Are German cars still cool?
Discussion
V8RX7 said:
Mr Tidy said:
my 2006 BMW Z4 Coupe drives as well as it looks.
It does - ugly thing with stability control, traction control, throttle delay, ABS, clutch delay...
But the world would be a dull place if we all liked the same thing.
bennettse2025 said:
I agree, particularly with the Golf R. A friend of mine is test driving a couple Rs this weekend. He's always wanted one. I get it on paper: power, good MPG for what it is, practical for city driving etc etc. But it's so 'meh' in my eyes. I can think of plenty of other things I'd rather sink c.20k into than that. If anything, I think the GTI is cooler than the R, and the R estate cooler than both because you just don't see them all that often, but it appears that my view doesn't fit in with my late 20s contemporaries who all seem to think the R is exceedingly cool. Maybe it's a generational thing and I'm a generation ahead at heart 
Much of the coolness of a car depends on who drives it, and unfortunately the Golf R seems to have become the car of choice for people with a fair amount of disposable cash who just want "the best Golf" despite not really knowing anything about cars or driving. This is no doubt testament to VW's achievement in combining a fairly high degree of practicality with pretty blistering performance by anyone's standard, to create what could almost be called a proper family car that's also an absolute point-to-point weapon, and very easy to drive fast. The fact that VW have made the R-Line Golfs look so similar is the final nail in the coffin.I know the above is an elitist thing to say but I still reckon it's true. I'll show my age by saying I can remember when Imprezas were cool, before they depreciated enough to end up in the realm of performance chavwagon.
bimmerdaddy said:
bennettse2025 said:
I agree, particularly with the Golf R. A friend of mine is test driving a couple Rs this weekend. He's always wanted one. I get it on paper: power, good MPG for what it is, practical for city driving etc etc. But it's so 'meh' in my eyes. I can think of plenty of other things I'd rather sink c.20k into than that. If anything, I think the GTI is cooler than the R, and the R estate cooler than both because you just don't see them all that often, but it appears that my view doesn't fit in with my late 20s contemporaries who all seem to think the R is exceedingly cool. Maybe it's a generational thing and I'm a generation ahead at heart
Much of the coolness of a car depends on who drives it, and unfortunately the Golf R seems to have become the car of choice for people with a fair amount of disposable cash who just want "the best Golf" despite not really knowing anything about cars or driving. This is no doubt testament to VW's achievement in combining a fairly high degree of practicality with pretty blistering performance by anyone's standard, to create what could almost be called a proper family car that's also an absolute point-to-point weapon, and very easy to drive fast. The fact that VW have made the R-Line Golfs look so similar is the final nail in the coffin.I know the above is an elitist thing to say but I still reckon it's true. I'll show my age by saying I can remember when Imprezas were cool, before they depreciated enough to end up in the realm of performance chavwagon.
He's currently driving a Mk6 GTD, which at the time of purchase he also thought was the epitome of coolness. Something tells me that now half the street has one, the middle aged women in his HR department all have one, all of a sudden the R is the one to have and the GTD has to go. Far be it from me to tell him what to buy, it's his money after all (actually it's the finance company's money but that's a rant for a different thread), and I will be a tad envious when he gets it just because of the power of the thing, but the coolness of the R does seem to be entirely the creation of who is seen driving it rather than stem from the qualities of the car itself.
An i3 is very cool to me as is the i8 can't think of another currently available Audi/VW/BMW/Merc car that is cool though, they are all either trying too hard or not at all, maybe with the exception of an AMG GT coupe, a base one without the wings and spoilers and the G wagen can't forget that one.
The old E63S and F10 M5 CP were cool nearly 600hp going through the rear wheels, built for fun rather than minimising 0-60 times so they're cool but not available anymore, the new ones can be configured to allow RWD only but it seems contrived in an AWD car so not cool in my eyes.
The old E63S and F10 M5 CP were cool nearly 600hp going through the rear wheels, built for fun rather than minimising 0-60 times so they're cool but not available anymore, the new ones can be configured to allow RWD only but it seems contrived in an AWD car so not cool in my eyes.
te.C70R said:
German brands are still hugely aspirational for the masses, so that makes them "cool" by any definition you can think of...
They aspire to them to impress others although the sad truth is that most people are not impressed by the local "RentaWagen" fraternity. I suspoect more would nod approvingly at a Volvo.A bit like a gold medallion or a signet ring and heavy jewellery. Never impresses anyone...
I think it just went wrong for German cars when they became a commodity due to cheap finance deals.
People could afford the finance payments so everyone now has one, some of the original rarer halo cars are still cool but the newer halo cars ones aren't in the same league as they are quicker versions of an underlying dull, unsatisfying car.
People could afford the finance payments so everyone now has one, some of the original rarer halo cars are still cool but the newer halo cars ones aren't in the same league as they are quicker versions of an underlying dull, unsatisfying car.
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