1895 Gave Us Car Journalism. 2025 Is Killing It.
From the invention of automotive reporting to the slow collapse of its integrity, why buyers pay the price and more.
This week on DRS Diaries: We’re breaking down power steering using Maggi logic, rewinding to 1895 to revisit the birth of automotive journalism, stepping into The Driver’s Room to expose how the industry quietly sold its soul, and wrapping up with a budget-friendly carbon-fibre PPF hack that keeps your paint safe from daily battle scars. Let’s get into it!
Car Tech Explained Like You're 5
Power Steering, Explained With Maggi
Ever wondered why turning a car feels so easy now, when older drivers talk like it was a gym workout? Let’s steer into it.
Before power steering, every turn was pure bicep torture. The wheel fought back like a stubborn pressure cooker lid.
Power steering fixes that. It’s not magic, it’s mechanics helping your muscles.
Imagine this:
Trying to stir a huge pot of Maggi with a tiny spoon? That’s steering without assistance.
A strong friend suddenly helping you stir? That’s power steering.
Hydraulic systems use “muscle” (fluid pressure).
Electric systems use “brains” (a motor that helps instantly).
One result: smooth turns, easier parking, and zero arm pain. Simple, safe, smart.
Without power steering, turning your car at slow speeds would feel like arm-wrestling Thor. (or even Kratos idk)
With it, even tight parking feels like moving air.
Simple. Helpful. Magic - just like perfect 2-minute wali Maggi.
This Week in Petrolhead History : Nov, 1895
The First Automotive Magazine Hits the Streets
Before Instagram reels, Top Gear episodes, or glossy car brochures, there was The Horseless Age - the very first American magazine dedicated entirely to automobiles.
Its debut issue dropped on November 28, 1895, at a time when most people still thought cars were noisy, silly toys compared to horses.
But this magazine did something revolutionary:
It treated the automobile like the future.
Inside its pages were early engineering breakthroughs, industry gossip, racing updates, and the first serious discussions about what this “motorcar” could become.
Over time, The Horseless Age evolved into Automotive Industries, a publication that still exists today - making it one of the oldest continuously published automotive magazines in the world.
Why it matters:
This wasn’t just a magazine launch. It was the beginning of automotive journalism - the spark that shaped how we talk about cars, celebrate innovation, and obsess over machines even 129 years later.
|
The Driver’s Room
Did Automotive Journalism Sell Out? (And Are We the Ones Paying for It?)
On November 28, 1895, the first American automotive magazine, The Horseless Age, was published, as we saw in the previous section.
It marked the beginning of automotive journalism - a profession created to question manufacturers, highlight flaws, document innovation, and ultimately protect the buyer.
Fast forward to today, and it is difficult to ignore a very real shift:
Much of automotive media now behaves less like an independent watchdog and more like a convenient extension of manufacturer public relations.
Let's get specific.
1. Reviews are no longer evaluations; they are polished advertisements.
Watch almost any “first drive” review. The vocabulary rarely changes:
“Premium feel.”
“Punchy engine.”
“Confident handling.”
“Good value.”
These lines appear even when the product has questionable build quality, inconsistent NVH, or missing features that dramatically affect ownership.
2. Negative feedback has become an endangered species.
Even cars with poor safety records, removed features, or well-documented issues routinely receive glowing reviews.
Criticism is often mild, vague, or strategically softened.
It is very clear why: strong negative coverage risks losing access to media cars, events, and early review units.
3. Access journalism has quietly become compliance journalism.
Journalists who challenge manufacturers often find invitations vanish and test vehicles “unavailable.”
Meanwhile, creators who consistently deliver positive coverage receive early cars, foreign media trips, sponsored drives, and long-term fleet vehicles.
Access has become a reward, not a responsibility.
4. Review language has been diluted into marketing-friendly euphemisms.
“Refined three-cylinder”
“Premium interior”
“Driver-focused handling”
These phrases are widely applied to cars where the objective experience says otherwise.
The vocabulary has become predictable because it is safe.
5. Real issues are often avoided entirely.
Critical ownership concerns such as
- steering failures,
- inconsistent braking feel,
- software glitches,
- structural cost-cutting,
- absent safety features,
- poor crash-test performance,
are regularly omitted, downplayed, or mentioned only after public backlash.
This is not journalism. It is risk management.
6. Buyers ultimately carry the cost of soft journalism.
Consumers make purchase decisions based on reviews that avoid real-world flaws.
They discover these flaws months later during ownership, when it is too late to undo a multi-lakh commitment.
The media has protected its relationship with the automaker and not the customer.
The uncomfortable truth:
Automotive journalism began as a counterweight to manufacturer narratives.
Today, in far too many cases, it aligns itself with them.
It was supposed to challenge the industry.
Instead, it often protects it.
And until that changes, the people paying the price are the buyers, not the journalists, and certainly not the automakers.
Petrolhead Pick
AutoBizarre Carbon Fibre High Gloss Anti Scratch Paint Protection Film (PPF)
A simple, inexpensive add-on that can keep your car’s paint job safe from scratches, chips and daily wear.
Why this works as a pick:
- It’s a quick, DIY upgrade - just stick the tape where needed. No garage visit necessary.
- Protects the paint against small scratches or stone-chip damage (doors, edges, roof rims, mirrors). Great for Indian roads and crowded parking lots.
- At roughly ₹268 - a small price compared to repainting or expensive PPFs.
- Universal fit - works with hatchbacks, sedans, SUVs alike.
If you care about your car’s body and want to preserve that shine while avoiding the “road-chip scars & parking scars” look, this simple carbon-fibre wrap is a neat, budget-friendly win.
|
Keep revving,
|
|
Parth Kusalkar
Founder, DRS Diaries.
|