The Difference between "Cheap" vs "Inexpensive"

[Vanatic]

Some carmakers fail to learn the difference between "Cheap" and "Inexpensive" cars.

Heres a very good example of a "Cheap" car, the Proton Satria Neo

Badly designed and with an interior built with the cheapest plastic known to mankind.

And compare that to a very, very, very nice Inexpensive car, the Mazda 3.

Very similar in price but the Mazda is a beautiful car with a really nicely built and designed interior.

I've sat in both of these cars before, the mazda was very comfortable with really nice legroom and seats. Meanwhile the proton felt like my legs were going to fall off.

Post your examples of automakers failing to see the difference between these two.
(Yes, I got the idea from the Jalopnik Article )

 

[CSMDuty11]

You know, this is a bad example to Russians, New cars aren't inexpensive, they are infact, quite the opposite.
That or most of us Russians have a phobia to cars of 2014.

 

[Keef]

The new Mazda 3 is only inexpensive on the grand scale. Compared to its competitors, its one of the more expensive offerings. Of course, it's also nicer in my opinion. It's definitely not cheap but honestly it's not very inexpensive either.

Here's a better example of cheap vs. inexpensive:

While the Versa is slightly less expensive than the Fit, it's much cheaper. It's a piece of crap, frankly. It got to the point where Nissan was giving one away free with the purchase of a new Titan pickup. Even the base model 2011 Honda Fit was much nicer than the "nicest" 2011 Nissan Versa.

 

[Slash]

Cheap cars tend to be throwaway cars.

 

[Grayfox]

You know, this is a bad example to Russians, New cars aren't inexpensive, they are infact, quite the opposite.
That or most of us Russians have a phobia to cars of 2014.

Isn't it cause you will have some twit in a VAZ 2107 rear end you when you get off the lot?

 

[Tornado]

A car built from the start to a certain price point is inexpensive. A car built to a higher price point and then savagely chopped down to fit in a lower one is cheap. See Fit vs. Versa above. Or "Most American cars from 1980 to around 2010"

 

[GranTurismo916]

Really cheap car:

 

[VXR]

Where in the world were the Satria Neo and Mazda 3 similarly priced?

 

[synchromesh]

Cheap:

Inexpensive:

 

[RocZX]

Cheap:

Inexpensive:

 

[Vanatic]

Where in the world were the Satria Neo and Mazda 3 similarly priced?

In my country the Satria starts around 650k and tops out at around 850k. The mazda is around 800k with the exception of the one top model being 1 million

 

[Legro]

Cheap: Hyundai i30

Inexpensive: Skoda Rapid Spaceback

 

[CSMDuty11]

Isn't it cause you will have some twit in a VAZ 2107 rear end you when you get off the lot?

The Peugeot 408(yes, 408.) that appeared a few days ago doesn't seem to have a problem with angry VAZez hitting it, or GAZez.

 

[SomePlayaDude]

If we're stuck at hatchbacks for comparisons, I don't think I'll be hanging around long.

 

[RDF97]

Cheap: Hyundai i30View attachment 241151

From what I have seen that is by no means "cheap". That is inexpensive. 10 years ago a Hyundai was cheap, now they are massively worth every dollar you spend. They are inexpensive.[/

 

[Legro]

From what I have seen that is by no means "cheap". That is inexpensive. 10 years ago a Hyundai was cheap, now they are massively worth every dollar you spend. They are inexpensive.

Have you ever been inside one? They have one of the worst interiors you can buy in Finland. The rest of the car isn't that bad, but you can buy the Skoda which is much better car for less money.

 

[Xilor]

I think the crown for the cheapest, most horrid car goes to this thing, at least on this side of the pond:

Just look at that interior, its much worse then the Proton IMO.

 

[RDF97]

Have you ever been inside one? They have one of the worst interiors you can buy in Finland. The rest of the car isn't that bad, but you can buy the Skoda which is much better car for less money.

I'm not going to lie, I haven't been in a Skoda so I can't really give my opinion on them but I have been in an i30(last gen) the interior was a bit bland but the new one seems much better. But what do you mean worst interior. Do you mean it looks bad compared to other cars or are you reffering the interior quality is bad?

 

[Legro]

I'm not going to lie, I haven't been in a Skoda so I can't really give my opinion on them but I have been in an i30(last gen) the interior was a bit bland but the new one seems much better. But what do you mean worst interior. Do you mean it looks bad compared to other cars or are you reffering the interior quality is bad?

The plastic is cheap, much cheaper than in other cars in the class, plastic in Hyundai feels almost as bad as in Dacia Sandero which is almost 10,000€ less money, at least here.

 

[Kent]

Very interesting topic.
+1.

That said, I'm probably one of the only people who looks at hard plastics as a durable surface prepared for the clean up that follows passengers who don't give a ********** about the car they ride in, whether it be children, drunk adults, or just plain (edit: this word passed the swear filter and I'm removing it lol). Hard plastics have their place in the market.

I'm more concerned with the attention to geometry in the cockpit. Does the seat feel good, does the armrest line up, does the shifter is right?

Interiors can make or break a car and often times I get the impression that I don't look for the same thing as The Masses.

 

[Beeblebrox237]

The plastic is cheap, much cheaper than in other cars in the class, plastic in Hyundai feels almost as bad as in Dacia Sandero which is almost 10,000€ less money, at least here.

We owned a Hyundai Elantra (the NA market saloon version) for 2 years and actually found the interior to be a very nice place to be. The chassis was awful, but it was quite a nice place to sit for 400 miles.

 

[Legro]

We owned a Hyundai Elantra (the NA market saloon version) for 2 years and actually found the interior to be a very nice place to be. The chassis was awful, but it was quite a nice place to sit for 400 miles.

I don't know about modern Elantra as it's not sold here, but its interior looks like modern Ford interior, so it might be nice place to be.

 

[Beeblebrox237]

I don't know about modern Elantra as it's not sold here, but its interior looks like modern Ford interior, so it might be nice place to be.

They're quite similar. If anything, the Elantra is probably a bit cheaper inside.

 

[Mark II Blit]

The plastic is cheap, much cheaper than in other cars in the class, plastic in Hyundai feels almost as bad as in Dacia Sandero which is almost 10,000€ less money, at least here.

That's an exaggeration. The design of the i30 interior is a matter of taste, but the quality is on par with the competitors from Ford, Honda and Renault. The basic model doesn't yield the same feeling of exclusivity as a Golf, but it is still a well-rounded and refined car. It was built to compete with the Golf at a slightly lower price point, and it does so quite admirably.

On the other hand, the Rapid, at least in the Danish reviews I've read, has been panned for being a step backwards in perceived quality for Skoda. It is Octavia-sized but built to a price point closer to a Fabia, and it pulls it off by skimping on quality and refinement, resulting in cheap interior plastics and a coarse ride quality. Only the base Octavia really compares to the i30.

I think you've got it the wrong way around.

 

[Legro]

That's an exaggeration. The design of the i30 interior is a matter of taste, but the quality is on par with the competitors from Ford, Honda and Renault. The basic model doesn't yield the same feeling of exclusivity as a Golf, but it is still a well-rounded and refined car. It was built to compete with the Golf at a slightly lower price point, and it does so quite admirably.

On the other hand, the Rapid, at least in the Danish reviews I've read, has been panned for being a step backwards in perceived quality for Skoda. It is Octavia-sized but built to a price point closer to a Fabia, and it pulls it off by skimping on quality and refinement, resulting in cheap interior plastics and a coarse ride quality. Only the base Octavia really compares to the i30.

So, I think you've got it the wrong way round.

Reviews in Finland said that the Rapid is the same VAG quality product as Golf for less money. While i30 reviews say that the it has quite rough interior, there is quite a lot of interior noise and it has bad ride quality.

I still think that while Kia has gotten their quality to same level as their competitors, many Hyundais give bit less than other cars for same money.

 

[niky]

Are we talking about the same Hyundai interior quality that had VW executives in a tizzy over how Hyundai was able to implement a better telescoping steering mechanism than VW at a lower price?

Hyundai may sometimes use cheap plastic, but their fit and finish nowadays is exceptional. The new i10, for one, has been getting rave reviews for how its interior compares to the Up!... I like the car, but sadly, it's a bit expensive over here.

-

The Mirage is always going to get mentioned in threads like this. But over here, it's about $2k cheaper than any competitor that matters, thanks the the ASEAN free trade zone... so who cares if the plastics suck? And wherever you are in the world, you've got to appreciate a car that'll do 60 mpg.... even if it does handle like a boat.

In my country the Satria starts around 650k and tops out at around 850k. The mazda is around 800k with the exception of the one top model being 1 million

That's still a 23% difference, base model to base model. Nearly the same difference between a pre-model change base Mazda3 and the base Mazda2 here.

Where in the world were the Satria Neo and Mazda 3 similarly priced?

Some alternate universe where Malaysia doesn't impose a million percent tax on non-Malaysian cars?

 

[Legro]

Okay I got the point. Hyundai interior quality isn't as bad as it used to be.

 

[Vanatic]

Cheap:

Vs

Inexpensive

 

[Legro]

Neither of those cars are cheap, both of them have quite nice interior and in Finland both of them cost much more than they should.

 

[Vanatic]

Neither of those cars are cheap, both of them have quite nice interior and in Finland both of them cost much more than they should.

The base model of both of those cost more than what a top of the line C class costs in the US. The Thai government sees them as "luxury cars" and tax them more. Why? Because they say luxury cars are a waste of money for the Thai people. Wouldn't making it cost more make it even more of a waste of money?