ABSTRACT
A study compared journalists’ opinions about new cars with people’s subsequent experiences of driving and owning them. Car reviews in Top Gear Magazine were compared with the outcomes of a survey that asked owners to rate their cars on a number of dimensions. One of the most prominent contexts in which product reviewing is done is motoring journalism. Cars are a high-interest product for many people and a large and profitable industry has developed around the testing and reviewing of vehicles. An obvious issue with respect to giving an expert analysis of a new product is that it can be easier to give meaningful insight into some aspects of it than others. A problem faced by experts making an appraisal of a new product is that there are a number of factors, especially those relating to issues such as build quality and reliability that may only emerge after a significant period of use.
