What are the most underrated/overrated car brands?
Discussion
What in your opinion are the most underrated and overrated car brands and why?
I’m sure that Ferrari for example cannot possibly live up to the “hype” but I haven’t driven enough of them for my opinion to be valid, so just sticking with brands that I have some experience with, my pick would be Kia and Mazda as underrated and (dons flame suit), Toyota/Lexus and BMW as overrated.
I’m still a little prejudiced against Kia, as the dealer group that I worked for dabbled in Kia 20 years ago when they were still a bit s*** and I have a friend who was a Kia convert and owned two but would never own another due to fairly major engine issues on both of his (they weren’t new/nearly new at the time but hardly “old” either). But from my personal experience in the last 10 years and from others that I know that own them and have been delighted with them, they for the most part look good, hardly cheap any more but offer good value (well-equipped for the money, good warranty etc), drive very well and feel every bit as well built as the equivalent Toyota/Honda. We looked at a current generation Sorento for my wife a few months ago and were very impressed and the only reason that we didn’t buy one over what we actually bought was price (the Sorento was a little over our budget).
Mazda has been (unfairly IMHO) punished for past transgressions such as failing Rotary/diesel engines, rust problems and feeling a little “cheap” inside in the Ford era but get in a modern Mazda and I can pretty much guarantee that it will look good, drive brilliantly, feel quite premium and be every bit as reliable/dependable as the equivalent Toyota/Honda. We’re certainly very pleased with our recent CX5 purchase and my parents are repeat Mazda customers too. The only drawback being that they don’t offer any really potent engine options.
Toyota deserve some credit in recent times (after a long hiatus) for offering some of the more interesting attainable performance cars on the market like the GR Yaris, GT86/GR86 and Supra and I don’t doubt their quality/reliability (apart from the diesels perhaps) but I’ve owned 2 (mk2 Yaris and a mid-2000s Corolla) and although they were unerringly reliable as expected they just felt exceptionally average. A little firm, not great NVH, uncomfortable seats, cheap-feeling hard plastics inside, which didn’t rattle in fairness, a horrible transmission on the Yaris and very dull to drive. The equivalent VW/Ford/Honda felt in a different league to me. As for Lexus, they’ve only made 3 great cars (original LS, LFA and LC500) in the last 30 years, which is hardly impressive and have hardly troubled the likes of Audi/BMW/Mercedes/Land Rover for sales (in the UK at least).
BMW I have a complicated relationship with. I love the 80s/90s stuff and once owned an E30 325i, which I adored but most of the newer stuff just leaves me a bit cold. On paper they offer it all. Nice styling, smooth 6 cylinder engines, RWD-biased handling and a “premium” badge in a practical package but I just find the driving experience consistently disappointing, ride too firm, poor damping, poor steering feel etc. I don’t profess to having driven all of them, not driven any of the M cars for instance and a 1M, Z3M Coupe and a Z8 are still in my dream garage but of the ones that I have driven (mostly 1 and 3-Series), I genuinely find a Focus/mk7 Golf better in those areas and as a result more enjoyable to drive. To be clear, their 6 cylinder petrol/diesel engines are amazing and second-to-none but the new ones don’t even have nice styling going for them and they’re not that reliable and very expensive to fix.
In terms of honourable mentions, I’ve traditionally been a Volkswagen fan (love my mk7 Golf) but would have to concede that their current range isn’t the best and if I was buying new, I would rather save my money and get the equivalent SEAT/Skoda but I think that the general public know that SEAT/Skoda are every bit as good as the equivalent VW now, so not really underrated.
Likewise, Ford’s 2000s lineup of mk1 Ka, Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo was brilliant even though some looked down on the Ford badge and they were very good at making good cars for ordinary people but they seem to have abandoned that market now and see themselves more as a “premium” SUV brand but they’re writing cheques they can’t cash, as their SUVs are distinctly average and not at all premium. I had a ride in my boss’s new Kuga the other day (company lease) and I thought it was horrid. Buzzy 3 cylinder engine and a hard slab of plastic as a dash with an iPad glued to it. Shame.
I’m sure that Ferrari for example cannot possibly live up to the “hype” but I haven’t driven enough of them for my opinion to be valid, so just sticking with brands that I have some experience with, my pick would be Kia and Mazda as underrated and (dons flame suit), Toyota/Lexus and BMW as overrated.
I’m still a little prejudiced against Kia, as the dealer group that I worked for dabbled in Kia 20 years ago when they were still a bit s*** and I have a friend who was a Kia convert and owned two but would never own another due to fairly major engine issues on both of his (they weren’t new/nearly new at the time but hardly “old” either). But from my personal experience in the last 10 years and from others that I know that own them and have been delighted with them, they for the most part look good, hardly cheap any more but offer good value (well-equipped for the money, good warranty etc), drive very well and feel every bit as well built as the equivalent Toyota/Honda. We looked at a current generation Sorento for my wife a few months ago and were very impressed and the only reason that we didn’t buy one over what we actually bought was price (the Sorento was a little over our budget).
Mazda has been (unfairly IMHO) punished for past transgressions such as failing Rotary/diesel engines, rust problems and feeling a little “cheap” inside in the Ford era but get in a modern Mazda and I can pretty much guarantee that it will look good, drive brilliantly, feel quite premium and be every bit as reliable/dependable as the equivalent Toyota/Honda. We’re certainly very pleased with our recent CX5 purchase and my parents are repeat Mazda customers too. The only drawback being that they don’t offer any really potent engine options.
Toyota deserve some credit in recent times (after a long hiatus) for offering some of the more interesting attainable performance cars on the market like the GR Yaris, GT86/GR86 and Supra and I don’t doubt their quality/reliability (apart from the diesels perhaps) but I’ve owned 2 (mk2 Yaris and a mid-2000s Corolla) and although they were unerringly reliable as expected they just felt exceptionally average. A little firm, not great NVH, uncomfortable seats, cheap-feeling hard plastics inside, which didn’t rattle in fairness, a horrible transmission on the Yaris and very dull to drive. The equivalent VW/Ford/Honda felt in a different league to me. As for Lexus, they’ve only made 3 great cars (original LS, LFA and LC500) in the last 30 years, which is hardly impressive and have hardly troubled the likes of Audi/BMW/Mercedes/Land Rover for sales (in the UK at least).
BMW I have a complicated relationship with. I love the 80s/90s stuff and once owned an E30 325i, which I adored but most of the newer stuff just leaves me a bit cold. On paper they offer it all. Nice styling, smooth 6 cylinder engines, RWD-biased handling and a “premium” badge in a practical package but I just find the driving experience consistently disappointing, ride too firm, poor damping, poor steering feel etc. I don’t profess to having driven all of them, not driven any of the M cars for instance and a 1M, Z3M Coupe and a Z8 are still in my dream garage but of the ones that I have driven (mostly 1 and 3-Series), I genuinely find a Focus/mk7 Golf better in those areas and as a result more enjoyable to drive. To be clear, their 6 cylinder petrol/diesel engines are amazing and second-to-none but the new ones don’t even have nice styling going for them and they’re not that reliable and very expensive to fix.
In terms of honourable mentions, I’ve traditionally been a Volkswagen fan (love my mk7 Golf) but would have to concede that their current range isn’t the best and if I was buying new, I would rather save my money and get the equivalent SEAT/Skoda but I think that the general public know that SEAT/Skoda are every bit as good as the equivalent VW now, so not really underrated.
Likewise, Ford’s 2000s lineup of mk1 Ka, Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo was brilliant even though some looked down on the Ford badge and they were very good at making good cars for ordinary people but they seem to have abandoned that market now and see themselves more as a “premium” SUV brand but they’re writing cheques they can’t cash, as their SUVs are distinctly average and not at all premium. I had a ride in my boss’s new Kuga the other day (company lease) and I thought it was horrid. Buzzy 3 cylinder engine and a hard slab of plastic as a dash with an iPad glued to it. Shame.
So, Kia...I have just bought one. A 2015 1.6 CRDI. As a white goods car it is perfect. Drives nicely, quiet and does 50 mpg.
But underrated? A Focus/Astra would have done exactly the same and when new there was no difference in price really.
So, being underrated because you used to produce cheap crap cars, but now you don't and you charge the same price as everyone else would be a view purely based on past negative connotations of the brand.
Now, if it had the dynamics of a BMW and the refinement of a Lexus, then yes it would be underrated...but it doesn't.
But underrated? A Focus/Astra would have done exactly the same and when new there was no difference in price really.
So, being underrated because you used to produce cheap crap cars, but now you don't and you charge the same price as everyone else would be a view purely based on past negative connotations of the brand.
Now, if it had the dynamics of a BMW and the refinement of a Lexus, then yes it would be underrated...but it doesn't.
Edited by MattsCar on Friday 15th November 20:14
I often think that Nissan are not always appreciated/underrated a bit. I've only 2 Nissan's, the S14a 200SX and the 370Z Roadster, but I've fell in love with both of them though for example. I think they're both great cars, and Nissan deserve much credit for them in my opinion.
Overrated I'd probably say VW, and I'm not sure how they manage to sell as many cars as the do(especially nowadays). I've had a couple of VW Tiguan's as hire cars for example, and neither of them left a great impression on me really.
Overrated I'd probably say VW, and I'm not sure how they manage to sell as many cars as the do(especially nowadays). I've had a couple of VW Tiguan's as hire cars for example, and neither of them left a great impression on me really.
Hyundai are another interesting car manufacturer for me as well. All their current adverts are telling everyone how good their cars are for example. Whereas if you have to tell someone that something is good, it usually means that it isn't to me.
So Hyundai are both underrated and overrated maybe?
So Hyundai are both underrated and overrated maybe?
cerb4.5lee said:
Hyundai are another interesting car manufacturer for me as well. All their current adverts are telling everyone how good their cars are for example. Whereas if you have to tell someone that something is good, it usually means that it isn't to me.
Surely that could be said for every advert ever made.
Mercedes Benz are definitely up there with most over rated. I’ve had several from new and everyone has been a shambles, reliability, trim, paint, electronics, that said, unlike many, the dealers did try with the after service.
And I say this as someone who bought 7 new Alfas and presently have an Abarth and a Maserati, not someone who only buys Toyotas.
Another over rated one is Honda, the VTRC’s on our company fleet burnt oil like there was no tomorrow and with drivers not used to checking, destroyed man6bof the engines and of the two people I had that had the ‘bomb proof’ Jazz, one had the dealer buy it back as a lemon and the other had the gearbox bearings start screaming just out of warranty.
Fiat are badly under rated, as long as you use them as intended, most are far more robust in use than they appear, flimsy parts bend back into shape!
And I say this as someone who bought 7 new Alfas and presently have an Abarth and a Maserati, not someone who only buys Toyotas.
Another over rated one is Honda, the VTRC’s on our company fleet burnt oil like there was no tomorrow and with drivers not used to checking, destroyed man6bof the engines and of the two people I had that had the ‘bomb proof’ Jazz, one had the dealer buy it back as a lemon and the other had the gearbox bearings start screaming just out of warranty.
Fiat are badly under rated, as long as you use them as intended, most are far more robust in use than they appear, flimsy parts bend back into shape!
ChocolateFrog said:
VW as it stands today is highly overrated. JLR probably there too purely on reliability grounds.
I think the Chinese brands are largely underrated due to xenophobia, ignorance and a lack of first hand experience.
That Xiaomi supersaloon looks as good as anything Porsche have made.
100%I think the Chinese brands are largely underrated due to xenophobia, ignorance and a lack of first hand experience.
That Xiaomi supersaloon looks as good as anything Porsche have made.
cerb4.5lee said:
I often think that Nissan are not always appreciated/underrated a bit. I've only 2 Nissan's, the S14a 200SX and the 370Z Roadster, but I've fell in love with both of them though for example. I think they're both great cars, and Nissan deserve much credit for them in my opinion.
Overrated I'd probably say VW, and I'm not sure how they manage to sell as many cars as the do(especially nowadays). I've had a couple of VW Tiguan's as hire cars for example, and neither of them left a great impression on me really.
Agree that the 200SX and Z cars are very underrated vs. say BMW/Porsche but not so sure about the big sellers, Qashqai, Juke etc. P10/P11 Primera was by far the best 90s repmobile IMHO but sold in significantly smaller numbers than Cavalier/Vectra/Mondeo.Overrated I'd probably say VW, and I'm not sure how they manage to sell as many cars as the do(especially nowadays). I've had a couple of VW Tiguan's as hire cars for example, and neither of them left a great impression on me really.
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