Automotive magazines are taking their most popular features - car reviews - online and creating a valuable ad revenue stream in the process.

Automakers are paying hefty sums for magazines to create online virtual test drives for their vehicles, Ad Age reports. Ford and Chevrolet have signed on to have some of their vehicles featured. The associated costs of the virtual test drives - part of larger ad buys - are thought to be around $250,000 for production and media costs for a 12-month duration.

The virtual test drives took more than a year for Car and Driver and Motor Trend to create, and are part of a move by the auto mags to place greater emphasis on their digital presence. Hachette Filipacchi Media, which owns Car and Driver, wants to sell 10 virtual test drives this year, and 40 in 2008.

Motor Trend, owned by Primedia, claims to have launched the first-ever virtual road test - in April 2006 - and re-launched its site last week, giving more prominence to the road-test feature.