Evo going soft?
Discussion
Is it me is Evo getting softer as time goes on... People carriers, Off Roaders etc... and this months Drivers car article... Caterham written off for being too soft (SV) yet ST170, Mini etc make it through to next round... the Mini actually going further still and winning...
The magazine doesn't seem as compelling as it once was, which is a shame... Come back Performance Car.
The magazine doesn't seem as compelling as it once was, which is a shame... Come back Performance Car.
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As I guess you'd know about this Manek, do the mags ever pay the blindest bit of attention to these feedback surveys?
Ever got an unpleasant surprise from them?
Dunno about feedback surveys, but Evo have published letters from myself & Manek (IIRC) commenting on their articles & their pro-Porsche bias. I got an editorial comment, so at least they read our views, even if they didn't agree with them....
cheers,
Craig
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Diesel C-Class in the FAST FLEET FFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![]()
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Surely there are plenty of other magazines to cover such hideous vehicles as diesel Mercedes - known as taxis in the rest of Europe. I just hate what they stand for, its either a reps diesel-only-policy car or a car for tight fisted badge snobs.
There is no doubt that a Diesel C class is not an evo car. I might write a letter myself.
Rest of the mag wasn't too bad though.
>> Edited by CupRacer on Saturday 8th June 17:52
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As I guess you'd know about this Manek, do the mags ever pay the blindest bit of attention to these feedback surveys?
Ever got an unpleasant surprise from them?
To be perfectly honest, the results of a reader survey is only ever going to be one of several diverse influences on an editorial mix.
The questions asked will obviously influence the results but rarely, in my experience, unless you're already getting it seriously wrong and have mis-understood your readership's needs, will there emerge a really strong opinion in one direction or another that convinces you as an editorial team to change direction in any major way.
And if you have got it that badly wrong, you'll have spotted it from falling circulation well before you get around to a survey.
Chances are that this survey is as much about convincing high-ups that the mag will survive and is worth investing in and, more importantly, to show to advertisers to allow sales guys to claim that 'our readers spend x amount a year on stuff, so you must advertise to them'. The evo survey this month included many of those sorts of questions -- which can also be used for 'legitimate' editorial reasons too, of course.
Plus, the cost of doing it will come out of several budgets so everyone gets a slice of the pie when it comes to questions to ask.
So the upshot is that you can take from a survey what you want, depending on who you are in the organisation.
Bit of a woolly answer really but without knowing more about the internal workings of the mag, it's hard to know why they ran it.
My best guess would be that, from what I know, its circulation figures are chugging along at around 20-25k which is on the low side. So they may try and shift the editorial mix to include more mainsteam stuff they can put on the cover to bump up the circ.
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My best guess would be that, from what I know, its circulation figures are chugging along at around 20-25k which is on the low side. So they may try and shift the editorial mix to include more mainsteam stuff they can put on the cover to bump up the circ.
Nah, evo sells over and around 50 thousand mags a month, which is pretty good apparently. And ive also heard that it is the fastest growing car magazine, so i doubt theyre worried about that.
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I know it's a specialist mag but if you like porsches anyway the new GT Purely Porsche mag is really excellent.
hehe,
Stuart Gallagher, the editor of Purely Porsche used to work for evo, one of the very few that have left over the years.
Agreed that GT purely Porsche is a really good mag, but the problem is that its purely porsche!
I wanna read about other cars other than Porkers, its alright if you own one (or aspire to), but i couldn't just buy pp alone.
Thats why imo evo is the best, because it focuses on all types and brands of cars.
I don't mind the Mini/Focus 170 stuff, but what gets me is the Diesels and the reports about them. They've got an A4 TDi Quattro and I'm sure it's got bags of midrange grunt, but it's not an EVO car - and IIRC they only seem to get 30odd mpg out of it. What's the point? If you buy a diesel then get one that does 50mpg to make up for the noise/stink.
As for the C Class diesel, I'm sure it's nippy but it's not an enthusiast's car. It's also very blue rinse brigade, kind of an old style Toyota Celica with a posh badge. The van in their fleet is OK, that's more of a joke than anything else (and it gets more MPG than the A4 TDi).
I'm all for sporting Diesels, but only if they give as good as or a better drive than their petrol counterparts (BMW 330 springs to mind).
As for the C Class diesel, I'm sure it's nippy but it's not an enthusiast's car. It's also very blue rinse brigade, kind of an old style Toyota Celica with a posh badge. The van in their fleet is OK, that's more of a joke than anything else (and it gets more MPG than the A4 TDi).
I'm all for sporting Diesels, but only if they give as good as or a better drive than their petrol counterparts (BMW 330 springs to mind).
Maybe there's a shortage of serious motors at the moment. If the guys at Evo can't get their grubby little paws onto the next Porsche or TVR - what do you want them to do?
a) Not produce a magazine
b) Re-cover old ground and re-review a car (zzzz)
c) Diversify a bit for one or two issues...
Just a thought...
a) Not produce a magazine
b) Re-cover old ground and re-review a car (zzzz)
c) Diversify a bit for one or two issues...
Just a thought...
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Maybe there's a shortage of serious motors at the moment. If the guys at Evo can't get their grubby little paws onto the next Porsche or TVR - what do you want them to do?
Diversify. And stop writing endless articles on the Mini (yes, I know you like it, but I can read about the Mini in every car magazine on the shelf every month...).
Their motorsports section has shrunk to make space for......what? More ads? Diesel articles?
I want to see reports on all kinds of drivers cars, not just the major manufacturers (Dare/Ginetta springs to mind instantly, the FBS Census has started shipping, etc. etc.). Just because cars don't sell in large volumes seems to mean they are ignored by the press, surely a magazine claiming to be about 'The Thrill of Driving' can look further than their local car showrooms for inspiration....
I want to read about drivers cars of the past. How do they drive today, what made them great at the time....
I want more stuff like the tyre test they did this month (but make it a bit less subjective can you).
There are far more driver's cars out there than the mainstream dozen or so they regularly feature, and does every single variant of the Impreza have to be tested against every single variant of the Evo?
I am flabbergasted at the drivers car piece - I usually enjoy the mag. I have been in a mini cooper, on a track, and it was not as much fun as I had hoped. I think it won on the basis of being friendly to drive home in after the testing? - what a load of carp that article was - almost as bad as Multipla winning prizes in top gear (every month that happened, top gear had a multipla to give away) - perhaps the evo guys have a car park full of Headington's finest? Look at the cars that the mini 'beat'
- just doesn't add up at all. Why doesn't PetrolTed do a razzy mag - "Pies and Fast Cars and Fun" (get VBH on the cover - AND Amanda Stretton! 
- just doesn't add up at all. Why doesn't PetrolTed do a razzy mag - "Pies and Fast Cars and Fun" (get VBH on the cover - AND Amanda Stretton! 
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