[Alanqs]

I think the relative popularity is down to the Rolex factor. Here is a brand which makes excellent quality watches, originally as "tool" or professional watches. With years of great marketing it has become the standard - "that's what everyone wears". There are a heck of a lot of people out there who know Rolex is a top brand but don't know that in the mechanical watch world, Rolex are simply a mid level brand in terms of skill, aesthetics, quality, and there are dozens of brands which exceed their quality and ability but they don't spend £100 million a year on marketing, e.g. any sports which are even vaguely middle class will have some sort of Rolex sponsorship or branding .

BMW have been telling us, since at least 1965, they are the ultimate driving machine. Like Rolex, they make a damn good product and you know and I know that at least half the BMWs purchased are bought on the basis of the badge on the bonnet and nothing else. "That's what everyone buys"

To go back to watches, Omega comparing model for model with Rolex make better watches which are also cheaper and whilst I accept the analogy isn't perfect the differences in the car brands are more perception and hype than anything else... and hype won.

 

[Fighterpilot]

Yes, you are quite right. Some buy a brand for status value. Jaguar make cars and now those horrible SUV things, only suitable for the USA roads. BMW make some very ugly cars and those bully boy tank size SUVs. Mercedes, another staus brand are now more common than Vauxhall. They also make lorries, vans, krankenwagens and another bunch of mainly ugly cars. I had a 500c sometime back in the mid 80's. On a first drive I nearly tipped it on it's side as it was an unstable beast. Powerful, yes, but not a good car. The electric seats got stuck at max backwards position and it developed oil leaks. Overall a nice car but with several faults that the AMG section sorted to some way to correct it in their sporty version. Never liked the car. It was one I was glad to see the back of. No, I like the XE and it seems as good as many others, if not better that I have owned or driven. I love a nice watch and you can get some vrakers for about £100 and there is no need to spend £Ks on a watch, other than for status reasons.

 

[First Jag-g-g]

I've been following this thread and find the comparison of imported German vehicles versus domestic Jaguars from a UK perspective interesting. Many US high-end buyers feel the same way about their "domestic" GM, Chrysler, and Ford products which most generally consider garbage relative to their UK/European counterparts. With that said, here in the US (especially in the affluent areas) BMWs, Mercedes, and Audis are common as dirt while Jaguars are far and few between. Of course, performance, features, quality, and reliability are must-haves but, independent of one's personal preference on a model versus model basis, I personally like the stand-out factor of driving something different. As a former long-time Saab guy (which also was very uncommon here in the US) before GM drove them out of business, this is a personal stand-out trait that has carried over into my new converted-for-life now favorite car brand I still love my First Jag-g-g!

BTW - I agree with your statement on Omega (Tudor falls in that category too). If you're really looking for a true high-end watch, I'd go with A. Lange & Sohne (sorry, it's German, ha!) or Vacheron Constantin.

 

[Alanqs]

Ah but, and just to change the topic to watches, A Lange & Sohne don't make very many watches per year. They can't if they are going to maintain the quality level. However, Jaeger LeCoultre, with a history of making some of the finest pieces this world has seen, occupy the middle ground and some describe them as being Patek Philippe quality for Rolex prices (at least in their lower end watches as some of their dearest watches cost nearly £1 million)

For quite a few years after they came out, the Royal Oak, the Nautilus and the Vacheron 222 (later called the Overseas) all had the same Jaeger LeCoultre movement in them and they supplied movements to the likes of Cartier and IWC as well.

And yes, I am a Jaeger LeCoultre fan. It reminds me of Jaguar. They don't have the number of sales and the marketing spend of some of the others but certain aspects of the cars are definitely better than the others. And as someone said, if you want luxury, you buy British, performance, buy German, and excitement, buy Italian. British cars certainly do luxury better than the others.

 

[Jagalong]

As someone who was originally put off the XE by the 'poor interior compared to the Germans' in endless reviews, I came across an early very well specced Portfolio at a local dealer 18 months ago and went to have a look. Siting in the car in the flesh, I couldn't see why the reviews had been so negative, so I went ahead and bought it. Maybe it's the Portfolio spec, but this almost six year old has zero rattles and squeaks and feels premium, apart from a couple of minor and inconsequential areas. I really don't get the Audi and BMW interior quality thing at all. I have always found their interiors to be unimaginative, boring really, and while quality is good, it's well overrated as far as I can see. Some motoring journalists seem Pavlovian in their responses. What Car seems the worst. Their review of the new F Pace still has an overall three star rating, despite every other review from the UK and beyond rating the interior very highly indeed. Returning to the Autocar review, I really don't think the XE steering and handling gives anything at all away to BMW. There seems to be a generation of motoring journalists who were teenagers when BMW was some way ahead of the competition. That is no longer the case, but the journalists just can't get their heads away from this mindset.

 

[lexie]

When I get in my friends Mercedes C Class and Audi A5, I don't see the difference in quality that these reviewers harp on about. It all appears very similar to me. I reckon they spend so much of their time in German cars that they become familiar, like a brand/style of shoes they are used to wearing. The ipad screen stuck on the dash in the C class is quality? Pah!. The mouse navigation in the Audi doesn't wow me like they say, perhaps they are all left handed or something.

I can remember when the F10 (2011) BMW 5 series came out. The reviewers raved about this 5* car, but said the variable steering was vague and awkward and the he adaptive suspension (£3000) was essential else it handled poorly and was uncomfortable. Uh! Really!

To put these professional reviewers opinions into perspective. We had a Fiat 500 1.2 for 10 years and 118,000 miles. In that time it only needed a new radiator and a door handle hinge. Yes, it was tinny, had an interior made from egg boxes, with no sound proofing etc. Most reviewers slated the 500 every time, saying the VW Up was the better car to buy. But somehow the little Fiat remained the best selling small car for more than 11 years by a long way and it saved the company. Why? Because it had soul, style, character and fun in spades and the buyers knew what the wanted (i.e. a jacket might not be as practical as an anorak, but you know which one you want, rather than which one you should have).