Cars that "devalued" the brand...
Discussion
LuS1fer said:
Herbs said:
Not quite true - there are plenty around if you look.
VW Up, DS3, Fiat 124 spider, Cactus, Adam, Mito amongst others, hell even a Duster could be considered cute for some people.
They may not be your cup of tea but they still exist and that is without mentioning the slightly more premium A1, S1, 1 Series etc.
None of them are cute. The DS3 and Adam are sold as more premium products and the rest are pretty gopping.VW Up, DS3, Fiat 124 spider, Cactus, Adam, Mito amongst others, hell even a Duster could be considered cute for some people.
They may not be your cup of tea but they still exist and that is without mentioning the slightly more premium A1, S1, 1 Series etc.
The 124 Spider doesn't work either as that is a retro design to start with, underlining the issue.
While the Cactus fills the utilitarian brief, it started off vaguely interesting and has just gone more conformist.
The Lupo was a far better effort than a brick with lights.
The Mito is an upmarket Punto and Audis etc are premium prices.
I think the best argument against myself was the Fiesta Mk 7.
Red 4 said:
Ford Sierra.
As a replacement for the mk5 Cortina it was not well received at the time.
FN2 Civic Type R.
Not considered a true Type R by many - feels fat and bloated compared to an EP3.
Suspension set up considered a backward step. No increase in BHP ( same engine ).
The Sierra was slow to be accepted, but it was one of the biggest car design move since enclosed wings. As a replacement for the mk5 Cortina it was not well received at the time.
FN2 Civic Type R.
Not considered a true Type R by many - feels fat and bloated compared to an EP3.
Suspension set up considered a backward step. No increase in BHP ( same engine ).
white_goodman said:
..... The Fiesta/Focus/Mondeo seemed to have somehow gained an air of middle-class respectability, rather than being looked down on as a bit "downmarket" like they used to be....
Sorry, I disagree. They were always middle class, it is only since merc and bmw became cheaper those brands have devalued perception wise. My grandparents were both GPs. They drove fords.
Growing up going to a mediumly expensive school, most of the parents had ford Granadas, Carltons and Senators, and Volvos, they were the executive cars of the day.
BMW and Mercs were the cost of a small house and were really quite unusual compared to today. The 635 was twice the price of a ferrari.
Interestingly, my great great grandfather was great mates with Herbert Austin. At one point, he had an Austin 7, he also had a chauffeur. Apparently they were both powerfully built and barely fitted in the car together!
Wooda80 said:
Touring442 said:
Porsche makes most of its money from the Cayenne, more so than the sports cars, 911 especially. The inner old fart in me wishes Porsche only made Sports cars, Jaguar made really lovely saloons that you'd almost cross the road to admire, Aston Martin was still owned by an eccentric oil billionaire content to lose money on every car just because, and so on.
The USP has gone from so many car marques now.
I know you don't intend it, but if you had your wish then sadly those marques would have disappeared in their entirety by now tooThe USP has gone from so many car marques now.
CubanPete said:
AlonzoHarris said:
Non AMG cars don’t have any external or internal badging as far as I’m aware? Perhaps some mats.
BMW have the M sport brand with M badges everywhere, as do Audi with their S line branded cars.
My msport doesn't have any external badging. HTH. BMW have the M sport brand with M badges everywhere, as do Audi with their S line branded cars.
And they take the p*** out of X Types.
LuS1fer said:
I was behind a C Class Merc the other evening. He had fitted an illuminated Merc badge and a quite horrendous aftermarket plastic AMG badge which lit up a bright white, making it illegal.
And they take the p*** out of X Types.
I wouldn't be remotely surprised if that sAnd they take the p*** out of X Types.
t was from the factory. It's not much tackier than the downlighters on the wing mirrors that project the mercedes logo.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff