Consumers see fewer differences among car brands

[exar333]

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.

Very true. With the Platinum trim, Fords get very close to the comforts (and price) of a Lincoln.

Very similar to Honda/Acura, if you ask me. The highest Honda trim comes very close to the entry-level price of an Acura. The only difference is Acura entry-level may not have the NAV (which is a usually a waste anyway).

Lincoln has been, and continues to be, a real strange animal. Besides being usually black with lots of (ugly) chrome, it has not brand-identity at all. Lots of work here for Ford. I think of Lincoln like a slightly more upscale Oldsmobile; you generally didn't see anyone under 55 driving one.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

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.

The first and second generation CTS looks more different than the last couple generations of BMW and Audis. Posts like yours are why I hate discussing cars with other people. The two cars are clearly different when comparing them side by side. That's exactly how design evolves in this segment.

Google Images

 

[KentState]

The first and second generation CTS looks more different than the last couple generations of BMW and Audis. Posts like yours are why I hate discussing cars with other people. The two cars are clearly different when comparing them side by side. That's exactly how design evolves in this segment.

Google Images

That's the point I was trying to make, but then again I have one so I'm biased. To me, BMW and Audi look very similar over the last few generations. I don't own one, so I also don't spend a lot of time visually comparing.

 

[IcePickFreak]

You're doing it wrong IMO if you buy any car (or anything for that matter) based on any marketing BS. It has little relevance to anything meaningful.

First of all, this is from Consumer Reports... that right there makes it suspect. Then look at this...

How the scores were calculated
The Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted a random, nationwide telephone survey of 2,045 adults from Dec. 1-5, 2011, and collected survey data from 1,702 adults in households that had at least one car.

So, a tiny fraction of a single percent of the target audience. Then, when they calculate the scores, they have Safety listed as being over three times more important than Technology/Innovation.. yet you get the same amount of points for either category. TBH I would never figure Safety as being the #1 selling point for a car, because 1) Pretty much all modern cars sold in the states are safe (theres a reason they all weigh so much these days) 2) The biggest exception to 1 that I can think of is the Smart car, and I see quite a few of those on the road.

And WI loves salt. We can get a 1/2" of snow, and by morning there will be 2 inches of salt on the roads.

 

[Mojoed]

Corolla is a despicable little car from a driving perspective. I guess most people don't care, though, hundreds of thousands/year who buy them.

I guess I'm one of those hundreds of thousands. To some, the Corolla has no soul, no balls and is boring to drive. To us, these "issues" are not even a thought. What matters to us is point A to point B, reliably, safely and on the cheap.

 

[MDE]

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

My 2008 Mazda is fine too. I live in near Chicago, and used to commute to Wisconsin on weekends to see my wife before she moved here. It's seen plenty of salt.