mrraider

From the article:

In other words, the only way to turn a profit is to screw the consumer?

speedflex

Well that's just it, isn't it? You're buying the badge but the actual car under the badge is another question. The point I'm thinking about is that there's almost nothing you can't get on one of these daily mixers that is on the average premium car. And the refinement of many of these cars is pretty close to what you would get in an upmarket luxury sedan.

trexlexus

Yup, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on which team you play for), the mainstream cars are getting closer and closer to the upper crust. Im willing to bet that some even exceed the luxury cars.

The whoe thing about "fit and finish" can sometimes be just a mental thing. If you KNOW it is an LS, you instinctively believe that it is better built than a Toyota Camry with leather. But take a caveman, or someone who isnt usually sitting inside cars, drop them in both, and they would probably be hard pressed to tell the quality differences.

After driving a 2012 malibu, i was very impressed with the ride isolation. Even with it being a rental car, the fact that it was this quiet on the highway made me think about how much better cars are, in general, when compared to 5-10 years ago.

For that, they deserve a pat on the back.