With a combined 206 years of automotive publishing experience, we at Hearst Autos—Car and Driver, Road & Track, and Autoweek—know cars better than just about anyone. While the publishing landscape has changed dramatically over the decades, the automotive enthusiast still knows whom to trust.
With many of the trusted magazines and newspapers of the good old days replaced by search-engine-hacking, algorithm-manipulating websites, the Hearst Autos Gear Team promises to deliver honest evaluations, hands-on tests, and product reviews driven by decades of knowledge and experience.
If you're finding yourself increasingly baffled, bemused, and disappointed by the "expert" automotive reviews and opinions you see online these days, rest assured the Hearst Autos Gear Team gets our hands on almost every product, tool, and piece of gear we recommend. We take much the same approach to gear testing that our automobile testing team relies on to test cars: We evaluate gear on its own merits, compare it to the competition, and tell you the truth.
How We Select Products & Gear
The Gear Team chooses all tested products; user reviews and rankings are a consideration, but we never rely on them. We don't accept products in exchange for editorial placement, and we won't take payola to feature any product. Ever. If we can't get our hands on the stuff ourselves, we'll rely on the combined wisdom of our writers and editors, as well as the reviews by, and recommendations of, experts we trust.
We'll never say anything is "the best" if we wouldn't recommend it to our friends or buy it ourselves, and we won't tell you we've tested something unless we've put it through our own wringer.
How We Acquire Products & Gear
Like you, the Hearst Autos Gear Team buys much of the gear and products we feature. Of course, some of it is supplied by manufacturers for testing purposes; they know we'll be honest and forthcoming, and they don't mind offering us the chance to test their gear because they believe in the quality and value of the stuff they make. Fact is, we're always leery of companies who won't donate products for evaluation by the Gear Team.
Why Trust Us
Hearst Autos combines the forces, talent, and knowledge of three of the largest, most influential automotive publications in the world. That means we don't have to worry about gaming search engines to get traffic or promoting lousy products just to make a sale. Rather, we're concerned with our legacy, our reputation, and most of all the trust that you, our readers, have in Autoweek, Car and Driver, and Road & Track. We know you rely on us to give it to you straight, and we promise to deliver the truth, every time.
Meet the Gear Team
Patrick Carone
Thanks to the Cannonball Run movies and tales of his father’s beloved 1969 Plymouth GTX, Patrick Carone has been obsessed with cars since the Reagan administration. Testing vehicles from his home in New York City has given him the dubious ability to confidently pilot half-a-million-dollar supercars through midtown at rush hour.
Jon Langston
Jon Langston is an avid motorcyclist and gear collector whose work has appeared in Men’s Journal, The Drive, Rider, Iron & Air, Cycle World, and more.
Collin Morgan
Collin Morgan is the Associate Commerce Editor at Hearst Autos, where he presents the best gear for your automotive endeavors. He’s been a technician in the trenches of Midwestern automotive repair, explored the automotive shrines in central Italy, and now enjoys making slow cars go fast around various Michigan racetracks.
Gannon Burgett
Gannon Burgett loves cameras, cars, and coffee: a perfect combination for his Hearst Autos work. His byline has appeared in USA Today, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Digital Trends, the Detroit Free Press, and more.
Katherine Keeler
By day, Katherine Keeler evaluates tools for your enjoyment; by night, she Frankensteins her ever-changing fleet of rust-bucket oddities back to repair. Her dream is to open a roadside attraction where the public can view, drive, and learn repairs at her emporium of curious cars.
Justin Helton
The Assistant Commerce Editor for Hearst Autos, Justin Helton is an enthusiast with a passion for heavily depreciated autos and a penchant for philosophical debate. As a lifelong Manhattanite, he has mastered the ins and outs of classic car ownership in one of the least car-friendly cities in the world.
