IFCAR Comparo: Entry-Lux Sedans

[TBR]

Still, having a quick and easy way to get to certain cars will make it much easier for users to compare only the cars they want to and comparos often have unique perspectives, even if you just look at the section for a single car.  

[R33 GT-R]

I really enjoy cross pollination.

 

Random.

When hopping into a feud one must be.      

[BMWDave]

I really enjoy cross pollination.

 

Random.

When hopping into a feud one must be.    

This is a brutal feud  

[ifcar]

Still, having a quick and easy way to get to certain cars will make it much easier for users to compare only the cars they want to and comparos often have unique perspectives, even if you just look at the section for a single car.

Currently, my only audience is myself and people on CarSPIN and C/D. And it's set up the way it is to prevent people from checking the ranking order from a single page, as I feel the explanation is far more important.

[TBR]

It doesn't matter what you feel, it matters what your readers feel. You aren't trying to please yourself (or at least you shouldn't be), you should be trying to please your user. I didn't read the reviews, yet I still know the rankings, it just required more work. And, you don't have to list the actual order on the index page if you don't want to, just have the cars in alaphetical order (like you already have on the first page and have links on them to the section for each car.

[ifcar]

It doesn't matter what you feel, it matters what your readers feel. You aren't trying to please yourself (or at least you shouldn't be), you should be trying to please your user. I didn't read the reviews, yet I still know the rankings, it just required more work. And, you don't have to list the actual order on the index page if you don't want to, just have the cars in alaphetical order (like you already have on the first page and have links on them to the section for each car.

But then you just scroll over the car and see the ranking. Believe me, I considered this.

And if people still aren't going to bother to read the reviews even if they have to be on the same page as the review to get the order, I can at least feel vindicated that I made them work more, even if they didn't read what I wrote.  

[TBR]

So you think making your users work hardier is a good thing? Wow...  

[R33 GT-R]

I really enjoy cross pollination.

 

Random.

When hopping into a feud one must be.    

This is a brutal feud

TBR:  "Your site blows donkey sac"
Iffy:  "No it doesn't, I like it alot"
TBR:  "Make it user friendly or crash it please"
Iffy:  "Everybody likes my site but you"
TBR:  "I'm the website master"
Iffy:  "Yes you are, but my site it good"
TBR:  "Your site sucks, I'm not reading your comparo"
Iffy:  "Well fine then"
TBR:  "Did I mention your format sucks too"
Iffy:  "I really like my format"
TBR:  "Well whooptie dooo, it sucks"
Iffy:  "Not it doesn't it fits me well"
TBR:  "It has to fit the reader not you"
Iffy:  "Well that's not the way I see it"
TBR:  "Clicking 28 pages to read your article sucks"
Iffy:  "Well fine then"

[ifcar]

The point of writing something is for people to read it. It takes many hours to write up the thing, but only about 40 minutes (after test driving) to determine a final order.

I will do whatever it takes to encourage people to actually READ the thing, instead of just looking at the order. If they're going to waste my time, I'll waste theirs.

[BMWDave]

I really enjoy cross pollination.

 

Random.

When hopping into a feud one must be.    

This is a brutal feud

TBR:  "Your site blows donkey sac"
Iffy:  "No it doesn't, I like it alot"
TBR:  "Make it user friendly or crash it please"
Iffy:  "Everybody likes my site but you"
TBR:  "I'm the website master"
Iffy:  "Yes you are, but my site it good"
TBR:  "Your site sucks, I'm not reading your comparo"
Iffy:  "Well fine then"
TBR:  "Did I mention your format sucks too"
Iffy:  "I really like my format"
TBR:  "Well whooptie dooo, it sucks"
Iffy:  "Not it doesn't it fits me well"
TBR:  "It has to fit the reader not you"
Iffy:  "Well that's not the way I see it"
TBR:  "Clicking 28 pages to read your article sucks"
Iffy:  "Well fine then"

   LOL

[TBR]

Guess what, I don't care how much time you spent writing it, it doesn't matter if your reader doesn't want to read it all.  

[ifcar]

Guess what, I don't care how much time you spent writing it, it doesn't matter if your reader doesn't want to read it all.

Then they're at least going to go through every page.

I'm not running my site as a business, it's a hobby. I don't have to please everyone, and I certainly don't make it exist to make not reading it easier for you.  

[Tom]

TBR:  You made your point.  Go join a debate team or something.

[R33 GT-R]

May the festivites end, and the   begin.

[Raghavan]

Ifcar, that's a good review, but 29 pages is a bit too long, both for you and the reader. You should test either comparable high levels of models or low levels of models, not everything mixed in. 9 cars max in the review would be fine, but 29 because a bit tiresome to read, and probably a bit tiresome for you to write a whole friggen page about every single car. Make it shorter, and it'll probably be a lot easier and more enjoyable to read.

[Yoshi]

I feel like I'm getting caught between sides in trench warfare, but, nevertheless.

Ifcar,

A couple of thoughts.

You might want to be clearer upfront regarding the criteria you are judging the cars against. By that I mean provide more detail on what generates a merit vs. demerit. Many of the vehicles are being knocked for a stiffer ride, but the improved handling that often (but not always) accompanies that is a merit in many people's eyes. You clearly approached it from the "comfort" side, many in this category are looking at it from the "sport" side.

Also, and I'm not jumping on TBR's bandwagon, but if you are going to cast the net so wide, why not be more reflective of the ways consumers shop today? I know that car mags insist on doing car-to-car and wagon-to-wagon and suv-to-suv comparos, but most consumer aren't restrained by those categories anymore.  I don't know anyone who bought an auto in the last two years who didn't shop across all those categories. It would be a challenge, but it could be a nice differentiator for you if you could generate something more reflective of the way actual consumers shop these days. Considering the options, a family's challenge is much more complex than it used to be.

 

[ifcar]

I feel like I'm getting caught between sides in trench warfare, but, nevertheless.

Ifcar,

A couple of thoughts.

You might want to be clearer upfront regarding the criteria you are judging the cars against. By that I mean provide more detail on what generates a merit vs. demerit. Many of the vehicles are being knocked for a stiffer ride, but the improved handling that often (but not always) accompanies that is a merit in many people's eyes. You clearly approached it from the "comfort" side, many in this category are looking at it from the "sport" side.

A stiff ride that allows for excellent handling is treated the same as a comfortable ride that leads to sloppy handling. A balance of ride comfort and agility is the ideal form.

Also, and I'm not jumping on TBR's bandwagon, but if you are going to cast the net so wide, why not be more reflective of the ways consumers shop today? I know that car mags insist on doing car-to-car and wagon-to-wagon and suv-to-suv comparos, but most consumer aren't restrained by those categories anymore.  I don't know anyone who bought an auto in the last two years who didn't shop across all those categories. It would be a challenge, but it could be a nice differentiator for you if you could generate something more reflective of the way actual consumers shop these days. Considering the options, a family's challenge is much more complex than it used to be.

It's already too many cars to cast the net wider still. Also, I'd be to inclined to rank any wagons too much higher or any coupes to far lower than a comparable sedan, because the advantages/disadvantages there are a question of practicality versus styling, only one of which is a factor in the comparison.

...

[ifcar]

Ifcar, that's a good review, but 29 pages is a bit too long, both for you and the reader. You should test either comparable high levels of models or low levels of models, not everything mixed in. 9 cars max in the review would be fine, but 29 because a bit tiresome to read, and probably a bit tiresome for you to write a whole friggen page about every single car. Make it shorter, and it'll probably be a lot easier and more enjoyable to read.

A car like the TSX isn't in a lower class than a car like the 325i just because it's a better value, and shouldn't be penalized for being less expensive. I would rather set it up that way, but some models are just too overpriced for that to work.  

[TBR]

You want people to benefit from your reviews, right? Well, it would make it a whole lot easier for that to happen if you had an easier to use format, I would even be willing to design a whole site for you if you are willing to work with me, pm me if you're interest.

[R33 GT-R]

TBR slams Iffy then asks for a job, it's a classic approach.    

[TBR]

I have no intention of charging ifcar, though if he is too difficult to deal with I might change my mind

[ifcar]

No charge is a tempting offer, I will have to consider it. My only concerns would be how easily I could continue to use MS FrontPage on the site, and the amount of time I've already spent on the stupid thing.

There's also the concern of having my way without being insulting and/or being slapped with a $600 webdesign fee. :D

[R33 GT-R]

The deal is sealed, break the guy out a base web application and let him write his reviews.

[BMWDave]

I have no intention of charging ifcar, though if he is too difficult to deal with I might change my mind

I can just see....in a year, Iffy gets slapped with a bill for thousands of bucks

Thats very nice of TBR though.  I would jump at the offer.  Would you be able to keep the domain ifcar.net if you switched?

[SJ_GTI]

Ifcar I enjoyed the review. I think you made a good point on the last page that i didn't notice before responding to you on C&D.  :P

"Before moving on to Acura's excellent entry-lux sedan, it is necessary to point out that it in this highly-competitive class, there is no single winner. The first-place car represents the most complete package, delivering a blend of all the good traits expected in this class (essentially a mix of luxury/comfort and driving fun), but not all consumers are necessarily looking for that. Thus, it could be said that the ten vehicles that elbowed their ways past sixteen of their competitors all achieved the equivalent of the first-place slot, though they either focused on or fell short in one specific area. Each one has definite advantages and disadvantages over all the others, and a case could be made that any one of them deserves to occupy this space."

Well its a long point but a good one nonetheless. Almost exactly what i was trying to say on C&D before I read everything.    

[TBR]

His webhost and domain would stay the same. Ifcar, if you took me up on my offer I would rather you not use frontpage simply because it has a tendency of screwing up designs not originally written with it, I find nvu to be a better alternative.  

[ifcar]

I have no intention of charging ifcar, though if he is too difficult to deal with I might change my mind

I can just see....in a year, Iffy gets slapped with a bill for thousands of bucks

Thats very nice of TBR though.  I would jump at the offer.  Would you be able to keep the domain ifcar.net if you switched?

I would hope so, I doubt I'd even be changing servers. I'll be talking to TBR about this, I suppose. I'd be jumping higher at the offer if I hadn't already spent so much time with the site design, but free professional work can't really be argued with.

[ifcar]

His webhost and domain would stay the same. Ifcar, if you took me up on my offer I would rather you not use frontpage simply because it has a tendency of screwing up designs not originally written with it, I find nvu to be a better alternative.

Is it free?

[ifcar]

Ifcar I enjoyed the review. I think you made a good point on the last page that i didn't notice before responding to you on C&D.  :P

"Before moving on to Acura's excellent entry-lux sedan, it is necessary to point out that it in this highly-competitive class, there is no single winner. The first-place car represents the most complete package, delivering a blend of all the good traits expected in this class (essentially a mix of luxury/comfort and driving fun), but not all consumers are necessarily looking for that. Thus, it could be said that the ten vehicles that elbowed their ways past sixteen of their competitors all achieved the equivalent of the first-place slot, though they either focused on or fell short in one specific area. Each one has definite advantages and disadvantages over all the others, and a case could be made that any one of them deserves to occupy this space."

Well its a long point but a good one nonetheless. Almost exactly what i was trying to say on C&D before I read everything.  

Thanks. I was going to stick that in a Conclusion page, but figured it was long enough already, so I just put it in with the Acura.  

[TBR]

His webhost and domain would stay the same. Ifcar, if you took me up on my offer I would rather you not use frontpage simply because it has a tendency of screwing up designs not originally written with it, I find nvu to be a better alternative.

Is it free?

Yep, it is actually managed by the mozilla foundation, just like firefox and thunderbird.