I've been a subscriber to Car and Driver for more than a year now. This is one of the two best car magazines out there. However I would say it is the top of the top two.
This magazine is mainly for the casual and some-what sports-loving car owners. If someone wants a magazine for pure sports enthusiasts I would recommend the second-best, Road and Track.
Even though this magazine isn't for the kind of person who buys a Ferrari, and also knows everything about his/her Ferrari, you can tell that the writers are car-buff enough to love sports and car power. However, they try to aim their spotlights on the average car, or the low-end sports car, and all their statistics they report are for people who aren't running down the list for the 0-to-100 entry. This is obvious because of many articles on safety in newer cars, and issues such as gas mileage.
I, for one, am very big into heavy sports cars, but surprisingly enough I really enjoy this magazine. Maybe because of their under-the-surface attitude on sports cars, but mainly because even though they aren't focusing on the sportiness of the featured car, they still don't ignore it.
Car and Driver makes sure that any type of car lover who picks up an issue of theirs finds some part in there that will perk their interest. They don't leave out safety and trunk space, nor do they hide the top speed and 0-to-60 type numbers.
I would recommend this magazine for anyone who has any interest in cars, or needs advice on buying a new car of any kind. If they are looking for something more specific they should try to find a different magazine that features that direct interest more, but if they do check out Car and Driver they certainly won't be bored!
Recommended:
Yes
Recommended For: Anyone
Primary Reason for Buying: Articles
I have subscribed to Car and Driver for over twenty years, making it my longest single magazine relationship. (I finally dropped Stereo Review after it mutated into Sound and Vision in year twenty-nine.) And originally, it wasn't so much because I was interested in cars, but because I admired their iconoclastic writing style in general and their rude and lacerating replies to reader mail in particular. But after all this time, a few things have started to sink in, and whatever car-buff credentials I may have, I owe primarily to C/D.
Even though almost the entire staff has changed in those two decades, Car and Driver still holds to the sensible (to me, anyway) philosophy that there are objective and subjective criteria for judging automobiles, and that you need both the hard numbers and the not-so-hard seat-of-the-pants judgments to do the job right. They occasionally go off into Deep Ephemera, but I've never found it to be obtrusive, and the writing continues to be state of the art. So long as there are cars and I am driving, I'll be reading Car and Driver every month.
Recommended:
Yes
Recommended For: Anyone
Primary Reason for Buying: Product reviews/information
I have been a subscriber to CD for about 15 years, and have issues going back to the early 1970's. It is without a doubt the best general automotive magazine around. The writing remains crisp and no-hold-barred, the comparison articles cover everything from minivans to 150 mph supercars and the format of the magazine is high quality. When I compare some of my earliest issues to the latest versions, I'm amazed at how the editorial 'attitude' has remained the same - a bit 'in your face' sometimes, always candid and never boring! Heck, even some of the editors are the same (Brock Yates, Patrick Bedard). The photos are excellent. The coverage is good - not too many unaffordable cars, although they probably do a bit too much on trucks and SUV's (of course, that's the hottest segment in the industry right now...). Probably the best part is the reader's letters (and of course, Ed.'s snappy rejoinders!). And several times a year, they have bizarre road-tests, like giant construction dump trucks, airplane-movers, etc...
Recommended:
Yes
Primary Reason for Buying: Articles
i think this is a great magazine and it has taught me alot about cars and told me about alot of road tests and reviews on cars and car parts. i have been a subscriber for over 2 years and i still love it. alot of the advertisements and websites they have through the whole magazine has given me alot of help for when i needed car parts and other car accesories. the only thing i dont like about it is that it only comes once a month but thats not to bad because it gives me time to read everything in the last issue.
Recommended:
Yes
Recommended For: Anyone
This is a good magazine for people who want to read about new cars and some of the political issues that dictate our driving and ownership experience. Not much photography except to illustrate text or show a new style of car. Patrick Bedard is the *best* columnist in any American auto magazine.
Very lively writing style, with little feeling that the writers are significantly beholden to auto manufacturers when reviewing (unless they're thinking, "Gee, unlimited personal mobility in excessively large, heavy, and powerful cars is immoral" all the time without writing it).
This magazine doesn't have much to offer the racing, hot rodding, or classic car enthusiast. There's little testing of aftermarket parts except when they collect a few complete cars from tuners for a group test. There's usually an essay or feature article about auto racing; because of lead times and other media, I assume that they think there's little value to race reports.
Recommended:
Yes
Recommended For: Hobbyists/Enthusiasts
Car & Driver Magazine is by far the best auto magazine in the United States (Car Magazine in the UK is almost as good). Here's why:
1) They verify manufacturer performance data. The numbers published by manufacturers are often accurate, but more often they are inaccurate, sometimes wildly inaccurate. Lesser magazines (like Automobile) don't bother at all with performance tests. Other magazines (especially the dreadful Motor Trend) do test cars, but with bizarre results. Road & Track also typically does a good job with their tests.
2) They're not afraid to criticize cars or pick favorites. I HATE magazines that act as if rankings are too simplistic; they're not. A ranking of best to worst, when combined with a thorough description of each car's characteristics, ties a road test together. When people buy a car, they PICK A BEST by definition. They MUST do their own ranking, choosing the best car for a particular set of purposes. There's no shame in a car magazine doing the same. Second, if they think a car bites, they usually say so.
3) They're the only car magazine with a sense of humor. Automobile is too snooty to be funny (with the exception of PJ O'Rourke's occasional articles). Road & Track is dry and serious. Motor Trend is just stupid. Car & Driver can literally be the funniest thing out there sometimes. Anybody remember the timeless "Trabant & Driver" special about a decade ago, a fake magazine that made fun of East Germany's finest? Who else could -- or would -- pull something like that off? Their annual 10 best issue is also full of humor. They frequent race cars against airplanes or boats. The most recent issue test-drives a 600,000-pound strip mine gravel truck with a billion-liter V-24 diesel. They ran it up to top speed and published a full road test stat sheet. (Top speed: 40 mph...not bad for a truck the size a city block).
4) They have the best writing. Automobile comes close, but is again way too stuffy. Car & Driver is intelligent, funny, unafraid to offend manufacturer or reader, and earthy.
5) Their letters section -- absolutely the best. Funny as hell, passionate, informative, intelligent, rude. I love it.
No other magazine is as trustworthy, informative, or entertaining to read.
(On a side note, their best road test editor, Don Schroeder, recently died while testing a Renntech Mercedes SL at top speed. Writing for a car magazine may still seem like the best job on earth, but it can be extraordinarily dangerous.)
Recommended:
Yes
Recommended For: Anyone
Primary Reason for Buying: Product reviews/information
Car AND Driver has to be one of the best auto magazines ever published. Not only does it have the best and most content, Car AND Driver is also interesting and fun to read. The magazine has some very well-done sections such as letters from subscribers where you can read all about their problems and experiences with cars. My favorite Car AND Driver section are the Road Tests. Car AND Driver tests most new cars in every possible category such as top speed, horsepower, dimensions, and any other category you can think of. It is the most complete car magazine I have ever found and I plan on renewing my subscription for years to come.
Recommended:
Yes
Recommended For: Anyone
Primary Reason for Buying: Product reviews/information
Car and Driver is a great magazine that you can enjoy even if you are not a total car buff. If you are considering buying a car,get this magazine. A nice thing about it is the humor in the editorials. They test all cars, not just Ferrari's and Lamborghini's. I buy it because it is cheap and there is always a great article to read. One of my favorite parts of the magazine is Upfront where they have articles on showcars and even spy shots of vehicles that may possibly be produced in the future. A great thing about this mag are the reviews of tuner cars almost every month. Hey, what car guy wouldn't want to read about a 620 hp E-Class, 770 hp Viper, or a 'Vette that does 225 mph. You get the idea, this is a magazine written by car guys for car guys. There was recently an article that I liked about the BMW Z8. Awesome car. Similar magazines are Automobile, Motor Trend, and Road&Track. If you like cars, you will like this magazine.
Recommended:
Yes
Recommended For: Anyone
Primary Reason for Buying: Articles
This magazine is world's most popular automotive magazine and for a good reason. It has some of the best and funnest reviews and previews of the latest cars. Not only does Car and Driver inform the reader about all the specs and comfort but it also entertains people who like cars. Seeing as this is a monthly magazine it is very easy to settle in and read the day away. This magazine offers the best quality vehicle testing by using a concered look at every pickup truck, van, car and sport-utility vehicle that is for consumer use in America. The magazine also covers the latest developments in technology, politics, and business that affect automobiles and driving. Every time Car and Driver apears on my doorstep I go running to be first to read it. It brightens my day and it will do the same for you. Everytime cars come up in a conversation (which they normaly do) then I have a lot to say. Even if somebody has a new car they heard of to brag about then I can top it with about 10 other new concept cars. If you want to be ahead of the game or just really like cars then this is the magazine for you. I can almost promise that you won't be disapointed. Trust me, it's good for the soul. Just try it out and get a magazine, plus it is really funny.
Recommended:
Yes
Recommended For: Anyone
Primary Reason for Buying: Product reviews/information
I have been reading C&D since 1980 and have never been disappointed. Their testing procedures have been explained in detail before and are second to none. They push the cars to get the maximum performance and do not sugarcoat any reviews.
A number of cars I have purchased have been based on their positive reviews and from personal experience have found them to be more accurate than other magazines. A lot of the enthusiast magazines out there attempt to write only favorable reviews on the vehicles tested. C&D is not shy about being honest.
Even their most favorable reviews include the car's negative points. It's that kind of honesty that has kept me a reader of C&D for over 20 years.
Their articles are always extremely well written and the magazine's layout has never let me down. In over 20 years, C&D is the one magazine I have never been without.
Recommended:
Yes
Recommended For: Hobbyists/Enthusiasts