With Labor Day in the rearview mirror and thoughts turning to fall-foliage road trips, car mags are showcasing the best steals — and squeals — on wheels.
Motor Trend knows what gets car drivers’ attention — American-brand cop cars — and if they see Ford’s hot Interceptor bearing down on them, they should do themselves a favor and pull over. Even muscle cars like an Audi Allroad or BMW X1 Xdrive, which are also reviewed in the current issue, can’t outrun cops in their Big Brother wheels, which can also chase you by satellite. Editors test-drove the squad cars and found few downsides. The Interceptor went from 0 to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds, while the Dodge Pursuit Charger did it in 5.6 seconds and the Chevy Detective Caprice in 5.7 seconds.
Unless you’re a geeky car fanatic, reading about engines is about enjoyable as picking the lint out of an old man’s beard. Car and Driver’s October issue, however, offers a sublime example of how it can make the road machines appealing to a wider audience. The lead piece asks, “Is it worth shelling out for the pricier model? The answer is an resounding “No” for three of the five test cases, including the BMW M6 ($125,595) and the Mercedes-Benz G550 ($111,050). Car and Driver tests 10 cars and goes into depth explaining the “experience” and justifying its suggestions. Of course, we find it absurd to think anyone who can afford the Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed ($245,440) might be swayed into choosing the Cadillac XTS Platinum ($59,430) for any reason, but we still applaud the effort.
With its lack of advertising, Consumer Reports may be the most trusted name in consumer journalism. Its annual car review is eagerly anticipated by those in the market for new wheels, and the “New Car Review 2012” does not disappoint. While it starts off with a “sneak preview” of upcoming models, no one buys this hefty tome for predictions. We want the reviews, with their value scores and “predicted reliability” circles. Americans still love their SUVs, but Consumer Reports reminds us that they suck from a value perspective. For penny pinchers, there’s a nifty chart to compare the gas mileage between two cars. From that it’s easy to see that a Toyota Prius might save you about $350 (at $4 per gallon, 12,000 miles) a year over a Toyota Matrix. But the sticker shock means you’d have to own it 17 years to break even. That’s the kind of break-through-the-spin arithmetic we like to see.
Road & Track gets behind the wheel and tries to put the reader there, too. But you have to be a gearhead to understand the more technical side of automobiles the magazine dives into thoroughly. The mag is at its best not just testing $100,000-plus cars, but also affordable ones, which are put through the same rigorous paces so you can see how well your Chevy Cruze Eco stacks up against the pricier competition. This month’s edition also shows off a good sampling of what to expect in 2013, from a new convertible Corvette to a hybrid BMW to a Hyundai turbo. Really though, the magazine needs to let up on the Ferrari coverage. Three of the main articles were Ferrari-related, and to top it off the review of the affordable cars anointed Fiat the winner. Everyone loves Italy, but Road & Track seems to think the country can do no automotive wrong.
The “New Yorker Verses” might be an appropriate title for this week’s issue, which features Salman Rushdie penning his own 14-page story of what it has been like living on the run since the 1989 release of his book that some felt insulted Islam. Wait, we’ve seen the “Satanic Verses” author at very public parties. More editing might have been needed here to corral the writer. Besides Rushdie, the New Yorker is pretty thin, though we liked the interview with actress Penny Marshall who has just written her first memoir.
New York magazine shows the two sides of the city, with features on the housing projects, and on Chris Whittle’s new $40,000-a-year school for international students. Timing is perfect for the housing story, with rapper, and former Marcy Projects resident, Jay-Z about to open the Barclays Center. However, we wish New York would have someone familiar with the projects, which house 600,000, reporting instead of someone who says the projects are “a mystery to most New Yorkers.”
Newsweek’s cover story “Is College A Lousy Investment?” is a topic on the minds of many parents this time of year. However, after saying “No,” the reporter fails to close the case, including several caveats and not providing enough figures besides the rising cost of education. Kudos for the feature on Chemie Grünenthal, the German company that in the 1950s sold the drug Thalidomide to moms, leading to child deformities. The company is only now apologizing for its thoughtless actions.
Time magazine’s cover story “One Nation Subsidized” raises the big truth of the day — that everyone is getting government subsidies. In an important and easy-to-understand feature, reporter Michael Grunwald shows in his daily life how he and the products he uses are supported by the government. Elsewhere, Fareed Zakaria rightly points out that the presidential candidate that is the most optimistic about our future is the likely winner. Unfortunately, Time seems not to have enough advertising, leaving scant pages to cover other topics.