My WRX's temperature gauge indicated it was 98 degrees yesterday in Los Angeles. It felt hotter. Muggy, too. I'm at a red light when a beautiful brunette pulls up next to me in a white Camaro, her hair blowing in the wind. Got to love LA, right? Well, the thing is, there wasn't any wind. In fact, she was driving a hard top with windows rolled up. Her hair was blowing because the A/C in that old F-body was so damn mighty. On a race track it's said that a car's only as good as its brakes. Out here in what's essentially an overpopulated desert, the same can be said about a vehicle's air conditioning. At that moment, my rally-bred Subaru was feeling pretty damn poor. In that moment in time, I would have killed for my old Pontiac Station Wagon, whose chiller could keep a side of beef fresh. Say what you want about American cars (and TTAC says a lot ), but USDA Choice A/C is still the envy of the world. So, my dear TTACers, what's your favorite automotive national trait?
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Hood that stretches out the horizon, enough leg space so that a 6’4′ guy doesn’t have to put the seat all the way back, and powersteering so sensitive it feels like you could drive with one finger on the wheel.
My grandpa’s 76 Caddy was a hell of a car even 20 years later.
Oh, and cup holders.
European seats.
The cars may be, by and large, unreliable, glitchy, expensive, chock-full of questionable design and ergonomic cues but, by God, for a continent full of people that don’t sit on their collective ass nearly as much as American drivers do, they make good chairs.
I drove my Saab for the first time in a while (the Fit’s in for it’s oil change) and, wow, I think I felt my spine realigning.
Ford’s in my opinion have the best factory sound systems. Dig on them all you want for their toothpick displays and poor ergonomic design, I’ve never heard anybody make a better sounding stereo that’s not an expensive high-end premium setup.
German brakes and high speed handling. Because the Germans actually use their cars at the far end of their performance envelope, many of their cars have simply superb brakes and suspensions which make 120 mph feel like 60. Second the European seats, although Toyota managed an excellent seat on the 2nd generation Supra. These were, like the best of European seats, sufficiently firm that they were comfortable up to eight hours and one didn’t require chiropractic work after a 500 mile drive.
Other than outright size, I cannot think of any “American” trait which might be classed a favorite. It’s likely, however, that a day in a ZR1 could change that…
My personal favorite trait is when it quits leaking that component is empty. No need for dipsticks or clear designs.
German car electronics. They’ll start acting up, then just when you start to get worried about whether the repair cost will be a three-digit DIY or four-digit professional job, it suddenly starts working again and you never hear from it again.
Keeps things interesting.
“I’m at a red light when a beautiful brunette pulls up next to me in a white Camaro, her hair blowing in the wind.”
Sorry, Jonny, if I knew it was you I’d have said “Hello”! ^_^
I have two:
1. British refinement: Sit in a Jaguar or an Aston Martin and you don’t drive….you glide. British can do elegance and grace better than ANYONE in the world. A Lexus feels like an appliance (though, I do like them) and German cars feel big, cold and clinical.
2. Japanese care: I bought a Toyota Yaris and I love the little dear to bit, but even as an entry level car it feels like some care was put into it. I was expecting something nailed together and be JUST good enough to maintain my interest in the Toyota range. But what I got was a car that was so good, I don’t think I’ll switch it. No matter what car you buy from a TRULY Japanese maker you feel like the car was the best they could muster given the resources. Unfortunately, for American makers, unless it’s big, brash and burns more natural resources than a gas flare, they’ll give it the bare minimum or, even, ignore it.
Japanese quality
Korean price
German handling
American style (when it’s good it’s good) and power
My favorite (American) national trait is the ability to use regular gas, not premium, in most cars in the US. That’s changing, though. Poor timing considering gas prices.
And air conditioning. Definitely. I had a 1995 Sonoma with air conditioning so strong, I could get the inside cool enough to see my breath regardless of the outside temperature. Seriously. No exaggeration.
Japanese: Build quality and technology based.
German: Engine noise and driving experience.
American: See above, V 8 noise, straight line power.
What I liked is going away. I’m sure many will disagree but these are my observations of the old days (mostly to end of 1960s):
GM- Everything right sized on vehicle; Allis-Chalmers did this too. Nothing too heavy or weak. That was a lot of work in the days before CAE/FEA
Ford- Find out what works, then stop fiddling around, and finish the job. Be economical and don’t waste resources that could be used for the next project. The intelligent part numbering system avoided wasted resources in potential reinventing of the wheel. Sadly, so much institutional memory was lost when they fired droves of drafters in the 1970s.
Chrysler- Never be afraid to try something new/better (a blessing and a curse).
AMC- Fantastic can-do attitude- and on a shoe-string budget. I believe these guys really helped Chrysler’s previous turn around.
It breaks my heart to see these men and women scattered to the winds. I wish them all well. If they can bring these talents to a new industry/locale, then some of the best character of America will survive.
Audi interiors! I drove a new A6 4.2 recently, and it’s brilliant. The way the switches click into place, the way the buttons depress but don’t jiggle about, the chunky gearshift, the way the door closes like the lid of a vault, it’s brilliant.
WRXs have fairly weak A/C to be perfectly honest. There also isn’t much you can do about it, though setting it to ‘recirculate’ all of the time will help a bit, but if you aren’t careful will leave condensation after motoring around a bit and produce an unpleasant moldish/mildew smell. To remedy that, I turn the compressor off a minute or so before I arrive and then turn it to full blast, with outside air on and no longer on recirculate. This seems to help.
My S10 has reasonably good A/C, but only because of the standard cab really. I have noticed that Ford products seem to have fantastically cold A/C and have had for quite a few years as some part of my family were mostly Ford, some were mostly GM products. Anyone else have this observation?
I can’t resist throwing this in:
Heaven is a place where the police are English; the chefs are Italian; the car mechanics are German; the lovers are French and it’s all organized by the Swiss.
Hell is a place where the police are German; the chefs are English; the car mechanics are French; the lovers are Swiss and it’s all organized by the Italians.
As cars go? Italian handling.
American V8 power. It’s loud, it’s crude, it’s wasteful, but by god, it’s intoxicating. Coupled with a a solid rear axle, nothing is as much fun as steering with your right foot.
Without a doubt the A/C output in Ford vehicles. Nothing handles 30 degrees of separation like a Ford!
AKM
Don’t you mean:
Heaven is a place where the police are British; the chefs are British; the car mechanics are British; the lovers are British and it’s all organized by the British.
Hell is a place where the police are French……
You get the idea! ^_^
My favorite (American) national trait is the ability to use regular gas, not premium, in most cars in the US. That’s changing, though. Poor timing considering gas prices.
That wasn’t always the case. However, given current prices, premium has never been a better deal. Premium is $.20 more than regular so when gas was $1 a gallon, premium was 20% more; now that gas is around $4, premium is only 5% more.
American A/C
Japanese reliability and tolerances (well, Toyota/Honda, anyway)
German suspension tuning, brakes and high speed road manners
Italian styling
French women
English beer (Obviously, this doesn’t go well with cars. Explains a lot, dunnit?)
Mix and match some of those nationalities and traits incorrectly, and you’d end up with some lousy cars and really bad beer. (No comment on the women.)
TexasAg03 Says: That wasn’t always the case. However, given current prices, premium has never been a better deal. Premium is $.20 more than regular so when gas was $1 a gallon, premium was 20% more; now that gas is around $4, premium is only 5% more.
I know what you’re saying. I guess it’s all how you look at it. I’m looking at it from the angle that currently regular gas is a crappy deal and premium is a crappier deal.
IHere’s another national trait I love. This time it’s Italian. For a long time, nobody did red paint like the Italians.
Katie, I know what you mean about the Yaris. I had a ’91 Tercel, bottom of the heap, and you could still tell they had made an effort. The interior door panels didn’t have any screws in sight, the manual steering was perfect, and there were other little details meant to prevent rattles and the like. I’ve driven a lot of cars in that class and only the Civic could match it for quality.
I’m in love with the Japanese light-footed feeling. I don’t like cars that feel like a vault.
European Design. American and Japanese cars for the most part seem bloated and swollen. European cars just seem more sleeker and purposeful. Their overall shape just makes them look more well put-together. See: Ford Mondeo vs. Ford Fusion.
Italian Design….Try a nice Red Alfa GTV.
Swedish car seats. They are quite possibly ergonomically perfect.
I’ll just point out, once again, that the French actually invented the car. The first car was the 1769 Cugnot Fardier a Vapeur. And the French certainly pushed the envelop on technology over the last 50-60 years or so.
Having said that, German (Porsche and BMW anyway) engines are Mozart. My Accord’s engine is Salieri. But the car is such a great compromise that I love it.
German diesel engines, and German seats. You can drive for 700 miles or more without refueling, and your butt won’t be sore.
No one’s really talking about French cars, and believe me, I dislike them most of the time too, but the French have the balls to do things that most other countries wouldn’t do.
The SM? The DS?
Putting little balls of hydraulic fluid in as suspension.
Sure the styling is always a bit “controversial” but holy hell none of PSA or Renault’s cars are “boring” or “ordinary”
It’s sorta like the old joke about best/worst national characteristics:
BEST: French chef, Swiss banker, British policeman, German mechanic, Italian lover.
WORST: French mechanic, Italian banker, German policeman, British chef, Swiss lover.
American A/C…mmmmmm…I’ve actually had cars towed before when my A/C broke rather than drive it to get it fixed.
In south Florida, especially if you’re wearing body armor and an unfortunately designed uniform, A/C is crucial.
Hope the men and women in Iraq/Afghanistan have good A/C in their vehicles…
I’ve owned two Ford products with incredible A/C: a 1985 Mercury Lynx and a 1999 F-250 SD. With the Lynx, you’d lose 5 mph instantly once you turned the A/C on, but it was COLD. Just had to be sure to turn it off to not lose 20 mph going up a hill. My current Civic completely sucks in the A/C department in comparison.
Best things in general about American cars in the past 20 years:
1. Interior space
2. Torque/low-RPM power (OHV FTW)
3. Value
An Impala’s virtues against a Camcordima are clear: the Impala makes all others feel cramped, the others have “whizzy” engines that are weak off the line, and the Impala gives you way more bang for the buck. Ask anyone who’s bought an Impala since 2000, and they’ll say the same thing.
Our ’04 Volvo S60 and Suby Forester both have A/C that copes just fine. Not so fine was our dalliance with a ’97 Saturn that never put out significant heat, except in summer. USA A/C isn’t always supreme. Of course, my earlier ’84 Volvo 244 Turbo had vacuum-operated air handlers that shut down the dash vents when the manifold pressure went above ambient level, accompanied by gasping noises. I think the vents are electric in newer models (or they figured out how to leak-proof the vacuum reservoir).
Japanese (Honda) small 4 -cylinder engines
German brakes
Italian styling
English interiors
American air conditioning
French…ummm…err…next!
Pig_Iron:
“Chrysler- Never be afraid to try something new/better (a blessing and a curse).
AMC- Fantastic can-do attitude – and on a shoe-string budget. I believe these guys really helped Chrysler’s previous turn around.”
Have to agree with you. A lot of Chrysler’s success in the 90’s was due to input by the former AMC guys.
DrBiggly:
“I have noticed that Ford products seem to have fantastically cold A/C…”
26theone:
“Without a doubt the A/C output in Ford vehicles. Nothing handles 30 degrees of separation like a Ford!”
I can second that. I currently drive a 2000 ZX2 (with a 5 spd!) as daily commuter in Florida. It has a black interior. No problem for the AC. And I have I told you I don’t like Fords?
David Holzman:
“German (Porsche and BMW anyway) engines are Mozart. My Accord’s engine is Salieri.”
Maybe American engines are Rock’n’Roll?
How about American engines are Ray Charles?
And Italian engines–full verismo (Mascagni) or, if you prefer their sensual side, Monteverdi.
Puccini.
End of.
American AC
American V8 soundtrack
Japanese manual transmissions
Japanese quality
European seats and ergonomics
German handling and steering
European design
And Italian engines–full verismo (Mascagni) or, if you prefer their sensual side, Monteverdi.
And Japanese engines are castrati?
;)
sorry Katie, AKM’s version is better. British chefs? Bangers and mash, bubble and squeak ?
Andy D,
Firstly, my version was simply a joke on the fact that Britain is “heaven” and France is “hell”.
Secondly, there is nothing wrong with bangers and mash and bubble and squeak or any British food!
Steak and kidney pie is beautiful! ^_^
Not really traits of the cars themselves but employee pricing, multi-thousand dollar incentives, 0% financing and cheap replacement parts are all nice. Most of all though I enjoy having a big V8 that burns up the cheapest grocery-store gas I can find.
I think my Subaru Impreza is almost perfect. I would like it to have stronger a/c and the front seats transplanted out of a Saab 9-3 or 9-5…. But thats all I would change… for now…(i’ll think of something else like a better stereo for instance.)
David Holzman : I’ll just point out, once again, that the French actually invented the car. The first car was the 1769 Cugnot Fardier a Vapeur.
The steam-powered 3-wheeled 1769 Cugnot looked like a motorized tricycle, or perhaps a farm tractor. The single front wheel both powered and steered the vehicle and it is truly the ancestor to our modern automobiles, as well as to trucks, tractors and trains.
However, with all of the weight placed on the single front wheel, it was reportedly difficult to steer. And, with typical French thoroughness, it was designed without brakes.
No surprisingly, the French 1769 Cugnot also has the distinction of being involved in the first traffic accident involving a motorized vehicle when it reportedly crashed into a brick wall and its driver was the first person to be arrested and jailed for the criminal equivalent of “wreckless driving.” The project was abandoned.
According to wikipedia, in 1772, King Louis XV granted Mr. Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, the vehicle’s inventor, a pension of 600 livres a year for his innovative work, setting into motion the prospect of pensions for auto-workers hundreds of years later.
But then there was that bit of nastiness called “the French Revolution,” and Cugnot’s pension was withdrawn in 1789, again not unlike what seems to be going to happen to many autoworkers in the near future.
The inventor abandoned France and went into exile in Brussels, where he lived in poverty. Where will pensionless retired autoworkers go to? Mexico?
Shortly before his death, he was invited back to France by Napoleon Bonaparte and Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot returned to Paris, where he died on October 2, 1804.
Got to agree about Ford A/C. Went from a Probe GT where I never had a problem and it was always cool to a Mazda 6 where the thing blows warm on occasion. It’s ironic that the Probe is mechanically a Mazda.
In the days of the cold war, the Russian peasants said while dreaming of one day living in America, “Come to American and buy a great big American car.”
I once had a Russian roommate (education visa) for six months that thought this very way. He was also impressed with (or shocked by) our grocery stores!