Wouldn't it be cool if you could pick one of these cars?
- Thread starter sn00pie
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Hmm...
I must admit I tend to approach this 'polls' as if I got the car now in my real life position, and had to live with it day to day - hence my selection of the R33 4 door GT-R in the other thread about 'if you could have one car...', because I always wanted a GT-R, but my need to cart visitors about (we seem to be everyone's interstate accomodation) dictates four doors.
So, on that basis, the bulk of the cars listed above are simply too big for me - the only three that qualify are the Volvo, the Jaguar and the Passat.
The Volvo - well, I drive an AWD car that's proper AWD, not front drive until the front slips. I don't care for front drive, and I don't particularly want to go back
The Jag - don't mind the S-Type, but don't particularly lust after it either
The Passat - not a real big fan of VWs, although a W8 4motion would be nice. I could definitely live with one of those.
I must admit I tend to approach this 'polls' as if I got the car now in my real life position, and had to live with it day to day - hence my selection of the R33 4 door GT-R in the other thread about 'if you could have one car...', because I always wanted a GT-R, but my need to cart visitors about (we seem to be everyone's interstate accomodation) dictates four doors.
So, on that basis, the bulk of the cars listed above are simply too big for me - the only three that qualify are the Volvo, the Jaguar and the Passat.
The Volvo - well, I drive an AWD car that's proper AWD, not front drive until the front slips. I don't care for front drive, and I don't particularly want to go back
The Jag - don't mind the S-Type, but don't particularly lust after it either
The Passat - not a real big fan of VWs, although a W8 4motion would be nice. I could definitely live with one of those.
If I was to receive it today and had to live with it, yeah, pretty much. I hate SUVs, I can't see the sense of paying for the heavy fuel usage of the big sedans like the Lexus and the A8, I don't like the current E class Merc (new one looks good though), I can take or leave the Jag, I don't like Volvos (like the new styling, but they don't handle) and I'm actually not a big fan of the Passat, so I'm left with little choice.
It's a pretty odd selection of vehicles, though. I doubt the A8 designers were thinking of the Cherokee at any point of its development.
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GilesGuthrie
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The Phaeton has been released to the press, so it should be imminent.
As for the popularity of the A8, well, firstly the poll includes neither the S class or the 7 series, so you can't compare results for the A8 with those cars using this poll.
As for why the Mercedes and the BMW outsell it by so much, I really don't know. I can't answer the question. Sometimes I wonder whether if I were actually in a position to buy one of those cars, would I go and drive all three and come away thinking the Audi is rubbish? Probably not. Personally, I'm an Audi-phile, not to the same extent as MazKid is with Mazdas, but I would take an Audi over pretty much any like-for-like competitor.
In design terms, the new 7 series is a joke. One of the reviewers in the UK said the boot looked like the result of letting a bunch of baboons loose with a welding rig. They say that I-Drive is the last word in reducing complexity - well, I disagree. Putting 140 functions on a single knob does not make for an easy life.
Styling-wise, the S-Class is a marvel in getting a big car to look small. Not much else going for it, although it is supposed to be a pretty damn fine car in almost every area.
But the A8 is just lovely, inside and out. Its proportions are all right - it looks like it's meant to be the size it is, unlike the Lexus, which says "yeah, I'm a big car and **** you", the Merc, which says "No no, I'm not big. Please don't think I'm big", and the BMW, which says "Who cares about size? I'm UGLY".
It's all personal preference, and mine is for the Audi.
Audi doesn't have the same long history of making luxury cars as Mercedes and BMW do. Mercedes' reputation goes back more than 100 years. BMW probably goes into the 1970's. Audi only tried reaching into the luxury market in the mid 1980's, after their WRC success. Very few people have grown up on Audi's, and those that have see them as tarted-up VW's (which they mostly were). They were more competitive with Volvo and Saab. Couple that with marketing: Mercedes feeding on long tradition; BMW's M$-esque locomotive press of "Ultimate Driving Machine"; and Audi's...well, does anyone remember any Audi ads prior to 1990? I sure don't. It was crap marketing, and there wasn't enough of it. Audi is -- relatively speaking -- just getting started. And now they'll be supplanted by VW, but hopefully moving back to motorsport (S4, RS6, S8, etc.).
Originally posted by M5Power
It's got nothing to do with length of time on the market.
Audi has been on since the '80's, as you pointed out, but Lexus has only been on since 1990 (and only making the big luxury
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If it had something to do with length of time on the market, the A4 wouldn't be selling, too, and I think its popularity in the last
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The real thing is brand prestige. I couldn't name anyone I currently know (except Giles, apparently) who would rather be seen driving an Audi than a Mercedes or BMW (though it seems no one wants to be seen in the 7-series!]).
Yes, the real thing is brand prestige. But that comes from many things, of which perception is of utmost importance. Audi, like Saab, has a long history of being a second-tier European manufacturer. Then all-of-a-sudden in 1995 they want to move upmarket with the A8. But they don't advertise it. In the US, I can't remember one single A8 ad. I've seen tons of TT, A4, S4, and allroad ads (all of which are only since 2000), but nothing for their flagship. During the same time, I've seen billboards plastered with S-Class, E-Class, CL-Class, and -- of course -- 5- and 7-series posters, not to mention what's on TV. Then there's the movie tie-ins, music videos...it's a long list. (Having grown up in the house that advertising built, I have a different "appreciation" for marketing.) Lexus and Infiniti bombarded the US public with esoteric (and downright arrogant) bits about how their brand was so prestigious as to be somewhat holy. Come to think of it, Audi was still Saab-with-AWD until the modern A4 debuted, which puts it at 1996. Far short even of Lexus'. So it seems to be a mix of short lead time and lack of spreading the word.
The A4 doesn't fit into this category; more like the Saab/Volvo arena, where price actually matters to people.
I truly believe (and despise) in the power of marketing. I can sum it up in one word: Microsoft.
I'd only prefer an S8 for reasons concerning my ridiculous VAG loyalty. I'm still looking for the new S4 (my new daily driver, right?).
