darth62

Both the TL and TSX faired poorly in MT's COY showdown. The two vehicles had some of the worst braking times in the test (and they did test the TL with brembos). The TSX showed the weak acceleration numbers that have showed up in some previous tests (0-60 in 8 secs) as well as so-so numbers in some other categories.

Thoughts?

tony4311

yeah. I didnt buy it to be the fastest car out there. I bought it because I liked it

darth62

That is about the smartest post I've read all day.

Well said.

tsx-mdxman

Darth,
MT has been the weakest of our 4 "big leagues" car magazines for years with no sign of any improvement coming - I have no idea how they've managed to survive this long. They have zero credibility. Last year, for example, they crowned the XC 90 SUV of the Year. Since then, it has not won a comparison test in any other car mag - even CR didn't rank it highly. Maybe the Honda people didn't buy these guys lunch or something during the TSX introduction.

darth62

Yeah, this year the VW Tourareg was their SUV of the year, and it got panned by CR as well.

SPUDMTN

Well...I can understand the Touareg winning the SUV of the year...GREAT sport utility.

But I guess I really haven't seen them as a poor publication. To be honest, my least favorite is Automobile. They just seem to be sliding off into their own direction...

gilboman

um....wat other suv's came out last year? you know they just consider new vehicles right? so even if it comes in dead last in a comparison test but the other SUV's were not new models they won't be eligible

tsx-mdxman

Automobile has been off on its own direction since its inception. David E. Davis, the founder left CD as Editor in Chief to found his own mag - great photography and better writing were to be its hallmarks and he hasn't deviated much from that concept. He took some of the best CD writers with him. Davis took a big gamble going up against the "big three" and I applaud him for it. Somehow, the magazine has survived thus far. MT is for high schoolers, IHMO.

tsx-mdxman

OK, so why even have a "best SUV of the year" award then? That's my point - I don't put any stock in what MT prints. As I said, they are the least credible of the 4 big car mags in this country.

1SICKLEX

mOTOR Trend is one of the worst car mags.

darth62

Frankly, I agree. Automobile is the worst of the mags, all gloss no empirical data.

darth62

There were about 20 vehicles test that year, including four that CR ranked way above the Tourareg (Murano, Endevor, RX330, FX45).

I would have given the nod to the Murano, which was the most ground breaking vehicle in the group.


I don't agree that MT is a poor mag. I think it is superior to AUTOMOBILE and even C & D (because it seems more objective). But, the COY issues are always bad. I've seen a lot of horrible cars win that award in the past.

SPUDMTN

Hmm...I dunno. Whatever happened to a good ol' fashioned car comparison? I seem to miss them from Automobile. I don't remember the last time they did a good comparison--that comparison between all the 30k sedans wasn't that great. Where were the facts? Where was the comparing? It just seems that Automobile is doing more articles or stories that happen to involve a few cars here and there. It seems that it's been progressive. Each issue has strayed farther and farther from the traditional car magazine. I guess that isn't a bad thing...adds some variety to the car mag market. The difference isn't enough to make me drop the subscription to Automobile...but still...

I guess my favorite would be Car and Driver ...followed by Motor Trend...followed by Road and Track...followed by Automobile.

Hopefully I didn't go too off-topic...

1SICKLEX

Automobile is trash too. My fav.
Sports Car International
EVO
CAR
Topgear
Car and Driver

Others so trashy, I will never subscribe again.
Car and Driver

tsx-mdxman

I hear you Spud, I know they just changed editors at Automobile, don't know what's next for them. But I really never understood the "controversy" on this site about their "Under $30K" comparo. Much ado about nothing, IMO. The writer(s) said the TSX provided the most bang for the buck, that it was refined and fully loaded and a great ride. They provided a paragraph for every car tested that outlined how they felt about each. I read the article and had no difficulty with either their conclusion or how they got there.
I agree CD is a pretty good mag but I'd rate R&T over MT any day. R&T has always provided the best motor sports coverage of the four mags, especially F1 and I find their reviews of cars right on, just like CD.

bob shiftright

Some Motor Trend "Car of the Year" winners from prior years:

1997 Chevrolet Malibu
1996 Dodge Caravan
1993 Ford Probe GT
1991 Chevrolet Caprice Classic LTZ
1990 Lincoln Town Car
1986 Ford Taurus LX
1983 AMC / Renault Alliance
1981 Chrysler K Cars, Dodge Aries / Plymouth Reliant
1980 Chevrolet Citation
1978 Chrysler, Dodge Omni / Plymouth Horizon
1976 Chrysler, Dodge Aspen / Plymouth Volare
1975 Chevrolet Monza 2+2
1972 Citroen SM
1971 Chevrolet Vega
1963 American Motors Rambler
1961 Pontiac Tempest
1960 Chevrolet Corvair

Imagine owning a collection of all THESE beauties in your garage and back yard! Now that would be a sight that would probably impress your neighbors enough to ... well, to call to the police???

My thought? I think we should all e-mail the editors of Motor Trend and thank them for panning the TSX and TL, such is their record!

gilboman

wat were the other choices they had for those years?

bob shiftright

Well, the list is hardly all-inclusive but automotive "milestones" that they did NOT award Car of the Year to included the Edsel, Yugo, DeLorean, Bricklin, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Peugeot, Ford Pinto, Merkur, Cadillac's V8-6-4, the first Oldsmobile diesel, Rover, and, again they had their chance when Rover re-entered the US market, disguising it's cars by calling them "Sterlings", and the Porsche 928 with it's eight-foot long timing belt. And who could ever forget the Pontiac Aztec?

I'll give them extra points for actually identifying and awarding the 1961 Pontiac Tempest with it's "speedometer cable drive" flexible driveshaft!

Jason

For the record, I totally agree. Ironically, Automobile Mag lost me after they crowned the TSX #1 in that sedan comparo. What a worthless article that was. It offered no reasons why the TSX was #1. No scoring, no stats, nothing. I already know the TSX is #1 because I drive the car everyday. Now tell me how you got there.

1. C/D.
2. M/T
3. R/T
4. AM

And in the spirit of AM, I give no reasons why this is my order.

Iceman

My ranking is CD, then Edmunds.com, then R&T. MT and Automobile aren't even on my radar screen.