[gt_mustang]

This query comes with a lot of discussions finding no answer i ask u guys

why would anyone prefer a Merc , Bmw over an american luxury car such as a Lincoln or a cadillac . lets not go to snob value and money here

but purely on car performance

what makes these german giants more appealing than their american couzins ???
if we talk about safety American cars have heaps of it their large bodies itself makes them secure. or how about technology WHAT is it!!!!!

ive heard from people saying that once u drive a merc or a BMW u would not want to drive anything else again. why is this in fact most of these cars have less room inside than full size americans which come for half the price or less such as the crown victoria comfort-this is just one factor another could be power americans are known for power. but even a merc C outclasses it

please do not go into the snob value and money involved ( i know anyone with money would want to buy a german or italian etc) but a guy buying a car on rationality why would he prefer a german over an american??

i hope i have made myself clear in trying to explain my query

[DieselFan]

German cars epitomize quality and reliability (Which is now-a-days a big question mark. seeing lot of German manufactured cars having quality issues). American cars are made for average American citizens (Read Dummies) and is a convenience car with not much focus on quality or reliability of the car.

I would say people now-a-days prefer Japanese Luxury cars over German or American. IMO Lexus or Accura is more sought after than German/American cars.

[rranjith_kum]

german cars have also become a more or less like a status symbol (still in our country people raise their eye brows when they see a Benz or BMW or ...)
As far i technology goes certain gadgetry are coming from the german majors such as Bosch
its is said that germany is a land of innovation (could be partly true with Karl benz etc.,......) when it comes to automobiles is seems that the germans are very far ahead in terms of the technology and more over they are known for building certain cool driver centric cars take BMW M3 for example and they still have no official speed limits on their highways (Autobahns); the reason: they as mad about cars as they are about football and only Volkswagen can support Bugatti to build Veyron and also a Golf Gti W12-650 as a tribute to its customers (though american ultimate aero is fastest but if you ask me its more aerodynamically efficient rather than being technologically superior, after all Mr. Enzo once said "aerodynamics is for those who can't build engines")
germany is the cradle for automobile (of course land of rising sun is also one but this is regarding american Vs germany right) having all said all these these have made people like me to have a mind set that german cars are better
that is the same reason for which i am learning german(to crack their technology ha ha )

[jkdas]

Another reason is that you get these in RHD versions too

And they are better suited for our roads.

[gt_mustang]

if one says that american cars are not reliable then i have to say one is one familiar with american cars

i live in saudi and my friend owns a 1981 caprice classic which runs beautifully never had a major problem so far and there are plenty of americans from that era on the road much more than amy merc or beamers
maybe the present cars have reliability issues but i guess those would be the korean made americans

ive not heard of any serious issues on the real americans like the crown vic for instance of even the suburbans.

the average american will drive a vehicle much more than his european counterpart for the simple fact that the US is a huge place much bigger than many european countries combined!!!!!!
this calls for more power from a vehicle and thus better safety standards!!!!

is there anything better in the germans
or is it just a ruse or some world marketing strategy to uplift the germans after their ww2 fiasco!!!!!

[alexrabbi]

Technically they were a head, now-a-days i think there are other companies who can challenge mercedes or BMW.

But personally driving german cars would give ultimate satisfaction - Still don't have a clue why it is so....

[mamba24]

If you are searching for speed an american car can flat out race a german one.

Aero Ultimate is now the fastest car in the world. German Cars are more durable and flexible. Maintainance maybe expensive but they are worth the joy they bring.

I own a 3 series myself and i cant think of a better car to have at this point.

Speed on a straight road = American
Precision Engineering = German

lol

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

German cars epitomize quality and reliability (Which is now-a-days a big question mark. seeing lot of German manufactured cars having quality issues). American cars are made for average American citizens (Read Dummies) and is a convenience car with not much focus on quality or reliability of the car.

I would say people now-a-days prefer Japanese Luxury cars over German or American. IMO Lexus or Accura is more sought after than German/American cars.

This has more or less been taken care of. Mercedes' quality has improived by leaps and bounds in the past couple of years.

they turned over a new leaf with the new S-Class and the new C Class.

[tsk1979]

Last year in California, I drove through an assortment of cars, logging hundreds of miles in each of those
Dodge Avenger, Jeep Liberty, Ford Mustang, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Toyota corolla, Honda Civic, Chevy Cobalt.
The worst to drive and as per overall experience were the Americans(except for the Liberty).
There was something in every car. Either the transmission was woozy, or the start was jerky, or the seat was a pain in the neck.
Here I am talking about very new cars.

Coming to the Japs, the rental corolla I drove was a 36000miles done car, well abused. However it was so comfortable and just felt right. Ditto for the Altima Hybrid, not so old, but drove like a dream. Its a huge car and gave 30+mpg overall (SFO-LA and back in 36 hours).

There is something not right with American cars. Sure the Mustang is fun, but when you try to take the top down, or set it back up, you curse the designer.
After three and a half hours of twisty mountain road blast, your back pains like hell, even though you enjoy the feeling.
Ditto with the Avenger. There is something macho, some exciting about it(after all its charger's younger sister) but when you drive it, you feel something wrong. Maybe the way the transmission can't figure out whether to go up or down and stalls the engine, or maybe in the way your knee painfully hits the key fob when you try to adjust on the lonely desert highway from Vegas.

But the Japs, those cars are boring as hell, but when its 8 hours on the road with no halt, thats what you want, a car which becomes your living room, feeding the couch potato in you who is desperate for a warm bed to go to sleep.

So passion and culture may be more in the likes of the Mustang or the Charger, but for sheer comfort or reliability, nothing beats a boring toyota Corolla automatic.

[gigatech2006]

Originally Posted by gt_mustang

if one says that american cars are not reliable then i have to say one is one familiar with american cars

i live in saudi and my friend owns a 1981 caprice classic which runs beautifully never had a major problem so far and there are plenty of americans from that era on the road much more than amy merc or beamers
maybe the present cars have reliability issues but i guess those would be the korean made americans

ive not heard of any serious issues on the real americans like the crown vic for instance of even the suburbans.

the average american will drive a vehicle much more than his european counterpart for the simple fact that the US is a huge place much bigger than many european countries combined!!!!!!
this calls for more power from a vehicle and thus better safety standards!!!!

is there anything better in the germans
or is it just a ruse or some world marketing strategy to uplift the germans after their ww2 fiasco!!!!!

I cannot stop laughing after reading your post man. Go try a German car and then an American, you will marvel at the level of engineering in German cars. If you still think that American cars are better than the German ones, something is wrong somewhere, not with the cars though Have you ever come across a famous news article 'Fords chasing Porsches for a Living'? Who said the Germans are good at marketing?? they are the worst and the Americans are the best!!! Americans can sell a worthless product through their excellent marketing strategy whereas the Germans do that purely based on the quality of their products.

Have fun and get the facts straight!

giga

[adya33]

Actually it is the amount of thinking and engineering gone in small details is what makes German cars much much better than Americans.
The second we come to interiors, European cars are much better to be in compared to American ones.

if we talk about safety American cars have heaps of it their large bodies itself makes them secure. or how about technology WHAT is it!!!!!

Not true, otherwise 60's Cadillac's would have been safest cars.

More metal does not necessary means more safety.

And the last thing comes is Handling. Since Europe has many twisty roads compared to America, European cars tend to handle better but these days it may not be 100% true as almost every company tests their cars at Nurburgring.

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by adya33

And the last thing comes is Handling. Since Europe has many twisty roads compared to America, European cars tend to handle better but these days it may not be 100% true as almost every company tests their cars at Nurburgring.

Are you kidding? I mean if one country has more twisty roads then their cars handle better? I think you were trying to say something else.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Are you kidding? I mean if one country has more twisty roads then their cars handle better? I think you were trying to say something else.

It may not be the case anymore at present. But the older cars, for example one ordinary european and one ordinary american automobile and take it around a track and there's more chance that the european car would come out as the winner.

The american cars were build for cruising on arrow straight highways and provide the ultimate in comfort to the owner with those softly sprung suspensions. European roads were comparatively narrow and were not straight as the american highways and they needed a suspension system that would not let the car fly off a cliff and so were engineered to handle better.

It's not just the case with automobiles even the motorcycles that evolved in both these continents are evidence of the type of roads they have in each of these two land masses. American motorcycles did not handle where as british and european bikes did in comparison.

[narayan]

Originally Posted by jkdas

Another reason is that you get these in RHD versions too

And they are better suited for our roads.

Germany incidentally is a LHD country..

better suited in which aspect ?

[DirtyDan]

American companies have never responded to the influx of good Japanese imports into N.America beginning 35 years ago. Prior to that General Motors was the world's largest company. Now it is a second rate auto company only. Ford has survived nicely until recently on the strength of their F150 pickup truck, a truly fine vehicle. Their Taurus was also good and a top seller but as soon as Toyota bested it in sales Ford dropped the Taurus instead of improving it. Also, Ford and Americans have not responded well to the oil shortage. Chrysler limps along like a terminally ill senior. American management never responded to the competition by competing. They diversified, got out of the business, bought into import companies, got bought out by companies etc. Flagship German and Japanese companies stayed in the business and compete today.