Going from domestic to foreign?

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: BHopkins
Some of the car companies with the best reputations have made some bad cars. Honda put a lousy tranny in the Odyssey. Toyota did a lousy job launching the Tundra.


I agree with you, but not sure why a lousy launch would make for a bad vehicle...?

The only problem I know of in the original Tundra(other than excessive rust in rust-belt markets) is that it was a 7/8ths size truck at a full size truck price.

The 3.4 5VZ V6 made as much horsepower as an SCPI 4.3 Chevrolet and as much torque (albeit @ about 500 rpm more) as a 3.9 Dodge. The 4.7 2UZ was far more powerful and more refined than a similar year 4.6 Ford Modular and right up there with the GM Vortec 4800.

It was just small...ish. Basically Dakota size truck at Ram price.

I still regularly see T-100s and lots of 1g Tundras here in the south. They are decent trucks if they don't rust in half.

 

[hattaresguy]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
European cars are the best to drive and a bit more to own. Japanese cars are dull to drive and very cheap to own....


I will put my Mazda up against any front-wheel drive European car for driveability.

But in defense of your statement, Mazdas are typically related to German cars in handling.

On the road, the 6 proved to be a stable cruiser, providing a comfortable, quiet ride even into triple-digit speeds. When the roads turned serpentine, the 6 remained a predictable handler, exhibiting little body roll and moderate understeer when pushed hard. Credit goes to Mazda engineers who tuned the unequal-length control-arm front and multilink rear suspension with some European flavor.
Caranddriver.com

And indeed, the 6 also derives its spirit from the joy of driving. Although all of the above-mentioned Japanese sedans are much more nimble and playful than their predecessors, the handling dynamics of the 6 are a step above. Steering performance from the power-assisted rack and pinion setup is exemplary, with drivers citing the likes of the BMW 3 Series as a comparison.... but none of the others (in the class) can match the 6 in terms of feedback from the road and linearity."
Edmunds

Many of the Mazda reviews I have read have drawn comparisons to various German cars. The whole car lineup. Some Japanese cars have had a history of being excellent drivers but the Mazda tends to engineer that in every car.




I don't buy FWD cars and try to avoid driving them, so I'll have to take your word for it.

When I was talking about European cars I was thinking along the lines of a supercharged Jag or something good and lots of fun.