[DoctorSuarez]

While staying with my rather minted in-laws, I've had a chance to sample some of Germany's finest... and I've come away kind of unimpressed.

My mother in law has a Mercedes S class (which is nuts) and while I didn't drive it, I discovered to our collective horror that it can't fit 4 rolling bags in the trunk. Meanwhile, my 9.5 gen swallows them up without a complaint and has the same legroom to boot. Thanks, front wheel drive!

Then I got to drive my father-in-law's F10 535i, and I was shocked at how uninvolving the drive was. Granted, it's not exactly an M4 or anything, but it was considerably more floaty and numb than the Accord, and it just feels heavy.

So yes, this may sound like a mix of denial and delusion, but I genuinely appreciate my car even more now. All it took was a thicker RSB to make an already-lovely drive even more engaging, and it just feels nimbler and more communicative, all while soldiering on as a top-class family hauler. Yay Honda.

 

[Miker]

While staying with my rather minted in-laws, I've had a chance to sample some of Germany's finest... and I've come away kind of unimpressed.

My mother in law has a Mercedes S class (which is nuts) and while I didn't drive it, I discovered to our collective horror that it can't fit 4 rolling bags in the trunk. Meanwhile, my 9.5 gen swallows them up without a complaint and has the same legroom to boot. Thanks, front wheel drive!

Then I got to drive my father-in-law's F10 535i, and I was shocked at how uninvolving the drive was. Granted, it's not exactly an M4 or anything, but it was considerably more floaty and numb than the Accord, and it just feels heavy.

So yes, this may sound like a mix of denial and delusion, but I genuinely appreciate my car even more now. All it took was a thicker RSB to make an already-lovely drive even more engaging, and it just feels nimbler and more communicative, all while soldiering on as a top-class family hauler. Yay Honda.

I think as humans we all believe the old adage "the grass is greener......" until we find out the reason it's greener is there's more fertilizer and work being done to keep it that way.

CAUTION: Philosophical ramblings ahead....

We must appreciate what we already have. There are many vehicles I would love to have in my corral (at this stage of life can do it comfortably too). Most would be used once or twice a year to be honest for most a week each time. Now I gotta insure them and do upkeep ? Nah, got better things to do.

I would be nutz to do that though. I have a vehicle that comfortably gets me to work and back home. Able to handle 85% of the loads I need to handle. (rentals of Home Depot pickups do the rest).

It is always a good practice to "live" as you might want for a few days, stick your big toe in for a bit, and realize "What the heck (or stronger) was I thinking, I don't want this" than to dive in with both feet and drown. Car rentals are great for that realization. Renting a full size SUV to haul around visiting family is GREAT.......for a week. But i wouldn't want to drive that behemoth around daily. That's me. Saved me loads of cash and gas and parking troubles, etc.

It's not denial or delusion. It's called realism.

back to our show......

 

[slimm1469]

Not to mention those German cars are expensive and not cheap to keep.
I did some suspension mods on my middle-aged Accord about the same time as a buddy bought a '17 Audi A6, and he let me drive it, the damn fool. Yeah it was impressive, but my mildly modded 8th gen handles almost as well.

 

[Flyboy]

Yet another person to discover the myth of German Engineering. Since the end of WWII the German manufacturers were spreading this myth led by the simple VW Beetle. The VW Beetle was the only good thing to come from Hitler via Dr.Ferdinand Porche. Cleaver advertising in the 1960s and a growing American desire to be anti establishment sold millions of the bugs. Meanwhile, Hoffman motors in NYC was importing Mercedes Benz cars to the upper crust anti establishment types while hyping the superiority of the German engineering. Compared to the behemoths from Ford, GM and Chrysler. As a result of formula one racing the German cars seemed marvelous. However, they were expensive to buy and own even in the early 1960s.

The truth was that a VW bug was reliable but it was underpowered, had poor brakes and quirky handling.

My dad bought a new 1962 Mercedes Benz 220SE six cylinder sedan to travel the states sourounding Texas. The car had a four speed manual on the column because an automatic was not available and it was a hanger queen from the very start. The mechanical fuel injection system ate spark plugs and no one could figure out the problem. The car broke down several times and after about 50,000 miles the crank shaft got bent and the engine was ruined. My father sold it to a Ford dealer in Kansas City for a huge loss and was able to buy a new Galaxy 500. He tried the Ford every year because the cars had an unlimited milage one year warranty. He traded them with about 30,000 miles for a thousand dollars cash until he stopped traveling a few years later. The Fords were reliable and could be fixed anywhere.

It turned out that Toyota blew the German engineering myth out of the water in the early 1970s followed by Honda, Mazda and Subaru. Now German cars are just status symbols and are mostly leased by businesses who turn them in before they require high maintenance costs and poor reliability.

 

[DoctorSuarez]

Now I will say that several years ago my brother in law let me drive his E92 3 Series and I was much more impressed. It felt both planted and nimble and very responsive. I can see why people sing that model's praises. But from what I gather the current crop is just too numb and heavy to live up to their reputation.

 

[enne]

Mind you "German vs Japanese manufacturer" arguers...

OP had the chance to drive a different car, and now appreciates how his car handles and rides afterward. And that is fine. We don't need another thread derailment about German cars, lol.

Yay Honda!

 

[DoctorSuarez]

Going to add to this. I'm getting my Accord's door dings and city abuse marks fixed, and Enterprise gave me a lower trim Mercedes CLA as a rental. Similarly unimpressed. Handles maybe a tiny bit better in Sport despite being much smaller and the power doesn't really help. It's jerky off the line and the side visibility is worse.

I'd bet anything the Merc C is leaps and bounds better though. With the CLA you're paying for the badge.

 

[2Accordz]

Going to add to this. I'm getting my Accord's door dings and city abuse marks fixed, and Enterprise gave me a lower trim Mercedes CLA as a rental. Similarly unimpressed. Handles maybe a tiny bit better in Sport despite being much smaller and the power doesn't really help. It's jerky off the line and the side visibility is worse.

I'd bet anything the Merc C is leaps and bounds better though. With the CLA you're paying for the badge.

The CLA was meant to go head to head with The Audi A3, which is a better car.
Both are "entry level" cars.
I drove both of these vehicles, back to back, for 3 days straight, in an Audi class back in 2015.
C class is a nice vehicle but, IIRC, that gets compared to an A4(as E class would be A6)

 

[DoctorSuarez]

The CLA was meant to go head to head with The Audi A3, which is a better car.
Both are "entry level" cars.
I drove both of these vehicles, back to back, for 3 days straight, in an Audi class back in 2015.
C class is a nice vehicle but, IIRC, that gets compared to an A4(as E class would be A6)

Oh yes, I haven't even driven it and I would take the A3 in a heartbeat. The review are really good and you can get it in Quattro I think. Also looks nicer.

Not trying to compare within classes, but even for a smaller sport sedan the CLA doesn't really measure up, even though it's the same price as an upper trim Accord.

 

[mbk734]

German autos and luxury vehicles in general are a marketing miracle for materialistic envy seeking American Dreamers. I find cars very overrated now that I am no longer a teenager. I want something economical and reliable that isn't fugly to get me from point A to point B.

 

[slimm1469]

Yet another person to discover the myth of German Engineering. Since the end of WWII the German manufacturers were spreading this myth led by the simple VW Beetle. The VW Beetle was the only good thing to come from Hitler via Dr.Ferdinand Porche. Cleaver advertising in the 1960s and a growing American desire to be anti establishment sold millions of the bugs. Meanwhile, Hoffman motors in NYC was importing Mercedes Benz cars to the upper crust anti establishment types while hyping the superiority of the German engineering. Compared to the behemoths from Ford, GM and Chrysler. As a result of formula one racing the German cars seemed marvelous. However, they were expensive to buy and own even in the early 1960s.

The truth was that a VW bug was reliable but it was underpowered, had poor brakes and quirky handling.

My dad bought a new 1962 Mercedes Benz 220SE six cylinder sedan to travel the states sourounding Texas. The car had a four speed manual on the column because an automatic was not available and it was a hanger queen from the very start. The mechanical fuel injection system ate spark plugs and no one could figure out the problem. The car broke down several times and after about 50,000 miles the crank shaft got bent and the engine was ruined. My father sold it to a Ford dealer in Kansas City for a huge loss and was able to buy a new Galaxy 500. He tried the Ford every year because the cars had an unlimited milage one year warranty. He traded them with about 30,000 miles for a thousand dollars cash until he stopped traveling a few years later. The Fords were reliable and could be fixed anywhere.

It turned out that Toyota blew the German engineering myth out of the water in the early 1970s followed by Honda, Mazda and Subaru. Now German cars are just status symbols and are mostly leased by businesses who turn them in before they require high maintenance costs and poor reliability.

I modded a Karmen Ghia with a 4-barrel carb and dual exhausts. That car was amazing.