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Even though I have never owned one, I also think Toyotas are overrated. Except the Camry 07-10 and Highlander or the similar period, I dont even find the exterior s appealing..
So then what are you basing your assessment on?
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Can any one give differences between driving a MB/BMW and Lexus/Infiniti . Leave the fancy windows or interiors, just the driving charecteristics.
There are huge differences even within the two pairs. BMW is, still, for the most part, the fun-to-drive luxury car with lots of (sometimes complicated) tech toys. The Mercedes is all about high-speed cruising in comfort. Lexus is actually somewhat similar to Mercedes in comfort; performance has always been an afterthought, it was all about being a richer man's Toyota - reliable, comfortable, not terribly exciting. Infinity had tried hard to be a performance brand with the sedans and coupes and now I'm not even sure what it's trying to be, to be honest.
Can't say I agree the Camry is overrated even though it skews within its class because IMO, the whole mid-sized sedan segment is so underrated- for most of the group (leaving out the soon to be discontinued 200 and my-rational or not- anti-VW bias) you get a nicely loaded, fun to drive vehicle that is safe, reliable, comfortable and sips gas slowly for a MSRP of $22-$25K for a new car when the average new vehicle price these days is somewhere around $29-$30K. Go to any other category around that group like small SUVs, and you will not find as much bang for your buck.
No. Definitely not true about the Camry, or the 200, or, indeed, the Passat. They are about as fun to drive as an Amish cart. Also, within the MSRP band you are describing, "nicely loaded" is highly questionable. A nicely loaded Camry MSRPs for around $30K if not over.
I feel like its hard to define overrated. Mazda might be a little overrated by the automotive press but I would argue that it is very underrated among most of the general public. Most of my friends/family who don't read Car and Driver or Motortrend would never even consider a Mazda.
Agree wholeheartedly. Mazda doesn't get nearly the respect it deserves among the general public.
Yes they are very safe cars with some state of the art tech for safety, but you are mostly paying for the name.
You just about contradicted yourself there. You're paying for safety, state of the art tech (and engines) which few other manufacturers (definitely not VW) provide. So, no, you definitely aren't paying just for the name.
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A similarly equipped VW with similar performance numbers will generally cost 20-30% less.
Example?
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And those cheapie iPad displays that they stuck into the consoles of all their new models are absolutely horrid looking.
Now, this is 100% true. Mazda is doing the same thing, but if you can get away with it in a non-premium segment, on a Mercedes it looks like a joke.
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Toyota's are very minimalist, basic and boring cars, but the consumer market that they are targeting is the not so savvy car owner. Basically non car people who just need a reliable A to B.
Generally speaking, yes. I'd give Toyota a pass were it not for that dumb "grounded to the ground" commercial.
For me, overrated is something that doesn't live up to not only the hype generated, but it's engineering and marketing goals. Quite simply, they are rated better than they actually deliver. For that reason, the Veyron and it's successor are not overrated as they do everything that they are said to do and designed to do. Yes, they are extremely expensive, but to do what they do, it takes a lot of money.
Astons are not overrated for the same reason. They do exactly what they are designed to do and exactly what they are claimed to do by fans.
Accords and Camry's are not hyped up, so they also do exactly as designed and marketed (though they are resting on their laurels a bit and are not really the best car you can buy).
Overrated cars, then, to me, are cars like the Corolla which doesn't deliver the best in segment engineering or driving experience, and are no better than anything else in the class, though they are still considered by too many to be the go-to car in it's class.
Modern Mercedes are similar. Other than the S class, which delivers everything they promise, the rest are no better than much cheaper cars and are not the engineering marvels they used to be.
And as much as it pains me to say, as a BMW owner and fan, MODERN BMWS, outside the few true M models, are no longer class leaders in what BMW stood for, which is driving ability. In many cases, they are just expensive RWD appliances no better than an Accord or Camry. Cadillacs these days, in contrast, are underrated by the general public.
As for depreciation, luxury cars depreciate rapidly, not due to being overrated but due to status seekers. How? People who buy for status don't want last year's status symbol. People NOT looking for status are looking for bargains. This makes it hard to sell a used luxury car for a high price. They can still be underrated cars, or even deliver exactly on their promise, making them not overrated, but still not be able to demand top dollar.
For me, overrated is something that doesn't live up to not only the hype generated, but it's engineering and marketing goals. Quite simply, they are rated better than they actually deliver. For that reason, the Veyron and it's successor are not overrated as they do everything that they are said to do and designed to do. Yes, they are extremely expensive, but to do what they do, it takes a lot of money.
Astons are not overrated for the same reason. They do exactly what they are designed to do and exactly what they are claimed to do by fans.
Accords and Camry's are not hyped up, so they also do exactly as designed and marketed (though they are resting on their laurels a bit and are not really the best car you can buy).
Overrated cars, then, to me, are cars like the Corolla which doesn't deliver the best in segment engineering or driving experience, and are no better than anything else in the class, though they are still considered by too many to be the go-to car in it's class.
Modern Mercedes are similar. Other than the S class, which delivers everything they promise, the rest are no better than much cheaper cars and are not the engineering marvels they used to be.
And as much as it pains me to say, as a BMW owner and fan, MODERN BMWS, outside the few true M models, are no longer class leaders in what BMW stood for, which is driving ability. In many cases, they are just expensive RWD appliances no better than an Accord or Camry. Cadillacs these days, in contrast, are underrated by the general public.
As for depreciation, luxury cars depreciate rapidly, not due to being overrated but due to status seekers. How? People who buy for status don't want last year's status symbol. People NOT looking for status are looking for bargains. This makes it hard to sell a used luxury car for a high price. They can still be underrated cars, or even deliver exactly on their promise, making them not overrated, but still not be able to demand top dollar.
So then what are you basing your assessment on?There are huge differences even within the two pairs. BMW is, still, for the most part, the fun-to-drive luxury car with lots of (sometimes complicated) tech toys. The Mercedes is all about high-speed cruising in comfort. Lexus is actually somewhat similar to Mercedes in comfort; performance has always been an afterthought, it was all about being a richer man's Toyota - reliable, comfortable, not terribly exciting. Infinity had tried hard to be a performance brand with the sedans and coupes and now I'm not even sure what it's trying to be, to be honest.
Bought them used after 90k miles and I "tested" elantra and fusion driving around 5k miles. Nothing was broken and needed no maintenance other than oil changes and replace tires while buying..And I paid only 60% of a similar Toyota s price.
Same with used Lexus and Infiniti. They were quiet , comfortable but interior werent upto the Germans standard.
In terms of response I found Infiniti to be scorching in terms of speed and accelaration . The Lexus seemed to have a stable accelaration.
As for depreciation, luxury cars depreciate rapidly, not due to being overrated but due to status seekers. How? People who buy for status don't want last year's status symbol. People NOT looking for status are looking for bargains. This makes it hard to sell a used luxury car for a high price. They can still be underrated cars, or even deliver exactly on their promise, making them not overrated, but still not be able to demand top dollar.
the perception of high maintenance also kills the resale value. Yes, there is some truth that there is some cost associated with maintaining the latest & greatest toys once it ages. a 10 year old Camry and a 10 year old BMW resale is not far apart in terms of resale.
What do you guys think are the most overrated cars on the market? I would say Aston Martins or Maserati's. For mass market automobiles I would say that Toyota's are overrated by a large segment of the population. While I agree that they are very reliable they are some of the most boring cars to drive.
Boring = overrated? For some, not for me. Reliable, long lived, retains resale value is what I look for. I wanted a non-boring driving experience so I raced on short oval dirt tracks for 12 years. Now I am happy with my "boring" Honda Fit.
Don in Austin
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