It didn’t occur to me until after I posted...but is it a coincidence that the 3 companies most heavily invested in hybrid and electric cars(toyota, Honda, GM) are the very 3 that appear to be slipping? Did they bet on the wrong technology?
I bought a Hyundia Sonata (Korean company) in 2006 and loved it until I just bought a new 2013 Sonata. Gave the old one to my son as his first car. I would definitely recommend one.
YES. I know the Honda Civic I had built in 1998 was not nearly as a good of a car, reliability wise, as my 1993 Honda Accord. I have a 2004 Nissan Frontier truck that I dislike more than about any other vehicle I own, terrible fuel mileage for it’s class, underpowered, etc.
I don’t know about VW, but I would say Ford is trend setting right now.
My wife’s toyota is falling apart, my evil chevy runs like new. They both are about 7 years old...
“ordinary people”? You need to get over yourself!
What is “direct injection” as opposed to regular ol’ “fuel injection”?
What is the advantage of “dual-clutch”?
We just purchased a new Camry for my hubby. It has all the bells and whistles. GPS, arlarm, backup camera, Sirus radio,etc. I especially love what I call the owner identification system. When you approach the vehicle it unlocks the door closest to you, turns on the overhead light, then locks the door when you start the engine. When you leave the vehicle you touch a small area on the handle to lock the car, which will not work if the keys are inside the car or if a door is not shut.
I am driving it full time since my van is down. Even after the van get repaired I may not be willing to give back the Camry. hehehe
So far, I have had great expeiences with he Toyota/Lexus cars. I have a Tacoma (1999) with 165,000 on it with no repairs and still on the original clutch. Our RX330 just turned 100,000 with no repairs either. I bought it a year old, thank God, and the price wasn’t so bad.
I am one of those nuts that keeps their cars forever, so longevity and good mechanical durability is important.
I like the newer Tacomas, but it sems like their mileage has dropped a bit.
Ford sems to be doing well and they would be the only U.S. car that I would consider buying.
The Hundai’s look very good - not sure how they are mechanicaly.
What engines and transmissions is GM purchasing? http://gmpowertrain.com/Libraries/Product_information/9FP_2012_95_Information_Guide_1011.sflb.ashx?download=true
The Japanese brands usually focus on reliability, the bleeding edge is the opposite of reliable, let the early adopters figure out the problems, add it to your cars when the kinks are worked out.
I think VW’s new Diesel technology is amazing. The new Touareg TDI gets 28 mpg with an almost amazing 406 foot pounds of torque. It can tow 7,700 lbs.
Better yet, it is essentially the same car as the Porsche Cayenne. The Cayenne will have the exact same TDI engine this year.
Having said that, I own a Toyota. And while my Toyota truck isn’t “leading” in new technology, the darn thing is reliable and tough.
Nissan is putting CVTs (continuously variable transmissions) in its new cars. A good balance of power and fuel economy. I don’t buy UAW products out of principle, however I’ll admit they are starting to come around. Too little, too late, too many of my tax dollars already confiscated.
How is this different than fuel injection that has been around for years?
Jeez, Ford Motor just think of what you could have done if you took the BAILOUT MONEY ZERO was going to give you for FREE... /s
FORD -- FIRST ON RACE DAY... (with GREG BIFFLE driving!!)
Carl Edwards fan
Well, I have purchased two Toyotas in the last several years, I got myself a Tundra with the awesome 5.7 and just bought the wife a Venza with the V6 and all the bells and whistles. The only other foreign maker I looked at was Honda and the only domestic maker I looked at was Ford. I looked at the Edge instead of the Venza but price, options, and reviews gave the Toyota the purchase.
I really wanted to buy the Ford because they didn’t take the bailout but couldn’t pull the trigger because of the options/price mix.
Say what you want about foreign but the Honda CRV I replaced with the Venza had 240k on it and still ran fine with A/C as cold as the day I bought it.
Personally, I couldn’t really say if they’re “slipping” or not; all I know is that my ‘89 Toyota is still going strong, and I’m planning on owning another Toyota when it finally bites the dust.
Or... uh... maybe a Honda.
I’d still buy German.
Give me a new Maybach.......
What, competition, we can’t be having competition. We need some government regulation to stop all that competition and level the playing field.
When looking for my last car I was down to the Ford Edge and the KIA Serento. I picked the KIA. I have talked with some Edge owners. They are taking them to the shop for repairs and one had to replace a transmittion. My KIA has been trouble free.