Automobile Magazine

I really enjoy Automobile Magazine. I have had subscriptions to most of the Auto magazines, at some time, and find Automobile the most interesting. I really enjoy all car magazines, but there are many small things that I feel put Automobile above the rest. I haven't subscribed to any other monthly Auto magazines for a few years (I used to switch magazines every year or so, but I've stayed with Automobile for a few years), so I am not sure what they charge for a subscription, but I know that Automobile is very cheap. I have consistently seen advertisements in the magazine for year long subscriptions for under $20. This is a very good price considering that the magazine is consistently over 100 pages, and many of the articles are car reviews and tests.

I think that there are a few details to this magazine that I find more interesting than other magazines. Some of the things that I find more interesting may not interest others, so my liking of Automobile Mag is really very opinion based. I think that all these magazines have the same quality of reviews, I just enjoy Automobile's topics more. I think that Automobile covers the rest of the world more than the other magazines. I find many references to Europe. Sometimes they review cars in Europe just because they are great cars. They also seem to always keep the reader informed of the latest news. Their news section is probably the best I have read. They have so much information about concept cars, new cars and just news on companies. I read the news section a few times, and feel very informed about the car world. In the December 2000 issue, they highlight the Paris Auto Show (some of the cars they talk about aren't offered in the US), and have a small article on the Honda Civic in Japan and the VW Jetta in Europe.

The letters section is also fun to read. Many times, the staff responds to the letters, and if not, they like to put a diverse group of letters. There will be letters bashing their reviews, and others written by people who have no idea what they are talking about. It is always fun to see a reader make an idiot out of themselves, and Automobile loves to help readers do this.

I have found that Automobile likes to cover a story with more than one article, and likes to have various themes to their magazines. They have the "Automobile of the Year" issue, "The Speed Issue", usually an SUV issue and a new car issue. They also have an issue devoted to cars three or four years down the road. In the December 2000 issue, for example, Automobile had a story on the Carrera GT and a story on the Mini. They also had little interviews with some of the heads of the companies about what they think of the cars, etc.

I have found that while Automobile is a great magazine, they seem to have a severe bias toward BMW. When they pick the year's "Ten Best" BMW will have three or four cars on the list. I have never seen them pick below two in any one year. They also seem to always have articles about BMW. But, other than that, I recommend this magazine for anyone interested in Autos.

I also subscribe to AutoWeek, and I have found that they seem to have more ads (classifieds too) and cover racing much more. Automobile seems to just write basic car reviews. Sometimes they also deal with historic cars and racing, but not as much. I like this more, but it is preference.