Top Gear Magazine Reviews

by De Man Of Guys

Version 2.5.1 constantly crashes at the splash screen when I try to launch it on my older iPad running iOS 12.5.4. It was running just fine before the latest iOS update.
It works fine on my newer iPhone but why am I stuck downloading PDF copies, that are formatted for print, for offline viewing? It used to download the full-featured digital copy formatted for my device. If I wanted something formatted for print I would have subscribed to the print magazine. At least I wouldn’t have to squint to look at it! If the offline content doesn’t revert back to the way it used to be when my subscription comes up for renewal, you are losing a customer.

by Antairez

On iPhone 6 plus with iOS 8.1. When I first turned on TopGearMagazine it jumps right into topgear watches (one of the free issues I suppose). Wondering where the main screen is, clicked on one of the image, the navigation bar shows up, clicked on the back button, nothing happened. The navigation bar was gone, and further clicking did not bring the navigation bar back. Closed TopGearMagazine completely and turned it back on, only got a white screen and TopGearMagazine would never load from that point. Please fix.

by Damieneco

Latest update ruined what was a perfectly good app. Can’t make it go to landscape mode (most convenient way to read in my opinion) and turning pages got slow and irresponsive. Will not renew my subscription

by NaimNassar

Restoring my subscription is not working after the latest app update and I can’t access any magazines despite renewing ,y subscription!

by WelshmaninCA

Doesn’t recognize my subscription via iTunes and therefore won’t let me read any back issues. Will be cancelling mine at the next renewal which is luckily next month.

by +stiggy+

I can’t exit the current magazine! Please fix ASAP!

by SeanK-D

I have enjoyed reading Top Gear Magazine in its printed form for years, but living in New York it was always expensive and late to get hold of.
I couldn't help but think there had to be a better way. Apple rolled out the iPad and as soon as it was available I subscribed to the magazine through Zinio. Their rubbish delivery (late) felt like a step backwards, and I leapt onto TopGearMagazine distributed through Apple's Newsstand. All the waiting was gone and I could enjoy the magazine as soon as it came out. Hooray!
Then came the latest update, and suddenly it's all gone very wrong. No portrait view? No zoom? I can only guess that they released TopGearMagazine without testing it at all. I'm sure there must be lovely features and lots of bells and whistles, but I haven't experienced any of them because they have rendered the magazine unreadable.
Maybe it's all part of an upcoming episode of the show where Clarkson, Hammond. and May take it upon themselves to re-design the iPad app? I don't think so, because even the Hammerhead Eagle iThrust was better conceived, and tested according to the video footage of testing that the boys put together, and the Reliant Robin Space Shuttle was more successful.

SORT IT OUT!

by RuRu_Junior

What have you done to TopGearMagazine?? It’s completely ruined!!!why is the picture quality worse??Why are all the back issues now PDFs?!?!?!?? I’m furious. There was nothing wrong with the previous version of TopGearMagazine so why did you have to mess it up. Fix this or I’m unsubscribing!

by Danaspider

Much like the Triump TR8 or Aston Maritn Logonda, they have taken a good working idea and added features that are neither needed or wanted, while removing those that were wanted. Lack of zoom, even though it says there is a zoom in the guide, landscape only, I wanted to read a magazine is all!! I hope that they look to the experience of the British auto industry, not exactly a great business and try to restore what we had.

Until it is resolved I recomend that you stay with the old app! Do I really need to read Jeremy's editorial with fake background wizzing by? Don't think so.

by FckEcoRats

I choose TopGearMagazine because it's not easy to travel with 20kg of magazines. Or a gigantic crate with my dear Clarkson, May and Hammond stuffed in it. I still think they were the team I needed for a 10/10. Hope the 'new ones' will keep trying.
As far as TopGearMagazine is concerned, not enough zoom and navigation possibilities on older issues. And, still, not enough on the more recent ones. It looks a bit like a 5 yrs old app. It does the job but not 1 % more. Petrolheads only. iPhone? If you are younger than 35 or have a 'macro view' button on the side of your head. Or glasses. Or both

by Ewingms

Other comments regarding the newly tiny fonts and forced landscape view are correct.

Here's my issue - all previous issues have disappeared, despite using the "Restore All Purchases" fix suggested above by the publisher. After the automated response to an email complaint promised a response "in 24 hours," it took 3 days to get a form email asking me take all the troubleshooting steps I told them I'd already done (force restart app, restart iPad, uninstall and reinstall app).

So now I get animated ads that I can't skip, but none of the previous content that I actually paid for.

by HokieIPad

The content is as great as you would expect if you're even considering a subscription. TopGearMagazine is awful. Half the the time, you can't figure out which way to swipe to go where you want. Up, down, left, it's crazy.

And PLEASE PLEASE stop the auto playing videos! You open TopGearMagazine in a quiet setting to read for a bit, and all of a sudden the air is filled with the scream of a V12, shortly thereafter followed by the screams of people telling you to shut up.

by Arkweld

3.5 stars. They seemed to have finally figured out that having autoplaying movies with loud engine noises it not something everyone wants when READING a magazine. So at least now you don't have to constantly dive for the mute button when you decide to read quietly in public.

The content and imagery is excellent but it's still wrapped in erratic, annoying and inconsistent design. Are you swiping up, down left or right to continue reading the same article this time? Why am I being told to swipe in a particular spot when i should be swiping next to the item instead? Why don't all images go full screen? If you can't zoom in to an image then at least make it enlarge. Thumbnail galleries are pointless. Plus, many more interactive "activities" to make every page more difficult to read.

It's still forced landscape too (which as everyone knows is the most comfortable way to read on an iPad! Hope you all bought an Air!) but at least now they made the library forced landscape too so you are not spinning around.

On the upside it's still far, far cheaper than buying a physical magazine subscription if you are in North America. So, pay less work harder to read it, or pay more and you'll be able to read it in more comfort and less time.

by Najqnab

As the title says, it doesn't seem to crash on my IOS 1.6.3 iPad 2. Contrary to other reviews. I'm not a fan of not being able to turn my iPad in portrait mode while reading it, but I can live with it. I'm also not a fan on the animated GIF's in the magazine, although its a good concept, it seems to distract from what I'm reading.

by Jackh4795

The magazine itself is fanatic but TopGearMagazine needs some work. It's especially hard to scroll up and down, it seems like it only works if you go in a perfectly straight vertical line, very annoying. This and the lack of zoom means only four stars but the content as alway is amazing and still makes it a worthy purchase.

by Huh?me?

I love the magazine. Each issue covers an enormous amount of info in a fun-to-read format.

I do have to dock 1 star for poor App Store integration. TopGearMagazine wants me to sign in and continues to show 'preview' issues. However, according to the developer website, App Store purchasers can't/don't need to sign in.

If I'm a paying subscriber (yes), sign me in and remove the 'preview' bug.

by UnPhiltrd

If you love Top Gear, you owe it to yourself to check this out. All the content that you would expect, now in a cool new format. All in all, GREAT app and the content alone is worth the subscription price.

HOWEVER, there is one thing about TopGearMagazine that drives me certifiably insane: Even after purchasing a subscription, there is no easy way to tell that you are, in fact: SUBSCRIBED.

Issues still show up with a "Tap to Preview" stamped on top, and an ominous "Sign In" still shows up in the top left hand corner (apparently I need an account to something, but I'm not sure what)...

Look, I realize that my OCD makes me nitpick, but these are simple UI changes that could just put your mind at ease (especially when you are spending this much money on a subscription)!

Please, just make it easy for me to know that I'm getting the next issue, and I'm not missing something.

by Dock Brown

Well, the new content looks and works great. But for the older issues it's gone a little downhill. There are two glaring issues for me: first, what happened to portrait view? That's the main way I used to read the mag. Second, the page flipping isn't as smooth as it was before; for example, if you're zoomed in and the page is fully moved to the right, an additional flick would move you to the next page. Now I have to zoom out of every page to go to the next one.

by Camkek

I'm not typically one to pay more than 99 cents for an app, so when my spouse purchased this for me, I thought he was nuts. WOW, was I wrong! I have been glued to this mag every day. The content is well written, the bonus footage is amazing, I just can't get over it! Stop reading my piddly review and go get it! If you're a TopGear fan like myself, you'll LOVE IT!!!

by AnnoyedInMissouri

I've read some of the other reviews and I am wondering if I have the same App. I think this is the best magazine for iPad that I have used, and I have used quite a few. It was designed for use on the iPad and is not just the print version shrunk into tiny print that you have to expand and read piece by piece. It was obviously made for iPad and it makes it a very enjoyable interactive experience. Lots of links to pictures or videos, very nicely done.

by Fuckthenickname!!!!

TopGearMagazine has reverted to the pdf-only version of several years ago, and no longer recognizes my subscription via iTunes. Is this Brexit related or something?

by Izzynator

The magazine and stories are really great and entertaining to read. But TopGearMagazine is buggy and always has difficulty starting, remembering you or signing on. It works, eventually, but difficult to engage.

by Pop Gigolo

If you love Top Gear, you owe it to yourself to check this out. All the content that you would expect, now in a cool new format. All in all, GREAT app and the content alone is worth the subscription price.

HOWEVER, there is one thing about TopGearMagazine that drives me certifiably insane: Even after purchasing a subscription, there is no easy way to tell that you are, in fact: SUBSCRIBED.

Issues still show up with a "Tap to Preview" stamped on top, and an ominous "Sign In" still shows up in the top left hand corner (apparently I need an account to something, but I'm not sure what)...

Look, I realize that my OCD makes me nitpick, but these are simple UI changes that could just put your mind at ease (especially when you are spending this much money on a subscription)!

Please, just make it easy for me to know that I'm getting the next issue, and I'm not missing something.

by Big_Time

Content is great but the new design isn’t the best