Hello!

I have been watching some car shows ( top gear, drivers seat, etc) , I have noticed that whenever they review cars they will always use European cars as a benchmark. Sedan (3 series) , Compact car ( VW GTI) among other cars. So my question is : Are European cars that much better than their counterparts? DIfference between Es300 and BMW 3 series .

 

You will find that most car shows which deal thorough reviews of performance cars, among other things, are European in origin. Predominant on the European continent are cars of, well, European origin, and so naturally they become the benchmark for cars from the other continents (the American and Asian, respectively).

In retrospect, the BMW 3-series is more comparable to the IS in terms of luxury, panache, sportiness and overall pricing.

All in all European cars are not that much better than their Japanese counterparts (Americans don't really deal on the same level as the Japanese and European). In terms of reliability, the Japanese will always prevail. That being said, it's a matter of perspective.

 

Straight off of the showroom floor, the German cars handle better than the Jap cars...

 

Germany is usually where the new technology starts. The japanese then take it and perfect it, and release it a year or so later. For example: Anti-Lock Brakes, Air Bags, Laser Cruise Control...all started in the S-Class. And to be honest, they do make good benchmarks. They're also pretty award winning - I think the 3 series won Car and Driver's car of the year for something like 25 years.

And you have to remember that in Europe, where Top Gear is filmed, the golf and 3 series are sold in HUGE numbers. I mean, they're everywhere. Every time I've been to Germany or the UK or France, not 10 seconds passed where I didn't see a 3-er, 5-er, Audi, or small displacement vw. And they're made over there, so they have a "home field advantage" of sorts. Since they're so prevalent, it makes sense to use them as a benchmark. Just like you wouldn't use a Peugeot as a comparison base in the US, you wouldn't use a less popular car in Europe to compare others to over there.

And the difference between an ES300 and a 3-er is enormous. We have two three series, and we've had two ES300's. The ES300 makes a decent boring highway cruiser and acts as a good comfortable low speed "get me to work-mobile," but the 3 series is more sporty and more fun in every way - and lighter too - but not by much anymore. They're built for entirely different purposes. The IS is a better comparison, but having done IS250 vs 328i, IS350 vs 335i, and IS-F vs E90 M3 tests, I still feel like they're slightly lacking. Of course, that's just my opinion, and I'm sure there will be plenty of Lexus fans who disagree.