Is anyone bored with EVO magazine recently?

[r129sl]

swisstoni said:

Magazines have been suffering and feel slightly one dimensional as a format in the face of digital possibilities.
Yet any of these online alternatives I've experienced have always lacked what magazines could reasonably be relied on for - quality writing and depth of knowledge.

You make a very good point.

Not one car magazine offers quality writing and depth of knowledge. In most, the articles are short and formulaic; the writers are young and inexperienced; the whole is more dependent than ever before on manufacturer-supplied copy. They are dominated by hackneyed photography of absurd cars. Digital photography and ultra-cheap colour print have ruined car magazines: lots of pictures are much cheaper than good writing.

The heyday surely was at Car magazine between the appointment of Mel Nichols to the editor's chair in 1974 and the the end of Gavin Green's tenure in 1992. Everything about the magazine was excellent: the layout and typography, the photography, the subject matter and the writing. Many of the best articles were about journeys and the destinations at their end as much as cars that provided the ride. Many were not about cars at all (for example, Gavin Green's account of going up with the Red Arrows).

For a while I thought Evo might return to this spirt but it seems every issue contains exactly the same tale: "Three pre-pubescents take five supercars to Wales".

[anonymous-user]

ClockworkCupcake said:

It was announced in a small paragraph on the contents page in the current issue of EVO.

I'd have missed it, had it not been for this thread.

Shame that, I always enjoyed his articles.

[ukaskew]

Sub is still going but I've not even bothered to open the past 6 months or so of issues. Can you just cancel the Direct Debit to quit or do you need to phone somebody?

[suffolk009]

r129sl said:

For a while I thought Evo might return to this spirt but it seems every issue contains exactly the same tale: "Three pre-pubescents take five supercars to Wales".

I had been thinking that motoring journalists, like policemen, have been looking younger and younger recently.

[krisdelta]

ukaskew said:

Sub is still going but I've not even bothered to open the past 6 months or so of issues. Can you just cancel the Direct Debit to quit or do you need to phone somebody?

I just emailed [e-mail] with my subscription number and they cancelled it no problem. I will cancel my DD too.

[lb3nson]

Although not as good as it used to be, I still find EVO the best of the magazines. To me it's still seems to be about the cars, whereas alot are focussed on 'lifestyle' and advertising. Alternatively there's quite a few which have remarkably little content for their £5 price tag.
I still love reading a good magazine, as mentioned above somewhere most internet articles are very shallow or just blatant advertising.

[coppice]

r129sl said:

You make a very good point.

Not one car magazine offers quality writing and depth of knowledge. In most, the articles are short and formulaic; the writers are young and inexperienced; the whole is more dependent than ever before on manufacturer-supplied copy. They are dominated by hackneyed photography of absurd cars. Digital photography and ultra-cheap colour print have ruined car magazines: lots of pictures are much cheaper than good writing.

The heyday surely was at Car magazine between the appointment of Mel Nichols to the editor's chair in 1974 and the the end of Gavin Green's tenure in 1992. Everything about the magazine was excellent: the layout and typography, the photography, the subject matter and the writing. Many of the best articles were about journeys and the destinations at their end as much as cars that provided the ride. Many were not about cars at all (for example, Gavin Green's account of going up with the Red Arrows).

For a while I thought Evo might return to this spirt but it seems every issue contains exactly the same tale: "Three pre-pubescents take five supercars to Wales".

Agree - but Car was also brilliant from its launch as Small Car under Doug Blain's editorship. Nichols was undoubtedly hugely enthusiastic but the purple ink was deployed rather too often. Across the pond Car and Driver was superb and greatly influential on Car.

Motor Sport is my preferred read - sad that Simon Taylor no longer doing his trademark 4000 word pieces for Lunch With but his colleagues Arron and Foster are carrying the baton well .

[havoc]

Mel Nichols' book "and the revs keep rising" is worth a read. A little repetitive in places, and I prefer Bulgin, but still very engaging and an interesting eye-opener on the automotive world in the 1970s...

[r129sl]

I see Mel is back in this month's Car. Which for some bizarre reason is actually the January 2017 edition.

I have the mixed blessing of possessing every copy of Car since the very first in September 1962 (when it was Small Car and Mini Owner as well as every copy of Evo. Which means I can't very well cancel my subscriptions.

[traffman]

I was a keen subscriber for many years , then all of a sudden it was changed to Octane Magazine , which i do quite like. Infact so much that after a year of Octane , i am glad they did.

[Harris_I]

r129sl said:

I have the mixed blessing of possessing every copy of Car since the very first in September 1962 (when it was Small Car and Mini Owner as well as every copy of Evo. Which means I can't very well cancel my subscriptions.

I think I understand your condition, a combination of loyalty (however misplaced) and OCD. It took significant effort of will on my part to cancel my sub after 18 years.

[Harris_I]

Oh, one more thing. I note Trott slates the Ferrari Cali HS in this month's issue, awarding it a more believable 3.5 stars. Finally some honesty, shame he only had the balls to do it on his last shift.

[s m]

traffman said:

I was a keen subscriber for many years , then all of a sudden it was changed to Octane Magazine , which i do quite like. Infact so much that after a year of Octane , i am glad they did.

Had a look at Octane mag the other day?

For me it's still 'nope' - nothing much in it for me - all there seemed to be in it to interest me was a small not in-depth look at Gp B rally cars ( which a Classic Car mag did much better this month ). Can't remember the rest of it - mostly seemed to be about old Land Rovers.

[r129sl]

Harris_I said:

r129sl said:

I have the mixed blessing of possessing every copy of Car since the very first in September 1962 (when it was Small Car and Mini Owner as well as every copy of Evo. Which means I can't very well cancel my subscriptions.

I think I understand your condition, a combination of loyalty (however misplaced) and OCD. It took significant effort of will on my part to cancel my sub after 18 years.

Mainly OCD.

But I'm running out of shelves, so that might do it.

[Rovnumpty]

As plenty of other posters have noted, I think EVO lost it's way when the focus became supercars, rather than fast versions of ordinary cars that it's title alludes to.

Last 5-6 years have felt more like 'advertorials' than real articles.

Used to be a regular reader, but rarely buy it now. Flick through in the newsagents doesn't normally show anything I want to read more about.

When it first started, it was all about the drive, rather than the price. There surely must be a gap in the market for that again? And leave out all the feckin porsches!

As for Trott heading off to Motorsport. bks! That had become an excellent mag (if a bit F1 heavy) in recent years. Nae doubt his remit will be to 'transform' motorsport into an octane clone. Here's hoping he takes coucher with him!

[suffolk009]

^^^ I think the content generally reflects the cars on the market now. There were nowhere near the number of 200mph plus car on the market 100+ months ago.

As has been mentioned above the 5 star rating really bugs me. If you want to have 1/2 stars then you have created a ten star rating. That's just stupid. And with so many cars getting 4 or 5 stars it is a bit like the results of a modern day primary school "sports" day. Everyone's a winner.

I do hope Trott does shake up Motorsport too much. I have every copy going back to the early '50s (ebay is great for back issues). I'd hate to stop buying it now.

[Lefty]

I'm not sure I agree that Evo has become too supercar focussed.

I was just reading the latest one "in my office" (ahem, the bog) and there's a tuned mx5, lots of hot hatches (308 vs Golf), a buyers guide on a diesel 3-series FFS, ECOTY has a golf and a focus in it. "Sporty" versions of normal cars (BMW 240, Clio 220). Test drive of the most basic Boxster. Fast fleet has a diesel focus, a mini, a civic, a juke and even a Kia.

To be honest, I'm not that fussed about all the hot hatch content or diesel saloons. I would like to see more content about older cars like the Mitsubishi Evo super test, the Skyline Nismo 400 etc

[Lefty]

230 (Jan 17) is a good issue so far!

[alock]

I was quite enjoying the Lotus vs Nissan article until the final few paragraphs. They just cannot help themselves.

Nevermind, I've only got one more to go on my non-renewing subscription.

[Lefty]

I know what you mean but, in fairness, Meaden is right. The default choice for a 2+2 sports car at £80k for many buyers is a 911!