[Imperator]

This is just my opinion, but I'm looking forward to the shitfest that comes from this thread. The '90s are long past; those were the years that built the reputations Honda and Toyota currently enjoy for building cars that seemingly ran forever on gas and oil changes alone. With exception to their commuter bread-and-butter cars, they seemed to build vehicles with emotion and style. They were also known for their expensive, almost exotic-like halo cars that ruled the streets and magazine photoshoots for years to come: 300ZX, Supra, RX-7, NSX and 3000GT. You didn't have to drop a whole lot of coin to get something powerful and capable either, where cars like the Starion, 240SX and Eclipse/DSM cars picked up the slack.

The halo cars departed. Nissan and Mitsubishi fell on hard times and were either bailed out by the French or Japanese government. They focused more on creating cars that catered to their balance sheets and the notion that their cars were of a higher quality, even if they weren't necessarily more reliable.

Now I've got a special disdain for any car that comes out of Asia. The last truly good-looking car from Japan was the S2000. I'll give special consideration to the first-generation MazdaSpeed 3-- it was a great-looking hatch. The Nisfiniti G35 coupe was a sexy, svelte and swoopy fresh design over sheetmetal but its popularity wore the design out and their current design theme has taken on more of a catfish look. Meh.

I won't get into the topic of actually driving these cars, as few of them seem to impress me and none carry any recognition of prestige to me. When compared to M-B, BMW and Audi, no Asian marque has such a history, brand establishment or portfolio range. The Lexus nameplate wasn't even used in its home market and seems to have been created as a facade to go upmarket in the U.S. using vehicles already developed for Japan. Every model in their lineup is outclassed by the three German marques, yet the Japanese luxury alternatives compete because they undercut their European rivals on price. That's not "prestigious."

Is it that price point that keeps them popular or some reality to the JD Power reports of reliability and problems reported that keep buyers coming back to these brands? I understand how most view cars as just a mode of transportation but I can't even begin to see how I could find satisfaction in such sterile, lifeless cars.

Does anyone actually find the new Acura TL attractive? Garbage-can beak, experiment with rulers and all, it's a shame that they couldn't build off the success of the prior generation. Even the bread-and-butter cars are showing this trend of cheap ugliness. The comparisons are remarkable-- Ford Focus vs. Toyota Camry. Jeep Grand Cherokee vs. Toyota 4Runner. Ford F150 vs. Toyota Tundra. It seems like I'm picking on Toyota mostly here but they're the biggest offender while Nissan is picking up the slack slightly by designing cars with some personality, even if they look like Pikachu's wet dream. Oh hi, 370Z!


/Rant

[ragingclue]

The G37 is one of the best looking cars on the road. If you don't think it looks better than the G35 (especially sedan), then something might be wrong with your eyes, brain, or both.

And to say "Every model in their lineup is outclassed by the three German marques" is a very sweeping statement and, because of that, a false one as well.

[DASHOCKER]

^Agreed on the G37 in coupe form. I also like the Infiniti Ex35 which may replace my X3. The rest of the Asian cars can be confused with one another from a distance. The Lexus IS series for example can be confused with a 07 Mazda 6. I loved the Asian cars from the late 70's & early 90's.

[Imperator]

Originally Posted by ragingclue

The G37 is one of the best looking cars on the road. If you don't think it looks better than the G35 (especially sedan), then something might be wrong with your eyes, brain, or both.

And to say "Every model in their lineup is outclassed by the three German marques" is a very sweeping statement and, because of that, a false one as well.

I agree the G37 sedan is vastly improved over the G35-- it's one of my favorite sedan choices for the money. The coupe just took on heavier, softer proportions with the brand's goofy-looking bubbled catfish front clip.

This is my opinion but I'm sure you can find a lot of press that echoes the comparison. The Japanese counterparts are cheaper but they often take concessions to performance, road feel, amenities, tech, fit and finish or styling.

[ragingclue]

Originally Posted by Imperator

I agree the G37 sedan is vastly improved over the G35-- it's one of my favorite sedan choices for the money. The coupe just took on heavier, softer proportions with the brand's goofy-looking bubbled catfish front clip.

This is my opinion but I'm sure you can find a lot of press that echoes the comparison. The Japanese counterparts are cheaper but they often take concessions to performance, road feel, amenities, tech, fit and finish or styling.

Yeah the G35 to G37 sedan transition was huge. It went from one of the dumpiest, ugliest cars on the road to one of the best-looking for sure. And yes, a lot of press will often echo some of the points you are making, but in essence what you said is that the Japanese competitor will finish dead last in a comparo with all German competitors, which just isn't true at all.

[MediaArtist]

I don't know about unpopular, but certainly uneducated.

[ragingclue]

Originally Posted by MediaArtist

I don't know about unpopular, but certainly uneducated.

One general thing I can say about the Asian companies is that they are making marked and measurable progress relative to the German brands.

[Imperator]

Originally Posted by MediaArtist

I don't know about unpopular, but certainly uneducated.

It's an opinion, even if I'm trolling. Education has nothing to do with an individual's recognition of a segment. To me, prestige includes brand recognition, brand establishment and history, product segmentation, model exclusivity, styling and/or technology exclusivity, participation/recognition in concours and motorsports. All of the Asian marques lack this prestige that the European, and even some American manufacturers enjoy.

It appears the Asian designers have gone with newer "techno" design themes to provide differentiation among the competition. They've almost always undercut the competition on price.

[MarkR171]

Sure the G37 looks better than the G35, but it's still not that good looking. The 370z doesn't look so bad, but I know a lot of people who hate it. There are still some good looking Japanese cars just like there are still some hideous European cars.




vs.

[MediaArtist]

Originally Posted by ragingclue

One general thing I can say about the Asian companies is that they are making marked and measurable progress relative to the German brands.

Agreed.

That said, this thread is just poop. I think I'm going to stop posting in it.