hello?! The MR2 Spyder is a full convertible (top folds down completely) and the 914 was a targa (basically a coupe that has a removable roof panel).

-- With the Sentra SE-R Spec V, He takes a stab at basic physics, but comes up short:
"a mechanical limited-slip differential equalizes wheel slip and gets power to the inside wheel in a tight turn..."

Huh? That's the direct opposite of what you'd want. You want to put the power to the outside wheel (which has to cover a greater distance than that inside wheel) to pull the car around the arc. See Prelude Type SH for an example of this.

-- He lists the Subaru Impreza WRX as "Best Audi Quattro TT Imitator...", Ummm... wouldn't that be "Best Audi A4 (or maybe S4) Quattro Imitator?" The Impreza is a four-door awd sedan, not a low slung sports coupe.

-- In the Corvette blurb he states that: "it's about to get even faster, with a 405-horsepower motor replacing the present 350-hp unit..." The 405 horse motor is for the Z06, and is replacing that models 385 horse engine. It's not replacing the engine (350 horse) in the standard Vette.

Should I send my observations to Mr. Frank?

John DiPietro
Road Test Editor
Edmunds.com

=================================
Christian Wardlaw (Editor in chief) replies:

Hello Mr. Hunter,

Thank you for letting us know about Mr. Frank's comments. I have sent him an e-mail asking him why he thinks we're on the manufacturer dole. I assume I will not receive a response, but just to make sure you're comfortable about the product reviews you read at Edmunds. com, take heart in knowing that we don't care what kind of car someone buys, as long as it's a good one.

===============================

 

I think this is pretty hilarious! At first I thought we were all giving the Forbes guy a little too hard of a time. After all, it's not like ANYBODY in journalism is really an expert at much of anything. You see mistakes in the paper and on the evening news all the time. Plus, I thought it was pretty cool that the senior editor of the magazine actually responded to reader feedback. And, in reality, it's not like the TL article was full of glaring errors or blatant lies.

But now he went and insulted Edmund's, and in today's world of easily-forwardable e-mail of course they got it, and there's this big fight brewing ALL BECAUSE OF SOME INTERESTED AND CONCERNED PEOPLE ON THIS LITTLE WEBSITE!

That's pretty cool, in my book...

 

I'll have to search around but I could have sworn that the guys who own forbes are heavily vested in BMW... hmmm. Let me refreash my memory... and I'll get back to you.

 

great! ngcrease - wouldn't that be something if you did find the link...

 

Hey guys, keep up the pressure. I would love to see Edmonds and Forbes battle it out in an open & published dialog.