Week long test ride

[DRS]

i'm with you on this. When my wife and i were looking for a new car last year, the first person we asked was the head mechanic and long time friend at the shop we take our cars to. We ran some different cars by him to get his thoughts on them. He immediately said don't bother with the euro cars unless your well prepared to keep up with the expensive maintenance, and that too many folks fall into this dream of owning a bmw and never take care of it properly. He then listed his order of preference regarding his top picks for make.

1. Toyota/honda tie
3. Hyundai
4. Ford/mazda tie

he specifically said do not get yourself involved in a chrystler/dodge/jeep vehicle. We pretty much knew what he meant and didn't inquire any further. Granted, a lot of the american car manafacturers have been competing well and making some really nice stuff, but it's hard to shake that bad association with a name brand. Again, only his opinion but being a mechanic for 25+ years i'm sure he's seen his share of car nightmares.

👆👍😎

 

[FastDEW1]

I am a car junkie. I have owned literally over 100 cars in my life between me and my wife. I have had mostly all makes. I have found really good vehicles and pretty sad vehicles in all makes as well. Mostly any American car from before 1995, except the classics (60's and early 70's) were pretty bad. But after that, they have been very good and getting better all the time.

My top 3 brands that have been the most reliable for me personally (in order of reliability):
1) Ford
2) Honda
3) Audi

My bottom 3 brands that have been the least reliable for me personally (in order of how bad they were):
1) Jaguar (worst by FAR)
2) Mercedes (particularly the S550)
3) Jeep

Everything else, including the Hyundai's have been in between for me. I will say that I have only had two Toyota's in my life. One was rock solid. The other was a real piece of crap. So that has been 50/50 for me. Same for Chevrolet, only owned two and it was a 50/50 split.

In terms of the 300 Chrysler, which is where this post originally started I can say the following are better on the 300 over the Genesis (yes, even Gen2):

1) The 300 suspension is much more sorted out than the Genesis. This owes to the 300 roots of the E Class.
2) The 300 is whisper quiet. Yes, the Genesis is as well, but I really think the 300 is better in this area. The 300 is on par with the Lexus LS on this.
3) The 300 has heated and cooled cup holders. Sure, it seems stupid, but I loved the feature.
4) The clarity of the GPS and responsiveness of the touch screen.

The Genesis is better in the following areas than the 300:
1) The dash design and overall function layout is superior
2) The smoothness of the drivetrain. The Hemi is just as strong, but the Tau is silky smooth.
3) The Genesis audio system is better. For sure.
4) The look of the Gen2 (yes, this is subjective).

My highest mileage vehicle with the least problems for sure - A 1996 Ford Aerostar with a 4.0L V6. It was a company truck we had and that served us until we sold it with north of 240,000 miles on it. Never did anything except for oil changes every 10,000 miles, tires, brakes and batteries. The van was always abused by our crews (they work hard) and it never gave us any trouble. We also had a 1996 Ford F350 we bought the same day with a 7.5L V8 which was a total pig for gas, but it never missed a beat and was sold with over 200,000 miles on it.

The least reliable was a 1999 Chevrolet 2500 Crew Cab company truck which I had to lemon law and force GM to buy back before it had 9,000 miles on it. I couldn't keep it working long enough to get a crew to the job sites.

 

[RSPEC429]

For every "this car is s h i t" story, there is an inverse story of the same car saying that "this car is great."

We can pull from personal experiences all we want, but our personal story or stories from friends of friends of friends are in no way representative of an entire make or model. I remain fairly open minded to all vehicles. I buy what I feel best fits my needs. I really don't care what reputation a company has. If they make a compelling vehicle, I will purchase it. Similarly, brand loyalty is a joke. A company is not your friend; they do not care about you nor your feelings so again, I buy whatever best fits my needs.

 

[FastDEW1]

For every "this car is s h i t" story, there is an inverse story of the same car saying that "this car is great."

We can pull from personal experiences all we want, but our personal story or stories from friends of friends of friends are in no way representative of an entire make or model. I remain fairly open minded to all vehicles. I buy what I feel best fits my needs. I really don't care what reputation a company has. If they make a compelling vehicle, I will purchase it. Similarly, brand loyalty is a joke. A company is not your friend; they do not care about you nor your feelings so again, I buy whatever best fits my needs.

Totally agree! But I am partial to Ford and Ram trucks. They seem to last a long time in my business. The Chevy's not so much. Otherwise, I agree completely with you.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

In terms of the 300 Chrysler, which is where this post originally started I can say the following are better on the 300 over the Genesis (yes, even Gen2):

1) The 300 suspension is much more sorted out than the Genesis. This owes to the 300 roots of the E Class.
2) The 300 is whisper quiet. Yes, the Genesis is as well, but I really think the 300 is better in this area. The 300 is on par with the Lexus LS on this.
3) The 300 has heated and cooled cup holders. Sure, it seems stupid, but I loved the feature.
4) The clarity of the GPS and responsiveness of the touch screen.

The Genesis is better in the following areas than the 300:
1) The dash design and overall function layout is superior
2) The smoothness of the drivetrain. The Hemi is just as strong, but the Tau is silky smooth.
3) The Genesis audio system is better. For sure.
4) The look of the Gen2 (yes, this is subjective).

Very interesting comparison. Obviously, the Chrysler 300 isn't the piece of garbage people try to make it out to be. It's an amazing feat to be compared to the Lexus LS in quiet operation. The superior suspension isn't surprising considering it's Mercedes roots.

 

[RSPEC429]

Totally agree! But I am partial to Ford and Ram trucks. They seem to last a long time in my business. The Chevy's not so much. Otherwise, I agree completely with you.

I say what I say, but secretly, I am a Ford guy as well.

 

[FastDEW1]

Very interesting comparison. Obviously, the Chrysler 300 isn't the piece of garbage people try to make it out to be. It's an amazing feat to be compared to the Lexus LS in quiet operation. The superior suspension isn't surprising considering it's Mercedes roots.

I'm referring specifically to its noise on highway from wind and tire. Of course the LS is more refined for sure. But the 300 is very quiet. And it's been noted in publications as having same or lower db readings as LS on highway.

The SRT8 is not as quiet. It is just a beast. Lol. Hope they bring it back to the new model.

 

[craigt]

Don't be so close minded.

Assuming this was directed towards me, just wanted to say thanks. You're right. I should just ignore past sins of companies. I should just ignore integrity and my personal opinion and choices. And while I'm at it, I should dedicate myself to only buy foods from Monsanto.

 

[RSPEC429]

And while I'm at it, I should dedicate myself to only buy foods from Monsanto.

That would be close minded.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

I'm referring specifically to its noise on highway from wind and tire. Of course the LS is more refined for sure. But the 300 is very quiet. And it's been noted in publications as having same or lower db readings as LS on highway.

The SRT8 is not as quiet. It is just a beast. Lol. Hope they bring it back to the new model.

The SRT8 is coming back. The first generation 300 was terrible with road noise. Wind noise wasn't so good either. I haven't driven in a new 300 but those are a couple of very welcome changes...

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[RSPEC429]

http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/driven/1505-2015-chrysler-300-vs-hyundai-genesis-comparison/

Not a bad read.

 

[YEH]

Car and Driver ranks the 300 behind the Toyota Avalon and the Chevrolet Impala in the full size sedan segment: http://www.caranddriver.com/chrysler/300

They rank the Genesis 8th in the mid-size luxury category behind the A6, CTS, E-Class, 5-Series, XF, Ghibli, and GS in that order: http://www.caranddriver.com/hyundai/genesis

Take those ranking as you like. If you place the Genesis in the full size sedan segment, I would wager that the Gennie wipes the floor with the Avalon, Impala and the 300. Place the 300 in the mid-size luxury segment, and I don't see it out-competing an Infiniti Q70, which the Genesis happens to be ahead in C&D's rankings. Again, take those rankings as you see fit.

The Genesis did make C&D's 2015 Editor's Choice list for the mid-size luxury segment - along with the A6, CTS and E Class.

I don't know how they judge their cars but all I needed to see was Chevy Impala #2 and Kia Cadenza #5. What is so good about the Impala to put it so far ahead of the Cadenza (?) - which is a pretty impressive/feature-rich car...

C&D places a premium on handling/tossability which is why the Avalon (due to its lighter weight) placed 1st in C&D's full-size sedan comparison even tho it got a bad score for ride (which is a major no-no for the segment); the biggest detriment of the Cadenza to how C&D looks at things being its weight (compared to the Avalon) and steering feel.

MT takes a more all-around approach in its Big Test comparisons and there - the Cadenza finished 1st, followed by the Impala.

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1307_the_big_test_2013_2014_full_size_sedans/

1st place: Kia Cadenza
A huge value proposition, solid fuel efficiency, near-luxury ride, and pretty sheetmetal make the Kia our near-unanimous choice for first place.

2nd place: Chevrolet Impala
Despite a few flaws, the Impala offers a well-thought-out package at a reasonable cost. This is a solid step forward for the American sedan.

3rd place: Toyota Avalon
Extremely efficient and generous in interior room and features, the Avalon is let down by a bone-shaking ride and an uninspiring drive.

4th place: Chrysler 300S
A pretty face goes a long way, but it can't argue with reality. Poor fuel economy and interior room relegate the good-looking Chrysler to fourth.

5th place: Ford Taurus
The Taurus needs more than a refresh to compete in this segment. If you're on a budget, shop for something in the midsize category.

Different auto publications can come to quite diff. end-results and even reviewers within a publication can vary quite a bit - all depending on what factors they deem most important.

If I liked the design of the dash/center stack of the Impala better, might be inclined personally to place it 1st.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

The Genesis did make C&D's 2015 Editor's Choice list for the mid-size luxury segment - along with the A6, CTS and E Class.


C&D places a premium on handling/tossability which is why the Avalon (due to its lighter weight) placed 1st in C&D's full-size sedan comparison even tho it got a bad score for ride (which is a major no-no for the segment); the biggest detriment of the Cadenza to how C&D looks at things being its weight (compared to the Avalon) and steering feel.

MT takes a more all-around approach in its Big Test comparisons and there - the Cadenza finished 1st, followed by the Impala.

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1307_the_big_test_2013_2014_full_size_sedans/

Different auto publications can come to quite diff. end-results and even reviewers within a publication can vary quite a bit - all depending on what factors they deem most important.

If I liked the design of the dash/center stack of the Impala better, might be inclined personally to place it 1st.

Something doesn't make sense here. Unless you're using Cadillac's magnetic ride control or an adjustable suspension, you're not going to get a car with superior handling that also rides like it's on glass. So it's a little ridiculous that the Avalon received a "ding" because of a stiff suspension. On one hand they like it because it handles well (enough that it came in first place) - on the other it received a bad score on ride "because of that"...

The Cadenza doesn't need good steering feel. At least not in my opinion. It's supposed to disconnect the driver from the road. That's what the Cadenza is about. It's not a sports car. I don't think that should be noted as a bad thing.

I'm glad to see the Cadenza finished first according to the people at Motor Trend. They reviewed the car with the same mindset that buyers will have. Car and Driver is acting like everyone is a racing enthusiast.

The new Chevy Impala is a very impressive car. I like it. The only problem is that Chevy isn't going to put a lot of high tech features in it (so it won't beat the Cadenza -ever) because then it'll steal sales from the Buick LaCrosse and Cadillac XTS - to which is shares it's platform.