How much do motoring journalists really know

n97 mini

Was reading this article on the Irish Times website about the new BMW 1-series M.

I was enjoying the article till I read this:
"this is in a vehicle that weighs just 1,495kg. To put that in context, a Ford Fiesta three-door diesel weighs 100kg more."

This makes me really question how much this journalist really knows about cars, if they think a Fiesta could weigh 1.6 tonnes.

n97 mini

BTW, as expected for a car of its small stature, the Fiesta clocks in at about 1.1 tonnes.

EPM

n97 mini wrote: »

BTW, as expected for a car of its small stature, the Fiesta clocks in at about 1.1 tonnes.

Mistake maybe? Could have meant Focus.

ShadowHearth

I don't get the pricing in article at all. He says: only 67k!!! But it had 10k of extras! Base price 29k..... Wtf?

1k eu for tax? Sounds pretty good, I was expecting it to be in 2k tax bracket. If he is not high and atleast got that right.

Plug

Berty wrote: »

Mistake maybe? Could have meant Focus.

My 1.6 Focus sallon weighs 1.25 tonnes roughly. I'd say they got the figures way off the mark!

colm_mcm

n97 mini wrote: »

Was reading this article on the Irish Times website about the new BMW 1-series M.

I was enjoying the article till I read this:
"this is in a vehicle that weighs just 1,495kg. To put that in context, a Ford Fiesta three-door diesel weighs 100kg more."

This makes me really question how much this journalist really knows about cars, if they think a Fiesta could weigh 1.6 tonnes.

To put the 1 series weight into context, a mazda6 is 85kg lighter.

Frankie Lee

ShadowHearth wrote: »

I don't get the pricing in article at all. He says: only 67k!!! But it had 10k of extras! Base price 29k..... Wtf?

1k eu for tax? Sounds pretty good, I was expecting it to be in 2k tax bracket. If he is not high and atleast got that right.

Base price is €29k less than an M3 I think. Agree with the OP though the standard of motoring journalists in this country is shockingly bad.

whippet

it's a fair wedge of cash for a car of that size, but I can see people paying it.

to hear it being compared the the E30 M3 by a number of sources (the Irish Times and Top Gear - sorry but its the only english language car mag available where I am in France at the moment) means that it is a serious motor.

It sounds like it will be a car in its own right rather than a Poor Man's M3.

ShadowHearth

Frankie Lee wrote: »

Base price is €29k less than an M3 I think. Agree with the OP though the standard of motoring journalists in this country is shockingly bad.

My bad so.still:

70k for it.... Holy **** no...

n97 mini

Berty wrote: »

Mistake maybe? Could have meant Focus.

1.6 tonnes is seriously lardy. You're looking at 5-series weight.

robtri

n97 mini wrote: »

Was reading this article on the Irish Times website about the new BMW 1-series M.

I was enjoying the article till I read this:
"this is in a vehicle that weighs just 1,495kg. To put that in context, a Ford Fiesta three-door diesel weighs 100kg more."

This makes me really question how much this journalist really knows about cars, if they think a Fiesta could weigh 1.6 tonnes.

well according to ford, the gross mass vehicle weight of a 1.4 TDCI 3 door fiesta is 1535kg

(dont ask me what that is as the kerbweight is in at 1086kg)

reckon he just looked at wrong figure on the chart

Capt'n Midnight

I'd reckon that motoring journalists probably know a lot more about motoring than consumer computer journalists know about computers.

So not much really.

Berty

I think what may have happened here is that the Motoring Journo gave it to his editor whom knows nothing about cars, assumed that the motoring journo must have been correct(having hired him for it), and having no grammatical and spelling mistakes, passed the article.

Maybe.

n97 mini

robtri wrote: »

well according to ford, the gross mass vehicle weight of a 1.4 TDCI 3 door fiesta is 1535kg

Gross is fully loaded with passengers, luggage, fuel and a trailer!

robtri wrote: »

(dont ask me what that is as the kerbweight is in at 1086kg)

Car, empty.

robtri wrote: »

reckon he just looked at wrong figure on the chart

Maybe so, but it's piss poor journalism.

Poulgorm

Their car reviews are governed by the value of the object left in the glove box.

That's how it works

R.O.R

Poulgorm wrote: »

Their car reviews are governed by the value of the object left in the glove box.

That's how it works

Yep - sure that's the only reason the 1M is getting good reviews.

A non journalist I spoke to who'd driven it, would take one over an M3. Obviously something large left in the glove box, although, being a BMW it can't have been that large.............

ShadowHearth

robtri wrote: »

well according to ford, the gross mass vehicle weight of a 1.4 TDCI 3 door fiesta is 1535kg

(dont ask me what that is as the kerbweight is in at 1086kg)

reckon he just looked at wrong figure on the chart

If journalist looked at that figure and wasn't even suspicions about the figure, then it tell alot about his knowledge.

Anan1

whippet wrote: »

to hear it being compared the the E30 M3 by a number of sources (the Irish Times and Top Gear - sorry but its the only english language car mag available where I am in France at the moment) means that it is a serious motor.

It sounds like it will be a car in its own right rather than a Poor Man's M3.

I'd have one in a heartbeat. That said, the E30 M3 was a handbuilt competition car - I don't really think it's comparable to a standard production car, no matter how good it may be. After all, if it's just about performance then the 1 is more desirable than, say, a Ferrari 250GTO.:)

Esel

Here's my generic review:

This car has <insert all the technical specs as provided by the manufacturer, verbatim>.

The model I drove had all the bells and whistles, but you plebs won't be buying this version, so YMMV.

Thanks to <manufacturer> for all the freebies.

Is Paddy the author of that article, he writes for the Times doesn't he? Usually he is on the ball in fairness. The worst auto stuff I have read in a paper was Declan Colley in The Examiner, years and years of writing the same sh1t, loves VAG stuff, was still blowing on about how years ago VW were very mean with the extras, cig lighter etc, desperate sh1t to read. You'd wonder had he even sat in the car he apparently had for the few days.

Years ago I used to buy car mags and read the articles in the paper, when I worked in a service station I used to read loads of car mags. Nowadays I can't really be arsed, would buy the odd one still but it would be rare enough.

Owen

We gave Colley a 1 Series when it came out. A bog basic 116i SE 5 door hatch. The review faffed on about how hard the Satnav was to use - the bloody car didn't have Nav. As far as I could make out (And it's just my opinion) - he just read other reviews, and put them in his own words.

......... he also writes desperate sh1t about horse racing from time to time, pure muck.

Tefral

Im possibly gonna be shot for this bit I think the biggest culprit of them all is Jeremy Clarkson...

Sure he actually can drive (and pretty well) but his technical knowledge is based on what is scripted for him

Owen

I wouldn't agree - Clarkson's in the game a long time, and you don't spend that long in the industry without picking up a few bits and pieces along the way. If anything's scripted, it's his bumbling idiocy.

Tefral

PaintDoctor wrote: »

I wouldn't agree - Clarkson's in the game a long time, and you don't spend that long in the industry without picking up a few bits and pieces along the way. If anything's scripted, it's his bumbling idiocy.

Maybe, but there has been parts where he has had to even change the plugs on a car and he couldnt do it, and I know plenty of people that can waffle on about cars all day and couldnt even change the oil.

Anan1

Clarkson's a redneck low-rent loudmouth, but I do get the impression that he knows his cars.

robtri

PaintDoctor wrote: »

I wouldn't agree - Clarkson's in the game a long time, and you don't spend that long in the industry without picking up a few bits and pieces along the way. If anything's scripted, it's his bumbling idiocy.

i think iirc that he does a lot of the script writing, the other two dont really, its clarkson and a beeb writier do it

also his newspaper column is brilliant to read..

Owen

cronin_j wrote: »

Maybe, but there has been parts where he has had to even change the plugs on a car and he couldnt do it, and I know plenty of people that can waffle on about cars all day and couldnt even change the oil.

He did change the plugs, it was an awkward car to do it on. You don't believe everything you see on TG is real, do you?

There's also been episodes, like the artic one, where they managed to do work on the cars with the bare minimum of equipment and still managed it. He's no idiot, he's just playing up to it because that's what sells, and what the public likes. Watch his documentaries on the war, and the machines used in that. He's himself, and comes across as a walking encyclopedia.

Owen

robtri wrote: »

also his newspaper column is brilliant to read..

It's brilliant alright, some of his older articles are here :
http://www.topgear.com/uk/jeremy-clarkson/jeremy-clarkson-archive

n97 mini

PaintDoctor wrote: »

I wouldn't agree -

I think you're right. I couldn't imagine him thinking a Fiesta weighs 1600Kg

Tefral

PaintDoctor wrote: »

He did change the plugs, it was an awkward car to do it on. You don't believe everything you see on TG is real, do you?

There's also been episodes, like the artic one, where they managed to do work on the cars with the bare minimum of equipment and still managed it. He's no idiot, he's just playing up to it because that's what sells, and what the public likes. Watch his documentaries on the war, and the machines used in that. He's himself, and comes across as a walking encyclopedia.

Ive watched all his old stuff aswell (even when he had no bald patch ha ha) but I still think its all wrote learned, anyway its my opinion of the man.

No I dont believe it, in fact the reason I like the show so much is because its so off the wall..:D

jumbone

PaintDoctor wrote: »

I wouldn't agree - Clarkson's in the game a long time, and you don't spend that long in the industry without picking up a few bits and pieces along the way. If anything's scripted, it's his bumbling idiocy.

In the Vietnam episode he claimed he couldn't ride a bike but some folks on the internet dug up footage from old top gear of him riding bikes. I'd agree with the opinion that his lack of knowledge is scripted in a lot of places (as is his love for fixing things with a hammer ). I wouldn't have the knowledge myself to know if he's talking bollox during the 'news' half the time though. I do enjoy top gear and what he writes in the sunday times though.

I do know that a lot of people with no clue what they're talking about like to parrot other people in dissing him too. Thats not to say some people who dislike him don't dso so for valid reasons of course. Obviously I'm not refering to anyone in this thread either with this statement!

Tefral

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Clarkson is a giant buffoon and I wouldn't trust him to drive anything I owned. If you watch top gear all his driving is heavily edited so he doesnt look useless behind the wheel.

Ya true enough, I defo wouldnt allow him drive anything i bought and paid for. Didnt he actually blow up a car on the show belonging to someone, a kit car or something, there was a forum for the car and the guy that lent them the car said he wrecked it and it took a long time for the BBC to right it for him.