Portsmouth-Portsmouth

Hello- we are discussing which vehicle to purchase, and yes we actually do need a 7 seater before anyone comments....

What are the perceptions that Americans hold of:
Audi
BMW
Honda
Mercedes
Dodge
Ford
Chevrolet
Hyundai
Kia
Mitsubishi
Buick

We have a couple choices-The Honda Pilot SUV, and the Dodge Durango. What would the co-workers say when you arrive at the office driving either? Any other recommendations for us to consider? My wife is adverse to mini-vans, and as we need 7 seats, that leaves SUV's

Thanks.

Pulaski

IMO:

Audi, BMW, and Mercedes are expensive and say "management". Needless to say their reputations for build quality and reliability are impeccable.

Kia, Hyundai are cheap, and say "cost conscious", they also tend to depreciate rapidly. Their aggressive pricing and reportedly good build quality and reliability has made them popular since 2008 as the economy has been weak. I will be interested to see if they can maintain their momentum as the economy recovers, because Kia is already starting to show signs of market saturation and some loss of market share is reported. Kia's also had a reputation for being hard to trade for another brand, so their owners were somewhat captives to the brand; I am not sure if that is still true, but I suspect it is.

Honda is a long established "import" brand, if you buy a Honda SUV people might assume you know nothing about SUVs, because that is not what Honda is known for. Honda's reputation for build quality and long term reliability is second to none. FWIW I own an Accord (Mrs P's choice) and it has been mechanically solid as a rock for over 250,000 miles. We intend to run it into the ground, but that is proving to be a difficult challenge as pretty much everything is original except for the regularly replaced/serviced parts such as tyres, filters, brake pads, battery, plus the catalytic converter, and steering gaiters. Even the clutch is original and I have given up expecting that to wear out! When the time eventually comes to replace it, Mrs P would like to replace it with a Ford (despite Civilservant's post below!) I would support her.

Dodge is now owned by Fiat, and has made something of a resurgence, but they had a poor reputation for mechanical reliability and internal build quality 5-15 years ago (under Daimler-Benz ownership). I hear the interior is much improved, but I honestly don't know about mechanical reliability. The Durango was "all new" a couple of years ago, and reportedly handles much better than earlier models. It is also the twin of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, so you might want to look at that as an alternative. My informal observation is that I see a lot more Jeep GC's on the road than Durangos, and my perception would be "Huh? Why didn't they buy a Jeep." I would like to buy a Grand Cherokee as my next vehicle, though that may be a couple of years away.

Chevy's reputation is for cheap build quality, especially internally, they're US owned, but got some flack from some quarters for being bailed out by the government in 2008. Although improved in recent years, motoring critics continue to criticize Chevy for cheap plastic interiors, even in flagship Corvette and Camaro models.

Buick is an expensive Chevy, market-wise comparable to Jaguar in the UK, a vehicle for managers and the middle aged .... though not necessarily in that order!

Ford has been resurgent in recent years and was the only one of the three US manufacturers that was not bailed out by the government in 2008, which gave them kudos in some quarters. Some people still make snarky comments based on poor build quality in the 70's and 80's, but they are much improved in recent years. FWIW I have owned two Fords for the past 11+ years, and an aggregate of over 100,000 miles and had zero mechanical issues. My in-laws, who had driven Chevy's for 30 years, switched both their vehicles to Fords after experiencing our vehicles, and recently traded their Explorer with 250,000 trouble free miles on it for another Ford. You might want to add an Explorer to your short list, it already had a great reputation, which was further improved with the new model launched about three years ago when Ford removed its chassis and turned it into a much lighter unibody/ crossover vehicle, which improved its handling and fuel economy.

Mitsubishi is slowly losing ground in the US and may withdraw entirely.

Overall, my experience on the east coast is that New York and New England are more "import friendly" than than areas further south, and anecdotally, I hear that California and the west coast is similar to New York in that respect, and that the three US manufacturers do relatively well away from both coasts. Therefore driving an import might be seen by some as more acceptable in the New York, New England, and west coast areas. I, for one, was proud to buy domestic vehicles in my new home, and have had comments from people I know who have noticed, .... some positive, and a few who may think I'm crazy!

civilservant

I would never, ever, ever, willingly buy an American brand. Terrible steering, rubbish build quality and fuel economy that makes the Space Shuttle look economical.

And yes, Mrs CS owns a Chevy.

Never again.

Pulaski

Don't tar all US brands with the same brush. The "old" Ford Fusion drove very nicely, and had a very nice interior. I haven't driven the new Fusion yet, but it has received excellent reviews, and I hear it is even better than the previous model.

WEBlue

We bought a used Honda Pilot when we first arrived here in New England a couple of years ago. They are extremely common here in the nicer parts of coastal CT. We had a regular need to transport up to 6 people to various places, so the size worked very well for us in that way. It was also nice for transporting large items like furniture, building materials, etc. And perfect for tent camping expeditions, which our family enjoys. (Camping once when a terrible rainstorm erupted, two of us were able to sleep semi-comfortably inside the Pilot too.)

The downside of the Pilot (downside for me, this is, not for my husband) was that I was not at ALL used to driving such a huge vehicle. If your wife is going to drive it, I hope she can test-drive it first, because it's not that easy to maneuver unless you've driven large vehicles. Backing up was always a bit nerve-wracking for me, though luckily ours had a beeper alert system for reversing. Still I was always so nervous that a small child or pet had crept behind me totally unseen . . . .

watchamacallit

I own a Honda Pilot, I bought it second hand, in 3 years it has only lost $800 in resale value, it is the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned, the 4x4 capability is unbeatable and it seats 8 in comfort ...... Next car will be another Honda Pilot.

civilservant

Perhaps, and indeed back home I owned a Focus, but I will not buy one here. Japanese or German for me.

RoadWarriorFromLP

Perceptions vary in part based upon geography and the model of car. Domestic brands are viewed more favorably in the heartland, less so on the coasts. You'll find some anti-import sentiment in the interior, while Californians favor cars that have a brand from abroad.

The German brands are marks of a big spender. That may be good or bad, depending upon where you are.

Hyundai and Kia used to have horrible reputations. But their reliability has improved and respect for the brands has risen accordingly. Kia is perceived as being a notch below Hyundai, and both of the brands still have to compete on price.

Hondas have a reputation for reliability, which is well-founded.

Buick cars have long had a reputation for being for retirees, although that may be changing due to it moving away from stodgy sedans.

As far as perceptions in your area, just look at the cars on the road around you. If you see a lot of domestic branded cars and few imports, then the attitude toward foreign brands may be somewhat hostile. If the import brands have more of a presence, then you can probably buy one without creating any angst. If you don't see many domestics, then they're probably not well respected.

Irrespective of reputation, I would be wary of buying anything from Mitsubishi, as the brand is on the verge of disappearing from the US market. (Sales are very low; the next Outlander will probably make or break the brand.) You could be very well left with an orphan.

Pulaski

Shame on you!

civilservant

Shame on me? Shame on you!

kins

I'd think you were a bit daft for buying an SUV with limited trunk space when you could have had a minivan with stacks of space. We recently replaced our Honda Odyssey with another Odyssey - tried the Pilot but there was so much less space in it when you use all 7 seats that there was no way we'd go for it.

But if you had to choose either a Honda or a Dodge SUV I'd go for the Honda.

Mr Weeze

We have a Ford Expedition, and I have been pleasantly surprised by it. No big issues to speak of in 3 years.

Pulaski

I think the "big issue" is that it is "big". One of the responding posters has already described the Honda Pilot as "huge", so what do you think they'd call the Expedition?

Personally, I wouldn't mind have an Expedition, but I really don't need that much space. Mrs P had wanted an Excursion (F250 frame with an SUV body on it), but they were discontinued before we could arrange the finance, ..... to pay for the fuel!

Mr Weeze

Oh, it's a step up from a tank!

Steerpike

Would you care to back that up with any kind of published statistics? I can probably find 5 different reputable sites that will show that BMW, Mercedes and Audi have terrible reputations for reliability. I am surprised you would make this comment. Audi in particular consistently rate very low in reliability.

If you want reliability and build quality, you need to go with the Japanese brands, as you later confirm with your own experience with Honda.

Not only are these vehicles not high on the reliability front, they are more expensive to repair, so your cost of ownership is going to be much higher.

I agree that they say "management", and I would say they could have the best handling of the bunch.

A quick search for some reputable info suggests: (from this site)

These same reviews do allow for the superior 'driving experience' of these vehicles:
To me, Audi/BMW/Mercedes say "I am a status-conscious individual who values status above value and reliability". "more money than sense" is another thought that comes to mind.

Honda, Toyota, Lexus, etc say "I'm boring; I value reliability and value above all else"

Dodge, Chevy, etc say "I'm broke and this is all I could afford", or "I was attracted by the special offers and have no concept of what 'total cost of ownership' means".

West Coast is very Japanese-import friendly. You will see a very large number of Japanese imports driven by the spectrum of society. East Coast, I'd say would be more 'European-import' friendly, and the mid-west and south is more 'domestic' friendly.

As an aside, I have to confess - I drove a Buick Lacrosse recently (rental car) and it was the best driving experience I've ever had (comfort, smoothness, silence, etc). But I doubt I'd ever be able to bring myself to buy a Buick!

If you can afford a BMW, and don't mind it being in the shop a lot and costing a fortune to fix, then go for it - you'll enjoy it