What are your various car brand stereotypes?

[Grumpafrump]

Just that really. Was having a conversation about people’s perceptions of various car brands recently and found it interesting. The original conversation stemmed from a disagreement over whether Volvo is a premium brand or not; they weren’t when I was a child—they seemed to be mainly driven by university professors—but now they are quite expensive and also
nice inside. Does that make them premium, or is it more about the perception of the brand (for example, everyone acknowledges that Mercedes, Audi, BMW, RR, etc are premium) that is the defining factor? Is Tesla premium or just cutting edge tech?

I've worked at Mercedes, Audi and BMW. I don't rate them that highly

I think Aston Martin and Jaguar are far superior

Every other car on the road is a Merc, Audi or BMW. Ten a penny now

I think Volvo is underrated, they make some very nice cars

I think there's a presumption by a lot of people that German brands are better-built and more reliable than other (certainly other European) brands.

This isn't really the case; VWs, BMWs and Mercs etc are no more or less reliable than most other volume makers and considerably less so than (say) Lexus.

There's also a hangover prejudice from the 70s/80s/90s that French cars have poor electrics, that Italian cars rust, and that American cars can't go round corners. None of these are true any more, really.

Volvo has always occupied a rather unique position in the market, IMO. It's always been premium-but-not. Saab used to be the same when they were around. Nicer than a Ford or a Vauxhall, but not as flash or driver-focused as a BMW.

I also think, drilling down into categories, that there's a big blurring of perception between 4x4s, SUVs, and crossovers. There are all actually (slightly) different categories but many people lump them all in together.

I'm not sure if you are right re German brands.
We had several non German cars over the years and always seen to get back to them! They seem to last longer and have fewer issues over their lifetime.
But you don't have to go premium, VW for example owns Skoda and Seat, BMW ows MINI and so on!

Yeah but if you look at reliability and warranty claim statistics, there's not actually much difference and the German makes are generally mid-table. Toyota, Lexus, Skoda, Honda and Volvo generally sit at the top. (And Land Rover are usually at the bottom.)

The German makes spend more dev money on perceived interior quality especially. 'Thunk' close doors, soft-touch materials, etc. Most of those things were innovations by (usually) Mercedes in the 1980s and 90s that have made it out to the broader market.

BeetleyCarapace Skoda is owned by VW...

Jaguars are driven by bent second hand car dealers and scrap merchants.
Rovers are driven by doctors and Prime Ministers.
Morris Minors are driven by district nurses.
Ford Capris are driven by people from Essex who don't know how to indicate.
Volvo estates are driven by middle class families with labradors, or possibly people who do house clearances.
Triumph Stags are driven by hairdressers.
Saabs are driven by architects.

I think I may be too old for this thread 🤣.

Black BMW driven by drug dealers
Saloon cars driven by crawlers at 20 mph in a 40 mph zone
4x4 in our area are driven by the’ would do if they could do types ‘ probably all on hp .

I know. But it's not a German brand, it's a Czech brand owned by a German company.

Quite how Skoda have managed to keep their reliability stats so high when they use the same platforms, engines and tech as VW, Seat and Audi (all of whom have worse reliability records, to varying degrees) I don't know. Maybe the Skoda factories have different build quality standards? Skodas tend to be a bit simpler, maybe there's just less to go wrong.

Actually Skoda is a really good case study if we're talking about stereotypes. The 'image' used to be appalling — remember Skoda jokes in the 70s and 80s? Couldn't be more different now, and anyone telling a Skoda joke is going to look 30+ years out of date.

Range Rover but specifically Evoque drivers - finds it tricky parking between lines and gobby. Possibly up to their eyeballs in debt (ok reaching here) and leases as can’t afford a proper car. Ive not found an Evoque driver yet that has dissuaded me.

I drive a RR Sport and feel suitably hated on sight with an added helping of local drug dealer. I'm a considerate driver and can park as well as anyone else but confess that my car is embarrassingly wide. So I can be right by the kerb and drivers coming the opposite way think I'm hogging the road. It may be a fair point. It also breaks ALL the time. Never again.

My car stereotypes are scary boy racers and tail-gaters (Audis and Vectras), sensible family man (Volvos), pensioners/partly retired directors (BMW and Mercedes estates), strong self confidence (Skodas and Passats) and slightly alternative (Alhambra or Scenic).

And my garage reminds me all the time that I should have bought a Lexus as they're very reliable.

I was actually thinking this the other day—Skoda seem to be shedding (or have already shed) their old image and are now generally seen as quite sensible, reliable cars.

Stereotypes also vary by country. In the US, Subarus are seen as safe, solid tanks for young first-time-drivers to be safe should they have an accident.

In the UK, Subarus are niche Japanese 4x4s bought mainly by farmers.

People who drive French cars are rubbish drivers. Obviously they aren't all terrible but there is a noticeable trend.

In the UK, Subarus are niche Japanese 4x4s bought mainly by farmers.

Farmers?! You’ve never visited Bradford!

BMW - Once a premium brand, but not any more. They have completely lost the plot & trashed their brand by going too far downmarket & selling too many cheap, slow, boring hatchbacks & small MPVs / SUVs which are inferior to equivalent VWs. And I say that as a current BMW owner.
Mercedes have done likewise to some extent, but they have realised their mistake and many of their current lower end models will not be replaced.
Range Rover / Land Rover : Shoddy, appallingly unreliable, badly made junk dressed up in a designer suit.
Skoda / Seat : A VW for less money. Same platforms, systems, engines, suspension, transmissions etc etc.
Audi : A VW for more money. Same platforms, systems, engines, suspension, transmissions etc etc.
Fiat : Junk.
Alfa Romeo : Tarted up Fiats.

Range Rovers, I can't help it I just loathe the owners on sight

I would think that depends on the Subaru? The Impreza is quite a different beast to the Forester!

Range Rover, Mercedes and Bmw all driven by drug dealers round here.

@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats exactly what I thought this thread was asking for!! Classic answer! Beemers would be my drug dealers who don't choose to indicate car.... Audis - upper middle class professionals/SAH mums, Subaru Imprezas - boy racers. Not that I'm generalising of course...

It's interesting to see what sort of cars cluster in which types of car parks. Some years ago DH and I each had a hatchback avensis - along with a significant percentage of other rspb members, it appeared. Sensible reliable type of car with room for stuff. A few years later when I had a golf estate; we took advantage of DDs summer camp to have a few days in a small country hotel with a Michelin starred restaurant. I think only one other vehicle in the car park wasn't a golf estate. Function rather than flash, saving money for more interesting things than cars maybe?

Volvos are generally also 'sensible'. We knew someone who'd made millions when his company floated who kept his old Volvo for years.

The so-called premium German brands seem overrated nowadays - apparently bmw aims to make a lot of its profits from spare parts and designs components to fail shortly after the end of warranty. Bought by people mistakenly thinking they denote some sort of status.

Well, yes. But that's the thrust of the thread, I suppose. Stereotypes that aren't necessarily based on truth, fact or reality. The (UK) stereotype/image of Subarus as rough cars for farmers isn't the full picture.

The only one I really judge is Range Rover.

There are loads round here. They keep getting nicked because there’s a flaw in the keyless security, it can be hacked easily. This is well known, discussed all over the internet, local forums etc. And yet, people keep buying them, at enormous cost and huge insurance premiums.

If this doesn’t make them idiots, I’m not sure what does.

(Plus they’re flashy wanker cars anyway )