Is it me or are American cars rubbish?

[royleblue]

On a recent trip to the States I was given a Lincoln Town Car as a rental car. When I went to collect it from the car park you couldn't miss it. Over 18 foot long and nearly as wide it had retro styling but not from a good time. Under the bonnet was a 4.6 V8 but somehow Ford only manage to get 240 bhp out of it. Drive was through a 3 speed auto with overdrive. The column mounted gear change looked like it was from a 30's truck and you need the arms of a 30's truck driver to change gear. Acceleration was poor because the car changed up too early. I'm not sure if the steering wheel was actually connected to anything and the ride was so bouncy you needed sea-sickness tablets. Yet the Americans love them. There was apparently an outcry when Ford shut the plant that made them and they had to switch production to Canada. They seem popular with the retired Florida residents. What worried me was once driving into our hotel I got a cheery wave from another Town Car drive coming out :aargh4:
One reason for their popularity could be the price. $47000 (about £30000) is about the same as an A6 but for a car as big as a Bently. Still I know which I'd prefer.
Antone else had any exprience with Americans cars? Any good ones out there?

[turbine2]

I think the problem with Americans is they're not used to corners, so they have absurdly soft suspension, and they equate engine size to speed / power / refinement. So what you end up with is an absurdly soft ride, connected to an absurdly large and unrefined engine, through an automatic gearbox that's overengineerd to take into account the weight of the car (and the American driving it :-) ) and the engine.
I've been racking my brains to think of an American car that's good and I think I'm stuck. The only things I can think of are ones that have been modified so much that about the only part that comes from the orginal car is the cup holder.

[keithwigley]

The last time I was there, I drove a Ford Focus with (I think) a 4.5 litre petrol engine. Drove it for a week or so and filled the tank prior to handing it back. It was hardly worth the filling station collecting the 8 or so dollars (£5) for the petrol I had used. Yep, just as you describe it; difficult to drive in a straight line, yet alone negotiate a curve with a three speed auto box that was in third before you got to 20 mph.
Our US cousins love them. A cultural difference I guess.

[Borab0y]

What worried me was once driving into our hotel I got a cheery wave from another Town Car drive coming out :aargh4:


Was it a freindly wave or a

'please get out of the way, I cant feel the steering and I'm coming through'

[eob]

Yep, they are rubbish.
My brother-in-law was into American Muscle pre-kids and had some awful things.
Don't get me wrong, very powerful and quick in a straight line. But the interiors were terrible. I've seen better quality plastics on the inside of a biscuit tin.
Saying that, still emense fun to be had, except at the UK pumps!

[onzarob]

I had one of these, a Dodge Avenger. it was a 2.7L V6 ecomony Engine!!!! it was very nice to drive, But at Canadian speeds of 100KM/h on the highway and allot slower round town it was pleasent. not sure it would be fun hammering down the motorway here at 70mph ;)

http://media.mpgomatic.com/images/08_Dodge_Avenger-530.jpg

[Sam]

Late 70s early 80s Trans Ams, Pontiacs etc.

They're far from rubbish and I want one, so badly

[paul b]

I drove a Dodge Grand Caravan (Chrysler Voyager in our market) whilst in Canada and it was pants.

[ImCammers]

I was in Canada during the summer, with a Dodge Grand Caravan, which had 10k km's on the clock, before accidently striking the bumper against a brick wall. (it was only a rental) and i swear with the aircon on, and city driving that thing must have been doing barely out of double digits in MPG. But hell, some how that was cheaper to fill up out there, then my VW Golf is in England?

[s4-matt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9wbe2HNrAg

The best hey can muster, not bad but its not a lambo......

[Ben]

give me a '69 charger any day, but yes american cars are crap - just look at Vauxhall

[ImCammers]

give me a '69 charger any day, but yes american cars are crap - just look at Vauxhall

Thats a bold statement sir, Fords? As crap and as american as they feel, there engines are pretty realible. the TDI engines which were in Mondeo's were pretty solid.

Although i thought some of them are built in German plants? And we know the Germans have a knack for car building.

[royleblue]

Was it a freindly wave or a

'please get out of the way, I cant feel the steering and I'm coming through'

It was a friendly 'your driving the same car as me' wave which made it all the more scary.

Last year I had a Dodge Charger which I was looking forward to driving cos it looked great, but it was so disappointing to drive. The steering was vague and the acceleration was not great considering it had a 2.7 litre V6.

[ImCammers]

It was a friendly 'your driving the same car as me' wave which made it all the more scary.

Last year I had a Dodge Charger which I was looking forward to driving cos it looked great, but it was so disappointing to drive. The steering was vague and the acceleration was not great considering it had a 2.7 litre V6.

I also think a mid-range VW, eg 1.9TDI (150BHP), 1.8T (150BHP), V6 4-Motion, V5 Golf Range would stand toe to toe, if not beat the majority of similar american hatchbacks/saloon cars.

Chyrsler 300CC? Or other variety of terrible saloon's they produce.

Also i recently realised how many cars that '1.8T' engine is in, Seat Leon, VW Golf/Bora/Passat/Beetle, Audi A3 thats probaly so many more. (all owned by VW ofc)

[audipersempre]

I have been doing a lot of driving in the US over the last 4 months and have experienced a wide variety of cars. Mostly the automatic gearboxes are awful, the steering is vague and cornering poor. All the usual stuff!

However, last time out I had the new Camaro which was a bit more fun. Itw as the V6 not the V8 but it had a flappy paddle gearbox which actually worked quite well and the performance was pretty good with me doing the gear changing rather than the auto box.

Not a good image though. Old, balding fat guy in a bright red Camaro :o

[MalcQV]

I quite like them. They are nothing like Euro cars, the Americans like a soft ride and think ours have no suspension. Just a different experience. I have had over the years quite a few rentals some below.

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/holden2/cars/Holiday-cars/images/PICT0008.JPG

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/holden2/cars/Holiday-cars/images/P1020184.JPG

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/holden2/cars/Holiday-cars/images/DSCF3183.JPG

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/holden2/cars/Holiday-cars/images/DSCF0235.JPG


This one was awful though...

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/holden2/cars/Holiday-cars/images/IMGP0004.JPG


My Mate's 70' Charger, love it.

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/holden2/cars/charger/images/CHG5.JPG

[Sam]

My Mate's 70' Charger, love it.

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/holden2/cars/charger/images/CHG5.JPG


PHWOAR!

Me too.

[ruggedscot]

Lived in Canada a while back - regular vehicle was a mercury villager - people carrier with a 3l v6. Was a partner vehicle with nissan thay did their one which was called a quest.

Anyways the american cars are poor - its only now they have woken up and decided to try and globalise and use the european cars from other markets - insignia astra and mondeo focus are all going over stateside. economy of scale and trying to claw back from the japanese as they sell in thousands over there. had a run in various american cars and diabolical they were pontiac sunfire chevy aztec neons and such just did not cut the grade compared to quality that is predominat in europe. Americans generally didnt go for handling and the advertising culture and leasing ruled - $199 and $99 a month would be enough to sway people and capture custom, but if the bean counters ruled then you got crap interiors and poor engines - all done to a price. made cheap and piled high. now the economy is changing people are starting to wake up to the i dont need a new car every two years I dont need to follow the heard, advertising has started to fall away and companies are starting to realise that people want more than gimicks - quality economy and something that will last.

Hell the yanks were selling mark one focus until recently with some creative interior redesigns. The 1.9 CVH engine was also still around. wonder when it hit them, when they realised that thier cars had to be better or at least match the competition to take sales away from them. Back in the 90's I picked up a nissan sentra from seattle and drove to Reno back up to Vancouver over to the island and up the coast then over to calgary and back to seattle. never missed a beat. and even back then most americans were going for reliabilty - different culture from the europeans.

[Combover]

When I was in Florida 3 years ago, we had a 5.7 Hemi V8 Jeep Commander which allegedly put out 357bhp.

As it was such a huge heavy thing, to get it moving you literally had to depress the accelerator all the way to the floor! I swear a 1.4 Polo would nail it off the line!

[MFGF]

When I was in Florida 3 years ago, we had a 5.7 Hemi V8 Jeep Commander which allegedly put out 357bhp.

As it was such a huge heavy thing, to get it moving you literally had to depress the accelerator all the way to the floor! I swear a 1.4 Polo would nail it off the line!

Spooky! I rented exactly the same model when I was in Orlando three years ago. It was exactly as you describe too!! It had an enormous thirst for fuel as well. It wasn't gold-coloured and from Alamo by any chance?

The year after, we were in San Diego, and were given a Cadillac SRX with a 4.6 litre 320bhp engine. In comparison it was superb - it rode and handled more like a European vehicle, and felt pretty quick too.

MF.

[Combover]

Spooky! I rented exactly the same model when I was in Orlando three years ago. It was exactly as you describe too!! It had an enormous thirst for fuel as well. It wasn't gold-coloured and from Alamo by any chance?

The year after, we were in San Diego, and were given a Cadillac SRX with a 4.6 litre 320bhp engine. In comparison it was superb - it rode and handled more like a European vehicle, and fely pretty quick too.

MF.

That is spooky!! Ours was dark grey from Hertz I think!

I am off to Omaha and Sioux Falls in June and am trying to find somewhere there to hire a 2010 Camaro! 400+ bhp, RWD, V8! Grrrrr!!

[Meady]

New American cars are utterly pointless, slow, difficult, badly made. However, classic yank muscle, moderately fast, diffcult, badly made, but i find it hard not to love 'em.

[Sam]

Which new American car have you driven?

[wacky77]

how do they suffer such measly bhp out of such rediculously large engines???
for instance mustang engined rover 75 v8 is 260bhp at 4.6litres petrol.
audi 3.0 DIESEL is 236.5bhp LOL

[MalcQV]

how do they suffer such measly bhp out of such rediculously large engines???
for instance mustang engined rover 75 v8 is 260bhp at 4.6litres petrol.
audi 3.0 DIESEL is 236.5bhp LOL
Probably had something to do with Rover 75's being a mild competitor to a Mondeo V6. In the Mustang it produced 300-315bhp, hardly massive but reasonable. It could be mildly tuned to produce a fair bit more.

The 2011 V8 Mustang 5.0L will produce about 415bhp.