'Australian Delivered' superior cars. Fact or fiction?

[Gollum]

I keep hearing how an 'Australian Delivered' European car is a different machine to it's European counterpart but is there any truth to it?

I can understand Porsche, Ferrari, Merc, even BM and Audi claiming that they are selling a superior machine over here. Maybe in doing so they justify a car costing triple what it may at home but is there any basis to the argument?

Superior options as standard I can understand, its a long way so why not send the best they can but I also here of cars that have better protection systems, even suspension - which I find hard to believe.

Is there any real basis to the argument or is this simply a hangover from the marketing campaign or a fear of salt I wonder. I have done 'much' research but neither Google nor Wiki have an answer.

Edited by Gollum on Wednesday 5th February 10:26

[Kawasicki]

BMW have had a "hot country" spec before, probably more cooling capacity. That might not come on a UK sourced car.

Most of it is rubbish though, we are paying 3 times the price because Australia is a high wage country. The shelf stacker in my local supermarket is on $44K a year...

[custardtart]

Fiction

[Bibbs]

For Perth it means you don't get heated seats/windscreen/mirrors.

AC is standard.

And a manual is a rare, hard to source option.

[Panayiotis]

The Australian delivererd G wagens all have AMG suspension as standard due to local conditions, also larger oil pans and capacity due to rubbish fuel.

My 1M was the same as the UK, which is better spec than the US or continental europe, but only by a couple of accessory options.

[Jader1973]

Yes, it is true.

Cars for Aus will have a different option code which will drive different content, or be completely different to the "same" spec in the UK.

ADRs, the (poorer) road conditions, climate, and market expectation all drive differences.

In the UK you can get away with a base spec car with no AC and manual rear windows - couldn't do that here. They might both be badged "XT" or something though.

The solar load here is much higher than in the UK - so cars exported here have solar absorbing glass, or up-spec'd aircon systems.

Higher ambient temps drive different cooling requirements, which might mean oil/trans fluid coolers are needed when they may not be in the UK.

Very few Brits expect to be able to tow a caravan for 8 hours at 110km/h in temps over 35 degrees for example!

Edited by Jader1973 on Thursday 6th February 10:21

[Hasbeen]

Yep, & with all that, they are worth about half the asking price, or less.

[Hitch78]

It is utter waffle - marginal spec differences driven by marketing at most. Parts of Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas have equally hot weather. We used to hear the same in the Middle East.

The main benefit might be a more know history and provenance.

[Hitch78]

It is utter waffle - marginal spec differences driven by marketing at most. Parts of Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas have equally hot weather. We used to hear the same in the Middle East.

The main benefit might be a more know history and provenance.

[randomwalk]

Any second hand car from the UK will have the negative of possible corrosion due to salt and damp, on the plus side the leather and plastics have not been scorched by our summer sun.

[Jader1973]

Hitch78 said:

It is utter waffle.

No it isn't. OPs post is asking if a Euro (so assume UK as it is the only RHD country) are the same or not.

They aren't.

I agree the spec differences don't justify the price difference.

[robm3]

We're classed as a hot country. Although I know of no upgrades to transmission coolers, radiators etc.. the Europeans do tend to downgrade the boost and timing via ECU's.
For instances the new Audi S3 is about 20kw down on power compared to the EU spec.

But on the whole we're just ripped off. Shorter service intervals (more cash for dealer). Less options and less models.

But, we're all happier

[ezakimak]

I was speaking to one of my mates regarding the radiator sizing thing with regard to towing capacity. What you may find is that the same car in Australia has a reduced towing capacity compared to the European or American equivalent. Has something to do with the way the test it. Engine at a set load on set incline and test until temperature goes over some threshold within a particular time. Increase load (ie trailer weight) until this figure is reached.

So even though the suspension, chassis and drive line can take the load imposed by a trailer, if the cooling system is not up to scratch then it will get down rated.

[Gollum]

What got me thinking about all this was watching megafactories on freeview. Ne'er do they say - "and this is a hot country spec engine or gearbox as its going to Australia". Infact the options sheets run down the chassis line, not the Engine and Gearbox line. The engine and gearbox are a standard that get tested from -40 to +50 degrees ambient.

It's been suspected/reported that both US and Aus landed turbo cars are infact less powerful as they are 'detuned' at the factory as the fuel can't be trusted, which left unchecked would give rise to engine failures (worst case) or at the very least detonation due to poor octane content.

The AMG suspension comment aside, we are talking about the same machine, forget options for now, I know there are hot country spec options as my S8 used to cool the its interior down on sunny days with a solar powered fan BUT the car was a British car so this is just another option that any nation can choose.

Reference the last two posts:

1. A performance car that doesn't perform as well.
2. A workhorse that can't tow as much.

In both cases, substandard vehicles.

Edited by Gollum on Monday 10th February 23:49

[motomk]

We didn't use to get some diesels, should really read any, as our fuel was average but that changed a few years ago.
I believe the Holden Commodores sent to the Middle East as Chevrolets had to have improved cooling.

[Kawasicki]

Gollum said:

Reference the last two posts:

1. A performance car that doesn't perform as well.
2. A workhorse that can't tow as much.

In both cases, substandard vehicles.

No in both cases, higher ambient temps make cooling more difficult.

Should the car manufacturers re-engineer a bigger cooling capacity for Australian market?

From "Drive"...

Audi has clipped the wings of its next performance car, detuning it to suit Australia’s climate.

The turbocharged, all-wheel-drive S3 Sportback is a rival to the likes of Subaru’s Impreza WRX STI and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, a car that according to Audi offers “uncompromising performance”.

But Australia’s S3 has been compromised to suit our climate.

Audi spokesman Shaun Cleary says that the car will have 15kW less than European models.

Advertisement
“There will be a lower power output just for hot weather countries,” he says.

“The power output will be 206kW while the European car has 221kW."

But Cleary says the performance has not been blunted as the car will still offer a peak torque figure of 380Nm.

“The torque is the same and the acceleration is the same to 100 km/h, which is 5.1 seconds,” he says.

Australia has high temperatures. The standard of vehicle build is the same, the cooling system just has a harder time in higher ambient temps.

If you need a car which is tuned for Australian conditions, buy a Falcon or a Commodore.

[Jader1973]

Kawasicki said:

If you need a car which is tuned for Australian conditions, buy a Falcon or a Commodore.

Well said

However, the wider population and the Government have made their choice, and in the future we are going to be left with a bunch of imports with low capacity turbo engines that are unsuitable for the sort of high temperatures we get here in the summer.

Fortunately none of us will be able to afford them because we'll be in recession.

[Hitch78]

Australia does not have higher temperatures than anywhere else in the world. Fact.

[Pommygranite]

Hitch78 said:

Australia does not have higher temperatures than anywhere else in the world. Fact.

Wheres that 'Not sure if serious' meme?...

[custardtart]

Having just sold a UK imported Ferrari I found that on the Aus forums a lot of the guys were trying to tell people that UK cars were worth less than Aus ones. However, the people who viewed my car were only interested in condition and history which is as it should be with a Ferrari.