[Kurtdg19]

Originally Posted by crayzayjay

So what if it’s many different economies summed into one big one? The US is basically the same thing..
Besides, #1, As Jimmy pointed out, European car makers sell in large quantities in Asia, the Middle East, Africa etc.. and I’d bet my last dollar that many manymore European cars are sold in the US than US cars sold in Europe.

so is that suppost to mean that european cars are better? I'm not clearly seeing your point.

Originally Posted by crayzayjay

I don’t mean those kinds of standards. I mean in terms of the car’s ability, if you like. American roads require easy progress of long distances. Consequently many American cars are still heavy, gas-guzzling beasts that can’t handle. And interior design and quality of materials used – although improving in new models – still leaves a lot to be desired. My uncle, vice president of a large bank - has had a series of American luxury cars that (I thought) had appalling interiors. Thank god he’s finally seen the light and traded in for a bmw.

Well I'm sorry if the standards im refering to aren't supporting your bias but once again I still hardly see your point. If american roads require easy progress of long distances, then why would they need to be made with a complicated and more expensive suspension setup when a more basic design can just as easily fullfil the same expectations on the same roads? Merely because european cars will require a more complex and costly suspension system to suit their environment doesn't mean their better. And a interior design of high quality (in materials and craftsmenship) to get you from point a to point b also doesn't mean that a car is better than another. Thats a matter of preference if you ask me. And the gas-guzzling comment...please. I can name a handful of european cars that are far worse in gas comsumption than many american vehicles.

Originally Posted by crayzayjay

... and some of these sports sedans are far superior drives than some of the so-called American sports cars..

I hope a sports sedan is a far superior drive than a sports car reguardless of where its made.

Originally Posted by crayzayjay

The shortcomings I was talking about refer to handling, which is surely more telling of a car’s ability than straight line pace. As for maintenance and reliability, American cars (relative to european cars) have large unstressed engines, so yes, theyre less likely to go wrong, but spare a thought for gas consumption..

I'll agree that on average a european car will have a more 'ideal' setup to handle in more situations than an average american car. They need to be considering the conditions they will face vs. the conditions that are faced here. I also believe (as you do ) that a straight line pace is a very weak argument when referring to a cars ability to perform. Not all cars are built to meet a high expectation to perform reguardless of where it was made.

Originally Posted by Chris

Everyone, remember, that a car well suited to one environment might be crap in another, and vice versa.
In the states, say, someone needs to drive from their house, to a main road, to a highway, and then take a few turns off the highway to get to work. Thats all that car really has to do. Why would they need more expensive, complicated, suspensions? People who drive like this are more concerned with smooth rides (live axles are good enough for this on highways).
Of course, around a curvy mountain road, said car would be absolute ass.

Different strokes for different folks.

isn't that the truth.