Honda Venza Fighter Spied
11-24-08, 06:08 PM
#32
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I wonder what the market reception towards vehicles like the Honda Stream and Toyota Picnic would be here. They're basically smaller versions of the Venza and....whatever it is that we're talking about in this thread. Granted, the Picnic is overdue for a new generation, but the Stream is a nice car.
11-24-08, 06:14 PM
#33
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Honda is no worse than a lot of other manufacturers on the cheapness of their materials, and better than many of them. Part of it is, as you note, cost-cutting, but part is the need to get vehicle weight down to comply with ever-tightening gas mileage/emission rules.
The new Honda CR-V, for instance, has some of the best materials and fit-finish I've ever seen on that class of vehicle, though its overall styling is rather quirky. Feel how solid the outside mirror housings are, for example (a weak point in many domestic cars), and how smooth/slick they swivel and lock into place. This jewel-like assembly is typical for Honda.
The new Honda CR-V, for instance, has some of the best materials and fit-finish I've ever seen on that class of vehicle, though its overall styling is rather quirky. Feel how solid the outside mirror housings are, for example (a weak point in many domestic cars), and how smooth/slick they swivel and lock into place. This jewel-like assembly is typical for Honda.
I suppose if I were driving between a Ford and and a Honda everyday it would be easy to call Honda automobiles high quality, yet I have a car from the dark-side parked in my driveway. It's my opinion that where Honda may outdo VW in regards to reliablity, VW desolates Honda in regards to overall packaging and build quality (I'm comparing Accord to Passat here, but that generally holds true with the Tiguan v. competition, Jetta v. competition, and Touraeg v. Competition).
Last edited by FKL; 11-24-08 at 06:18 PM.
11-24-08, 06:31 PM
#34
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The Honda CR-V is inferior quality wise to the Tiguan. One look at the sticker price confirms why. I agree with you on the Honda v. domestic comparison, yet Honda has cheapened significantly with their latest generation of cars. I don't find anything jewel-like about the cheap headliner, cheap nonexistant trunk finish, cheap panel plastics (on the latest-gen Accord). You mention the articulating outside mirrors - Yes they fold (which Toyota doesn't include on the Camry bizzarely), yet the mirrors on my VW fold inwards with the flick of a switch - that's thoughtfull design. The best quality piece on my Accord is the steering wheel audio controls, perfectly damped, exceptional. Yet, they are not lighted (yet they are in the VW, even have trick button to extinguish them at night behind the steering wheel).
I suppose if I were driving between a Ford and and a Honda everyday it would be easy to call Honda automobiles high quality, yet I have a car from the dark-side parked in my driveway. It's my opinion that where Honda may outdo VW in regards to reliablity, VW desolates Honda in regards to overall packaging and build quality (I'm comparing Accord to Passat here, but that generally holds true with the Tiguan v. competition, Jetta v. competition, and Touraeg v. Competition).
I suppose if I were driving between a Ford and and a Honda everyday it would be easy to call Honda automobiles high quality, yet I have a car from the dark-side parked in my driveway. It's my opinion that where Honda may outdo VW in regards to reliablity, VW desolates Honda in regards to overall packaging and build quality (I'm comparing Accord to Passat here, but that generally holds true with the Tiguan v. competition, Jetta v. competition, and Touraeg v. Competition).
11-24-08, 06:35 PM
#35
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11-24-08, 07:09 PM
#37
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The Euro-spec version of this car won the prestigious international design of the year award for 2008.
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/27/e...rd-for-design/
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/27/e...rd-for-design/
11-24-08, 07:44 PM
#38
The Euro-spec version of this car won the prestigious international design of the year award for 2008.
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/27/e...rd-for-design/
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/27/e...rd-for-design/
And if you compare this to Venza, you can see why Toyota does not want to call Venza a Wagon.
11-24-08, 07:47 PM
#39
I don't get what you're trying to point out... the circle on the bottom right, if you're trying to say that body line disappears, it's because of the fake cladding/wheel arches taped onto the car
11-24-08, 07:52 PM
#41
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Yes I agree the new generation of cars have significantly cheaper colum stalks. The old Passat/Golf had stalks taken from the Audi parts bin, and you can tell. Nice damping, click action, high quality plastic, and quiet "sophisticated" in it's design - The controls for the mfa computer are integrated into the right windshield wiper control (compete with a reset button underneath. It's made to be pressed by the driver, so it feels more substantial than the things in my two Hondas (though the 04 Accord has vastly nicer stalks to the 02, which was cheap slippery plastic).
11-25-08, 08:57 AM
#42
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I don't know if it's the mentality from their motorcycle upbringings, but Hondas have always had a sense of "springy-ness", which isn't always a good thing. Light imprecise steering, wait until redline powerplants, and low levels of noise control, always loud. Toyota has their share of quality problems (cheapened interiors), but the platform of the car is always engineered to a high level. VW of course, usually sets class standards for everything BUT reliability
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