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Like? And don't trot out a Merz supercar for comparison; the big 3 have them too.
I'm not a huge Mercedes fan and have never owned one, but I'll happily compare differences in American and German cars that I have owned.
Steering and pedal feel is something that has always been superior in the European cars I've owned. The Americans just can't seem to get this right, ever. Since it's the connection from machine to human, it's really important to the driving experience that it's right. It's almost always superior in German cars.
Like I said before, design. Design is subjective, admittedly. I work in design, and everything - right down to the fonts on the instrument clusters - is done really tastefully in German cars.
Interior quality is almost always better. Look at VW. You compare a VW interior to something in one of the big 3's comparable models and there's no match. Chevy actually dissected a Jetta to take cues to improve their own interiors, which resulted in some mixed results. I think their interiors have come some way, but the design and build quality is still behind Europeans overall.
I will say American cars seem to have surpassed German cars in reliability and certainly have a lower cost of ownership. I would never buy a VW again. I had a 2007 and it was really finicky. Fun and well-designed, but too many problems.
Again, this is a very subjective issue - so if you're not convinced, you never will be. But the general public is attracted to German cars, and there's reason for that. It's not just the quality of the advertising, because every car sold in America has an American ad agency division behind it.
Those cars are built to commute @120mph+ speeds on daily basis. Everything is built around it. Handling, feedback, functionality of wipers, siting positions, readability of instruments, ergonomy of controls etc... ..and it shows.
Others cars can drive at those speeds, but they cannot operate there without you having headache and back pains.
For driving @60-80mph of course there is almost no difference with Toyota or Honda.
Exactly, the engineering is just a step above everyone else. Which also contributes to the occasional reliability issues. Ambitious engineering tends to have its flaws in practicality.
As a car nut myself, these cars have great driving experiences compared to its rivals. Very stable at high speeds comfy ride, etc.
To me I would not buy them for image. People who will are either not that into cars or just lazy people who only buy it for the badge. I know the cons of buying a German car, this is why I do research and look for a good used or new one as well has having the funds to operate one. Plus these cars are somewhat not as easy to steal (tow trucks are another story altogether) since their security systems are really complex to bypass. I can't say the same for Asian and American cars (look at the stats for the most stolen cars).
Most of the time people who ask me questions about cars who are not as inclined about them as I am and I normally would tell them to look at Asian and American cars. They may appreciate these cars but they are not able to show the same appreciation of them as I do. The maintenance is not simple or cheap and I know most people are crunched for time and money.
As for my favorite German brands, Porsche and BMW are my favs.
Although this thread is 3 months old from its last post I'd like to add my opinion why german cars are what they are. I am from Germany and I liked to read the whole thread yet
Most of German products HAVE and always had to be a quality label for foreigners because Germany hasn't got so much minerals, gold, silver etc in their terrain. So they needed to export something that is not a natural resource -> technique/knowledge. (that's the reason why they are so good in export, they (try to) invent things which foreigners don't have but want.
As someone already said German cars do often have technical things built in which other manufacturers don't. This is one point why they are more expensive, they have to get the money back they put in researches. Then, especially the asian market just copies it and make their cars more cheaper. But you've to keep in mind that researching a thing for years makes you being more competent in that topic than just copying and putting things together. For example you know about errors that may occure.
The taxi discussion:
Germans do not use a taxi as often as people do it in the US because it is much more expansive (fuel prices etc). And IF you take one you want the drive to be worth it
So if there's a taxi cab being a FIAT and a second one which is e.g. from Mercedes you will take the Mercedes (cause for the passengers it's the same price). For the driver it will bring more money if he has a luxury car (more passengers) and he will have a car which he can sell after a few years for a good price (and buy a new taxi cab) and doesn't have so many things to repair. Short: Quality car = fewer things to repair = lower costs.
Mercedes for example isn't a real luxury car anymore except you've got a really new edition. But that is because other german manufacturers already build quality cars, too since a few ten years.
The import to the US makes it even more expansive (Mercedes is expansive here, too) but I don't think because of "better" fuel standards. The government in Germany is really "green" and the high petrol prices forces automakers to build fuel-efficient cars so most costs will be fees in im- and export, shipping etc.
Being European I had many German cars in my life. Not all of them are superior in the quality and especially the 90's and early 2000's were pretty bad. Mercedes had rust problems for example.
Now as for Volkswagen and Audi it depends on the car you get and if it's a base model or the top of the line. I had a base VW Polo 3 cylinder and it was really crappy broke down all the time, had no extras and a black hard plastic interior...
But the VW GTI I had was way better and a great car.
Most Mercedes taxis are taxis versions with vinyl seats
So if you want a superior German car you need to pay a superior high price. Otherwise you're better off with a Ford or Chevy.
Americans seem to equate German cars with prestige?
But why? Mercedes has a terrible reliablity record by any standard, BMW still not on par with Honda or Toyota when it comes to reliablity. Audi still lags and VW pure garbage.
When I was in Europe I saw so many Mercedes used as taxis. LOL!
Because we envy anything made or from overseas, regardless of quality. If it's made in the U.S, it's unworthy of respect. And other countries see no reason to either. Hence the demise of American dollars.
German automakers' prestige is earned. It's rooted in historical innovations to the industry, enduring passion and depth in engineering, and solid overall build quality. They build cars worth being passionate about rather than mere commodities, cars that are a pleasure to drive and rightfully instill a sense of pride in ownership. It's something many folks won't understand until they experience it for themselves. Reliability ratings? They are shallow and steer the sheep. I read somewhere that Mercedes owners keep their cars longer than those of any other make. I wish I could find that list that shows how many years a brand of cars typical owner keeps them (anybody know where to find that information?). Today, German automakers are the few that still do engineering, build transmissions, etc. in house. For instance, it seems most car companies nowadays source many parts from third-party suppliers, such as many sourcing transmissions from Aisin. Oh and yes, Mercedes builds non-luxury marketed cars in most of the rest of the world, whereas in the US they market luxury cars. And that vinyl? It's MB-tex, quite a successful innovation. It's soft, comfortable, and extremely durable. Most people think it's leather. And actually, most MB's even in the US have it.
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