Now that the "Car Of The Year" awards have started to appear in the media once again, the idea of ranking the main car manufacturers was suggested to me the other day. It's probably going to be a little controversial, but I thought I'd give it a run!
If I were to rank the carmakers, I'd really have to lay down the criteria I'm using to get an "accurate" result. The problem with that is that I don't really know how to quantify those criteria; included in the list would be quality, power, handling, general feel, styling, comfort, value for money and pricing, and other people's perceptions (and thus resale value). I'm leaning more towards a "gut feel" thing (and there's a lot to feel!); a feeling which is no doubt an amorphous conglomeration of all of the above, mixed up in who-knows-what proportions!
So I suspect most of you will disagree with me. Everyone has different views; witness the rivalry between the fans of makes like Ford (Australia) and Holden. And I know that carmakers have slightly different public images around the world. If you haven't already realised, this disclaimer is an attempt to cover my backside in anticipation of the incoming howls of wrath...
To start at the bottom of the list, you'd have to be casting around for the newer makes from some of the countries that have only recently started exporting. The reason these companies make vehicles that are a little below the rest of the world is budget-based. Many of them build slightly reskinned or rebadged versions of old Japanese or European cars; one of them builds a WWII Jeep! I'm thinking of Mahindra, Proton, and makers of that ilk. Of course, I'm probably forgetting some of the Cold War makers from Eastern Europe 'cos they never exported here; the Trabant must be one of the scariest vehicles to be produced recently.
Above that level, there are Kia, Daewoo, Seat and Hyundai. In that order, I think ... these four are improving all the time, but I've yet to see anything inspiring out of the Korean makers (apart from a few jokes about missing welds in Excel suspensions!). Seat would have been lower on the list, but their successes in rallying, and the cool idea of sticking the 110kW 2.0 litre engine in what's basically a stretched rebodied Polo (the Ibiza GTi Cupra Sport), have pushed them up a little in my estimation.
Next up the list I'd have to be looking to Italy; Ferrari, Fiat, Alfa Romeo. Considering the new products we're just starting to get a glimpse of in Australia, Alfa Romeo and Fiat may in fact be better than this. But those old days of rotting sandwiches inside Alfa Romeo and Fiat body panels still cast a long shadow. And OK, so I've never been impressed by Ferraris ...
I think Chrysler, Jeep, Suzuki and Daihatsu come next. They're cheap and cheerful compared to others in their respective markets; but in comparison to the competition, their cars are generally just a little daggy with a few rough edges. They probably go forever, but they're a little uncouth; witness Cherokee vs Landcruiser Prado, Vitara vs RAV4, and those other little rollerskate thingies that are great in the inner city.
Next I go to Britain for Daimler, Jaguar, and the Rover group in general (eg Range Rover, Landrover, Rover, M.G.). The quality of Jaguar products is probably better than the Rover ones, but for the money I'd also expect more... Although I was being picky at the last Motor Show, for the first time I couldn't fault - in any way at all - the Jag I was in, even after an extended visual inspection. But gut feel holds strong... Same with the Rover group in general; I've not actually seen a modern Rover, but Landrover and MG seem to be picking up their heels a little in my estimation (although I'm sure BMW would prefer they did it more quickly!).
I think Aston Martin and Lotus deserve to be next. Unfortunately, I can't talk from personal experience here ... but there's a feeling that some unsavoury lack of quality might have been swept under the carpet, and is ready to jump out and bite you. Such beasts as the Elise always compensate, of course!!
I'll jump the channel again, and go back to Citroen. Citroen is another unknown quantity in this country, having been priced out by shocking taxes. They're only starting to claw their way back with interesting cars like the Xantia. Again, they suffer in my mind from the tackiness of the late 80's BX16's and BX19's!
I've got to stick Holden and Ford next on the pile. Putting them up this high is going to make someone spit the contents of their coffee mug all over their PC in shock, but it's hard to beat the longevity, power and space of a Falcon or Commodore for the Australian price. And really, it's 'Commodore' or 'Falcon' that people in this country generally think about when someone says Holden or Ford ... almost any other popular Holden- or Ford-branded car they've had was originally an Suzuki, Opel, or Mazda!
Saab and Peugeot are next. On hard evidence they're great, reliable makes; and Peugeot have a few really nice models. But again, hearsay and those stories from years ago that had owners forking out thousands to fix cars from both the 9000 and 405 spring to mind.
Mitsubishi seem to do things properly, but the cars they sell here have a feeling of being Cheap. Mirage, Lancer, Nimbus (Chariot) and Magna/Verada (Diamante) all seem reliable but plastics and switchgear always seem a little tacky, and things just feel too light and insubstantial. That's why Mazda now comes next; they used to make really solid-feeling cars, but the new 323 Protégé and Astina (Lantis) feel less substantial that the first of the bubble 121's.
And what have they done with the styling on the 121 (Demio) and Astina (Lantis)? Yuk!
Nissan is next, and here's where I think I might split with the greater community in the biggest way - those who remember the Datsun days too well. But the 200SX and Pulsar seem to be nicely made and even fun cars. Not to mention Skylines; any R34 turbo variant would do me nicely, thankyou very much!
Volkswagen slot in here. They may even deserve better these days, but when I see a new Beetle the question "why?" drops them back into this position.
Toyota just scrapes in next, with Subaru a step ahead and Honda just ahead again. Toyotas go forever, but lately they're pretty dull; why don't they do a GT4 Corolla? Subaru are laughing with their own "GT4" version of the Impreza; but the Impreza feels a little cheap, despite the WRX being such fun. The Liberty (Legacy) is, however, a really good solid car, which is almost as well made as an Accord but for a lot less money. Honda still make nice cars, but they seem to have plateauxed about ten years ago, and aren't as far ahead of the opposition as their pricing might suggest.
Now we're getting down to the good stuff. I find it hard to pick between Audi, BMW and Porsche; at least, insofar as "who's the best" is concerned. BMW and Porsche definitely have a higher pose value, and they make faster cars ... but then Audi are making some pretty fine cars as well, without quite as much expense. But I still think that the M3 and 911T make very strong arguments!
So what's left, out of what I've not forgotten? Mercedes-Benz and Lexus deserve to sit on pedestals of the same height, regardless of the relative snob value of a Mercedes. Toyota has really done well with Lexus, their quality is right up there and the cars don't seem too bad to drive either. They're possibly not the bargains that the LS400 was when it came out - at least compared to a Mercedes - but Lexus seem to do the whole car-owning experience really well.
And all that's left is Rolls Royce/Bentley. I don't know why, but nothing can compare to the mystique of a Roller. I don't aspire to owning one 'cos I can't see the value, but everything is just so hand-built and olde-world compared to other cars. It must be the feeling of having a car crafted just for oneself that makes you buy a Rolls Royce (as well as showing how much money you've got, of course), and for me they really pull that image off quite impressively.
Well, there you go. Some of my prejudices and assumptions laid bare. And some of the middle-runners could swap around tomorrow, depending on what I drive. But anyway, I do reckon you'd have to be bloody unlucky to get a dud new car these days!
