According to that reasoning, would you look suspiciously at the SUVs from Germany because their priorities appear to be in cars and the Yanks have more heritage and experience building fine SUVs?
2012 Auto Show
- Thread starter SunnY S
- Start date
According to that reasoning, would you look suspiciously at the SUVs from Germany because their priorities appear to be in cars and the Yanks have more heritage and experience building fine SUVs?
Everything you wrote could be described as a good take on the state of the automotive industry... ten years ago.
You describe a $100,000 Corvette as "a friggin Chevy" as opposed to "a Porsche and Ferrari slayer". Open your eyes, GM has come a long, long, very long way. Ten years ago they weren't competitive in an segment except trucks, now they are easily a match and sometimes a leader in their segments as well as in innovation. Dealerships remain a weak point though.
The Focus is a sub-par effort? wow man. Maybe the first gen Focus, sure. Or maybe those journos around the world don't know a good car when they see it.
Chrysler... yeah could be right. They haven't changed much in ten years, but last year they were showing another attempt to get back on track so I will reserve judgement on them until after the show.
Hyundai reliability concerns! Seriously, welcome to 1990 LOL.
OK so MB weren't in a great spot ten years ago, but what makes them stand out now? (I'm asking seriously, so I can check this stuff out on Tuesday).
The NSX. You know that's $100,000 for a friggin Honda in other markets, right?
Toyota is good value. Stop the presses! OK I gotta admit they don't change much, that's part of their recipe for success.
Mitsubishi has been selling cars in Canada for... guess how long? Yup, almost 10 years already LOL!
I would gladly pay $100,000 for a car to a company that has a rich racing pedigree, had tremendous success in all levels of racing, including Formula 1 and motorcycles, has introduced many, many innovative technologies from racing which have trickled down to cars, has a reputation for producing reliable, fine road cars, and continues to innovate and experiment with new technologies (Asimo robot, Honda Jet plane, hydrogen cars)
What's GM done besides nearly go bankrupt, support low tech Nascar, and provide us with a Corvette powered by a 1960s tech pushrod engine?
Believe me, my eyes are wide open.
OpenGambit
Banned
Corvette, since the c5 have been one of the best bang for your buck cars in that market space... Period.
I think it looks like a robot's foot but that something else.
I also don't think the focus is a sub par effort, its a great car and if you look at the euro market where such compacts are common and desired, its one of the best things out there.
Normally, a year or two is enough to find out whether a new design is going to have major issues, and if there are, whether to avoid the model completely until there's a proven fix.
For example, the VW common-rail TDI engines (2009 onwards) are having major problems with the HPFP, and the Golf/Jetta are having problems with the intercooler freezing up in cold weather. There's a TSB on the intercooler-freezing issue and the Passat TDI has a fix for it, and the next Golf (MQB) is already known to have a fix for it. The HPFP is under investigation in the States by NHTSA but according officially to VW, the problem doesn't exist. Ba-loney. Consequently, I'm not buying one of those - not because it's a first year engine, but rather because that year was enough to turn up a bunch of issues, which have not yet been fixed.
I'll trust my 364,000 km previous-generation model more than the new ones. And I'll be waiting at least a year after the MQB Golf (next year) to see whether those have issues.
Fair enough, but the current Civic is as dull as dishwater, with a cheap-feeling interior and grossly overassisted power steering (like Corolla) - and they've been roundly criticized for it, and there's a mid-cycle refresh moved up a year to hopefully fix it ...
Nascar low tech? C'mon Sandro.........this year they've ditched carbs - all FI motors now - that's saying something!!
Did you catch the Bud Shootout Sat night? Notice J Gordon slide over 1200' on his driver's side, followed up with a few barrel rolls, only to climb out unscathed (in a Chevy to boot)?
Most of the safety elements in current passenger vehicles can be attributed to Nascar's engineering.
Although I've got an F-150 out front atm, like you, I'm a Honda guy through and through.
I couldn't have formulated this quote any better than this author.....
"After ending 2011 as the best-selling car in Canada for the fourteenth consecutive year, the Honda Civic began 2012 with a January victory. And it wasn't a narrow victory, no, not at all. The Civic was more than twice as popular as the next-best-selling car. You get that? The leader, Honda's Civic sedan and coupe, sold more often than the second and third-ranked cars combined."
The small car segment is incredibly competitive...... a fast track civic update is coming, which will no doubt help it retain its crown despite what Consumer Reports says.
Interestingly, they trash the Civic, but when testing the Si model, they give it a "Recommended".
The only time I watch anything Nascar related is when Im lying in bed, it helps me get to sleep faster.
People buy Corollas, too. There's nothing in it for the enthusiast, though.
Don't get me wrong, the Civic is likely to be reliable and it will probably last a long time, but it has become a point-A-to-point-B appliance and nothing more. A lot of people buy cars like that; fair enough.
I don't like the current VW Jetta, either - too cheap-feeling compared to the previous generation - but it has a cheaper price tag and it has been selling at twice the rate of the old one. VW has been quietly fixing some of the things that the car was criticized for at the outset, in the meantime. Rear drum brakes are going away, they're rolling out the higher-grade instrument panel materials down to the lesser models (previously GLI-only), among other things.
I'm a fan of neither of these cars, so my opinion remains objective.
Lets compare interiors.......
The steering wheel on the Hyundai looks like it belongs on a Lexus, cant say same for the Ford. Focus HVAC controls are from the 80s parts bin. the interior of the Hyundai "flows", look at the convenient door button placement on the Hyundai. Look how nicely integrated the Hyundai dash vents are. Those droopy buttons on the Focus center stack with the text on a 45 degree slant is an abomination.
The Focus interior screams low rent to me. The Nav equipped Focus is only slightly better.
When looking at the exterior of the Focus at the auto show, it has some fit and finish flaws. And the sticker was $25g + tax! Unbelievable.
Focus :
Elantra :
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really?
Why not?
Do you think they wouldn't know how to make a good one or....?
Personally, I think Ford Focus has always sucked balls in North America given the offerings they have in the UK. Have you seen a Focus 500?
It's like when they made Escorts in the UK like the Cozzies and gave us.... the Escort.
Maybe someone high up lost a bet and HAS to make **** foci here for X amount of years as wager....
Your eyes are so narrowly focused that the only company that fits your standard is Honda. Is the racing pedigree of friggin Porsche and Ferrari not good enough for you either? Because Chevy and Porsche are pretty similar in their racing history. And unlike Chevy, Honda never won Le Mans but that conveniently doesn't count I guess?
BTW the Corvette engine isn't based on 1960s tech any more than reciprocating piston engines are based on 18c. tech. They designed it from scratch purposely selecting pushrods because of the characteristics it had over OHC designs.
The rim of the steering wheel on the Hyundai looks like it came from my '84 Tercel, not a Lexus! Same with the seats. Though that chrome trim on the Focus steering is retarded.
The HVAC controls on the Focus should be adopted by everyone. They are pared down to their most elemental purpose, making them intuitive and wholly functional. For those who are easily impressed with a multiplicity of buttons and lights then I guess simplicity is a letdown.
And the vents in the Elantra look like an afterthought to me! They layed out the swoops and swooshes and then asked themselves where the vents should go. You obviously have a different interpretation of "nicely integrated" than I do.
Agree about the too many swoopy buttons on the Focus, though ergonomically they are better than the Hyundai's for all being in proximity to each other and placed below the LCD screen.
The comparison was between spending $100,000 on a Honda, or a $100,000 for a Chevy. It was explained why the Honda would get the nod.
Its a fact that the small block V8 seen in current GMs is a design architecture which originated in 1955.
http://blog.caranddriver.com/vergin...-and-we-help-build-the-100-millionth-example/
Oh, will you look at that? ^^^^^^ By 2013, they are "expecting" the next generation of V8 small block to have some sort of Variable Valve Timing. Something that Honda has been using some form of since 1989.
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OpenGambit
Banned
The comparison was between spending $100,000 on a Honda, or a $100,000 for a Chevy. It was explained why the Honda would get the nod.
Its a fact that the small block V8 seen in current GMs is a design architecture which originated in 1955.
http://blog.caranddriver.com/vergin...-and-we-help-build-the-100-millionth-example/
Oh, will you look at that? ^^^^^^ By 2013, they are "expecting" the next generation of V8 small block to have some sort of Variable Valve Timing. Something that Honda invented and introduced back in 1992.
We know you love Honda ok.. you love them so much you would pick the non-existent one. Gotcha.
My enthusiasm for all things automotive, I feel the Japanese are clearly superior at this point. Even though I ride a BMW, and drive a Ford vehicle for work.
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The comparison was between spending $100,000 on a Honda, or a $100,000 for a Chevy. It was explained why the Honda would get the nod.
Its a fact that the small block V8 seen in current GMs is a design architecture which originated in 1955.
http://blog.caranddriver.com/vergin...-and-we-help-build-the-100-millionth-example/
Oh, will you look at that? ^^^^^^ By 2013, they are "expecting" the next generation of V8 small block to have some sort of Variable Valve Timing. Something that Honda has been using some form of since 1989.
Oh look, Honda have finally figured out Direct Injection;
http://blog.caranddriver.com/honda-...njection-to-its-v6-and-four-cylinder-engines/
And they had to play cath-up to GM pioneering technology in cylinder deactivation, rain sensing wipers, night vision, and sandwich unibody construction.
Lord knows if they'll ever figure out forced induction or V8s for their cars.
