BIRMINGHAM, Mich. – Is this car any good? Should I buy this or that? As automotive journalists, we get these questions all the time. Evaluating new cars, trucks and SUVs is the core of what we do. Obviously, it’s fun, and we look at it as a service to you, the
Autoblog reader. We want to be fair, thorough and informative so you can form your own opinion on the vehicle. Maybe you want to buy it. Maybe you’re simply looking to benchmark it against something else. Regardless, we take this responsibility seriously.
Today we’re officially launching a ratings system for evaluating new vehicles. You’ll notice it on the right side of our articles, like our Drivers’ Notes on the
2018 Jeep Wrangler and
2018 Chevy Corvette and our First Drive of the
2018 Porsche 718 Boxster. More are coming out every week, like the
2018 Toyota Camry,
2019 Ram and
2018 Ford Mustang.
The tachometer is our score — that’s what
Autoblog editors think of the vehicle. We evaluate it on driving character, interior and exterior design, technology and safety. We look at hard metrics, like fuel economy, horsepower and NHTSA ratings, and balance them against subjective factors, like comfort, usability and styling. We usually meet once or twice a week and argue about these elements before arriving at a rating. We’re putting our expertise and experience driving these cars into the scores, so you can know at a glance if it’s a product you should be interested in purchasing.
We take a broad look at the vehicle, its competitive set and its place in the market. The scale is pretty simple. We grade from 1 to 10, with a precision of 0.5.
Here’s the breakdown:
- 1-3 — Not recommended
- 4 — Sub-par in conception, execution or both
- 5-6 — Average
- 7 — Solid, above average. Would recommend
- 8-9 — Very Good
- 10 — Superlative. A seminal feature or vehicle for the industry
You’ll also notice our
Industry Score. We compile ratings from other influential automotive publications and average them out. We know you love
Autoblog, but this gives you a broader view of how others feel about the car we evaluated. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we don’t. But that’s why you read
Autoblog. You want our unvarnished take on new vehicles. Our new scoring system gives it to you — now with a number attached.
Agree or disagree with us? Make your voice heard. That’s where the
Owners Reviews come into play. Don’t be shy. If you’ve owned something we’re reviewing, we invite you to weigh in.
So that’s how it all works. we’re continuing to tweak, improve and evolve the living thing that is
Autoblog. We hope you like this new feature.
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