Where are the best cars from?
I know some american guys that say that European cars are better than american (they mean in duration and elegancy). But, Which one is for you the country with the bests makes and cars?
I'm from Spain and here we only have one important make, SEAT, and it's not really good. Have some good models like Seat Leon and good prototypes.
I guess that a lot of people will say that Itali is the best. But if we don't have in mind the number of models for country there are a lot of good countries, like Sweden (Koenigsegg and Saab) or Morocco (laraki :p).
For me, the best country is England. Reason: Aston Martin, Ascari, Lotus, McLaren and Bentley.
Your turn.
=> this could be useful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_automobile_manufacturers
McLaren is an Australian manufacturer that uses BMW motors.
NO! McLaren is British! :rolleyes:
Anyway, I would say erm, err, define "best'?
Japan is best for reliability, Korea is best for VFM, US is best for cheap power (AKA muscle cars) and gas guzzlers, Italy is best for Supercars and exotics, Germany is best for solidity, France is best for quirkiness (and unreliability), China is best for rip-offs, Sweden is best for safety, and Britain is best for companies that go bust, as well as Astons, Jags, Landies, Lotuses, Caterhams, Ariels etc etc, and TOP GEAR!!!!! :D
lol @ rench cars, they do tend to be not the best, but they are quite homogenous
to define best car, you need to know what the best car is
happens that exotics forever will rule the wolrd of cars, so its logical that Italy is the best car manufacturer
It's hard to say which country has the best cars. I agree with Car Freak more or less, but what about manufacturers which have different models on different continents, like Ford? I'm sure they have an own design-team for Europe, one for the US and maybe one for Australia. Is it now an American company anyway?
Anyway, the best country in this case would need IMO the best all-around car which has space like a big sedan (E-class, 5-series, Crown Vic maybe), is reliable, not too expensive (purchase and support), reliable and good-looking. Maybe Japan (Mitsubishi Galant). So best would be for me reasonable.
If you say best=fast, your question can be answered very unbiased, as it's Italy in that case.
best doesnt only mean fast, it means the most powerfull (ok can be argued), well handling, atrisitc, beautiful, fast, rare etc cars
of course its just an opinion, but a car that gathers up that kind of factors is what you can call a "best" car
I would definitely say that Europe does have better cars than America simply because they have more exotics. You have Koenigsegg in Sweden, Porsche in Germany, Ferrari in Italy, and McLaren in England. I personally think that no particular country owns the best of the best since any of your favorite cars can be anywhere in the world not just in one particular area. And I can agree with Murcielagos that an awesome car does not only have to be fast but artistic/creative as well.
Factually, there is no best car in the world, it's just your opinion on what's best/worst/ugly/pretty/etc. I myself like German exotics, like the 911 Techart Turbo in my sigpic.
But we can consider "best" as a perfect average of Murcielagos aspects. For me, fast doesn't mean best, and TS I think that most of us agree about the definition of a beautiful car, nobody is going to say that his/her favourite car is a Citroen C3 (I'm sorry but I can't stand this car).
So, If we consider the main aspects I still believe that England has the best cars:
Artistic = Ascari, Lotus
Elegant= Jaguar, Bentley, Rover
Fast= McLaren, Aston Martin
Strong= Land Rover
Expensive= McLaren :p
Quote from: Jaume08But we can consider "best" as a perfect average of Murcielagos aspects. For me, fast doesn't mean best, and TS I think that most of us agree about the definition of a beautiful car, nobody is going to say that his/her favourite car is a Citroen C3 (I'm sorry but I can't stand this car).
So, If we consider the main aspects I still believe that England has the best cars:
Artistic = Ascari, Lotus
Elegant= Jaguar, Bentley, Rover
Fast= McLaren, Aston Martin
Strong= Land Rover
Expensive= McLaren :p
It's still an opinion though, regardless of how many people agree with you.
WHich country makes Saleen car brands? I love that. I like all Honda cars. They are stylish,good looking & also have nice performance.;)
Saleen is USA, probably one of the only real exotics with the Viper and Z06
i'd have to differ with these though TS, although they are justified
Artistic = Pagani
Elegant= Aston Martin
Fast= Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Porsche (all the no-speed limit exotic brands pretty much)
Strong= Humer :p Lamborghini (more image then actual thing, a bull is strong, the cars less i'd think)
Expensive= Bugatti (veryon), Ferrari (fxx)
I wonder why you consider most expensive=best?
Artistic and elegant is too subjective IMO.
I guess that Elegant, fast, and all this things are related with expensive. In my opinion, If you don't have money you can't invert in a great car...
About American Exotics, Should Fisker Tramonto be considered as a exotic or elegant car? Because is from US. And as far as I'm concerned Panoz make exotic cars.
Murcielagos, Why did you put Aston Martin betwen all this Italian Mades? Is from U.K. I guess that you can add Maserati and Alfa Romeo as an Elegant mades.
And about the strengh of Lamborghini....Can you identify this?
(http://static.blogo.it/autoblog/lamborghini_murcielago_lp640_crash_01.jpg)
yeah! it's a Murcielago Lp640....:p I'm sorry...I know that this images can hurt you....sorry. (but this doesn't prove anything)
Ts, Yes, I agree with you. But when I wrote that post I use "most of us". I didn't say everybody (except for the Citroen C3, you are right here, it's just my opinion ;))
Just one last thing. I forget Noble as a Artistic and Elegant made, and MG. :p
hehe, actualy is more like a normal murcielago, cause i don't see any vent on the side air vent...but as i said, its a question of image, supercars are fragile toys
about Aston Martin, i also put Porsche in there somewhere, but i had no intention of putting only italian brands
just goes to show they go good in quite a lot of domains
Hard choice, but I love Lambo's, and the previous gen Ferrari's (360, 575M) and I love muscle.
I'm gonna have to say Italy though, I just love the new LP640.
quite simple...USA, theres nothing like american chrome and steele!
I can agree. American cars don't get as smashed up in accidents as other cars (especially Japan). My dad once drove a Mitsubushi and it got smashed up in a month. I think he got in a similar accident with a Chevy but the damage wasn't as expensive.
Quote from: stingeI think he got in a similar accident with a Chevy but the damage wasn't as expensive.
Maybe because is more expensive to import pieces from Japan for USA than transport american pieces for american cars within the US territory. :p
I don't know, but I do know that the Chevy didn't have as much damage as the Mitsubushi. Perhaps American cars are made tougher for accidents like that.
yep, maybe you are right. If you search for american cars in this webpage http://www.wreckedexotics.com/ you will realize that there are more European cars than americans. There are only a few americans like Vipers, corvettes, Saleens or Hummers.
I know that the name of the site is wrecked "exotics" however, you can find pictures from hummers, so I guess that they mean "famous" or "expensive" cars insteed of exotics.
Quote from: stingeI don't know, but I do know that the Chevy didn't have as much damage as the Mitsubushi. Perhaps American cars are made tougher for accidents like that.
The crash condidtions were probably different... :rolleyes:
Not really. Both of the accidents involved damaging the hood/front bumper.
Maybe the Chevy was older than the Mitsubishi? Newer cars try to protect the passenger by falling apart and taking away the force of the impact. Oh and which models are you talking about? It's definitely important whether the Chevy was a Caprice or a small car and whether the Mitsubishi was a Colt or a Galant or something.
@ Jaume08: You call US cars tough when you have pics of a civilian wrecked Hummer (H1?)?! Okay. BTW over here and I think in most if not all other European countries, a Hummer is an exotic. So that page doesn't really proof anything IMO.
@XJ220: well...yeah, I guess that I tend to make an association with sport cars and Exotic cars. Sorry, It's because of the language. If you understand for Exotic cars the ones that are difficult to see then Hummers in Europe are Exotic cars. And yes, maybe the only thing that proof that page is that Europe have more exotics and this is good for us. :bigthumb:
Quote from: XJ220Maybe the Chevy was older than the Mitsubishi?
The Chevy was newer and the Mitsubushi is older but there is only a couple years' difference between the two, and they were both medium-sized cars, not as huge as Caprices.
Okay then it seems like you're right. BTW France is known for safety, at least they have the most cars with 5 of 5 points in an important European crashtest (//www.euroncap.com)... although some Renaults were out of control and didn't stop until they went out of gasoline. :ugh:
Hehe. China is the land of cheap knockoffs. Look at one of their brands, Chery, sold in Singapore. Launching their convertible soon, it hints of Peugeot (307CC's body), Mitsubishi (Eclipse's headlights) and Nissan (350Z's taillamps). Pics below.
Eclipse-ish Front:
(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m131/suakukia/cheryconvert.jpg)
350Z-ish Back:
(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m131/suakukia/cheryconvert2.jpg)
307CC-ish Body:
(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m131/suakukia/cheryconvert1.jpg)
And the overall mess.
(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m131/suakukia/cheryconvert3.jpg)
And, their MPV/SUV, the Crossover, with a terrible 2.4 litre engine 'pumping' out just 128BHP (My dad's 1.8 gives 130, and that's 600cc more, FYI). Looks like what you get when a Subaru Legacy/Liberty and Kia Cerato have a baby.
(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m131/suakukia/chery127BHPsuv.jpg)
looks like a cartooned Peugeot to me, and where do you see eclipse-ish headlights? the front grill reminds me on the skyline concept.
The front of the second car looks very much like Audi's new front ends...
Muscle - America
Exotic - Germany
Tuner (as much as I hate them) - Japan
Did I tell you quys I REALLY REALLY hate Chery? :mad: :mad: :mad:
This one is a proper rip-off:
GM Daewoo Matiz / Chevrolet Spark
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/1carfreak1/xin_40120118003318806521.jpg)
Chery QQ
(http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p265/1carfreak1/xin_401201180033360295712.jpg)
Spot the difference?
Anyway, this is why i hate it so much:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-12/18/content_401235.htm
Heh. China-The Land of cheap knockoffs.:D:D
Look! Pimp-my-QQ!
(http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m131/suakukia/28-10-06_0949.jpg)
:D
Oh, god... That guy's just disgraced Mercedes-Benz (people who don't know better might think its one)
Anyway, just look under the left headlight, you can see how bad the build quality is...
Hehhehheh. That's the build quality in a sub-$30k car. :ugh:
Chery QQ's Euro-NCAP Crash Test results:
http://paultan.org/archives/2006/02/18/chery-qq-crash-test/
(http://paultan.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/02/cheryqq_1.jpg)
(http://paultan.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/02/cheryqq_2.jpg)
(http://paultan.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/02/cheryqq_8.jpg)
Don't expect to survive when you drive that car. :ugh:
Well, this post was originally about the best cars, but, ok. I hate citroens and Chevrolets (Daewo). I don't like to see these cars in the street. Is like an insult to the evolution of cars beautification. :(( I can't remember a good citroen...I hate from the C1 to the C6. Even the vans. :mad:
And Daewo, it's the same crap than Chery, but a bit better.
Quote from: Jaume08Well, this post was originally about the best cars...
LOL. Off-topic!:D:D:D
Quote from: Jaume08Well, this post was originally about the best cars, but, ok. I hate citroens and Chevrolets (Daewo). I don't like to see these cars in the street. Is like an insult to the evolution of cars beautification. :(( I can't remember a good citroen...I hate from the C1 to the C6. Even the vans. :mad:
And Daewo, it's the same crap than Chery, but a bit better.
Hey Citroens are good cars. Quirky, weird and sometimes unreliable, but they're quite good. The C6 is a great car, just hindered by the fact that nobody is willing to look past the status-quo (E-class, 5-series, A6 etc)
Quote from: Jaume08:(( I can't remember a good citroen...I hate from the C1 to the C6. Even the vans. :mad:
The old Citroëns are good cars (Xantia, ZX, XM and the like). Besides, the 2CV is alomst as much of a icon of the automobile industry as the Beetle.
I haven't expressed my preference yet... I love German cars, the best combination of luxury, comfort, styling and performance. My sig makes fun of Mercedes but I like'em too. :D
I'm sorry if I can offend somebody saying what I think about citroens. It's just my opinion. Maybe, the rally citroëns used to be good...but not now. I'm sorry Car Freak but for me C6 is awful.
@Zpectre: I can understand that you love german cars. I love Audis, BMWs, Isderas and Wolksvagen (I should advertaice wolksvagen because my brother work for them ;) as a car dealer). All this mades are great. But Mercedes...it's a bit "classical", but it's also ok. I like the SLR Mclaren and some others.
And well, I think that you should be from German before you where in a parallel dimension. :p
Quote from: Jaume08I love Audis, BMWs, Isderas and Wolksvagen...
Audi has the RS4, BMW has the M3 and M5, Volkswagen has the Passat 1.8T. Ooh.
EDIT: Oh yes. What's 'Isderas'?
This is Isdera.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Isderacom.jpg)
And also this:
http://www.isdera.de/
And this:
(http://www.sportautoshow.de/content/produktfotos/1091193318eratorverkehr.jpg_thumb.jpg) (I guess that if you like the Ford GT you should also like this one ;))
I hope you like it! :bigthumb:
It also appeared in NFS2. Never knew that it was from Germany, though.
Quote from: Jaume08And well, I think that you should be from German before you where in a parallel dimension. :p
I'm a Brazilian of German descendence. :bigthumb:
Quote from: XJ220It also appeared in NFS2. Never knew that it was from Germany, though.
Isdera's founder is a German named Eberhard Schulz, whose main philosophy is to restore the sheer pleasure of driving, an activity which shouldn't serve utility purposes only.
To be precise, the one in NFS II was the Isdera Commendatore 112i
Quote from: Jaume08This is Isdera.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Isderacom.jpg
Hmmn. Has a little of the Jaguar XJ-220's looks.
huh? it rather looks like a porsche on acid wich snorted some coke...wtf jagxj220..what youve been drinkin?
Quote from: RiCkTwtf jagxj220..what youve been drinkin?
Ok... Not really, but the shape looks A LITTLE Jag-ish to me. And no, I haven't been drinking. I'M ONLY 14. :D:D:D
Italy andf Britain are best in speed and design, and Germany is best in reliability and luxury (power too if you look at most BMWs :rolleyes:)
Germany? Reliability? Maybe Merc in the past, but Japan is now (and has been for the last decade and a half or so) no. 1 for reliability.
Just look at Merc now. Everyone has flamed it for being too greedy, and letting quality go down the toilet. And for BMW, my uncle has had MAJOR problems with the air-con on his wife's 525i. it was in and out of the dealer for repairs about 3-5 times, and they still couldn't fix the problem... :rolleyes:
So when my aunt had an accident (nothing serious mind, it was abt 10-20 km/h) involving the rear end of a taxi, he decided to sell it and get her a Lexus RX350
The best is the UK, worst are Korea, China, and Russia.
Quote from: RevveRItaly andf Britain are best in speed and design, and Germany is best in reliability and luxury (power too if you look at most BMWs :rolleyes:)
You have a point
McLaren f1's do use BMW engines
Yup. But BMW's designs aren't bad too. I like the 5. :D
Make mine an M :)
Quote from: ToyotaWishYup. But BMW's designs aren't bad too. I like the 5. :D
ewww... you have bad taste... :D
I'd say the best looking of the current range of BMWs would be the X5 or Z4 Coupe. Or maybe, just maybe, the pre-facelift 7-series. But it has to have a particular set of rims:
(http://www.caradisiac.com/media/images/fiches_express/bmw_745i_1.jpg)
naah! id kill for the new 3 Series!
that 7 series is rather ugly.
The 3-series looks quite dull... Not offensive, like the 5, but a bit boring... and a friend of mine (whose mum owns a white 320i) couldn't tell the difference between the saloon and coupe when i showed him a pic... :D
The 3-series looks weird. Like a compressed 5-series. Just like the Nissan Latio. Looks like a compressed Cefiro at the rear end. :D
Yeah. Maybe 3-series look weird, However, IMO, 6-series look awesome, and BMW z4 roadster is amazing. (The Coupé too).
(http://bmwfinlandpinter01.ergointegration.no/bilde.asp?id=2828)
My take:
None. These days, most globally recognized autmobiles are more or less on par with each other in terms of longetivity and quality. Some cars, such as Chinese knockoffs mentioned earlier, still require much work to bring them up to the rest of the world's level.
Reason being:
I've seen many on here tout exotics, and therefore pick Italy as they can certainly claim the title of making some of the world's best in that department. However, exotics are a pain in the butt to drive unless they're being driven hard. This is due in large to the amount of race derived parts in their engines that operate best at higher rpms, leading to poor reliablity and rough operation. Most likely, you'll never see very many miles on an exotic, it's too unpleasant to drive normally. This is why I'd never want to own one. Plus if any of you remember the Maserati Biturbo, that would certainly make me have second thoughts about Italy as the world's best. :ugh:
Japan has the strategy set when it comes to making cars that appeal to the masses, and it's why they are best sellers year after year. However, because of this broad range of appeal many of their cars sometimes can come across as generic and uninspired. As with anything, there are of course exceptions. Reliability as a whole is good, though when there is a Japanese car that is below par in quality ratings, it's usually for something drastic such as transmission or engine failure, or sometimes engine fires. Scary. World's best? Nope. Japan is wrought with it's distresses as well.
Korea is making some truly great cars, especially in the form of the Sonata and the Azera. They bring the vision of quality, power, and a long list of features for an agreeable price. However, these cars are new and Kia's reliability is still spotty. Time will show how well these cars hold up.
Germany has been renowned for making great sports cars and cars that engage the driver, and rightfully so. However, the rest of the world has caught up with them. Buying parts for them is sheer torture. Add that with a bloated price tag, sometimes infuriating ergonomics, spotty reliability and quirks on some models, and it's hard to see Germany at the forefront, but rather back with the rest of the pack.
British cars have, for years, been known for making some of the world's most attractive automobiles, and they're still doing it. However, they've also been known for some rather strange ideas in the way of ergonomics, and some extremely disasterous electronic quirks over the years. Structurally, your average British car is very solid and well built. Mechanically...ouch. JD Power can attest to this.
Swedish cars are well built and for the most part reliable, but quirky and expensive to buy parts for.
America has turned itself around starting in the early 90's, to where today they are making some great automobiles. Reliability and quality wise, they're consistently above industry average. However, some American cars are turning to some rather odd styling. The American industry is also still not exactly clear on what the buyer wants. They're working on it, but I don't say they could take the title as the world's best automotive maker.
That's my two cents.
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I'll say Japan or America,because they both make fast,good-looking cars. So :p for Italy & Germany:)