New S class interior is terrible but the rest looks good to me, the SL update did not look good and has stagnated, C class is okay looking, CLA was kind of a joke, E class looks nice, CLS looks good, AMG GT 4 door coupe mostly looks good aside from the rear end which they screwed up. I thought Mercedes was at its best in the mid to late 80's and then fell with a few models being nice like the CL coupe, some AMG models but the current lineup is mostly impressive to me in a pretty dreary current auto landscape. I would rather be Mercedes right now then Lexus, BMW, Audi, Jaguar, Infinti, or Acura.

 

i was actually quite impressed with the kia optima, and i'm kind of disappointed with the 2019 C300 my parents have been leasing... it's always been a bit glitchy, transmission is really a letdown (too many gears, too few clutches), it's really not that quick once you get up to highway speeds, poor outward visibility, bouncy ride, the drivers seat broke and had to be replaced, and for something that costs as much as it does it's missing standard features that even the most basic of corollas come with

toyota has betrayed me i don't even wanna talk about them for now lol

 

Definitely Kia and Hyundai are really ramping and seems to be in their prime. I see Telluride and Palisades everywhere now. Toyota is actually doing good as their Corolla, Camry, Highlander, and Rav4 are better than ever. Their truck lineup is mediocre though.

Lexus has really stagnated and has fallen the most in the luxury department. Its really Toyota plus with the exception of the LC...pathetic.

I also think Audi is doing better than ever and their cars are gorgeous so they are probably in their prime too.

 

I'm no audi fan however after having travelled to France a few times in the past few years, its obvious the buying public there really likes them as you are starting to see A LOT of them on the roads. In Ecuador the Korean makes are making huge inroads. I was in one with nearly 700,000km on the clock and only had the clutch rebuilt 3 times. They like them due to cost, however every driver I spoke with would still prefer a Toyota due to reliability but initial cost keeps them from buying. Overall sales totals there speak more to costs than who is in their prime so those stats aren't good to go buy. Toyota still king of the heap in Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama and Colombia, according to the taxi drivers, and business owners. Mind you they can buy models that don't have all the electronic gadgetry in North America that is affecting reliability, and plaguing the likes of MB, and the new Ram.

I think Ford and Chevy are working hard to satisfy their customers. The new Bronco, although delayed due to internal issues, is very cool new offering. If it can beat the defender and jeep rubicon in overall off road ability and reliability that's no small feat. The new Corvette is most impressive too, as is the Ram TRX. Its a shame that flash and flare take priority over reliability. This planned obsolescence by the big three may in time be their downfall, but it seems its what the buying public likes.

All this to say Globally Audi would have to be considered a contender.

 

Like?

I am not sure this is true ^^^ I do think a lot of past perceptions are wrong for a lot brands....for example. I don't think the past Hyundai's are as bad as people say....and I don't think the past Toyota's were as good as people think....

 

lol, I disagree. Most of the comments for which brands are "in their prime" basically consist of whether a poster likes what each brand is doing. The criteria is nothing more than "is X company making the products that I consider appealing?" And as can be seen in this thread, everyone has a very different answer for that, especially in areas such as technology and powertrains and looks. It's a very subjective topic. Need I mention the spindle grille again.

If the subject was more specific along the lines of "which brands are making the most progress" or "which brands are currently releasing the most class-competitive vehicles", I think the answers would be much more objective than personal likes and dislikes.

 

No offense, but among 4cyl cars those two are not standouts. I've driven them both, the NX more extensively but I had a 4 GS with the 3.5 V6 and have driven the GS200t and that engine wouldn't be my choice.

 

I gotta agree with Mike on this one. I think most of us who are regulars here are objective enough to make a mostly objective reply to that

 

I've seen enough Tesla and Spindle Grille threads to disagree with that lol. You mentioned the design direction of certain brands, which in itself is a subjective topic.

 

That's my point, they are not standouts (although after a tune they are awesome) and I am still very impressed with them. I'm sure the ones you drove didn't have a tune. There are much better regarded turbo 4's on the market and if the unremarkable Lexus ones make me happy, then I look forward to the others. Most share the same negative sentiments on them which makes them a great value on the used market.

As for the topic, I think its hard to determine currently when anything is in its prime, until it begins to decline. Its hard to define a best point until you know its peak, and you can really only know the peak once you see a sustained decline without chance of recovery.

 

I mentioned the design direction of a carmaker who's styling I don't particularly like. The point is they are on their track and not deviating from it, not trying to find a design language etc.

I don't tune cars, nor do I want to. I just go by how they are out of the box. Tuning wouldnt help with the unrefined qualities I found inherent to that engine.

 

I think you do: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...i-like-it.html

 

This is another good point. A lot of people say that BMW is no longer in its prime, even though its sales and profitability are better than ever. So what is "declining" other than subjective attributes such as design?

 

I like the Pedal Commander mod? I did like that on my LS460.

As for Audis, I don't care for the looks of many Audis. They are confident in their look though and they aren't changing things around like you see BMW doing, and even Mercedes.

 

Exactly, this is actually a much more complicated question than it seems. On a car forum, answers will trend toward the subjective attributes.