[YVES]

My First Car is Skoda Fabia and its over 4 years now and except for minor irritants of poor Skoda Service , no issues so far.
Safe car amoung the hatchbacks to drive , though Diesel 3 pot is noisy but after having the Infinity Kappas installed the noise is not to be heard.
In office I was parking next to Swift and I was able to fold side mirror of Swift with a finger unlike Fabia.
Build Quality of European scores over Reliability , So European cars are not for weak hearted.

[AAK]

European...for
- Dynamics...
corner a ANHC hard and you will know why people prefer VW Vento or a Rapid....
- Engineering
Sheet metal used by all Japanese mfg is galvanealed at max...where as the europeans prefer galvanized steel...

[gandalf]

I voted european. No doubt about it. My reason over and above the ones mentioned is the building philosophies of these manufacturers.

Jap Philosophy:
Build a vehicle that will give X years of trouble free ownership. Once it is complete then the owner would have got good value for his money and he can go for a new one

The European philosophy:
Build a vehicle that can be passed on from father to son.

[rohanjf]

I too voted European. My Palio Stile SDX recently completed 4 years and 75000 KMs (one day before completing 4 years). I still don't see any reason to get rid of her. I am still waiting for first rattle/vibration. Compared to that, some of the Japanease/Korean cars I have been in, have enough rattles and vibrations within 15 to 20 thousand KMs!

I appreciate other European manufacturers' build quality too. Only if they provided better engines in hatchbacks :-(

When it comes to safely, I feel that cars from Far East are designed to clear the standard/ideal crash test scenarios with maximum marks. We have seen numerous incidents in Accident In India thread, which show the build quality of Far Eastern cars in real life accidents.

And to my personal taste of looks, not a single Far Eastern car has appealed!

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by gandalf

The European philosophy:
Build a vehicle that can be passed on from father to son.

Isn’t that a bit too far-fetched?
I don’t think any new age European cars (regular road cars) will survive through generations. And why should the poor father invite wrath from his son?

[dkaile]

^
With proper maintenance even a TVS 50 moped can be passed on from father to son. So maintenance is the key to longevity but there is no doubting the fact the most Europeans are better built than the Japs, Toyota being one of the exceptions here IMHO.

This poll should also feature a 'Either' or 'Both' option.

[gandalf]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Isn’t that a bit too far-fetched?
I don’t think any new age European cars (regular road cars) will survive through generations. And why should the poor father invite wrath from his son?

I was trying to Hilight the building philosophy in a few clever words

What i mean is in general when we look at a european car in any segment the build quality is far better than its jap counterpart.

Reason being they build machines to last. Whereas Japs typically build machines that are reliable for a certain period. after that any Jap vehicle will start givinhg you issues.

[nilanjanray]

I voted for Japanese.

I would prefer a Japanese SUV for tackling roads less traveled, and an European sedan for high speed/enjoyable cruising.

[rohanjf]

Originally Posted by gandalf

Reason being they build machines to last. Whereas Japs typically build machines that are reliable for a certain period. after that any Jap vehicle will start givinhg you issues.

Well, that may not be entirely true. Japanese cars that are built to cost, yes, they will start giving issues after a certain period. But we have examples in our forum whose Honda City cars (which were not really built to cost, but built to last) have done well over 2,00,000 KMs. Similarly, Corolla can last very long too. However, consider any hatchback, your statement holds quite good.

When it comes to driving conditions, Indian environment is far from ideal (compared to, say, Europe). So, it also depends on how well the car is maintained.

I hardly maintain my Palio. I don't hesitate to take it off the road if and when I need to. I have even done a bit of soft-roading for 2-3 hours once. Fortunately, the car can take more abuse than many Japanese counterparts.

[rjalihal]

I believe in the saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" to quite an extent. In India, I will vouch for a local/Korean or Jap brand any day over the European ones. Most Euro cars need high performance petrol. The best available is 91 Octane which does not bring out the best in Euro cars. Moreover, the Euro cars have the indicator/wipers in the 'wrong' places. I say wrong because for a right hand drive car the 'Asian' ergonomics is more comfortable. Besides in a majority of the petrol bunks, we park adjacent to the hose as that is where the fuel lid is. But in Euro cars you need to come around or the pump needs to have a long hose. As for quality, no doubt Euro cars are superior, its just a matter of convenience that I would pick an Asian brand in India. If I was in a living a left hand drive nation then yes European all the way!

Cheers!
Rohan

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by AAK

European...for
- Dynamics...
corner a ANHC hard and you will know why people prefer VW Vento or a Rapid....
- Engineering
Sheet metal used by all Japanese mfg is galvanealed at max...where as the europeans prefer galvanized steel...

Could you please elaborate on that last part ? Googled and understood what Galvanealed is, thanks. How do you know this is what happens in the factory, especially in India ?

[noopster]

Originally Posted by dkaile

^
This poll should also feature a 'Either' or 'Both' option.

Mod Note:"Prefer both equally" option added.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by dkaile

Toyota being one of the exceptions here IMHO.

This poll should also feature a 'Either' or 'Both' option.

Honda feels much better built. Please do check out the Brio and then check out the Liva. Up-date us again. The story would go henceforth, the CR-V with the Fortuner. The City with the Etios... Not saying Toyota isn't, but IMHO, Honda is a step ahead.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Honda feels much better built. Please do check out the Brio and then check out the Liva. Up-date us again. The story would go henceforth, the CR-V with the Fortuner. The City with the Etios... Not saying Toyota isn't, but IMHO, Honda is a step ahead.

I agree, even the Jazz feels much better in quality. The car almost has a European feel to it. Infact, the official review of the Jazz starts with this line “Premium build & quality”

[drsingh]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

I voted for Japanese.

I would prefer a Japanese SUV for tackling roads less traveled, and an European sedan for high speed/enjoyable cruising.

Exactly what I was about to post.
Japs to handle everyday situations /roads reliably and Europeans for comfort and pleasure on the tarmac.

P.s. my European experience is limited to fiats/skodas/mercs