Infiniti & Nissan - WTF

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

What's really sad is that Mazda is doing everything the right way but not getting rewarded with sales. I feel they won't survive the next decade on their own and a larger manufacturer will probably have to become a majority shareholder, meanwhile Nissan keeps rolling with their vastly inferior products. Life isn't always fair I guess.

Yea I don't understand it. Their cars are almost always highly reviewed and the build quality per dollar spent is top notch. I know the 3 series exploded for a bit in the mid 2000's when they first came out, but then they switched the body to a really ugly design in 2010 for some reason and no one cared about them anymore. They've fixed that with the latest models, and the 2019 is the nicest compact sedan I've ever ridden in, and the only one outside of Subaru with AWD. Maybe that'll help bump the sales numbers a bit

[btimbit]

Mazda definitely seems to not be able to land on their own two feet after separating from Ford. I'd be interested to know why because their cars are pretty good

[Red]

Wonder how many Hyundai boosters here actually own one. As a previous owner I can say that they are pure junk. They look pretty though. Would never consider buying one again.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Red

Wonder how many Hyundai boosters here actually own one. As a previous owner I can say that they are pure junk. They look pretty though. Would never consider buying one again.

I was really happy with the Santa Fe I bought for my (now) ex wife and had from 2016 until last summer. No competitors could match the features that thing had for the price.

I'd consider a Hyundai again in the future

[Red]

Originally Posted by btimbit

I was really happy with the Santa Fe I bought for my (now) ex wife and had from 2016 until last summer. No competitors could match the features that thing had for the price.

I'd consider a Hyundai again in the future

Mine needed a new engine at 50K. The piston bored out a groove in the block. What grade aluminum do they use?
And the suspension was very "knocky", every bump felt like a strut would fall out.

My friend's Satellite antenna cover flew right off on Deerfoot.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Red

Mine needed a new engine at 50K. The piston bored out a groove in the block. What grade aluminum do they use?
And the suspension was very "knocky", every bump felt like a strut would fall out.

My friend's Satellite antenna cover flew right off on Deerfoot.

Wow that's crazy. We put 130 000 kms on ours in 2 years and never had a problem. Ride was nicer than the Mercedes ML we also had

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by btimbit

I was really happy with the Santa Fe I bought for my (now) ex wife and had from 2016 until last summer. No competitors could match the features that thing had for the price.

I'd consider a Hyundai again in the future

That's been my experience with my '08 Santa Fe. I've had it since new and have over 200,000 km on it. It's been a great vehicle, and was ~$10k less than comparably equipped vehicles at the time.

I looked at Hyundai's when I bought a sedan this summer, but they were now quite a bit more than the comparably equipped Nissan, so I bought that instead. I really like my Hyundai, but probably wouldn't spend extra for the brand.

[Red]

Sounds like I got the lemon.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

That's been my experience with my '08 Santa Fe. I've had it since new and have over 200,000 km on it. It's been a great vehicle, and was ~$10k less than comparably equipped vehicles at the time.

I looked at Hyundai's when I bought a sedan this summer, but they were now quite a bit more than the comparably equipped Nissan, so I bought that instead. I really like my Hyundai, but probably wouldn't spend extra for the brand.

Same here. At the end of the day what drew us in was the price. It was brand new in '16, and you weren't finding a comparable car with heated steering wheel, heated seats front and back and AWD for less than $30k. I'd say the Escape is a better vehicle (although ugly) but not better to the tune of an extra $10 000 to get it similarly equipped

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Mazda definitely seems to not be able to land on their own two feet after separating from Ford. I'd be interested to know why because their cars are pretty good

It's maybe because they are known as a car company at a time when SUV's are king and cars are in decline. Subaru has been doing very well for the last decade but when you break down the sales it's primarily based on the Forester and Outback as their actual cars (Impreza and Legacy) are mediocre sellers. If anyone wants an example of of how cars are perceived you can look at the Impreza which is a mediocre seller in it's class but Subaru takes that exact car, puts a little lift on it, jacks up the price by a few thousand dollars, calls it a Crosstrek, and markets it as a CUV, and it sells more than double the Impreza.

[bagofpucks]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Yea I don't understand it. Their cars are almost always highly reviewed and the build quality per dollar spent is top notch. I know the 3 series exploded for a bit in the mid 2000's when they first came out, but then they switched the body to a really ugly design in 2010 for some reason and no one cared about them anymore. They've fixed that with the latest models, and the 2019 is the nicest compact sedan I've ever ridden in, and the only one outside of Subaru with AWD. Maybe that'll help bump the sales numbers a bit

I wonder if it has to do with the poor “design language” in the 2010s and that has turned some folks off from the brand? I have a 2011 Mazda CX-7 that is pretty much a bloated Mazda 3. I find it has aged horribly from a design standpoint, but it has been a great vehicle mechanically for us. I was surprised at how nice the interior is at that price point and the AWD system is pretty fantastic. That said, I think the new Mazda 3 and CX5s are very good looking vehicles, so maybe that has an impact too? The new versions make the old ones look that much uglier? All in all, I could not be happier with our Mazda purchase as we’ve put heavy miles on it in 7 years of ownership and haven’t even had to replace the brakes! We had one minor issue come up that was covered by warranty and everything else has just been regular maintenance.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

What's really sad is that Mazda is doing everything the right way but not getting rewarded with sales. I feel they won't survive the next decade on their own and a larger manufacturer will probably have to become a majority shareholder, meanwhile Nissan keeps rolling with their vastly inferior products. Life isn't always fair I guess.

I think Nissan has a pretty decernt share of the Japanese market. Nissan also thrives in emerging markets in places like Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Whenever I travel to Latin America and the Caribbean it seems like 75% of the vehicles are Nissan. I think that is what keeps them alive.

[81MC]

My Micra has been awesome. Es todo.

[dirk diggler]

As for Hyundai, I have never owned one but it sounds like they have really made a nice car with the Genesis line. if I was buying a new car today, I would likely go G-70. to me one of the ugliest cars of all is the Nissan 350/370Z convertible. Pontiac Aztec ugly right there

[brocoli]

My Sonata is going on 210,000km and it's been nothing but great for me. I'm not necessarily shopping for another Hyundai, but that would be mostly because they don't have the style of vehicle I want next. I'm happy with the brand.

[-TC-]

I'd never buy a Nissan. Every one I've ever driven has been 'coarse' compared to a comparable Japanese or European model.

They have noisy powertrains and the interior materials are a big step down from a Honda or a Toyota.

I"m not surprised sales numbers are down.

[Calgary14]

Curious to see how the new Honda Passport sells. It's basically Honda's version of the Toyota Highlander

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Calgary14

Curious to see how the new Honda Passport sells. It's basically Honda's version of the Toyota Highlander

Yet another uneconomical, small-inside, heavy, awful-to-drive crossover? I imagine it will sell like hotcakes.

[dubc80]

Originally Posted by Calgary14

Curious to see how the new Honda Passport sells. It's basically Honda's version of the Toyota Highlander

I think the Pilot is more equal to the Highlander.

The Passport is smaller, I think. Compete with Jeep Cherokee/Compass, Nissan Rogue, Ford Escape, Chevy Terrain, Hyundai Tucson, etc.

Honda could never capture the mid-size or smaller SUV market as the CR-V was always sterotyped as a mom car.

I think they want this marketed as a "cooler" SUV, or Crossover aimed at a younger demographic, but not quite the young family demographic which who would probably buy a Pilot.

[Ducay]

I still don't see the target market for it. For those that think the Pilot is too big, the natural next step is the CRV. Its an awkward in between size.

Obviously there is a market for it, like the Highlander, I just can't understand why people would land on either. It also looks nearly identical to the Forester