Japan and continental car almost same price now, but ...

[SeriousGuy]

depends on what you compare lor

 

you can't really compare a lancer and a 3 series although both of them are compact cars , just compare with around price range.

 

driven both conti and jap , to me , not much difference leh , still car.

[serenade]

Generalising a bit here. Contis are good in chassis technology, and recently in engine technology too with advances in turbo charging for fuel economy and cleaner emissions. 

 

I had contis and jap cars. When going over bumpy roads, the conti chassis twists less and feels more composed. The jap and koreans cars i had the chassis were jumping all over when hit multiple bumps at speed.

 

But I do respect the japs for their good engines. The powerful high revving Honda VTECs, the economical Toyota VVTi, the creamy Nissan V6 and the powerful but thirsty Subaru boxers.

 

The CEVS scheme worked the bigger capacity NA engines, penalising some of them e.g  Nissan 3.5 and Accord 2.4 get ht by surcharges while BMW 330 and Merc E250 do not. 

[Vratenza]

 

But I do respect the japs for their good engines. The powerful high revving Honda VTECs, the economical Toyota VVTi, the creamy Nissan V6 and the powerful but thirsty Subaru boxers.

 

The CEVS scheme worked the bigger capacity NA engines, penalising some of them e.g  Nissan 3.5 and Accord 2.4 get ht by surcharges while BMW 330 and Merc E250 do not. 

 

Boxers are not inherently powerful. It's the turbo they slap on it that made it powerful. Think Subaru 1.6TS vs WRX/STI.

 

Large capacity NAs will never be as fuel efficient as SC/TC engines.

 

In fact, It is triple whammy for the 3.5L v6, hit by higher road tax and took another hit below the belt by the CEVS. And if it can pick itself up and get itself purchased and registered on the road, it has to endure the insult of the highly taxed petrol prices at every pump visit.

[Spring]

I reckon both Japan and conti cars have their pros and cons. I have driven both and I will try to be as objective as possible here. I'm a lover of cars by the way, so I don't really have any particular allegiance to any group.

 

Conti is a very broad term, hence I will only talk about the German makes here since they are the most popular and churn the biggest volume.

 

In my view, German cars are more technologically advanced and Jap cars more reliable. Due to more new tech in German cars, they are prone to more glitches as compared to trusty technologies as these new tech are not bullet-proof yet. The Germans have more potent engine in general. They tend to be more expensive than Jap cars. 

 

Jap cars tend to lag a little in terms of tech, and they prefer trusted tech (eg 4/5AT) as compared to the 7-G tronic or DSG in the Germans. The result is that their cars are more bullet-proof and can last longer without faults. Jap cars tend to be cheaper too.

 

Obviously I'm over-generalizing here, and I apologise if I have offended anyone. There are very good cars in both camps. 

 

Very good points brought up bro and totally agreed!

 

I would like to think I'm also objective and don't have particular allegiance to a particular brand. 

Been driving Jap cars for more than 25 years and recently change to conti German brand and as I love cars too hence I'm active in forums, go for meet-ups and participate in car activities, not to mention talk to owners; I do agree that conti German cars have a lot of latest gadgets/technology which means they are more electronically vulnerable compared to their Jap counterparts.

 

So in short, if you like the latest technology and gadgets, go conti is best but do be mindful that precisely due to all the technology in the car that it might not be as reliable as their Jap counterparts. It you prefer a hassle free point A to point B car which will be a good servant and likely more value for money cos less gadgets so overall $ output is less, then go Jap and you would likely have a trouble free ownership experience.

 

My 2 cents and guess it's one man's meat is another man's poison!!

[X5actor]

This is a parallel argument; no end. Ups and downs; strengths and weaknesses at both camps.

 

My personal experience having owned and driven three makes - Japanese, Korean & European. For all round reliability and affordability it will have to be the Japanese makes.

 

:)

 

 

[NicholasYeo_101060]

Hmmm from my little experience, I think German cars are more comfortable. Didn't drive them long enough to make comments about reliability in the long run sadly.

 

But if you think of keeping your cars beyond 10 years. Probably german cars have more worth and value to do so over Jap cars.

This is a parallel argument; no end. Ups and downs; strengths and weaknesses at both camps.

 

My personal experience having owned and driven three makes - Japanese, Korean & European. For all round reliability and affordability it will have to be the Japanese makes.

 

:)

 

[Forte3737]

look at the awards won by the conti and their engines alone, that will be the deciding factor

the zafira and picasso have more than 20 awards between them, with the picasso already having a 3year in a row winning engine and multiple mpv of year awards

Awards count for nothing. Altis win zero international awards but its reliability is beyond its competitors

[L23]

Awards count for nothing. Altis win zero international awards but its reliability is beyond its competitors

 

Boy ah, don't discount them leh.

They are always the top few to won the "Most car units sold model" every year leh.  

[Baal]

I think the prob is that we are not privy to ideal or even just normal driving conditions. So reliability n having a wider margin for sub severe conditions is prized here.

 

As for those awards, my guess is that those were tried n tested under ideal conditions or minimally normal driving conditions.

[ER-3682]

You are talking about new or old car conti cars?

2012 VW Sharan..

[Blackyv]

Saw one skw Ford kuga by the road side with towing truck hooking it up this morning. , owner watching with a sad face.... ... I don't wanna speculate what happened but... Well.... Hehehhe...

[Lok666]

We can talk endlessly about which is better in function, comfort, looks, reliability, etc. But I think one deciding factor between a jap or conti is often status, or rather face. Many think that a conti car is more "prestigious" because the brand is from Europe, plus the fact that the higher price paid gives them more face in front of friends and relatives.

[Furrynadz]

I have 2 old hyundais which i drove/am driving from 6-10 yr old. Honestly, one problem will come after another. 

 

But i look back the last 20 yr: korean cars have been improving and is closing in on Jap makes. 20 yr ago, one sky one earth. 10 yr ago, marked improvement and almost looks equal (i recall one review said Avante was Corolla killer…), so if that trend has continued, will Korean have caught up with Japs now? I know those korean cars approaching 10 yr now, still CMI. But maybe new cars now have again improved significantly?

 

Just look at mobile phones. We hear of Samsung and LG, but no Jap makes… Korean technology could have caught up for cars too. 

 

jap mobile band and network type is different from us

u only see their international brands...aka sony

Saw one skw Ford kuga by the road side with towing truck hooking it up this morning. , owner watching with a sad face.... ... I don't wanna speculate what happened but... Well.... Hehehhe...

 

dual clutch dry also

maybe electronic ecu glitch, mileage too low for the internal leak yet..lol

[Lotr]

maybe japanese are more conservative and tends to adopt more mature technology which has proven reliability

[Blackyv]

maybe japanese are more conservative and tends to adopt more mature technology which has proven reliability

This I can confirm true.. I have Japanese and French customer... Their culture is very different.. Japanese are very conservative and will make sure their product is 101% tested before launching but French will launch its product if they have ~80% confident, fix the the rest along the way..

[Car_byte]

This I can confirm true.. I have Japanese and French customer... Their culture is very different.. Japanese are very conservative and will make sure their product is 101% tested before launching but French will launch its product if they have ~80% confident, fix the the rest along the way..

Yes French is over commit under deliver

[Baal]

Jap is on cdma network iirc. Sg had it briefly. Hearsay is that it was later stopped as it cant b tapped.

[sake]

Yes French is over commit under deliver