Car Reviews

There's a lot more to car reviews than you might think. From the way in which car reviewers conduct their assessments, to the best metrics they use to rate vehicles, there are many factors that go into creating an analysis of a new (or used) car purchase.

We'll give you an overview of these considerations and how they work together to form your overall impression and opinion of a vehicle.

Horsepower, Pounds-Per-Foot, Acceleration and Launch Times

When it comes to the numbers game, there are several important metrics that car reviewers use to determine the in-the-moment performance of a vehicle. These include horsepower, pounds-per-foot of torque, acceleration and launch times at zero – 50 – 70 and 100 mph.

How do they relate?

Just as an example, let's take a look at how horsepower (hp) and pounds per foot of torque (lb/ft) might be able to illustrate this point.

A measuring stick to keep in mind is the horsepower required to launch a vehicle from zero to 60 mph within a certain amount of time – many reviewers use the figure of 4 seconds.

If we use 200 pounds of mass, and then propel it through the air at a velocity of 60 mph, we can figure out how much power would be needed to reach that speed. If our 200 pounds weighed 100 pounds per foot, it would have 200 lb/ft of torque. If they weighed 50 pounds per foot, they'd have 100 lb/ft of torque.

If we had a car that produced 500 hp, it would require 200 lb/ft of torque from the wheels to reach 60 mph within 4 seconds. If our car produced 1000 lb/ft of torque, we'd need 1 second to get to 60 mph. Whoa! That's a big difference right there.

It's not just horsepower, however. A car with more hp might require more time than one with less horsepower because it needs more force behind the wheels to get the same amount of acceleration (speed) as quickly as possible. It's all about what you're trying to achieve in terms of speed and launch times – higher is better, but not necessarily faster.

Surround Sound, Video and Bluetooth – What We Watch

While video content isn't as important of a factor in car reviews as horsepower or pounds per foot of torque, it's still a key element to consider.

In the past, reviewers have recommended Bluetooth integration for the purposes of watching videos on your smartphone or portable media devices. There are also cars that feature surround sound technology for when you're at home or in your office.

If you're doing some serious road testing and you need to pack away some of your gear in the trunk, look for options like cameras which record your journey and back up to the cloud (it's not just the office anymore). These days, you can even have your own TV on the way to your destination.

The Best Car Reviews You'll Find

It's important to note that it isn't necessarily the type of content or technology featured in a car review that's most important. It's more about how they're presented and how they are analyzed.

In general, these types of features are geared toward helping you determine how well a vehicle performs in real life, instead of just talking about its appearance. If you're looking for the perfect car, but aren't sure which model to buy, keep an eye out for reviews with this type of content in them.

Important Car Reviews You'll Find

There are several types of car reviews you'll find when you're out and about. These include the traditional review of a new vehicle, the original car review, a comparison between two vehicles in terms of performance, or even an opinion piece that provides some additional insight into why something is popular or not.

As you can tell, there's no one size fits all type coverage here – they're all very different in their own right.

What makes them so important? Well, it's because car reviews allow you to see what other people are saying about their experiences with a particular car rather than just telling you about it yourself.

The upshot? You'll have a better idea of what you're getting yourself into and whether or not it's the right fit for you.

Here are some of the types of reviews you'll see today:

Traditional Review – A new car review will look at everything from handling and suspension to fuel economy and gas mileage while providing an in-depth look at how a new vehicle really performs in real life. Some of these reviews will be done by actual owners who have experienced firsthand how well a car is able to serve its purpose. As such, they provide more credibility than most other types of reviews. Original Car Review – An original car review is like the traditional car review on steroids. In order to create one of these reviews, a writer will have to have completely driven a new vehicle before providing an in-depth analysis. This type of review is all about the actual experience a reviewer has in knowing what's important for a car owner and how it fares against others. The only difference between this and the traditional review is that these reviews happen when the cars are brand new and not used, which gives them more credibility than most other types of car reviews. Comparison Review – A comparison review takes two vehicles that are almost similar in nature and compares how they perform in real life. While this type of review doesn't necessarily provide a great deal of context for the vehicles that are being compared, the in-depth analysis it provides goes a long way in helping potential buyers decide which one is the better choice for them. Opinion Review – While not as common as many of the other types of reviews you'll find, an opinion review can be very helpful in providing an outsider's perspective. This can be extremely helpful when you're trying to determine whether or not to buy a particular vehicle, especially if you aren't completely familiar with new vehicle options on the market today.

Conclusion

Car reviews are the best way to find out how a car actually performs in real life rather than just what the manufacturer would have you believe. When you're looking for quality content, it's hard to go wrong when you're reading through a good review.

Still not sure about all of this? Get out there and test one out for yourself! If nothing else, you'll be able to make a better decision about which one is right for your needs. In the meantime, check out some of these handy guides on how to buy a new car and what car ownership really means.