Car and driver magazine reviews

Car and Driver is not only my favorite car magazine, but probably my favorite magazine in general. For some people cars are performance and racing, while others are interested in minivans and SUV’s, or about getting the best gas mileage for their daily commute. Car and Driver magazine covers them all. I love exotic cars, but will probably never own one. I still want to read about them, and they are covered here, but so are all the Ford, Chevy and Toyota’s that everyone uses in their life.

One of my favorite features of Car and Driver is the ‘comparos’ that they do. Car and Driver gets 4 to 6 cars in the same niche, runs them through a series of tests, and gives a report on how each car compares to the other. They usually rank them by the statistical results of the test, but they still give their personal opinions about each car too. That way I know not only the performance measurements, but also the non-measurables… like ‘cheap interior materials’ or ‘confusing control layout’.

I also really find the long-term tests that the editorial staff performs very useful. Car and Driver keeps a fleet of popular cars that the editors use as their personal cars. They report on things like the number of scheduled and unscheduled service stops, what was covered under warranty, average miles-per-gallon, and more. This gives you a both a total cost of ownership, as well as an indication of what you will feel about a car after you’ve driven it for a while.

Overall, I feel that Car and Driver magazine is my number one source of getting updated information about cars – not only about making informed decisions on car buying, but also because I enjoy cars. I highly recommend a Car and Driver subscription for yourself, or as a gift for any car enthusiast.