What is Automotive Luxury today?

[Mr.Impreza]

So, I know in the 90's, a Mercedes was way ahead of a Honda but today I'm starting to get confused on what is luxury anymore?

Why are people paying more of BMW, Merc etc when they are unreliable (from experience) and they don't seem to offer that much anymore in regards of leading the industry.....maybe I'm blind but check this out.

I don't know about you guys, but that Mazda interior looks no worse than the BMW interior for half the price and i bet the mazda has better reliability.

Mazda Interior


BMW Interior

[f0rge]

Looking at an interior in pics and living with one are very different things.

Refinement, material quality and build quality are all very important things that you can't get out of a picture. Real metal and wood instead of plastic, better leather, quality soft touch materials, sound insulation, etc.

Gadgets is not the same as luxury. I won't deny that the entry level interiors have come a long way, but there's still a gap.

[Mr.Impreza]

Originally Posted by f0rge

Looking at an interior in pics and living with one are very different things.

Refinement, material quality and build quality are all very important things that you can't get out of a picture. Real metal and wood instead of plastic, better leather, quality soft touch materials, sound insulation, etc.

Gadgets is not the same as luxury. I won't deny that the entry level interiors have come a long way, but there's still a gap.

I don't agree, in my bmw 335i coupe executive package model that cost $70,000 had leather peeling off in the left hand rest and the steering wheel had material peeling off. So i don't agree about the quality being better.

Also it had horrible sound insulation in the windows and you could always hear wind noise.

So far my accord is proving that you can buy a car for $30,000 and have the same quality or better.

Okay okay...the leather isn't as soft...but nothing is peeling and the insulation is perfect.

Your paying for a badge...i can't believe some people still try to fight that and say the "quality" is better.

[Takumi788]

To the average person a car is all about the BADGE. People want to tell someone "I drive a BMW" and for the other person to think "ooooo, you are doing well." BMW had instilled a mental prestige to their company that says "I make money" and "I am elite". Mazda is not a luxury car in the general public's eyes. The person that has more knowledge of cars, or is thrifty will know the difference between a badge and luxury.

[Captain Snooze]

One word: branding.
The wife would like a Louis Vuitton handbag. It is made of leather the same as other handbags but it costs a truckload for the same product that can be had at a small fraction of the price. Why? Branding. One isn't buying just a handbag, one is buying the label.

@Takumi788 mentioned BMW. What's the image associated with BMW. I think it is German engineering, German quality which is kind of ironic given that yes, BMW AG is based in Germany but has manufacturing or assembly plants in Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kaliningrad, Mexico, South Africa, USA.
They have design studios in UK,USA,China,Germany.

So when some punter buys their "German" car they don't know that it could have spent its entire life, from design to production, without touching German soil.

[NWFRS]

Originally Posted by f0rge

Looking at an interior in pics and living with one are very different things.

Refinement, material quality and build quality are all very important things that you can't get out of a picture. Real metal and wood instead of plastic, better leather, quality soft touch materials, sound insulation, etc.

Gadgets is not the same as luxury. I won't deny that the entry level interiors have come a long way, but there's still a gap.

I agree completely.

Real wood. Leather. Aluminum. Stainless steel.
Good materials, IF MAINTAINED PROPERLY only get better with age and use. Man made materials like plastic, rubber and vinyl will never be as nice as the day they were made, they have a lifespan, and they're disposable.

We're not talking about branding here. Anyone can build a luxurious car with beautiful materials, it would be priced accordingly though. I think that everyone is capable of recognizing good quality, but few of us are willing to pay for it. Some of us are tricked by bonded leather and textured plastics, but in the end you get what you pay for.

....and I bought a Scion.

[DarkSunrise]

Judging from the pictures, the BMW interior looks nicer. But I do think the gap has closed significantly between midsize sedans and entry level luxury cars.

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by NWFRS

We're not talking about branding here.

*raises hand*
I beg to differ just a bit.
Expectation can/does influence our perception.
Branding is all about influencing our decision making. Low end Tag watches for example. Mass produced using off the shelf movements but Tag spends something like 30% of their money on advertising telling us what great watches they are. That is, re-inforcing the image of sophistication.
I love the results of this: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/ar...om-bad/247240/

[NWFRS]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

*raises hand*
I beg to differ just a bit.
Expectation can/does influence our perception.
Branding is all about influencing our decision making. Low end Tag watches for example. Mass produced using off the shelf movements but Tag spends something like 30% of their money on advertising telling us what great watches they are. That is, re-inforcing the image of sophistication.
I love the results of this: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/ar...om-bad/247240/

Whether or not anyone would BUY a product without the right branding is a different matter. I only said that anyone is capable of building good quality.

[wbradley]

The material quality is way nicer on prestige brands. Mazda in real life is noticeably way cheaper quality especially. Tin can doors, far less isolation from the exterior, no comparison. Of all brands Mazda probably look the best in the brochure and feel the cheapest in driving. Even the proportions of their mock luxury details are scaled way down. Economy cars with copied luxury car shapes, that's just about it for the interior. And on the exterior there are huge visible differences. My mom drives a CLA with the AMG esthetic package. The car looks sophisticated and mature for a Merc "economy" car. Basically it's styled like a scaled down CLS. Sorry but there's no Japanese cars shy of Lexus that come close in that segment. And for an older person the new IS has a way too complicated control system.

[adamg]

Thats why i bought a Subaru and not a Scion. #Luxury #AllAboutTheBadge

[2016 Camaro SS]

Mazda has stepped up their game and is putting pressure on the german automakers with their interior. Although some of it is cheap in some areas (roof and rear seats on the sides with plastic) they have features like the popped up display to keep your eyes on the road and be able to see the screen without fiddling around down below and the control knob behind the shifter which lets you still be focused on the road.

The active display that pops up can be gimmicky to some, but I feel like I'm in a high tech car personally (I work in IT so that kind of stuff is exciting) telling me about my radar cruise, current speed, navigation directions, etc.

A fully loaded Mazda 3 S Grand Touring with the Tech package is about $27,500. This includes radar cruise, lane departure. After driving one, it's a pretty amazing car for the price. May be lacking in the power department, but I'll take this car over a BMW any day. The feel of it is really nice and you feel like you are driving a much higher quality car, and probably a way more reliable car over a BMW. You're out of your damn mind if you're driving a BMW outside of a warranty.

The one problem I do have with the Mazda though is the price is hard to get down. Not too many incentives, and they can't deeply discount like Toyota/Honda can.

[rice_classic]

Automotive Luxury is:

1: Status symbol. Lots of MB/BMW folks I know refuse to own one past the warranty period and complain about how often warranty work needs to be done during that period. But the reasons for ownership aren't about the car or build quality. Many owners are leasing or they are short term purchases (warranty period).

2: Gadgets. 18 way adjustable, heated and air conditioned seats, navigation, adaptive cruise control, 48 airbags, connectivity, doors that close themselves, creature comforts, blah blah blah.

3: Actual freakin' build quality. Engineering that stands the test of time, real quality materials, quiet interior, resale value, reliable well past warranty period, ride quality, ergonomic design, efficiency w/ power, safety features, etc.

I would rock a $32k optioned-out Mazda 6 (with a manual) vs anything twice that from BMW/MB/Audi.

Well, at least that's my take on it.

[synchromesh]

I looked into purchasing a used Audi S4 maybe 10 years ago. At that time it was probably when mainstream interior materials were first getting higher in quality and plastics were softer to the touch per say. Imo, it seems that after years and years of wear, the cheaper cars with more hard plasticky interiors age better.


Have not ever done it before, but it must be the most amazing feeling to have that brand new luxury car roll straight out of the dealership. It is quite stimulatory, memory-wise, to see full-size luxury sedans available for under 10g's in this day and age.