knightjp

As an owner of a 2014 Dodge Ram, it would seem strange that Jeep would make a truck version. Although looking at the pictures, it does not look to be a direct competitor to the full size pickups. I think that this might be a competitor to the Chevy Colorado and Ford Ranger pickups. Ram at the moment does not have anything for that segment and Jeep seems poised to take over in that segment. Probably would be interesting to see what Jeep actually makes of this. Is this based on the Ram chassis? Is it going compete with the Ram in terms of full size pickups? There is a chance in the same way the Sierra and Silverado are rivals.

@amitaj I'm sorry that I'm not with you on Mitsubishi. I have had friends who have had Pajeros and within a couple of years they seem to develop faults where the engines are just eating up the oil and run a bit more rough. Also the quality of the interior trim the in Mitsubishis are pretty poor. They feel more plastic and flimsier than American car trim. Any car's usage of spares depends on the person driving and using the car. So stating that German cars use less spares and break down less is pointless. They are engineered to take higher tolerances and but all that depends on the user.

@derik Well... I didn't know much about compounds, thread patterns, etc. So I was just trying to look at reviews on the internet. I just typed the brands of tires on Google and pictures of race queens popped up. Then I found out that some of my friends on Facebook were models for them.. So that kind of settled it for me. I did manage to find some reviews online and there were better reviews for the Hankooks compared to the Pirellis as well... So I think that my method worked out pretty well. I ended up with great tires that were better than the Pirellis I had earlier. For me the Pirellis P7s I had actually more road noise than the Hankooks I ended up with. It's not technical, but it worked for me. Being a guy, you can imagine that it was kind of fun.. ...

Why Hankook is my tire brand of choice… Well... its the truth... that is what I did.

@adil very well put. But American cars used to be no better here in the UAE. Compared with Japanese cars, the service costs used to be horrendous. The simple fact was that German cars tend to be more difficult to maintain. You need to stick to dealers or proper specialists. This means, large bills. One thing is that German cars don't fair well in this heat without it. All European cars for that matter. Japanese cars fair the best. Kind of seems like if you are looking for quality, you don't go for either German or American. Japanese seem to be more better engineered to be able to take the heat. But there is an operative word here - "seem"... Any car can survive here if you maintain it right and give it the correct service, etc. Some just cost more than others. The idea here is that you pay a 100 now, rather than a 1000 later.

@amid Very true in a way. But you are forgetting about the culture. Like I said, American's like to tinker and modify their cars. So manufacturers sort of cater to that. However what you mentioned mostly applies to American saloon cars like the old Chevy and Chrysler Saloons. Ford saloons of the 90s and early 2000s were also quite hopeless. You'll have to admit that American cars have stepped up since the last financial crisis the time the US government stepped in to bail them out. GM started producing some really nice motors. The new Chevy Impala is pretty decent. The new Ford saloons are pretty great. For the price you'd sort of spec them with the Germans in a way. If my budget wasn't big enough for an AMG Mercedes E-Class, I'd pick a Ford Taurus rather than an entry level one. More kit and more toys inside. The Ford Fiesta in all its guises is probably the best handling hatch out there at the moment. I wish that they would start selling the new Volt here. I know that Toyota has brought in the new Prius. But I prefer the Volt. Its not hideous and is a pretty cool car. @harryd The fun factor can only be found on the premium German cars. Obviously you haven't taken into account the lovely Porsche 911 Carrera S. Mercedes AMGs are tire shredding smokers. Their black Series are cars are pointless in a way, but yeah.. Germans can burn rubber.

German cars are built to a standard that you don't see in many other manufacturers. They are generally over engineered to a certain degree. What I don't like about them is that they tend to be too clinical at times. You'd have to shell out loads of cash to get the premium ones of the range to get fun - Mercedes' AMGs, BMW M series cars, and Audi's S series. American is about brash raw power on the high scale spectrum. For an entry level German saloon, you'd get a premium V8 monster with the American. Sure, it won't handle as well as the Germans, but that what you get with the price. It is more bang for your buck. To state that American cars are only functional, you're kidding yourself. There is a sense of pride. Why do brands like Cadillac do their testing at the Nurburgring in Germany for their high end CTS-V cars? Then you are forgetting about the American hotrod scene and muscle car scene. Unlike the Germans, Americans like to tinker with their cars and do modifications. Personalize their cars a bit. Those who buy American cars are more blue collar. But that is what is great about it. Because they are all blue collar, they became popular. Now we have iconic American cars like Mustangs, Challengers, Chargers. The only really iconic ones from Germany are BMW M3, M5 and the Audi Quattro. Mercedes' AMG cars are great, but not iconic. Perhaps in 20 years time, we'd be talking about the SLS like that. But that is about it. German manufacturers cater to the side of the white collar individual. This is a man, who wants everything sorted before he leaves the showroom. He is not the kind of man that will spend time in the garage tinkering with the car. More likely just washing it and giving it a good clean. More often than not, he is the sort of man who'd pay to the guy owning the Charger to wash his car.

I like the FJC.. It looks good and is a capable offroader. Its design is specifically done to hail back to the original old Land Cruisers that you see running around or displayed that the Toyota service center. However, there are problems with it. It is impossible to get the rear doors opened until you have opened the front ones. This presents a problem in tight parking sports. Secondly, its primarily driven by (as Clarkson on Top Gear would put it) Cocks. Getting one, means you risk yourself being branded as one. I don't think that I've ever seen a FJC on the road that wasn't tailgating someone; even on the slow lanes. In that way, the X-Terra probably the more practical choice. I don't believe that Nissan servicing costs are any higher than Toyota. Parts maybe slightly more expensive, but it works out to about the same. Having said all that, my choice in between the two would be the FJC. I know that I'll be branded an idiot the moment I leave the showroom, but I prefer the styling over the X-Terra and the impractical doors are only impractical if I need to use them a lot - which I don't.