Okay, your first impulse is to say they irritate me because I don't agree with them on something. That's true, but it goes beyond that.

One of the mags (Motor Trend, I think) just completed a long-term evaluation of a Lexus LS460. They liked most things about the car, but came back with the old, tired complaint that the suspension was too "floaty" and "soft". Gimme a break.

First, the kids who "evaluate" these vehicles are almost always strongly biased toward sports cars. They love anything that has a flinty ride, makes lots of noise, and generates tons of tire smoke. The things they value most are things that aren't really practical in day-to-day driving ... skid-pad numbers, how fast the car can screech through a slalom, quarter-mile times, etc. I believe that 99.9% of people never drive on a track, and while they enjoy engine performance and like a car that they feel handles well, they aren't going to be pushing the vehicle to anywhere near its absolute limits.

Second, the mag writers make the mistake of applying the above standard to all cars. That means that cars that don't measure up to sports car standards will invariably get lower ratings. But, for cryin' out loud, the LS460 isn't a sports car, doesn't want to be a sports car, and its OWNERS don't want it to be a sports car!

All I want is for cars of a given type to be evaluated in the context of their type. That is, evaluate the LS460 against other luxury sedans, not Mazda Miatas and Corvette Z06's. I've driven floaty cars, and the LS460 isn't one of them. Is it floaty compared to a Porsche Boxster? Hell, yes. Does that make it sub-standard in some way? Hell, no. Luxury cars are not SUPPOSED to ride like Boxsters, and if they did, their owners would be very unhappy. I know I would be.

The trouble is, there are people who will read this crap and not realize their leanings, and will come away thinking the LS is a boat. An interesting point, though, is they admitted at the end that the LS was the car that always got chosen when someone wanted a serene ride or went on a long-distance run.

(Is the above a rant?  )

Don't count on it ... this one's a keeper! 

What bothers me most about car mag reviews is that they're lazy. I mean bike mags, when they evaluate bikes, they at least play with tire pressure, when they do not try another brand entirely.  And then they complain say about road noise, fishtailing the rear, etc.  Everybody knows that the tires are hugely important for the handling and ride quality - summer tires are different from all weather run flats, etc...

automobile is better than motor trend in realistic evaluation of cars for their intended purpose.  They have been giving family sedans, minivans, etc pretty glowing reviews for meeting the cars intended expectations.

Is it still a 5SPD AT?