Consumers see fewer differences among car brands

[HeXen]

I believe they are far more the same than ever in history. I've been researching and comparing various cars in my price range for almost a year now. The differences now mostly concern looks and small detail features. For each class of car that is.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

I wonder why Mazda or Kia(which is not on the scale, I assume it is lowly perceivably rated) are at the bottom of the list?

 

[Sid59]

I wonder why Mazda or Kia(which is not on the scale, I assume it is lowly perceivably rated) are at the bottom of the list?

Mazda's tend to rust right after the factory warranty.

 

[Zap]

Mazda's tend to rust right after the factory warranty.

My 2007 Mazda is fine, and I live in Wisconsin.

 

[Doppel]

Mazda's tend to rust right after the factory warranty.

I have noticed this, too, and once rust really gets going there is absolutely no cost effective way to stop it, so a vehicle you may have wanted to keep for some years just looks uglier all the time.

 

[Safeway]

In my opinion:

Cars are still far enough apart to sway me away from certain brands.

Scion is too immature. (Go the Subaru route to the BRZ STi.)
Honda is too beige and plastic. (Bye-bye, S2000.)
Toyota is too beige and plastic. (The FJ could be nice, but I'd get a G500 or 60s Bronco.)
Nissan is too beige and plastic. (The Maxima is nice; decked out, carries a Mercedes tag.)
Jeep is too meh. (Older Wrangler, maybe. Cherokee SRT8 is very nice, like X5M.)
Acura is ugly. (I hate the design cues.)
Lexus is too beige and plastic. (No performance numbers, plastic luxury, no thanks.)
VW is too plastic. (New models are attractive, but they cheaped out on the interiors.)
Mazda is too plastic. (The MS3 could be a nice car if the interior was buttoned up.)

On the other hand, some makers have increased their market share.

Kia has some aggressive styling. (The Optima is a nice looking car, inside and out.)
Hyundai and their high end sedans. (Sonata & Hybrid, Genesis Sedan & Coupe, Equus.)
Mercedes, as usual.
BMW, as usual.
Subaru, as usual.
Porsche, as usual.
Audi really cleaned up their lines recently. The A4 interior lacks. The A6/8 is class-leading.
Ford, GM, Dodge. Domestic dependables. (Charger, Mustang, Corvette, Tahoe, HD 4x4, etc.)
Cadillac, as usual. When will they change the CTS body?! Seriously. The current CTS is, in essence, 10 years old. First to second generation was a facelift you'd expect to occur every two years. No real redesign as of yet.

 

[exar333]

Mazda's tend to rust right after the factory warranty.

This. My 2003 Mazda6 did this and I dumped that car so fast. Liked it otherwise.

 

[unokitty]

The situation in the auto industry remands me of the situation with motorcycles in the 70s.

For years and years, the magazines would present the Honda 500 and 750 fours as the ultimate in motorcycling.

Then, after all the other Japanese brands produced similar motorcycles, the magazines spent years criticising them as UJMs (Universal Japanese Motorcycles).

It seems that for years now the Accord and Camry have been presented as the ultimate consumer sedan. (Not to play on stereotypes but classic college freshman seems to want to have a Japanese car during school and a BMW after they start working.)

And it seems to me that all of the Japanese Sedans are becoming more and more alike. And that any design that varies from the Universal Japanese Sedan model gets very heavy criticism.

YMMV.
Uno

 

[Sid59]

My 2007 Mazda is fine, and I live in Wisconsin.

Do you take extra care on washing it down after a they salt the road?

I'm not concerned about either of my Mazda because I'm in California but from what I read on different forums, unless people are maniacally cleaning their Mazda's, they are having rust issues. Some reports say it's a metal stamping issue with their factory and Mazda never addressed it.

I'm only 30,000 miles in my Mazda, other than recall work and standard wear and tear, no rattles or molding falling off. Though .. the stock tires, Eagle RSA are shit.

 

[BoberFett]

Do you take extra care on washing it down after a they salt the road?

I've always heard WI doesn't salt their roads. MN on the other hand...

 

[exar333]

The situation in the auto industry remands me of the situation with motorcycles in the 70s.

For years and years, the magazines would present the Honda 500 and 750 fours as the ultimate in motorcycling.

Then, after all the other Japanese brands produced similar motorcycles, the magazines spent years criticising them as UJMs (Universal Japanese Motorcycles).

It seems that for years now the Accord and Camry have been presented as the ultimate consumer sedan. (Not to play on stereotypes but classic college freshman seems to want to have a Japanese car during school and a BMW after they start working.)

And it seems to me that all of the Japanese Sedans are becoming more and more alike. And that any design that is is butt-a$$ ugly or is a 'no-change, change' gets very heavy criticism.

YMMV.
Uno

Fixed that for your...

Camry, case in point
Corolla, case in point
Accord, case in point
Civic, case in point
on and on...

 

[Zap]

Do you take extra care on washing it down after a they salt the road?

I do wash my car throughout Winter. Basically, if the forecast shows no precipitation for several days, I take it to an automatic carwash. I figured it was something anyone would do who doesn't want their car to rust.

I've always heard WI doesn't salt their roads. MN on the other hand...

Road salt storage

I used to think they were missile silos.

 

[KentState]

Cadillac, as usual. When will they change the CTS body?! Seriously. The current CTS is, in essence, 10 years old. First to second generation was a facelift you'd expect to occur every two years. No real redesign as of yet.

The gen 1 and 2 are different from the chassis up. Has completely different suspension and geometry, size, engines, interior, etc. It was also offered in a sedan, coupe and wagon which was not present in the previous generation.

 

[Safeway]

The gen 1 and 2 are different from the chassis up. Has completely different suspension and geometry, size, engines, interior, etc. It was also offered in a sedan, coupe and wagon which was not present in the previous generation.

In terms of exterior styling, the changes were minimal.

 

[exar333]

In terms of exterior styling, the changes were minimal.

Your point is? You just contradicted yourself.

 

[PricklyPete]

Probably why I own such a hodgepodge of products. I will buy whatever fits the bill regardless of perceived popularity.

This is me exactly. I do not buy based on brand...but on individual car merits and my needs.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Funny to see how much mindshare Volvo still has in the safety category. Those "Drive Safely" ads back in the 90s are still paying dividends!

I am surprised that Audi is no where on the list, despite major sales growth. I am also surprised to see how negative readers perceive MINI and Mazda. That list certainly also does not bode well for FIAT.

 

[KentState]

In terms of exterior styling, the changes were minimal.

Minimal compared to what? Seems like you tried to pull out some argument specific to the CTS that applies to every other auto in the industry with the exception of a few. Does the 911, 3/5/7 series, A4/6, Accord, Camry change that dramatically between generations? Seems silly for them to go the arts and science approach and not evolve it over time.

 

[Safeway]

Minimal compared to what? Seems like you tried to pull out some argument specific to the CTS that applies to every other auto in the industry with the exception of a few. Does the 911, 3/5/7 series, A4/6, Accord, Camry change that dramatically between generations? Seems silly for them to go the arts and science approach and not evolve it over time.

The 911 has been the same for ages, and that is fine. That is a Porsche.

The 3/5/7 have experienced radical changes.
Prior to the current generation A4, the A4 remained static for too long.
The Accord has undergone many radical design changes.
The Camry has undergone many facelifts and changes.

The CTS has, in essence, remained the same car for 10 years. The dimensions, the body angles, the rake of the glass, the shape of the grill and lamps, etc. It might as well be a Crown Victoria it's been so static.

 

[Ferzerp]

Am I the only one that noticed Ford near the top (Ford) and Ford near the bottom (Mercury)?

 

[KentState]

Am I the only one that noticed Ford near the top (Ford) and Ford near the bottom (Mercury)?

Isn't Mercury gone? I'm sure their is a perceived lack of poor image when a brand is fading.

 

[Ferzerp]

Yes, they killed that brand, but it's amusing because Mercury has only been retired for a year, so the only time period where Ford quality is different is in the last year. Is one year enough for such a disparity?

I think it shows that perception and reality share very little.

 

[exar333]

The 911 has been the same for ages, and that is fine. That is a Porsche.

The 3/5/7 have experienced radical changes.
Prior to the current generation A4, the A4 remained static for too long.
The Accord has undergone many radical design changes.
The Camry has undergone many facelifts and changes.

The CTS has, in essence, remained the same car for 10 years. The dimensions, the body angles, the rake of the glass, the shape of the grill and lamps, etc. It might as well be a Crown Victoria it's been so static.

Im not sure I agree. I think the CTS has undergone a very tasteful evolution. The newest gen looks a lot more modern and sleek than the original, especially the non V trims.

 

[BoberFett]

Personally Ford is one of my favorite makes, but they really need to do something interesting with Lincoln. They have no answer for the CTS. Their current lineup is a fairly boring trim upgrade from Ford.

 

[HeXen]

i had a 1988 Mazda rx7 up until about 2002 and it never had any rust whatsoever. Frame still looked factory even. I thought all modern cars were galvanized but maybe Mazda changed.
Now their Rotary engines are junk though. their funky cylynder seals are bad for comming off and no shop near me has the tools to mess, has to be shipped back. stupid funky designed motors if you ask me.