Publisher’s Note: The publisher has had no role in editing this column, which is published as the writer submitted it with the intention of publication in BEACONS.
By Jonas Ward
Dan Neil won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize in Criticism for his technical, witty and well rounded automotive reviews. He has worked for many publications including the Los Angeles Times from 2003 and on as their main automotive columnist. His work has charmed the eyes of automotive enthusiasts while offering useful information to people looking to purchase a vehicle with their hard earned cash.
Neil’s automotive columns are a breath of fresh air for people looking for a real detailed perspective. He offers incredible depth when it comes to the history of some vehicles. In his review (Rumble Seat: BMW’s bigger, better Rolls) published in 2003, Neil does a fabulous job talking about the struggles Rolls Royce had as an automotive company before BMW bought them outright. This can be beneficial for somebody who is willing to drop 375K on an ultra luxury vehicle knowing the financial stability of that company. He pokes and prods at the car in his review as they were people. He announces a vehicle's personality in such a way that allows readers to really know what the car is like to own and drive. This is way more entertaining than flipping open a current Consumer Reports book that always seems to be written by robots.
Neil captures emotion in his columns as well. In his column titled (Rumble Seat: E55 AMG: Twist and Shout) published in 2003, Neil explains the visceral sense of speed perfectly. Neil acknowledges that many people don't understand what a proper fast car can feel like. With perfect descriptions alongside facts, Neil teachers readers about raw horsepower with ease. Neil also does a great job explaining to the reader how a car can drive. The transmission, engine management system, exhaust, handling and build quality are always on Neil’s talking points when he writes, which is perfect for his readers. This kind of writing is eye candy for anybody who appreciates cars. Neil’s car reviews are incredibly detailed and informative. They provide readers with a huge chunk of dream car inducing information. This was a very fun article to read, knowing that the E55 AMG is one of the best cars Mercedes-Benz has ever produced.
The SUV craze for America exploded in the early 2000s. Neil explained this in his review titled (Rumble Seat: What would Gulliver drive?) covering the first generation Nissan Armada. If you want people to read your column, keeping it light hearted really helps.
This was a great column because Neil emphasizes the shear hulking size of this vehicle with hilarious comparisons. This really makes it enjoyable to read while thoroughly explaining that if your garage is a football field, a Nissan Armada should fit just fine inside. Not only does Neil do a great job describing the proportions of a vehicle in his columns, he conjures great mental images of these vehicles in the reader's mind with his writing. Neil is able to capture an image of a vehicle in his writing sometimes better than what a photograph can do. With elaborate writing, you can get a really good idea on how these vehicles look.
Neil offers culture observations in his columns even if they are about a vehicle. With his column titled (Rumble Seat: Thinking inside the box), Neil captures a certain demographic perfectly in his writing. Scion busted out of Toyotas womb with the boxy, funky, affordable xB in 2004. Neil explains that the Scion xB was meant to target people between the ages of 16-24. Neil refers to them as Gen-Y in this column. The Scion xB was a cute, boxy, hip-hop car that lured the eyes of these Gen-Y buyers. Neil captures this demographic perfectly in his writing, making it enjoyable and understandable how a cheap boxy car can appeal to young people. My mom owned a Scion xB.
Neil rightfully deserves his Pulitzer Prize. All of his automotive columns are a joy to read. They provide readers with exceptional knowledge about automobiles. Neil does fantastic research and proves that writing a car review can be purposeful in today's world. If you are an automotive enthusiast, not only does Neil write about rare and unique cars, he points out the problems some of these vehicles have with proper, professional criticism. Neil is a fantastic columnist who has perfected his automotive review style in his columns. This allowed him to preach his viewpoints about a certain vehicle perfectly without being brainwashed by the company's background or other people's opinions. His work is timeless, just like some of the great cars he writes about.
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