Friday, January 10, 2014

Writing Useful Car Reviews For Women

By Marissa Velazquez


Writing car reviews for women requires a different skill set from writing a car review that is aimed at their male counterparts. While there are women who do love tearing vehicles apart and putting them together again, and more power to them, most women just want to point and click, that is, get in and drive. Women are not simpletons when it comes to cars, they just want different things when selecting one.

The most important aspects of a car in a woman's mind are reliability and safety. While this is particularly applicable for Soccer Mom, all women want to feel safe, especially when driving alone in remote areas or at night. We need to know the brakes work, the airbags will deploy and that nothing important is going to fall off when driving at speed.

When it comes to reliability, women want a car that will last without breaking down with annoying regularity. That kind of dependability they can do without! The engine should start on cold winter mornings and last for at least 150,000 miles. The transmission, cooling system, suspension and steering should also not need to be repaired or replaced more than once during that life span.

Convenience is important. Some car manufacturers actually neglect to place coffee holders near where the driver can reach them. Can you believe it? We can usually tuck a cold drink into the side door space, but where are we supposed to put the double espresso with an extra shot? Adequate storage space is essential. There has to be room in the trunk for separate bags for clothing, shoes, toiletries, hair styling appliances and makeup.

This can, and should, be accomplished economically. The car needs to have an acceptable sticker price and not cost heaven and earth to run. Also, what is the mpg equivalent of electric cars and hybrids? Tax and insurance are factors, but please keep this simple and spare the lengthy calculations.

While safety, reliability, convenience and economy are all of paramount concern, we do not think they necessarily exclude style. Style is important. We know there are cute, safe convertibles out there that will comfortably make it to 150K and beyond. We will pay the extra for the insurance but, please, does the seat belt have to be incorporated into the roll bar?

Women want to know how comfortable a car is going to be. Will their butt go numb over long distances. Environmental controls are nice; dual environmental controls are twice as nice. Let the people in the back seat have a different air con setting to the people in front, if it makes them more comfortable. If a car has four or more seats, mention, honestly, what sizes of four to seven people can be seated comfortably. If there are seven seats but the rear three are a squeeze for grownups, say so.

Writing car reviews for women should be easier than writing them for men. We want plain language and not a lot of abbreviations and jargon. Women want to be able to make the right choice without getting a degree in car mechanics.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment