What car do you drive?

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shalafi
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Re: What car do you drive?

#191 Post by shalafi » 28 May 2021 09:04

I've recently changed from this:
shalafi wrote: 15 Jun 2016 18:14 [ external image ]
[ external image ]

My 2012 120kw Citroen C5
I love the adjustable hydropneumatic suspension, it's a real bummer PSA decided to kill it after 70 years. Not sure where I'll look for my next car, the only comparable rides are the Audi A6 Allroad and Mercedes with their AirMatic, but those are over the moon with the pricing compared to my frenchie :(
to this .. 2018 (MY2019) KIA Stinger GT 3.3TT with an LSD and a custom valved exhaust (Bastuck), ~380hp:
[ external image ]
[ external image ]
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Andrei_03
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Re: What car do you drive?

#192 Post by Andrei_03 » 28 May 2021 10:13

@shalafi Wow, congrats! :shock: The Stinger V6 is by far the best car Kia has ever produced, and with the LSD differential it must be so much fun to drive. Looks gorgeous as well!

Sadly, the sales are so poor that they're still a rare sight on the road, and this makes it a bit unlikely they will become affordable anytime soon. It's so annoying to see that such a beautiful, fast and cool car sells poorly because of the badge snobs (Volkswagen Phaeton had a similar story, failed because of the VW badge, despite it's tremendous qualities)
Some newbie driver
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Re: What car do you drive?

#193 Post by Some newbie driver » 28 May 2021 12:52

Badge snobism is ridiculous indeed; specially in those times where there's way less difference between brands that what people want to recognize. But the Phaeton sold poorly mostly because there was just a A8 badged VW. And to do not endanger Audi market, they did cut some corners here and there, so it was "the poor's A8". That's what happens when an automobile group doesn't have a clear strategy and starts to make their marks to compete between them. If one does so on big sale sectors, there's no problem because there's space for everybody. But if one does so in niche markets, one thing is sure: at least one of your models is going to be a flop.

That's what happened (A LOT) with General Motors the years before its great crisis back in time and that ended in their bankruptcy and later restructuring process. Then it was said, with lot of sarcasm: "GM, the only automobile company that only competes against itself" to mock the company against a lot of stupid moves they did that were more focused in fighting between brands of the same company instead of trying to compete against other manufacturers.

Said that, that KIA seems an interesting car indeed. Enjoy it (with safety) shalafi. ;)

Regards
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Andrei_03
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Re: What car do you drive?

#194 Post by Andrei_03 » 28 May 2021 15:06

@Some newbie driver That's true, it is said the Phaeton also shares its underpinnings with some Bentley of that time, but it's still a lovely car.

True, they cut costs especially for the bodywork. Being made out of steel it's a LOT heavier than the aluminum A8 (as comparison, the V10 TDI Phaeton has something like 2.4 tonnes and almost 3 tonnes when fully loaded with passengers and cargo :shock: ). But it's still a lovely car and I'd love to have one :) Ferdinand Piech said that the W12 Phaeton should be able to do 300 km/h when de-restricted, while keeping occupants in comfort!

This cannibalistic strategy of GM was also applied by the British Leyland cars, and it was no good either.
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B787
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Re: What car do you drive?

#195 Post by B787 » 29 May 2021 10:14

@Some newbie driver There are a lot more examples for this. The Porsche Macan is just an expensive Audi Q5. Skodas are just cheap VW - but the time when they were more cheaper is also a thing of the past, they become quite expensive over the last years. Or Suzuki which is currently copying Toyotas Corolla and RAV4. Not to mention that also Mazda starts this by copying the new Toyota Yaris (which is a brilliant car - I had a go in it a month ago and for me who honestly doesn't like small cars it was very nice. Comfortable, quiet, good materials - but too expensive for it's size).
For sure snobism is ridiculous - but we all know people who do this and we also all know people who do it vice versa - "Oh look at him, he is driving a .....". When I changed to Jaguar 1,5 years ago I really underestimated how it triggeres people around me. It was never my intention to just buy an expensive car. The honest reason why I go for it was that it looks striking and it's very, very, very rare. I always wanted a rare care. Living near a VW plant makes me really tired watching Golfs, Tiguans, Passats all day. And a german brand was always a no go for me. Yes, they might be good but I hate the arrogance of them regarding other brands. Not so long ago I read an article about the BMW X5 compared to a Range Rover Velar - written by a german author - and he already stated in the headline that it is "no wonder that the BMW will win this competition". I personally would go straight for the Velar to be honest, but that's my choice. But a lot of people don't understand this. They just see the leaper at the tailgate and think that I'm a millionaire. Yes, brand new they are quite expensive, but not more expensive than their german competitors. The big difference is that a Jag loses about 40% of it's original price after one year, german cars way more less. My car was 13 months old when I bought it and it was way more cheaper than a Mercedes C-Class, BMW 3-series or Audi A4 - but no one sees this. It was even cheaper than a VW Golf GTD... :roll:
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plykkegaard
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Re: What car do you drive?

#196 Post by plykkegaard » 29 May 2021 10:50

B787 wrote: 29 May 2021 10:14 ... It was even cheaper than a VW Golf GTD... :roll:
LOL, that is something

Unfortunately the taxes in DK destroys most of the fun owning a car
I do like the Skoda Octavia Combi or the Seat Leon Sportstourer both basically a Golf but the Leon being a very strong competitor

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B787
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Re: What car do you drive?

#197 Post by B787 » 29 May 2021 11:18

plykkegaard wrote: 29 May 2021 10:50 the taxes in DK destroys most of the fun owning a car
Same here. And if we'll get a green government in September (and I think they will make it) the prices for taxes and fuel will expolde. That's why I also choosed the mid sized 2.0l Diesel engine. It got 180HP which is for me a good compromise between fun and affordability.

Btw, in two weeks I'm on the way to DK spending my summer holidays there. ;)
Some newbie driver
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Re: What car do you drive?

#198 Post by Some newbie driver » 29 May 2021 12:45

@B787 it's fun what you explain because it remembers me the protagonist of the novel "Odessa" (author Frederick Forsyth). He's also a German that prefers to drive a Jaguar than a German car and that saves it's life. Won't you be a journalist too, right? :lol:

BTW that I own a Volkswagen. :P But just because I wanted specifically that car, nor for the badge or everything else. I ended pretty satisfied with the engine (those TFSI of gasoline, small, quiet, powerful, responsive and very low consume) but man... more than 10 years after and still I'm not used to the damn lights control in the lower part of the dashboard instead of being a lever behind the wheel. :roll:

And about the SEAT mentioned by plykkegaard, it's a very solid contender in its category. Very popular car in here, I've a friend who purchased the previous gen (one new was released recently, the one SCS has included in Iberia, also as a cargo for a trailer) and he's very satisfied.

At the end, ll those companies share a lot between vehicles. Starting by the platform, engines, components. A client of the company where I work manufactures parts for vehicles and at the same time I've seen side by side lines of parts for Ford, Iveco, Land Rover, Jaguar and Aston Martin. The know how of the engineering and the workers are the same in the parts suppliers (and that's more than 70% of the whole of a car); at the end the difference between "premium" and "regular" cars is very little. Mostly the finishing, that could range from basic to very snob, and the perceived quality (so, pure marketing; and we all know hot it lies to us).

That's also why so many companies are creating their "premium" brands; to separate them from the "perceived regular quality" from the main brand and sell "the same" but more expensive. SEAT itself launched not so much ago the Cupra brand and he's being very successful as far as I know.
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Tarso
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Re: What car do you drive?

#199 Post by Tarso » 29 May 2021 14:15

That round knob pisses off a lot of people, gladly Chevrolet dropped it while ago in the newer models.

Once I almost ripped the thing off by hitting it with my knee while getting in
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B787
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Re: What car do you drive?

#200 Post by B787 » 29 May 2021 16:03

@Some newbie driver :lol: :lol: :lol: Nah, sorry, that's not a job for me. :lol:

Well, if you like the VW then drive it. There are so many brands that there is something for everyone. ;) They are not bad, I already drove a few models, including the latest ID.3 which was an interesting experience.

Yeah, at the end they are all the same. You only pay for the badge on it.

As far as I know they want to get rid of Seat and concentrate only on Cupra in the future. Interesting cars but still also rare where I live. It's good to see more and more new brands establishing next to the old ones, like you named Cupra. Polestar is also something I have on my list, maaaaybe if we'll be forced to electric cars soon, would be an option for me (but first they need to adapt the price :lol:). Also Genesis looks good, let's see how much they can sell. Regarding this I can also tell you a story which I wrote earlier. The same journalist which I talked about earlier wrote about Genesis in the headline "A Bentley for the poors" - this also shows which kind of expectation he approached the car and the brand itself. :roll:
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