Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)If you're here in the U.S., don't let that put you off reading this fantastic magazine just because you won't see a lot of American cars. This magazine is worth every cent (more on that later). And reading of the miriad great cars, from cheap thrills to supercars, that you can't get here will bring tears to your eyes. Renault making a giant killer little Chevy Aveo-sized hatchback with 197 horsepower and 18-inch wheels? Yes, it happens over there.
It is simply SO much more than you see in any U.S. car mag. It's BIG, both physically and in content, and written with the kind of thorough evaluation and engrossing, you'd-swear-you-were-right-there-with-them prose above any other (including CAR, my pervious favorite).
What makes it so good? Three main things. First, the writers, of course, many of them springing from the former Performance Car magazine. That sad publication declined in just about every way over it's lifetime until, at the time of it's demise, it wasn't worth the bother anymore. Oh, how they've redeamed themselves!
Second, the cars they write about. The focus is on performance; but not just super-exotics and, thank God, tuner cars (although the latter pop up now and then in an entirely appropriate way), but anything that stirs the driver's soul, even if it's a $10,000 little hatch with a zingy engine and giddy handling.
Third, the writing. EVO is much more biased toward subjective evaluation in favor of just spouting instrument test numbers (hello U.S. car magazines with pages and pages of minute and often uninteresting stats), and their data panels are concise and have just enough information to be thorough without a bunch of fluff (brake swept area? Come on, Road and Track, who cares?).
The best example by far is their annual car of the year issue. Yes, everyone does these, but no one does it like EVO. It's much more free-form, much more subjective, and much, much more fun to read. Rather than evaluate each car in a distinct portion, it reads more like a road adventure with drivers swapping cars and really letting you know how each is to drive.
Frankly, you get the impression that EVO doesn't give a squat if one car pulls .89g on a skidpad while a competitor pulls .87g. What you're much more likely to read is how each car *feels* when that grip is being used, and used to the limit. Hard numbers matter less than true driving fun, which is why you might find the handling of a little hatchback rated above a wide tired monster's.
They do provide plenty of performance data, but the big difference is they don't get caught up in it. You'll find it's more important how a car handles than how it grips, how effective it's brakes are over a long, hard drive rather than how many feet it takes to do a single stop, and how the car works with or against you to provide real fun. All done with engaging writing and wit.
I'll stop babbling now. :o) But I do want to conclude with one item mentioned in almost every review here - price. It's cheaper to buy at a good bookstore. There is some convenience and peace of mind in having a subscription, but I'm baffled as to why British car mags are always more expensive to subscribe to than to buy off the shelf. EVO is still worth it, though.
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Catering to the sports car enthusiast, Evo offers automotive news, forums, performance reviews, and ratings of a wide array of performance cars. Evo also includes full spread photography features and a comprehensive car finder for both new and used vehicles.
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