Have Regular Brands Become So Good That The Luxury Brands Aren't Worth The Premium They Cost These Days?

In the 90's and early 2000's if you were looking for a car or an SUV, it was hard to consider an American or Korean product in your buying process.

But just like Apple passing Microsoft, a thing we all probably never thought could happen, these days almost everyone is making excellent products.

Just ask all those Telluride and Palisade owners I'm starting to see everywhere.

Or Lincoln Navigator buyers, etc.

The game has REALLY changed.

I used to religiously buy the German products but no more.

I'm driving a Kia Telluride and I'll be honest with you, if you handed me the keys to say a Lexus RX or BMW X5, I'd hand them back to you. The Telluride is THAT good.

Add to the mix that it's a good $20k less than those I mentioned optioned with all the toys.

So my question to you is have regular brands become so good that the luxury brands aren't worth the premium they cost these days?

Name and shame the ones that still ARE worth the premium and those that don't deserve our hard earned $$$.

CANADIANCOMMENTS - 7/14/2020 9:37:27 PM

+7 Boost

Yes. Regular brands have become very very good. Features only seen on luxury cars are now found on compact cars (4 heated seats and a heated steering wheel). A top spec regular brand vehicle can indeed be a very nice place to be.

Car4life1 - 7/15/2020 8:37:34 PM

+2 Boost

Totally agree and is precisely what prompted luxury males to get more serious about their CPO programs, which have been extremely successful

jeffgall - 7/14/2020 11:24:50 PM

+2 Boost

Yes, Regular brands are of much better quality today, and offer many of the same features and gadgets, No doubt they have vastly improved. On paper, they look on par to their luxury brand counterparts, but when you really look deep at the engineering quality and performance capability, some, not all, of the luxury brands are still ahead. Many will say they are content with the regular brand, but I appreciate a further engineered car.

USNA1999 - 7/15/2020 7:18:49 AM

+6 Boost

Agree but some of the "regular" brands have gotten as expensive as the "luxury" brands. Some Toyota Highlanders and Ford Explorers are close to $50K same price as a Lexus RX or MB GLE.

TomM - 7/15/2020 7:36:17 AM

+1 Boost

Sure -- You convince yourself that that Kia or Hyundai is just as good as a Mercedes or Rolls Royce. And when you drive up to the Concierge at the Restaurant Valet Parking - it will be parked as far in the back as it can get. Why is it young people who valet park cars can tell the difference between Wanna BE and Really are - and Trained long time Auto writers CANNOT?

I have seen writers compare the 95 Cu ft interior Tesle S to an S class Mercedes wich has 111 cu ft. Even if you could compare a Tesla to a Mercedes the Tesla S is not in the full size class - it compares with an E class mostly - and worse - it only has 1 cu ft more space than a Chevy Bolt

If you did not buy the real thing - don't expect it to be the real thing.

MDarringer - 7/15/2020 1:40:57 PM

0 Boost

Kia and Hyundai are more reliable and far less troublesome than Mercedes and Rolls Royce.

Truthy - 7/15/2020 4:54:03 PM

+3 Boost

And the Telluride and Pallisade are better looking than the RR. I do not make my car buying decision based on where the valet parks my car at a pretentious restaurant. I have an MB that has had myriad mechanical issues. Most people I know that buy a BMW do not buy a second one. If these engineers cannot design a car that can have years of trouble-free miles like a mid-priced Asian car, then they do not deserve my hard earned money.
The former CEO of BMW said this during a presentation 5 - 6 years ago that the gap between mainstream cars and luxury cars was closing. The challenge for him and other luxury marque companies is how to differentiate themselves.
i.e. - genesis has made a better 3 series with the G70.

MDarringer - 7/15/2020 5:18:37 PM

0 Boost

Anyone who is in the market for a large crossover and marks the Telluride off the list without driving one is a fool. The Telluride is a hot seller. The Palisade is less so. My advice would be to consider the Palisade for the better price.

deaHelkcunK - 7/15/2020 8:25:09 AM

+3 Boost

Yes, I just found myself deciding between a G550 a diesel Rubicon. With my experience on dealer trips for service and repair with both I ended up with the Jeep (a Fiat Product!!!) Not that the Jeep dealer is such a nice place to be, it's a far cry from the lounge at MB, but I don't get my head ripped off for simple oil changes and as far as recalls and little glitches go the Jeep has treated me about the same as MB. The depreciation difference is another nail in the coffin for the "premium" brands.

PUGPROUD - 7/15/2020 12:09:25 PM

0 Boost

With just about every auto maker in every segment, with politicians attacking ICE models and all cars in general, with the cost of converting to EV models, with prices going up and loans getting longer, with the cost of funding autonomous driving research, with the world wide virus hitting people's pocket books, with young people looking for alternative methods of transportation options, with EV engines being ubiquitous and indistinguishable, with every segment sharing similar technology,with EV startups producing vehicles comparable to old line manufacturers...how long will it take for a mass consolidation of the industry and great reduction of its impact on worldwide employment and economy? 15 years? 20 years?

skytop - 7/15/2020 12:34:22 PM

0 Boost

Luxury is almost a state of mind now. Authentic luxury vehicles are now well above $100,000K which is only affordable to a 'select' group of well heeled buyers. Like always, the super expensive vehicle provides owner status to impress those who don't have it but want it.

MDarringer - 7/15/2020 1:39:44 PM

0 Boost

YES

And in fact, regular brands usually have far better reliability, durability, and far lower cost of maintenance, which are powerful signs of quality.

The premiums should be unassailable on those parameters and they just aren't.

222max - 7/15/2020 3:14:41 PM

+4 Boost

Hard to argue with this.

YoCarFanto - 7/15/2020 3:33:26 PM

+3 Boost

A Lexus GX460 can be bought cheaper than an almost equivalent 4Runner (almost because the Lexus has a V8 and the 4Runner a V6). That Luxury premium sure drops quickly.

MDarringer - 7/15/2020 8:14:23 PM

-1 Boost

The GX sells with stupid-deep discounts.

Section_31_JTK - 7/15/2020 9:39:54 PM

+1 Boost

I've gotten FAR FAR past worrying about whether some schmuck valet is impressed by my ride. I've owned Mercedes, Audi, Porsche, and some 'Merican and Japanese cars. I refuse to buy a Ferrari, Lambo, Range Rover et al, because I simply refuse to spend the kind of coin it takes to keep the damned things on the road. And I'd worry obsessively every time I parked the damned thing. So I'm happy with my reliable but well performing "every day" cars.

valhallakey - 7/16/2020 1:32:31 AM

+3 Boost

Definitely harder for luxury makers to differentiate themselves while in fact over the last few years they have been going in the opposite direction, making their cars less differentiated and more like mainstream models. BMW is a great example of trying to make their cars more like Toyotas. You can see it in things like how they engineer even simple things like trunk hinges or how they tune the suspension and handling to make their cars cheaper to build and appeal to everyone.