Comnao 1st Gear April 8, 2009 Share April 8, 2009 (edited) Mazda/Volvo/Ford - all under PAG group (used to also include Jaguar, but no more) .... their weakest link is their engine. Ford/Mazda has one of the best expertise in chassis development... and Volvo, comfort and safety.... so their strength (of all these 3 marques) are chassis, suspension, safety and comfort. But sadly, their R&D in engine lags far behind the Germans (and even the japs like Toyota, Honda and Nissan). Their auto gearbox also was their achilles heel,... but with the introduction of dual clutch Powershift (soon will be mated to Mazda and Ford petrol models as well) ,... they are catching up. But i still dont see any winner in their engine (Renesis on RX8 dont count as they are only for RX8). VAG has their FSI BMW has their IL6 Merc has their madness 6.3L AMG.... and their aerodynamics development is the best in the market... all their cars boast low drag coefficient (Cd) .. from A class to S class... Cd are all below 0.30 ... with new W212 E class' Cd at class leading 0.25, W204 C class Cd 0.27, W169 A class Cd 0.29.... etc. Porsche has their H6 Toyota/Lexus ... their VVTi Honda, their famous iVTEC Nissan, their V6 3.5/3.7 So, you notice those marques without a good engine generally dont sell well.... errr... technically ... AMG engine doesnt count as a MB engine just like you wont consider a Nismo engine as Nissan manufactured nor a Ralliart tuned to be bread-&-butter Mitsu i am never a fan of MB engines (although i am a owner of 1) i like them for their tankiness but i do like volvo chassis also. firm, pilant and sure footed Edited April 8, 2009 by Comnao ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyke Supercharged April 8, 2009 Share April 8, 2009 errr... technically ... AMG engine doesnt count as a MB engine why not? MB owns AMG. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
inlinesix Supersonic April 8, 2009 Share April 8, 2009 (edited) errr... technically ... AMG engine doesnt count as a MB engine just like you wont consider a Nismo engine as Nissan manufactured nor a Ralliart tuned to be bread-&-butter Mitsu Isn't it Nismo = Nissan Motorsport International Limited part of Nissan? Isn't it Ralliart part of Mitsubishi? Engine from ///M GMBH doesn't count as BMW engine Engine from Quattro GMBH doesn't count as Audi engine Edited April 8, 2009 by Davidtch Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comnao 1st Gear April 8, 2009 Share April 8, 2009 why not? MB owns AMG. bcos i still associate amg as a specialty tuning arm not a bread-and-butter engine manfuacturer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wt_know Supersonic April 8, 2009 Share April 8, 2009 (edited) teriyaki, did you book your car and get the $7K COE i think all AD will make all kind of excuses to up their price AGAIN ! Edited April 8, 2009 by Wt_know Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santa Neutral Newbie April 8, 2009 Share April 8, 2009 (edited) 3 series except coupe are from SA. And yes, I'm considering 1st hand.. Coz very likely I will be driving till COE expire. hahahaha.. I'm already spoilt for choices.. Now u introduced me Audi?? Oops... audi has yet to reach the level of what bmw and mercedes car can offer (if we compare all the base model from each brand). personally i tested audi a6 - it feel almost like a japanese car. (even the feel of volvo is better) i am not an expert in giving review, but from an user point of view - importanly is the 'feel' - i just do not experience the 'conti feel' presence in audi. plus audi engine is noisy (the hyundai avante or sonata is probaly quieter) therefore no need look any further - u can safely target between bmw and mercedes. Edited April 8, 2009 by Santa Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notsogoodman 4th Gear April 8, 2009 Share April 8, 2009 audi has yet to reach the level of what bmw and mercedes car can offer (if we compare all the base model from each brand). personally i tested audi a6 - it feel almost like a japanese car. (even the feel of volvo is better) i am not an expert in giving review, but from an user point of view - importanly is the 'feel' - i just do not experience the 'conti feel' presence in audi. plus audi engine is noisy (the hyundai avante or sonata is probaly quieter) therefore no need look any further - u can safely target between bmw and mercedes. Which part feels like a Japanese Car? Audi's Interior beats both BMWs n MBs hands down, No Fight! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles 4th Gear April 8, 2009 Share April 8, 2009 Which part feels like a Japanese Car? Audi's Interior beats both BMWs n MBs hands down, No Fight! Agree.... Audi feels conti enough lah. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Throttle2 Supersonic April 8, 2009 Share April 8, 2009 Which part feels like a Japanese Car? Audi's Interior beats both BMWs n MBs hands down, No Fight! Audi make and build quality is definitely premium conti standard but entry level vs entry level, Audi interior is one of the most dated looking, Saab also. Volvo is the most designer looking . part of the reason why i was one of those who bot the all new S40 in 2004. very stylish modern clean interior Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friendstar Supercharged April 8, 2009 Share April 8, 2009 honestly, do consider the IS250 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santa Neutral Newbie April 9, 2009 Share April 9, 2009 Which part feels like a Japanese Car? Audi's Interior beats both BMWs n MBs hands down, No Fight! 'drive feel' of audi (feel like japanese car espcially the steering wheel and suspension) the engine note is not sweet as bmw nor as quiet as volvo or lexus when taking corner does not instill the confidence that bmw offer. interior quality might be good as most claim but look spartan. lack the luxurious feel of a mb. so for the price of 165k on an A6 believed there are better choices. unless u are a die hard audi fans. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudpeas Neutral Newbie April 9, 2009 Share April 9, 2009 yes yes, with that amt of $$$, BMW's the way to go, nothing short of 6 cylinders ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maroon5 5th Gear April 9, 2009 Share April 9, 2009 honestly, do consider the IS250 TS mentioned before he dun wanna pay the high road tax... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sdf5725 1st Gear April 9, 2009 Share April 9, 2009 Which part feels like a Japanese Car? Audi's Interior beats both BMWs n MBs hands down, No Fight! Test drove new A4 before during downpour. Dont feel what it should be. Car just not stable and the ESD(i suppose) everytime kick in. Then test drove the new C200. Ran over a patch of water and the car feel extremely stable. Now thats the difference. Although A4 sport mode feel quite powerful, for that kind of price tag, i rather pay for high spec japanese sedan. Even the SE in Audi also nothing to say after seeing how i test drove the new A4. And serious, i think Audi Interior is not up to the mark, exterior is very good of course. But then, it is up to individual. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sony 1st Gear April 9, 2009 Share April 9, 2009 Audi make and build quality is definitely premium conti standard but entry level vs entry level, Audi interior is one of the most dated looking, Saab also. Volvo is the most designer looking . part of the reason why i was one of those who bot the all new S40 in 2004. very stylish modern clean interior i'm a bit lost... u referring to the current Audi or in 2004? current ones, i find the interior better, at least does feel so zen like a 3 series... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teriyaki Neutral Newbie April 9, 2009 Author Share April 9, 2009 teriyaki, did you book your car and get the $7K COE i think all AD will make all kind of excuses to up their price AGAIN ! nope.. i may not want to get 320i anymore. The interior simply cannot make it. If time permits, I will go test drive C180 this weekend... And yes.. COE quota reduced 24%, now COE increased by 50%!!! But economy will not pick up within the next 1 year... Dont think COE will go up above $10k... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teriyaki Neutral Newbie April 9, 2009 Author Share April 9, 2009 honestly, do consider the IS250 Bro.. road tax.... cannot ah... below 2000cc.... =p Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teriyaki Neutral Newbie April 9, 2009 Author Share April 9, 2009 TS mentioned before he dun wanna pay the high road tax... hahaha.. thanks for highlighting this.. ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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