Japanese or European cars? Whats your pick in India?

[GTO]

The discussion here (Octavia RS - 20000kms ownership experience) led me to think. What do the majority of Team-BHPs actually prefer?

European Cars

- Better build quality
- Increased stability
- Safer (generally)
- More expensive to maintain
- Technological innovators

Japanese Cars:

- Lighter and therefore more FE
- More reliable (in some cases)
- Cheaper to maintain (generally)
- Mass-produce new technologies. And make them more reliable.

I love Japanese cars, but would pick European steeds over them. For me, it will always be Octavia over Corolla, Palio over Swift / Getz (maybe) and the Mercedes C Class over the new Camry (Similarly priced). I must add that I was a hardcore Jap boy before, but being with Team-BHP (and the subsequent information) has made me a convert.

Whats your vote?

[2L8uLoose]

European ALL THE WAY.. yes they are more expensive to maintain but they just feel... so much MORE when your in them... more secure..more confidenc inspiring.. just puts a bigger smile on my face thats for sure.
Cheers.

[theMAG]

European. For the raw style, elegance, engineering and overall quality. They may not be as fuel efficient as the Japs. But, thats OK

[suman]

Originally Posted by GTO

but being with Team-BHP (and the subsequent information) has made me a convert.

Hey GTO, you are being quite modest here as you're quite a storehouse of information yourself! I voted for the european cars btw

[abhibh]

For me it will always be the car that suits my needs. No matter if it is made by europeans, japs americans or may be by Team-BHP.. it should suits my needs.

P.S. GTO please add another option to poll stating the company that suits our needs.

[grvanand]

European Cars for me too for overall appeal. They deliver a sense of strength and security which Japs cant match. Japs come second though and the others are not worth mentioning (American Muscle cars are an exception though).

[hawkeye]

European, if I can afford to own (buy and maintain) one over a Jap anyday.

[rranjith_kum]

i would go for some japanese cars....like honda city ohc ... they were built to compete with european i guess....
there are so many japanese cars that are capable of beating the european cars... i feel that japanese cars are suite our indian market more....

[Thil]

It's always European baby.The Ultimate Driving Machines (BMW) are European and so all best performace cars.

I Owned Maruti 800 (long ago) ,Mazda Protege,Pontac Grad Pre ,Ford Ikon and latest ride is a VOLVO S 40 Turbo
So I guess I had experience with Indian,American,Japanese and Europian cars.

Well I agree the fact that Jap cars are so easy to maintain and easy to fix if something goes wrong.American Cars are just big and reliablity is a big question.They are not good for longer ownership.

Btw Europian Cars are sure a expensive Toys,but their comes the Fun.The great Engineering and Performace none other can match.I am sure Every DRIVER who wants THE PERFORMANCE will choose European for thier ride!.

[SLK]

Sitting here in front of the computer... and posting on team-bhp.. I'd probably say European.
BUT when I go out shopping.. When I test drive... and when I see the price tag.... its basically the Japanese. Its like this -- to make their cars silent the Europeans rely on sound deadening materials while the Japanese on smoother engines.

[Zappo]

if one can buy and then maintain an europian car i guess that should be the first choice. however for most people, practicality comes first and that is where the japs rule. why, they have now started storming the final bastion... the americans and the europians have started feeling the heat.

[devarshi84]

Japanese run on hype and pure marketing, European cars sell on experience and image. They attain better Fe and performance figures by cutting on metal all around. I own a lancer which is a jap car but I still say that.

While I have owned Europeans cars before and own Japanese now, I would vote for European cars.

As far as it is a matter of India, Japanese will soon overtake by brainwashing minds of the populace.

[RJK]

Ideally European but Practically in India, Japanese. Btw, why is Korean not an option? We all agree that Hyundai is a serious contender.

[NRKUMAR]

Japanese cars tend to be better candidates for TCO (Total Cost of Ownership), especially for non-luxury sedans. They have consistently exhibited better reliability figures than their European counterparts. If one looks at the list of top 3-year or 5-year old vehicles in the US, Japanese makes (Toyota & Honda) outrank everybody else.
Even in the luxury segment, Japanese marquees (Lexus, Infiniti & Acura) score over European brands (Jag,Merc, BMW & Audi) in reliability and defect ratings.
In fact last year US Consumer Reports Magazine pointed that a 6 year old Lexus 430 was a better car than a 6 month old BMW 7 series, which was tough to believe!
Factual Numbers just point to Japanese brands being better than European brands.

[greatDrive]

Europian cars, No second thought about it.