Tag: Audi

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What are the Top 10 luxury cars that are completely overpriced considering the poor workmanship and lack of features?

There are a number of luxury cars on the market that are completely overpriced considering the poor workmanship and lack of features. Ford, Buick, Lincoln, Dodge, Jeep, Chevrolet, Chrysler, GMC, Ram, Tesla, Cadillac, and Volvo are all examples of cars that fall into this category. While these cars may have a certain level of prestige associated with them, they simply do not live up to the hype in terms of quality or value. In many cases, you can find cars that offer better workmanship and more features for a fraction of the price. So if you’re looking for a luxury car that won’t break the bank, be sure to do your research before making a purchase.

The following is a list of 10 luxury cars that are completely overpriced:

1. Ford: Despite being one of the most popular automakers in the world, Ford’s luxury cars are seriously overpriced. The company’s flagship sedan, the Lincoln Continental, starts at over $45,000, but it lacks features like heated seats and an advanced infotainment system that are standard on other luxury cars.

2. Buick: Buick’s lineup of cars is generally fairly priced, but the company’s top-of-the-line model, the Enclave Avenir, starts at a whopping $53,000. For that kind of money, buyers expect a lot more than what the Enclave Avenir offers.

3. Lincoln: Lincoln has long been known for its luxurious cars, but its recent offerings have been severely lacking in both quality and features. The Lincoln Navigator starts at just under $80,000, but it doesn’t even come standard with heated seats or a sunroof.

4. Dodge: Dodge’s Charger Hellcat may be one of the most powerful cars on the market, but at $70,000, it’s also one of the most overpriced. The car lacks features like adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist that are becoming standard on other luxury cars.

5. Jeep: Jeep’s Grand Cherokee Summit is one of the company’s most expensive models, starting at just under $60,000. However, it doesn’t offer much in terms of luxury features. The vehicle doesn’t even come standard with GPS navigation or blind spot monitoring.

6. Chevrolet: Chevrolet is generally known for its affordable cars, but its top-of-the-line model, the Corvette ZR1, starts at an eye-popping $120,000. For that kind of money, buyers expect a lot more than what the Corvette ZR1 offers in terms of luxury features and performance.

7. Chrysler: Chrysler’s 300C is one of the most expensive cars in the company’s lineup, starting at just under $50,000. However, it doesn’t offer much in terms of luxury features or performance. The car doesn’t even come standard with GPS navigation or blind spot monitoring.

8. GMC: GMC’s Yukon Denali is one of the most expensive SUVs on the market, starting at over $70,000. However, it doesn’t offer much in terms of luxury features or performance. The SUV doesn’t even come standard with heated seats or a sunroof.

9. Ram: Ram’s 1500 Laramie Longhorn is one of the most expensive trucks on the market, starting at just under $60,000. However, it doesn’t offer much in terms of luxury features or performance. The truck doesn’t even come standard with GPS navigation or Blind spot monitoring..

10 Tesla: Tesla is generally known for its high-quality electric cars, but its Model S sedan is seriously overpriced at just under $100,000. The car lacks features like adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist that are becoming standard on other luxury cars..

Volvo and Cadillac round out this list as two more manufacturers whose cars are completely overpriced considering the poor workmanship and lack of features offered.”

From Bob Sime on Quora:

According to Consumer Reports reliability ranking is:

1. Lexus
2. Toyota
3. Mazda
4. Subaru
5. Kia
6. Infiniti
7. Audi
8. BMW
9. Mini
10. Hyundai
11. Porsche
12. Genesis
13. Acura
14. Nissan
15. Honda
16. Volkswagen
17. Mercedes-Benz
18. Ford
19. Buick
20. Lincoln
21. Dodge
22. Jeep
23. Chevrolet
24. Chrysler
25. GMC
26. Ram
27. Tesla
28. Cadillac
29. Volvo

JD Power has a somewhat different ranking:

While Cadillac ranks a little higher in the JD Power ranking, it is still one of the lowest ones with Land Rover, Volvo and Acura worse. While Volvo might not be considered luxury they certainly have some models price at a luxury price. I tend to believe that JD Power uses a bigger sample than subscriber based Consumer Reports information.

Above ranking are by brand and each brand would have some variance based on models. For the most part within brands the higher volume models are more reliable than lower volume ones.

in past years there was a time frame when Cadillac was considered the luxury brand of any American car companies. They still include the goodies and technology that would classify them as such. Escalade made the 20 Cars To Avoid At All Costs In 2021 list and was not the only luxury vehicle to make that list.

It is hard to understand why they would be so lousy in terms of reliability. Many of those who valued what Cadillac traditionally offered (quiet, smooth, road isolation, luxurious interiors and luxury technology) moved to Lexus where the brand and most of their models are at the opposite end of the reliability list. Luxury is not luxury if it does not work frequently.

Addition replying to several comments:

There have been a number of questions about differences between the above lists. I believed that it was due to methodology differences. The following two links get into what type of questions for each and what they measure.

2021 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS)

Consumer Reports’ Car Reliability FAQ

Essentially JD Power is an incident report whereas Consumer Reports records what members said were problems they considered serious. Every incident is not necessarily serious. For example I had a new Lexus that soon after delivery developed a 1 pound per week drop in pressure in one tire. That was an incident. It was caused by the tire being improperly seated on the rim at the factory. It was fixed immediately and I would would have considered that an inconvenience not anything serious.

There is also a massive difference in sample size with Consumer Reports having 470,000 and Powers about 33k. With the former sample size over 14 times the latter, it should be more statistically accurate. They indicated average response of three hundred per model. That is not as good of info as the manufacturer’s bean counters have, but it is probably as good as it gets for the consumer.

Of the two sources Consumer Reports drills down more about specific types of problems. When the owner is out of warranty the type of problem can be important as different categories vary significantly in cost.

There is a reason for the large variance in drop in residual value between different brands and different models within those brands. Some turn into money pits and as a result are not worth hardly anything when you try and sell them. That is good on any vehicle. It is particularly bad on a luxury car.

I mentioned Cadillac in my above response based on my feeling that no matter how many luxury trappings they offered, if the vehicle frequently did not work it would not be a luxury vehicle (it just would be a vehicle that offered much what Honda offers in tech, but one that did not work).

Vehicles that frequently do not work are only luxuries for the mechanics that work on them (JOB SECURITY IS A LUXURY) and luxuries for the dealer or maintenance company (PROFIT IS A LUXURY). Personally I would prefer not contributing too heavily to those two luxuries.

The average price of a new vehicle purchased in the states is US $36K. That may not represent luxury, but it represents something that the purchaser expects to work. Is there any real reason the expectation should be different just because the vehicle costs more and may have more luxury trappings or better performance? If your answer is no to that, the logical conclusion would be that ANY luxury brand that had a reported history of more problems than less expensive brands is not worth it. That includes too many of them IMO.

Addendum:

• I am basing this knowing that we all have criteria that is important for the vehicle we select. I currently have two cars one is a German convertible and the other is a Lexus.
• I recently drove my sister in law’s CTS.

Even being used to a soft top convertible that tend to be more noisy, it was one of the most noisy cars I have ever driven. The few I have driven were more noisy to accentuate the sound of the exhaust. The amount of noise is not typical Cadillac. Historically they were one of the most quite on the market. Cadillac wanted a younger buyer group. They tried unsuccessfully to emulate BMW.

In comparison my sister in law had commented about how quite my wife’s Lexus is. Lexus was not satisfied. The current model has 30% more sound deadening materials.

I am not trying to make a case that lack of sound is the only factor in considering, but is is one more issue for Cadillac’s primary market.

I’ve had nine Lexus, three Mercedes, three BMWs and no Audis. Lexus is by far the higher quality car among these brands. The others are not even close. However if you’re looking at cutting edge technology, the Lexus falls behind the others. The other three are more advanced. Lexus is a very conservative brand that spends more time on matters of reliability than cutting edge features. It all depends on the kind of experience you want in a car.

If you plan to keep the car a very long time, Lexus would be the only consideration. If your plan is to keep it three years or so, then the other brands would be a stronger consideration because they offer more for about the same price. Lexus depreciates less overall, except with the LS which they have trouble selling new. It’s a boring car. Well built, but dull as hell to drive. If you don’t like or care about cars, but want a good one, the LS is your baby.

But, if you’re looking for overall driver experience, the Germans are excellent at that.

(Find me on Substack)

What is the comparison useable lifetime of combustion fuel cars versus estimated lifetimes of electrical cars or EV? It now looks like 12 years versus 25. By David Filmer

The problem is… besides the driveline, an EV is just an ordinary car with ordinary car parts, and few people want to drive a 12-year-old car (much less 25 years old), even if the engine works perfectly. The electronics (which once seemed amazing) will be dated. The dash will rattle. The paint will be blistered. The upholstery will be worn and stained. The carpets will be rotten and stink. The door seals will be dried out. There will be rust on the undercarriage. Corrosion in wiring harnesses may cause intermittent problems which are difficult to diagnose. These are all typical 12-year-old car problems that get worse as the car continues to age.

The average life expectancy of a US automobile, from showroom to scrapyard, is about 13 years, and it’s not just the driveline. The whole car will be worn out.

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In the future, as EVs begin to age, expect to see a variety of EV “kit cars” to repurpose the durable (and expensive) motor, battery, and inverters into new bodies with updated electronics/telematic packages.

We may even see a variety of novelty coachwork, as we do with the humble Volkswagen Beetle. Your Tesla might someday look like a Delorean or a classic American roadster!

Have fun.

Cheers!

Reference:

https://www.quora.com/profile/Bob-Sime

Consumer Reports: Cars to Avoid Buying in 2021

https://www.hotcars.com/cars-to-avoid-in-2022-and-why/

Programming Languages used for Autopilot in Self Driving Cars like Tesla, Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Volvo, Infiniti