Evo - England

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.

This is my favourite car mag out there right now. It exceeds Car by miles in terms of writing quality. I only have to say one thing: It's cheaper to buy this at a local mega bookstore like Boarders than to buy this online. It costs $9.99/issue so a year would cost $120 plus tax. I thought getting a subscription should SAVE YOU MONEY, not make you PAY MORE!!!

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Printed on premium quality paper with high-resolution printing and expensive ink. Seemingly unbiased reporting from editors with opinions which seem to closely parallel my own. Fantastic choice of cars. Great factual reporting.

And in the back of every issue: "The Knowledge"

The Knowledge is a huge table for hundreds of different cars giving such data as price, weight, 0-60 and various other very useful comparison points.

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Jethro Bovingdon. Richard Meaden. Harry Metcalfe. Who are these men? Has it ever been important, even plausible that the reader would desire to not only know the names of, but get to know an automobile journalist? These exceptional men are not just magazine editors (Although Harry, and now Jethro, do hold that title), but the guys out there in the trenches putting the rubber to pavement, driving some the world's best vehicles to 9/10ths and telling you the absolute truth about their performance, handling, and day to day livability.

The MotorTrend so called "Car of the Year"? Fuggedabouit!

The EVO "Car of the Year" actually requires someone to have driven the car before handing it an award. To have driven it HARD.

I started reading EVO a little over 3 years ago. To be honest, at the time the initial appeal was the larger form factor (larger than any U.S. car magazine) and breathtaking full-page photography. However, it only took a short while to realize I was holding in my hand the gold-standard for automotive journalism. The on road and on track reviews in each issue, the hard-hitting interviews with the newsmakers, designers and industry leaders that are responsible for the direction of automotive performance, and the unique British sensibility and the pleasure of seeing a $500,000 supercar struggle on a classic B-road, put them together and you have the best English-language car magazine published in the world today.

I remember one time expressing to a female friend how EVO posseses not only incredible technical acumen--some of the most accurate road tests in the business--but nearly every issue embodies some of the finest prose put to page in _any_ monthly journal. It just so happend in that months issue there was a particularly moving passage from Harry Metcalfe on a group of Ferrari's that were being road tested. The beauty of Mr. Metcalfe's evocative language could bring a tear to any car lover's--even a grown man's--eye. With such automotive passion, is it any wonder that Sir Harry went on to own a 512TR himself? And how many auto journalist live with (and pay for!) the exotic cars they test and so readily praise?

Every month this magazine covers the creme of performance oriented automobiles, many of which are only available in Europe or the UK. From the Renault Megane to the Pagani Zonda, EVO will give an accurate, thorough review of it's performance in both on track and real world driving conditions. Due to their location in Europe, and their extensive connections throughout the car world, EVO often travels to Australia or even Africa to see some of the best sedans, coupes, convertibles and exotics in their native or not so native environment. How does a Rolls Royce fair under the harsh conditions of Turkish roads? Find out in EVO!

You could buy EVO just for the pretty pictures and there are a lot of them. You could read it for the articles as some would be wont to do. Combined, with its superior prose and gorgeous photos, there can be no higher recommendation for car enthusiasts than EVO magazine.

Want Evo - England Discount?

To those of you who are sceptable concerning British car magazines, as an enthusiast I must say British magazines are plain better than American automotive magazines, maybe in exception to Car and Driver. But evo magazine is easily the best of them. No one can match evo's articles, stories, comparisons, special cover stories (such as Performance Car of the Year and Trackday Car of the Year), photography that no one else can match, and everything else you'd want from an automotive magazine. In short, evo magazine is brilliant. My only complaints is that their acceleration times are almost always about 1/2 second off (which is an extremely small problem, a problem that is forgiven by everything else that is given in this magazine) and a price tag that is higher than any other I've seen. Buying from America, I spend about $10 per issue, but let me tell you, it's worth it. No doubt evo is the best automotive magazine out there, and it is worth the money. Well... only if you're very interested in cars. Just don't expect to find any rednecks in their 4x4s in the mud.