36 Votes

001 Is Delayed En Route To The Frankfurt Motor Show And Asks The Question- Are GERMAN Cars Overrated?

Agent001 submitted on 9/12/2009 Official Bell & Ross Timestamp: 12:24:53 PM

45 user comments | Category: Spy News | Source: www.autospies.com

Tag Link: 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show

This is my second try, trying to get on a flight to the Frankfurt Motor Show from LAX in two days.

Yesterday, September 11th, because of the delays at LAX, I didn't get to the United 1K counter until 42 minutes before my first flight (YES, the Spies always sit up front, who do you think we are? Employees for some plain old auto blog? :) ).

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show Photo Gallery

Because I missed the 45 minute luggage deadline, my wonderful counter agent informed me that I had to take another flight.

3 minutes?

Huh?

Well, they checked and everything was sold out, so I'm sitting here in the Red Carpet club in LAX this morning, now delayed to SF and hoping I'll still make my 1:55PM flight out of SFO.

So what better time than to pose the question- Are GERMAN cars overrated seeing I'm pissed I have to go through hoops to get to this damn show in Frankfurt! ;)

So are they overrated?

And if so, which one is the MOST overrated?

As I sit here stewing in LAX, I'm tempted to say yes...WHAT say YOU?

Be sure to keep your eyes glued to our Frankfurt Motor Show photo gallery.

We already have some great preview shots of cars that will be there.

I will be adding photos all weekend and throughout the week from Frankfurt. If i ever get there! ;)

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show Photo Gallery

2009 Concours Weekend Photo Gallery Live! (All photos from all Monterey shows in one gallery)
2009 Concorso Italiano Photo Gallery
2009 The Quail Event Photo Gallery

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001 Is Delayed En Route To The Frankfurt Motor Show And Asks The Question- Are GERMAN Cars Overrated?

About the Author

FWD Torque Steer. Absolute proof the Devil exists.
— Agent001 (View Profile)

User Comments

Id say BMW is a bit overrated...but Germans as a whole...nah. This will be deboosted to quickly by all the angry fanboys.
— AudiNewEngland (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 12:43:06 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 6

No german auto is overrated...Each brand has something for everyone.

The problem lies in each brands history of leadership and resurgence...

BMW and MB have been the leaders for years..Audi is a resurging and arguably by some for a variety of reasons a leading brand...

— vman1013 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 2:28:26 PM | | Votes: 4

Can we all agree that blonde girl is gorgeous?
— henbmw (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 5:55:30 PM | | Votes: 14

No argument, cept the poor location of the Autospies watermark...
— sdcarguy (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 6:53:35 PM | | Votes: 15

Yes, especially Audi. The problem I have with German cars is as follows:
Why do they always have to be comapared to cars (from other countries) which cost way way less? Just once I'd like to see a test where a $35 000 German car goes up against a $60 000 dollar shall we say, Japanese car.

German cars are more expensive because of perceived snob appeal, when in actual fact they are overrated and really not any better or more reliable.
— dhkss2002 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 12:59:16 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3

Oh come on, this is just a blog to start a flame war and get a lot of post.
— theoptimisticpessimist (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 1:00:31 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 16

you sound surprised!!
— ThierryHenry14 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 5:04:20 PM | | Votes: 17

IMO, Benz is the only company deservied to be expensive from German, but some reasom BMW Audi and VW want to be expensive car....
— pchera01 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 2:06:28 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -3

I think Audi is a little overrated. Their low end motors are nothing to brag about. I feel they are too expensive also for what you get. I do like the S/RS/R8 models,they seem to have good value for what they offer. BMW is caught in the middle. The 1,3 and x3 are good bargains.Everything else is over priced. An M6 does not need to cost $1xx,xxx.I definately agree when people say "theres nothing like driving a bimmer",but that also goes out to Mercedes. Having owned a E55,CLK430 vert and a 93 C-class (my love :) I will always be a Benz fan. SO yes and no. The german cars with value are absolutely not overrated. The ones that are way overpriced compared to their competition are overrated.
— rxh8me9000 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 2:23:01 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 6

Audis are too expensive for what you get? Are you sure you didn't mean to say that about MB? Or maybe the 3-pointed star is worth the extra money? The first gen C class was arguably one of the worst MB cars built. I know. I owned one.
— JustaCar (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 5:05:50 PM | | Votes: 7

Lets see. A loaded A4 2.0T is $46,000. A 328 walks circles around it in performance and standard features etc.The first c-class was special to me because it was the first car i bought with my own money. Maybe yours sucked due to lack of maintaining it,not sure why you didn't like it. It's clear that the A4 is no longer in the same league as the G, 335, C, or TL. And yes, once again most Audi's are overpriced compared to the competition. Less standard features,less options,weaker performance in almost every category. Mind you,I am not speaking about the S/RS/R8 models. Still,I do think Audi has great looking cars.
— rxh8me9000 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 5:29:40 PM | | Votes: 9

Well a loaded 328ix is well over $50k. And none of the tests I've seen show that it walks circles around the A4 2.0T quattro in performance or standard features. AS far as the G and TL they maybe be quicker but the quality is not what you get in a German car.
— JustaCar (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 6:35:51 PM | | Votes: -5

Well over 50k?Sorry I have to disagree with you.

My 328i xDrive Sedan
3.0-liter, inline 6-cylinder engine
xDrive, intelligent all-wheel-drive
See all standard features
Base MSRP $35,600
Crimson Red $0
Black Dakota Leather $0
Aluminum Trim $0
Premium Package $3,350
Sport Package $1,650
Premium hi-fi system $875
Xenon headlights $900
Destination & Handling: $825
Total MSRP as Built $43,200

The BMW beats the Audi in braking,handling (0.92g compared to A4's 0.83),more hp (+19),better residual value. Inside the A4 has an ugly steering wheel,no paddle shifters,and the bucket seats offer weak side support compared to the BMW.I'm not sure what reviews you read. If possible please post links to the various tests you have seen.
— rxh8me9000 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/13/2009 2:47:22 AM | | Votes: 7

rxh,
We you mentioned a loaded A4 2.0T and so we should be talking about a loaded 328ix. You can easily go over $50k once you add navigation, anti-theft system, and some other options. As for reviews of the A4, here are a couple of examples:

http://www.leftlanenews.com/audi-a4-review.html
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/08q4/2009_audi_a4_2.0t_quattro-short_take_road_test

You will always find an area where one car does better than the other, but to say Audi is overrated compared to BMW or that their low end motors are nothing to brag about..., just read the reviews above. Audis are just as compelling as their German competitors.

— JustaCar (View Profile)

Posted on 9/13/2009 8:15:20 AM | | Votes: -1

Its all in the eye of the beholder, and which models
— ThierryHenry14 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 3:22:14 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2

Made it to SFO guys!

Waiting to board for Frankfurt...

001
— Agent001 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 3:28:34 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4

when that blonde, either above us, or in your avatar is so ready to go back with you to your hotel room and have an escapade with a man who is leaving germany in a few days (always best to tell them you're leaving soon) you'll look back on those 3 lost minutes as having been the start of it all.

overrated? NO, but expensive for what they are really worth, YES.
— DiamondJim (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 6:42:42 PM | | Votes: 2

dose that not mean overrated?
— 1UAW (View Profile)

Posted on 9/13/2009 3:25:24 AM | | Votes: 3

Perhaps the world's best mass producer of sports cars: Porsche

The car company that arguably invented the car: Mercedes-Benz

The company that builds the world's best driving mass-produced vehicles: BMW

The company that invented the famed Quattro AWD system and is regarded as setting the benchmark for interior ergonomics and quality: Audi

Hardly overrated if you set the benchmark in niche excellent-handling sports cars, if you invented the car, if you produce the best-handling mass-produced cars, and if you invented the world's best AWD system and set the benchmark for interior quality.

— GermanNut (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 3:29:56 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3

http://www.asme.org/Communities/History/Landmarks/Siegfried_Marcus_Car_ca_1875.cfm
— abcd (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 4:53:33 PM | | Votes: 2

The development of the automobile is a very fascinating story. In 1769, Nicolas Joseph Cugnot, a French artillery officer, built a steam tractor to pull cannons. This was the first road vehicle to be driven by a heat engine, and it marks the very beginning of the motor vehicle's history although Cugnot's first run ended abrupty against a garden wall- not because he failed to see it, but because his monstrous, clumsy vehicle simply could not be manoeuvred with accuracy. It was a big bust. It wasn't until 1886 that Carl Benz was able to put together a vehicle powered by an internal combution engine which is generally regarded as the birth of the "modern" motor vehicle as there were many failed attempts before such as "steam cars", etc. In the mid- 1890s, Carl Benz was urgently looking for someone capable of running his motor-vehicle assembly operations as manufacturing was on a scale exceeding the craft methods then applied to building one off vehicles. Carl Benz hired August Horch in 1896 and he (August Horch) occupied the senior managment position in Mannheim surpervising the introduction of the motor vehicle. In August Horch's last year with Benz (1898-1899), The Benz factory produced 572 vehicles; no other manufacturer in the world matched the figure at the time. Then Horch left Benz finding Horch & Cie in Zwickau which 9 years later became Audi producing his first car in 1900 the 2-cylinder 4-5 and from there the rest is history. So, the Germans need to be respected for the technology and the development of the automobile with Benz and Horch playing a significant role.
— VISO (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 10:23:09 PM | | Votes: 3

absolutely! I'd say MBenz is overrated followed by Audi and I've owned both. Overpriced is the word you should've used.
— SSP350 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 4:06:07 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 7

"world's best AWD system"

that is if you don't count Mitsubishi's AWD, Subaru's symmetrical AWD, Nissan's ATTESA AWD and Acura's SH-AWD.

JUGNU
— JUGNU (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 5:13:49 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3

Okay, damn, I'll bite. The most overrated (drum roll please) the Porsche 911. The reason it is overrated is the Cayman. The Cayman is more fun to drive all the time. The reason Porsche doesn't put more power in it is it would kill the 911. Porsche make some of the most enjoyable driving real world cars available, the 911 is one, it just not as enjoyable as the Cayman and it cost a boat load more.
— theoptimisticpessimist (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 5:22:42 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5

there's no need to change the concept as long as the 911 dominates racing around the entire globe and that's what it does since 40 years.

— 100octane (View Profile)

Posted on 9/13/2009 4:47:59 AM | | Votes: 3

what an intelligent post - the 911 is overrated because the Cayman is underrated. Please don't forward me your resume.
— pcar4evr (View Profile)

Posted on 9/13/2009 7:43:14 AM | | Votes: 2

German car manufacturers have been relative fanatics about what they built - and German car customers were equally so about what they drove. Other countries have been catching up and closing the gap, but for the most part, they build the best.
— sdcarguy (View Profile)

Posted on 9/12/2009 6:58:56 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -4

IMO, one thing is for sure, German girls are underrated.
— wins555 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/13/2009 1:23:03 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3

german cars, whatever thre relative qualities, are all OVERPRICED for what they offer, compared to american and asian competitors.

this is NOT wholly the fault of the germans however, but in large part due to the fluctuating value of the Mark vs. the Dollar since the 1970s.

prior to that, there were cheap, medium, and premium priced german cars (the last being mostly JUST mercedes.)
since then, the medium level german makes RE-DEFINED themselves as sport-LUXURY cars to justify the higher prices (in dollars) they were forced to set. they did sometimes upgrade materials to justify the higher prices. but essentially, they could no longer compete on just a price basis, and had to somehow JUSTIFY the higher prices.

europeans generally were also handicapped in always lagging the americans and especially the japanese in PRODUCTION efficiencies.
— XYZZ (View Profile)

Posted on 9/13/2009 3:51:09 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2

Yeah, in Germany, the unions have the automakers by the nuts about as bad as the UAW. Therefore efficiency is bad.
— Invisible (View Profile)

Posted on 9/14/2009 9:33:41 AM | | Votes: 2

this site is overrated; the blond chick is overdressed; and agent 001 is overweight
— pcar4evr (View Profile)

Posted on 9/13/2009 7:37:12 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 9

Audi A4 2.0 fully loaded $52.3K. For a 4-cylinder and rear side airbags are a option!! Ridiculous & over-rated.
— skinny (View Profile)

Posted on 9/13/2009 9:50:57 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4

If you want all the technology options including radar cruise control, driver assist , Drive Select etc you will pay for it. You will pay the same for a loaded 328ix and you don't even get all these options. And rear side airbags are optional because they are not recommended when child seats are installed. Also don't discount that 4 cylinder engine. It's been the recipient of numerous awards and it can go 0-60 in 5.7s (as tested by Car and Driver).
— JustaCar (View Profile)

Posted on 9/13/2009 10:06:06 AM | | Votes: -2

yes...but who cares. If you don't like the price, buy a pre-owned. Personally, I'll take a slightly used German car over most things American. Although I have to admit, some of the US offerings have actually gotten their sh-t together.

Before you hate on the statement, I currently own a Japanese car (M35), because I could not justify the almost $10K price difference versus the BMW 530 I had my eye on. I also have to admit that my previous German 330 felt/drove/sounded better. So are they overrated, no...are they overpriced or lacking in preceived value, most likely.

My guess, based on the current theme that's been going around here... "are JAPANESE cars overrated" will be the next post
— DogLb (View Profile)

Posted on 9/13/2009 11:31:21 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2

NEXT TOPIC:

001 Is Delayed En Route To The Frankfurt Motor Show And Asks The Question- Are JAPANESE Cars Overrated?

THEN A FEW DAYS LATER:

001 Is Delayed En Route To The Frankfurt Motor Show And Asks The Question- Are KOREAN Cars Overrated?

AND THEN:

001 Is Delayed En Route To The Frankfurt Motor Show And Asks The Question- Are AMERICAN Cars Overrated?

...

001 Is Delayed En Route To The Frankfurt Motor Show And Asks The Question- Are CHINESE Cars Overrated?

...

001 Is Delayed En Route To The Frankfurt Motor Show And Asks The Question- Are MONGOLIAN Cars Overrated?

...

001 Is Delayed En Route To The Frankfurt Motor Show And Asks The Question- Are NIGERIAN Cars Overrated?
— Willis (View Profile)

Posted on 9/13/2009 1:29:52 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5

Nigerian cars are overrated but if you send me $25,000, I will allow you to have the keys to my car which contains $50,000,000 that my sick uncle who discovered a rare diamond in Congo gave me to share with someone who is kind enough to give me $25,000 sight unseen.

This is not another Nigerian scam
— pcar4evr (View Profile)

Posted on 9/13/2009 4:01:07 PM | | Votes: 7

best comment ever.
— 1995e34 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/13/2009 9:21:34 PM | | Votes: 4

Yes. Very.
— tango (View Profile)

Posted on 9/13/2009 1:56:20 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1

i think they are underrated. most people don't realize how practical they are to own.
— 1995e34 (View Profile)

Posted on 9/13/2009 9:22:53 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0

You can't deny the German cars have a history of being engineered for higher speeds which have been and still (barely) are being traveled on some German roads. That plus obvious racing history add up to a car that has more solidity and capability.
— 993Turbo (View Profile)

Posted on 9/14/2009 8:15:37 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0

harley-davidsons also "hold their value" better than all of the mechanically and technically superior japanese bikes.

due to the masses of FOOLS who have bought into the harley "mystique."

and the funniest part is, the japanese even build BETTER 'HARLEYS' (cruiser type bikes) than harley does!

being more practical minded, i'd choose a used honda over a new (or used) harley.
— XYZZ (View Profile)

Posted on 9/16/2009 10:55:47 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2

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001 Is Delayed En Route To The Frankfurt Motor Show And Asks The Question- Are GERMAN Cars Overrated?

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