September Issue MOTOR magazine (M3 GTS, 1M Coupe, BFYB and 135i/Golf R long termers!)

[Brissie]

Car magazines are only of use to me when I am sitting on a toilet
The net is where I get information first.

[x5mad]

Originally Posted by sparoz

that's just an excuse It is always good to have some car magazines to choose from rather than all those women's day etc...

Exactly! Waiting rooms always contain too many womens magazines.

[Alext]

It's all I ever read when I am at the Barber's.

BTW the 313 Performance rims in 19 inch are around $4500 from the dealer.

[amk2912]

Originally Posted by Alext

It's all I ever read when I am at the Barber's.

BTW the 313 Performance rims in 19 inch are around $4500 from the dealer.

Barber?? Mate, go to a hairdresser - get your scalp massaged, listen to the gossip and get your fill of little sandwiches, coffee and champagne. Worth the $50!! The mags are still crap though.

Of course, on your way home you need to do a burnout, grab a pie and get out the angle grinder....

[alik01]

Originally Posted by amk2912

Barber?? Mate, go to a hairdresser - get your scalp massaged, listen to the gossip and get your fill of little sandwiches, coffee and champagne. Worth the $50!! The mags are still crap though.

Of course, on your way home you need to do a burnout, grab a pie and get out the angle grinder....

This is truth itself!

[Alext]

HAHAHA!

I remember my old Italian barber a few years back...he used to sit me in his chair, offer me a smoke (although I am a non-smoker!) and discuss the beautiful women that were walking past his shop on the street. And I would still get some change from a $10 note.

[alik01]

The Albanian dude who used to cut my hair in Perth, used to just discuss the beautiful women that worked around him and tell me the specific attributes that made him hire them!

[Guran]

x5mad and Jeef beef - Your problem is that you both fundamentally do not understand what WHEELS does. I'll try to explain it for you.

For 57 years WHEELS has been reporting on, testing and reviewing all new passenger car models that are sold in Australia (with some additional coverage on cars not sold here). Their focus is on the most important models, and that tends to be those that are either the highest sellers or are the most enjoyable to drive. For this reason, it is the most important publication for the car industry in Australia.

Like it or not, WHEELS is an Australian magazine, so this means they will give preference to featuring locally made cars. But they are not biased in their views. 30 years ago, most of the magazine was devoted to locally built or assembled cars because there were very few imported cars. Today, locally made cars make up less than 20% of total passenger car sales, and WHEELS now give much more coverage to imported cars. Far more than you give them credit for.

You say WHEELS publish too many articles about locally manufactured cars? I checked all issues since January 2008 and on average only about 10% of the total page count is focussed on Falcon, Commodore, Territory, Camry, Aurion, and Cruze (local version). The following graph summarises the data for these three years.



WHEELS coverage for the locals varies depending on the model cycles. Keep in mind that in the last three years, Ford launched the FG Falcon, so it got lots of coverage about all the new variations. Holden kept themselves in view with various special editions (W427, Coupe60) and the Sportwagon. Both Falcon and Commodore cover a broad range of models and sectors, and WHEELS needs to cover them all. This includes comparison tests of course. WHEELS also cover Camry and Aurion, but there are very few new or sexy variations or updates of those cars.

These are Australian-made cars that are pretty much only sold in Australia (except for Commodore exported to Middle East and until recently the USA). If WHEELS did not write about them, no magazine would and the huge number of Australian who buy these cars would not get the critical analysis that WHEELS delivers.

Covers? Of course WHEELS (and MOTOR) focus on putting Commodores and Falcons on the cover. No argument. Why? Because that's what sells magazines in this country. Get over it. It's only a cover and doesn't replicate the content. WHEELS still gives plenty of coverage for imported cars.

After this explanation, if you don't like what WHEELS is, that's fine, don't read it. Just don't expect it to change to suit your Euro-centric preferences because the magazine has always stayed true to form and that is unlikely to change.

[Brissie]

Guran, do you work for Wheels?
How long did it take you to research and compose your last post?

[MikeVictor]

[BMW86]

Got my issue of MOTOR today. There seems to be plenty of coverage for BMW's I had a quick flick and they've got the 123d, 330d, M3 GTS, 135i Performance... that's all I've seen so far. This issue is stacked with cars I'm interested in.

[stylish.]

Yeah, I only buy if they have a mega shootout or some PCOTY thing going on.

[amk2912]

Originally Posted by BMW86

Got my issue of MOTOR today. There seems to be plenty of coverage for BMW's I had a quick flick and they've got the 123d, 330d, M3 GTS, 135i Performance... that's all I've seen so far. This issue is stacked with cars I'm interested in.

I'm really interested in what they have to say about the 330d.....being a recent diesel convert. May have to buy MOTOR for the first time since 1987!!!

[Jeef Beef]

Originally Posted by amk2912

I'm really interested in what they have to say about the 330d.....being a recent diesel convert. May have to buy MOTOR for the first time since 1987!!!

They say it's the greatest road car in the shootout hands down. Everyone of them fought for the keys for the trips to and from the tracks

[Zuzu]

Originally Posted by bmw135fan

Guran, do you work for Wheels?
How long did it take you to research and compose your last post?

Seeing that I am 50 yrs old and have been buying Wheels mags on and off for the past 30 odd years, I would have to say that Bryans assessment of the content is accurate and explained/graphed like a true ANALYST, that he is..

[banglemangle]

Mangley Bangley one now thinks he is at a tennis match! Can't wait for McEnroe to drop in!!

lol

[sbce90]

not a car mag as such, but a quick flick through the duPont registry is fun.

[Jeef Beef]

Originally Posted by Guran

x5mad and Jeef beef - Your problem is that you both fundamentally do not understand what WHEELS does. I'll try to explain it for you.

For 57 years WHEELS has been reporting on, testing and reviewing all new passenger car models that are sold in Australia (with some additional coverage on cars not sold here). Their focus is on the most important models, and that tends to be those that are either the highest sellers or are the most enjoyable to drive. For this reason, it is the most important publication for the car industry in Australia.

Like it or not, WHEELS is an Australian magazine, so this means they will give preference to featuring locally made cars. But they are not biased in their views. 30 years ago, most of the magazine was devoted to locally built or assembled cars because there were very few imported cars. Today, locally made cars make up less than 20% of total passenger car sales, and WHEELS now give much more coverage to imported cars. Far more than you give them credit for.

You say WHEELS publish too many articles about locally manufactured cars? I checked all issues since January 2008 and on average only about 10% of the total page count is focussed on Falcon, Commodore, Territory, Camry, Aurion, and Cruze (local version). The following graph summarises the data for these three years.



WHEELS coverage for the locals varies depending on the model cycles. Keep in mind that in the last three years, Ford launched the FG Falcon, so it got lots of coverage about all the new variations. Holden kept themselves in view with various special editions (W427, Coupe60) and the Sportwagon. Both Falcon and Commodore cover a broad range of models and sectors, and WHEELS needs to cover them all. This includes comparison tests of course. WHEELS also cover Camry and Aurion, but there are very few new or sexy variations or updates of those cars.

These are Australian-made cars that are pretty much only sold in Australia (except for Commodore exported to Middle East and until recently the USA). If WHEELS did not write about them, no magazine would and the huge number of Australian who buy these cars would not get the critical analysis that WHEELS delivers.

Covers? Of course WHEELS (and MOTOR) focus on putting Commodores and Falcons on the cover. No argument. Why? Because that's what sells magazines in this country. Get over it. It's only a cover and doesn't replicate the content. WHEELS still gives plenty of coverage for imported cars.

After this explanation, if you don't like what WHEELS is, that's fine, don't read it. Just don't expect it to change to suit your Euro-centric preferences because the magazine has always stayed true to form and that is unlikely to change.

Woah mate, can't argue with your numbers there. I've got no hard numbers to back up my view on Wheels mag, but I can definitely say I skip more pages in it than I do MOTOR.

Again this is my personal preference rather than anything else, I do know that Wheels is pretty much unmatched for consumer advice (looking at just print media here). They tend to be more focused on the everyday cars that MOTOR simply ignores. If I wanted some info on a vehicle, I always turn to the back section of Wheels, but MOTOR to me just has more to read.

[BMW86]

Originally Posted by Jeef Beef

Woah mate, can't argue with your numbers there. I've got no hard numbers to back up my view on Wheels mag, but I can definitely say I skip more pages in it than I do MOTOR.

Again this is my personal preference rather than anything else, I do know that Wheels is pretty much unmatched for consumer advice (looking at just print media here). They tend to be more focused on the everyday cars that MOTOR simply ignores. If I wanted some info on a vehicle, I always turn to the back section of Wheels, but MOTOR to me just has more to read.

+ 1 on all your points mate.

My subscription to both magazines are ending in October. As much as I'd like to renew both I think I will only renew MOTOR for now as I'm saving my pennies and putting it towards the 1er.

I'm also suprised that Wheels subscription costs more than MOTOR, I would have thought it would be the other way around

[Jeef Beef]

Originally Posted by BMW86

+ 1 on all your points mate.

My subscription to both magazines are ending in October. As much as I'd like to renew both I think I will only renew MOTOR for now as I'm saving my pennies and putting it towards the 1er.

I'm also surprised that Wheels subscription costs more than MOTOR, I would have thought it would be the other way around

Haha yep they tend to receive mostly the same press cars for road tests anyway, so you won't be missing out on much. Plus, you can always go buy an exceptionally awesome issue from the newsagent anyway.

MOTOR is definitely worth the read.