What 6 car manufacturers do you have the most affinity with?
Discussion
I try to be as objective as I can with cars, not carry over any prejudices but like in all aspects of life (clothing, food, drink, electrical/audio equipment etc), there are brands that I am more drawn to and have more of an affinity/fondness with for varying reasons. So what would those 6 car manufacturers/brands be for you and why? Here are mine.
1) Ford - this is mostly an age thing, as growing up in Britain in the 80s you were either team Ford, team Vauxhall or team Austin Rover and I was definitely team Ford. Why? Probably because of the Capri, XR Fords and RS Turbos and of course the Cosworth! They may not have been the best in every sector but they probably had the best marketing team, the most clearly defined hierarchy within the model range and each model line (L, LX, GL, Ghia etc) and their brochures were something else. You got a glossy book with all the models in it and a double page spread for each trim level, so I spent hours poring over what you got in an Escort LX over an L for example and a Ghia/Ghia X specification was properly posh and everyone that grew up in Britain in the 80s has a Ford memory don't they? Latterly, I think that Ford defined mass market excellence with the Fiesta/Focus/Mondeo over multiple generations (less successful with the more niche stuff IMHO), so it's a shame that they don't make any of those models any more. Embarrassingly, I have never owned a Ford but I have driven and enjoyed plenty of them and could see myself have being a serial Ford buyer if it had not been for my next choice and I had passed my test at a time when the ones that I could have afforded to buy and insure (early 90s Fiesta/Escort) had been any good.
2) Volkswagen - I always loved classic Beetles as a kid but my enthusiasm for Volkswagen came relatively late (in my 20s) but like Ford, they just nailed their core products (Polo/Golf/Passat) consistently, had the best massmarket turbodiesel engine in the PD TDI and I loved the consistency in feel/ergonomics/quality between the different models. I have owned more Volkswagens than any other make of car (4 I think but a lot more if you include company cars). Had a mk2 Golf, a mk4 Golf, 2 mk5 Golfs and a mk7 Golf. The mk7 (a petrol automatic estate) was by far the best all-round car that I have owned and for the first time I am tempted to get another (maybe a GTD) but the one that I had was a bit of a unicorn spec and had pretty much every option box ticked (leather, heated seats, pan roof, adaptive cruise etc), so I have yet to find one with a comparable spec! Not so keen on their most recent output but I could look at a SEAT/Skoda as an alternative, as I don't see why I would like them any less and I'm sure that I would feel just as "at home".
3) and 4) I will group these together but Honda and Mazda. Pick a different era and I'm sure that I could make an argument for Toyota and Nissan instead but if I was in the market for a new ICE car that I wanted to keep for a long time and for it to last, I would without question pick either of these. If you just want a high quality, functional car, the current Civic/CRV hybrid are very difficult to fault, I think that Honda quality is every bit as good as Toyota's but the cars have always been a bit more quirky and interesting with stuff like 4 valves per cylinder, VTEC and double wishbone suspension before anyone else was offering it. Mazda have a bit more of a chequered past with Skyactiv diesel, rotary engine and rust issues but generally I just think that modern Mazdas look great, drive great, feel quite "premium" and Mazda don't follow trends, go their own way and are all the better for it ie larger NA engine vs downsized turbo engine, torque converter autos over CVTs/DCTs etc. A great back catalogue too though with multiple generations of MX5/RX7s etc.
5) BMW - Again not so keen on their more recent output but I quite like the Neue Klasse, so maybe they'll get back on track but for a 20+ year period, BMW could do no wrong in my eyes and the combination of RWD, those creamy straight six engines, a manual gearbox and crisp styling in a practical, daily usable package was something that you couldn't really get elsewhere. My E30 325i is probably my favourite car that I have owned and ergonomically brilliant. I really fancy an older Mercedes from the 80s/90s at the moment but nothing they make these days jives with me and my fondness for BMW has been a longer-term one.
6) Jaguar - Again, never owned but been in quite a few and found them lovely. Cosy luxury vs the more sterile environment of their German counterparts and a cossetting ride without too much dynamic compromise. I've never been that into saloons but I've always lusted after an XJ, maybe an F-Type. Sadly I'll probably never be able to afford any of their new products but a Jaguar was always the "nice" car for me that I might be able to afford one day (whereas an Aston Martin or a Ferrari didn't really seem that realistic). Such a cool brand in the post-war era too.
So what (up to 6) car manufacturers/brands do you have the most affinity/fondness with?
1) Ford - this is mostly an age thing, as growing up in Britain in the 80s you were either team Ford, team Vauxhall or team Austin Rover and I was definitely team Ford. Why? Probably because of the Capri, XR Fords and RS Turbos and of course the Cosworth! They may not have been the best in every sector but they probably had the best marketing team, the most clearly defined hierarchy within the model range and each model line (L, LX, GL, Ghia etc) and their brochures were something else. You got a glossy book with all the models in it and a double page spread for each trim level, so I spent hours poring over what you got in an Escort LX over an L for example and a Ghia/Ghia X specification was properly posh and everyone that grew up in Britain in the 80s has a Ford memory don't they? Latterly, I think that Ford defined mass market excellence with the Fiesta/Focus/Mondeo over multiple generations (less successful with the more niche stuff IMHO), so it's a shame that they don't make any of those models any more. Embarrassingly, I have never owned a Ford but I have driven and enjoyed plenty of them and could see myself have being a serial Ford buyer if it had not been for my next choice and I had passed my test at a time when the ones that I could have afforded to buy and insure (early 90s Fiesta/Escort) had been any good.
2) Volkswagen - I always loved classic Beetles as a kid but my enthusiasm for Volkswagen came relatively late (in my 20s) but like Ford, they just nailed their core products (Polo/Golf/Passat) consistently, had the best massmarket turbodiesel engine in the PD TDI and I loved the consistency in feel/ergonomics/quality between the different models. I have owned more Volkswagens than any other make of car (4 I think but a lot more if you include company cars). Had a mk2 Golf, a mk4 Golf, 2 mk5 Golfs and a mk7 Golf. The mk7 (a petrol automatic estate) was by far the best all-round car that I have owned and for the first time I am tempted to get another (maybe a GTD) but the one that I had was a bit of a unicorn spec and had pretty much every option box ticked (leather, heated seats, pan roof, adaptive cruise etc), so I have yet to find one with a comparable spec! Not so keen on their most recent output but I could look at a SEAT/Skoda as an alternative, as I don't see why I would like them any less and I'm sure that I would feel just as "at home".
3) and 4) I will group these together but Honda and Mazda. Pick a different era and I'm sure that I could make an argument for Toyota and Nissan instead but if I was in the market for a new ICE car that I wanted to keep for a long time and for it to last, I would without question pick either of these. If you just want a high quality, functional car, the current Civic/CRV hybrid are very difficult to fault, I think that Honda quality is every bit as good as Toyota's but the cars have always been a bit more quirky and interesting with stuff like 4 valves per cylinder, VTEC and double wishbone suspension before anyone else was offering it. Mazda have a bit more of a chequered past with Skyactiv diesel, rotary engine and rust issues but generally I just think that modern Mazdas look great, drive great, feel quite "premium" and Mazda don't follow trends, go their own way and are all the better for it ie larger NA engine vs downsized turbo engine, torque converter autos over CVTs/DCTs etc. A great back catalogue too though with multiple generations of MX5/RX7s etc.
5) BMW - Again not so keen on their more recent output but I quite like the Neue Klasse, so maybe they'll get back on track but for a 20+ year period, BMW could do no wrong in my eyes and the combination of RWD, those creamy straight six engines, a manual gearbox and crisp styling in a practical, daily usable package was something that you couldn't really get elsewhere. My E30 325i is probably my favourite car that I have owned and ergonomically brilliant. I really fancy an older Mercedes from the 80s/90s at the moment but nothing they make these days jives with me and my fondness for BMW has been a longer-term one.
6) Jaguar - Again, never owned but been in quite a few and found them lovely. Cosy luxury vs the more sterile environment of their German counterparts and a cossetting ride without too much dynamic compromise. I've never been that into saloons but I've always lusted after an XJ, maybe an F-Type. Sadly I'll probably never be able to afford any of their new products but a Jaguar was always the "nice" car for me that I might be able to afford one day (whereas an Aston Martin or a Ferrari didn't really seem that realistic). Such a cool brand in the post-war era too.
So what (up to 6) car manufacturers/brands do you have the most affinity/fondness with?
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