What is the BEST car brand...and why?

Wow, what an idiotic post. Why do you keep doing this to us? To start flame wars???

There is no truly best brand! All the Audi fans will say Audi, all the BMW fans will say BMW, and all the Lexus fans will say Lexus!

Now stop while you're ahead- you already know the answer!

And no, I don't think Audi is the best brand! It's obviously Porsche!

Why Porsche?, it only covers a very narrow segment of the total auto market.

Because the 911 Turbo is the best car in the world. Why do you even have to ask?

i do this because it gets all the readers involved. articles like this are not specific, meaning that people can post ideas on whatever car they choose, rather than talking about the car that the article is referring to.

Lexus, because they make cars for everyone.

So where are the $10K Lexus economy hatches?

Lexus doesn't make cars for everybody. They make cars for the luxury segment. A very small segment of the car market. Most buyers go for economy and mainstream cars, worldwide.

I hate to agree with you, but you're right. He should have said that Toyota Motor Company makes a car for everyone. That would be more correct.

I meant Toyota!!

+1 for agreeing with me. :p

Nice post.

Technically I believe that there is a problem with every brand and that there is atleast one car that I like from every brand. Yes I do like certain brands more, yet it would be a lie for me to say that I like every single product a favorite brand of mine makes.

BMW-Sport
Lexus-Luxury
Audi-Quality
Mercedes-All around. (Not the best in any category-but hits every category damn good)
Porsche-Handling
Ferrari-Sexy Sports car
Lamborghini-well engineered sports car

MPower>AMG>RS. Without a doubt.

Nah, RS cars are better than AMG. AMG is spreading its resources too thin, and all the RS cars that have gone up against AMG (RS6 vs. E55, RS4 vs. C55) have been better. RS vs. M is debatable.

i couldn't agree more. each car company has a segment in which they excel in. there isn't a company that over-exceeds every other company in every single segment. that's why we have a competitive market with numbers spreading so thin between them.

it's a game of leapfrog. you best your rivals and produce a product to the market that "wows" everyone only to be bested by your rival company a few years down the line.

i believe this answer is completely subjective, but if i had to choose, i'd choose bmw. sure it may not outperform in every segment, but it excels in the segments that matter to me.

Lexus are peices of shit!!!!!!!!!! when u see someone driving a lexus i openly laugh at them. They are uncool because they didnt buy a Merc, bmw, or audi and just bought a lexus b/c they are reliable japanese dog shit. Just look at how ugly they are compared to German luxury cars

I'm LEXUS fanatic for life!!!

would you like a cookie for that?

LOL.

LOL.

more like a slap in the face!!!

just joking...

your also gay and have no taste. you have obviously never driven anything else.

Lamborghini is amazing, this most soul, besides Ferrari

sorry, s4, that you find my posts idiotic. don't be an arse, if i knew the answer then why would i be asking. this is an OPINIONATED site, which is why i am asking what YOU think the best brand is. i agree that there is no best car overall but if you carefully read the first line of my post you will see that i asked what YOU thought the best car was. you ARE entitled to an opinion, you know...

Although you speak sensible words, i think that you should stop speaking on other people's behalf's. I am a BMW fan but would definately hesitate to say that they are the best brand.

And synx, the answers are the same from the last time someone posted something like this.

That is why there are some of us that are really getting tired of these repeat posts that do nothing but start more arguements.

If you have to ask what is the best car brand then you don't believe in the truth and fact that there isn't ONE superior brand.

...should be "arguments". Sorry.

s4, also notice that 528i said Lexus-very sensible. i would make a guess that he is a BMW fan judging by his name-528i.

Holden has a car for everyone?

They only make one car, the Commodore.

All the rest are Opels and Daewoos with Holden badges attatched.

Do you have the VE SS? That is a decent car from Holden -finally.

The VT-VZ were rubbish.

Uneccesary post that will result in a potential flame war like S4 said. There is no best brand because the only best brand is in the eye of the beholder. All subjective. Sport and luxury is different for everyone so there is no way to say which company is better at what. Sure some are better than others but it all depends on the driver and conditions. It depends on what segment you're looking in whether it's premium or more practical cars with awesome fuel economy. Every brand have their ups and downs. No one is truly perfect. NO ONE. My two cents

BMW

BMW,MB and Lexus are all there in the above pic,which is missing.Audi.

I think synx should have putted the Audi pic too.

BTW i think Best brand is Ferrari.

JUGNU

BMW I guess....
good combination of sport, luxury, style and performance.

Oh, c'mon, you can be more creative than that!

like what?

Buy what u like and what u can afford !!!!

no brainer. Porsche.

One thing we agree on.

The best brand is Mercedes. What other company could have withstood the following and still had so many supporters, and command a significant price premium versus most other brands
(i.) a decade of look-alike vehicles - when GM did this is the 1980s critics panned the designs, but when MB does the same we call it "classic", "restrained" etc.
(ii.) six-eight years of reliability issues, even in core products - suspension collapses on the S Class, electronic gremlins in the E and SL classes
(iii.) low customer satisfaction scores for many MB dealerships - especially those not on the West Coast
(iv.) rapid product proliferation into new segments of the market

Here the aim is not to knock MB but rather to highlight how strong the underlying brand has had to be in order to ride out many challenges that would have knocked down lesser brands.

Potentially more interesting questions are:
(a.) Which brands are ascending, which are flat and which are declining the fastest?
(b.) In ten years time which brands will be regarded as the most successful over the period in terms of sales, additions to market capitalization, customer retention etc?

Mercedes is the best brand ever. I am not just saying that b/c i am a MB enthusiast
1. The brand has down right the best racing heritage
2. The brand has recently fixed the reliability and quality issues and is back on track
3. JD Power ranked it overall with more stars than any ohter car manufacturer including Lexus
4. Very nice drive
5. long history
6. complete luxur that lexus even admitted to copying
7. holds value for generations

Mercedes -- for the reasons noted immediately above. No other automotive brand has its distinguished history and its product range, with the AMG models serving as the icing on the cake. The company doesn't necessarily excel in any one particular area, but it always competes near the top in all of them. What other brand can say that?

HEY GUYS REMEMBER ACURA?!!? HUH?!?! MEMBER THEM?! YEAH! Way to tottaly lose them in your flame(r) wars. OK so no V8, Whatev. Supposdly theirs gunna be a V10 in the next gen NSX (2009) and im SURE a v8 will come out of that soooo booyah! The RL will get a v8, a honda v8 none the less (fuel efficient), the MDX will also get an option for a v8, All the type-s's will get like mundo-charged v6's and if we're lucky they will release a REAL flagship sedan.

Quote me. November 25 12:12pm EST. BlueIce4589 told the future.

My grandma has a 2004 TL.
When you floor it in the rain/snow, it skidds massively.
Good Job on the ESC, Acura! (kidding).

So you are saying Acura based on what they may come up with one day to overcome their considerable shortcomings?

Acura makes a good car. I had an '89 (or maybe it was '90?) Acura Vigor, and thought it was one of the best-looking sedans on the road, with good performance for its time. However, I was disappointed by the mediocrity of the '95 TL that I replaced it with, and left Acura after that.

i highly doubt you had an 89 OR a 90 Vigor. they made those in 82, 94, and 94...then it turned into the 2.5TL. i had a 92 Vigor and it ran like a top.

typo...i meant 92. :)

are we supposed to be impressed with a v10 supped up honda. Mercedes has a V12 AMG. VW has a W12 and W16. BMW has a better more reliable V10.

Lexus all the way:
1. Reliability
2. Value for money
3. Comfort
4. Has a LOTTT of potential for tuning (which will still make it cost less than an MB)
5. Looks v.good however they're opinions
6. Amazing options
7. Good power actually v.good
8. Low service bills
9. NOT NOUVEAU RICH
10. Safest
11. Best sound system
12. Simply the best!!!

not nouveau riche?
what planet are you on?

Sorry EL34, but having used the advanced parking guidance on many occasions, I need to correct you. You do not make the judgement on whether the car will fit. If you get a green box, its a go, and a red box- push the buttons all you want- nothing will happen. And regarding the nouvo riche comment earlier, some of the oldest money in the country drives Lexus- as a matter of fact, Gordon Getty has 6 and wouldn't drive anything else.

Why would old money buy Lexus mitch? It came out in when, 1989?
So, lets say you make it rich in 1940. The best car you can buy is a Mercedes-Benz. And lets say you love them, and continue to buy them until 1989.
Then you see this flashy new Japanese car. Do you buy it? no! You were buying Mercedes since 1940, so why not again? And the flashy new 600SEL with 408hp dosen't look to bad! :)

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class covers my needs and I'm
about 98% sure that will be my next car.

The Lexus LS460 would cover all your needs and then some.

What are the needs the Mercedes S-Class does not cover?

If you can afford the Benz, there's no reason to get the LS.

What are the things missiing in the Benz the LS offers?

The LS is quieter, I WOULD SAY more luxurious inside, 8 SPEED auto baby, oh and it can park itself- hahahaha. Don't get an S-Class. I am god. The new LS is chill.

blueice4589, the LS is quieter?...how much more quiet?

The LS is more luxurious inside than the S-Class?...with more plastic buttons in the LS???

8 SPEED auto baby....what's the difference in feel from a 7 speed and 8 speed?

The LS can park itself....yeah, with the touch of a couple of buttons and your foot on the brake to assist and you have to make the judgement if the car can fit in the first place and the horns will be honking if it doesn't fit.

STRAIGHT FROM EDMUNDS...

2007 Mercedes-Benz S550
Db @ Idle: 48


2007 Lexus LS 460
Db @ Idle: 37.2


Uuunnghhh...in ur face!!

From Edmunds:

The other very cool feature is the Night View Assist. Unlike most automotive night vision systems that amplify ambient light levels, this system throws out its own infrared light beam. Two beams actually, one from each headlight assembly. The result is captured by an infrared camera mounted in the windshield and displayed on the instrument panel. The black-and-white video image of what's ahead replaces the digital speedo in the IP. There's something mesmerizing about that image. It's like being part of your own police chase or watching an Italian neo-realist film.

Nice thing to have when your driving thru the bottom of the ocean in St. George, Utah at 2AM in the morning and to see a 200 pound boulder in the road is a good thing, wouldn't you say?

"So the LS, driving the rear wheels with 380 horsepower, will power its way down the road just as quickly as the Mercedes S-Class. Our test numbers show the Lexus is quicker to 60"
-Edmunds.com

So...to review...EL34...The LS460 is quieter, faster, if not more then equally luxurious...and its price is around 75,000 when the MBenz is like 100,000...Imagine what you could do with that 25,000...I think I won this.

blueice4589, the LS is more like a Honda Accord than a Mercedes so quit tryin' to compare the two.

And, the bigger S-Class is quieter at 70 MPH.

For the love of God stop it, lol.

OMG...OMGOMGOMGOMOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG I CANT BELIEVE U CALLED THE LS460 A HONDA ACCORD!!!!!! Add HID Lights, 136 HP, Cover it in Sound-Proofing Material, Hand Sand it twice, Add every creature comfort u'd ever want, AND add 3 gears to the transmission and you still wouldnt only have like 1/8 of what the LS has. I WON!! I WON I WON I WON!! The S-Class can take it up the tailpipes.

Who cares?

Both the S-Class and LS are superb vehicles in their class. Whatever you're going to pick, it depends on taste.

Personally, the S-Class appeals to me more because of the sportier character.

And remember S-Class stands for Superb Class and LS stands for Large Shape.

Mercedes crosses the line first and is the winner.

EL34 I was gunna let that go, but its eating me up- I get the last word and those last words are S-Class stands for Sucky-Class and LS stands for Luxurious Supercarthatcaneatthes-classalive.

blueice- HE'S GETTING AN S550. IT'S BETTER THAN THE LS460, AND YOU KNOW YOU'RE DRIVING THE NICEST CAR ON THE ROAD IF YOU'RE IN AN S-CLASS. LS? NOT SO MUCH!

There! Case closed!

S4cabriofoxone, I'm so happy about getting the Mercedes-Benz S550 that I feel like doing the Snoopy dance!

The S-Class has a retarded tailight design...its all too busy -- the LS is "Restrained Elegance". A term used by S4cabriofoxone to describe Audi designs.

Lexus LS460 > BMW 750i > Audi A8 4.2 > Mercedes-Benz S550 > Bently Flying Spur (LAWL)

blueice4589, the tail lights on the S-Class is functional and done in the Mercedes style of Class.

All of the tail lights on Lexus cars look like the designers were looking at a squirrel's tail to come up with ideas.

And the way the bumper attaches on LS is cluttery to say the least.

Mercedes is elegance.

LAWL, its "functional and done in the mercedes style of class". Thats spinning if i ever heard it. Is Mercedes paying u off? FREEDOM!!!

blueice4589, au contraire monfraire!

The S class is the best..No competition...To think of it, there never was..

I would rather walk than drive an LS. Every time a S-class goes by its like being at a urinal next to a horse

the best, the best without doubt. JEEP
because 20% is human domain (lexus, mercedes, audi, bmw) and 80% of the world is JEEP territory.

I hope I can say, once my R8 comes in, that AUDI is the king of cars. Until then, BMW rules all.

porsche or ferrari!

Best car brand?

I think the question should read: WHAT IS THE BEST CAR BRAND FOR --YOU--?

For me, it's BMW. I like a sporty car with history (image), refined engines etc. BMW to me is the best car brand because it SUITS ME.

It might not suit YOU, but it suits me, hence BMW is my choice. ;)

Agree.

+1, friend.

you guys can keep all your other cars. i'm more than satisfied with my bmw. ;]

In order from best to worst. (Luxury Brands)

BMW (no doubt)

Audi (getting close to #1)

Mercedes (a deep 3rd) stop making so many damn AMG models...we get it your desperate. Mercedes has more models then Toyota. (If not close)

Lexus (now all it needs, is to copy BMW engineering and we can call it a BMW)

Infiniti- 2 of its cars are much better then its competitors at Lexus. M45>GS430 G35>IS350.

Acura- Yeah...you suck. Your RL is the worst car every to be built. EVER. Its like crashing a Mercedes and a BMW. You get a salvaged RL.

Anything below Acura is not worth mentioning.

Acura doesn't suck, YOU suck.

I agree with your Mercedes comment, but if they're so desperate, wouldn't Lexus be above them. And, the Acura RL isn't the best Acura either. I will admit that their flagship sedan should be a bit better.

Releasing a number of AMG models has nothing to do with desperation.

AMG's are low volume production cars that will not save Mercedes. Their bread and butter are the A, B, C and E-Classes worldwide.

Me, best to worst, only the mainstream luxury brands:

Audi- Like BMW530i said, it suits ME very well. Restrained elegance, great interiors, great engines, great AWD. What's not to like?

BMW- I'm seriously considering getting one for my next winter beater. Some of their designs are gorgeous (3 coupe, 6 Series, new X5, 7 Series), some not so much (X3, Z4, 3 Series sedan). They still have their unbelievable driving dynamics!

Mercedes- Although I probably won't be getting one any time soon (I like sportier cars), they make what is probably the best all-star car lineup in the world. CL, CLK, CLS, E, G, GL, S, SL-- all unbelievable cars.

Lexus- This, too, I wouldn't buy any time soon, but the IS is very stylish, the new LS is impressive, if not class-leading, and the RX has been very good to us.

Infiniti- Breakthrough models are awesome. Japanese BMW.

Volvo- New C30, XC90, S60R/V70R- all good.

Anything else, like MPower said, isn't worth mentioning.

I think that the best car brand would be Honda. Honda is one of those auto makers that really know what they're doing. They are probably one of the most innovative, original companies out there. They make everything from jet skis to cars to airplanes and they do it right the first time. Not many car companies can say they are as successful as Honda.

Not Toyota? I'm impressed you were truthful!

I love Honda too. Great engineering, great reliability.

I like Toyota products better, but Honda has the better cars. Not by much, but they are better.

If you're talking profitability, then Porsche is #1, not Toyota. But Toyota is super-rich.

utahkid knows what he's talking about S4. Utahns know their cars (I'm from Utah too).

Hmm,
Best German-BMW/Merc
best Asian-Honda/Lexus
Best American-Chevy/GM/Cadillac

The best brand ever is HYUNDAI! LOL IM JUST JOKING! LOL

THE BEST BRAND EVER TO THE HISTORY OF THE AUTOMOTIVE CULTURE IS AUDI!

AUDI

I didn't just post Audi accidentally 9 times above, but Audi really is THE BEST CAR BRAND IN THE WORLD! Quality is everything! I don't want no cheap BMW with $20,000 in options when I can have a beautifully taylored MATURE looking Audi Q7!

I REALLY MEAN IT! AUDI IS THE BEST BRAND!

AUDI? Did u mean....AAAAcura! Fix ur spellings next time.

Why not tell us what you really think?

audi?... you must be poor. tsk tsk tsk!

Great one AmazingBimmer, you must be poor if you drive an Audi even though Audi customers on the average are wealthier than BMW and Mercedes-Benz customers.

Almost as logical as logical himself.

When you say Holden, your saying Ho-AUDI! AUDI! AUDI! Admit it, Audi is the best brnad! They have the most reliable cars in the world! For example, look at the A4, NO problems what so ever. When customers buy an Audi, you get what you pay for! UNLIKE MERX, BMW, AND ACURA - all you pay for is the name!!!

SO THEREFOR AUDI IS THE BEST!!! >=)

great post-not.

wait, did you see Borat?

This tie is black-------------not

This tie is black...pause...NOT

LOL

Thank-you...not

Lexus LS460 > BMW 750i > Audi A8 4.2 > Mercedes-Benz S550 > Bently Flying Spur

I love how every member here is ranked -4 or more. Hilarious.

The best brand in the world is KIA!

Haha yes I did. :-)

Actually, I'm madly in love with Hyundai!
That's my secret!
:)

Shut-up vmarkiv, Holden is NOT the best brand in the world. Not even close. They have only a couple of good cars (new ssv, calais v) but otherwise they aren't so good. The new Barina only got a 2 star crash safety rating-less than the old one!!!

A lot of negative boosting in this thread. Incredible what goes on on Autospies. :p

I'm an engineer and brand to me is all about quality and reliability, so guess who's best in that area? Lexus of course.

Designer,


I am also an engineer (undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering M.I.T. Ph.D. Bio-Mechanical Engineering M.I.T.) and I assure you with confidence that Lexus is by far inferior to BMW.

designer 1

can engineers design cars or only designers. because i've heard that the designers usually design a car and send it off to the engineers who then change a lot because they say it may be economically difficult to do. or something like that...

Designers design the exterior and interior of the car.

Engineers make sure the design works. If they have to make changes (better aerodynamics, etc.) they will.

and both, unfortunately, have to defer to demands of the BEANCOUNTERS.

read a review in Automobile mag. they mentioned how gm actually CAN design great concept cars. in the process of getting them to production, the beanies demand cost cutting to the point the cars end up with CHEAP, unattractive interiors.

seems gm likes nice exteriors to draw people to showrooms. but the crappy insides dictated by beancounters drive potential customers right back OUT!

(also, on engineering side, the decrepit pushrod motors were clung to for so long, 'cuz they were CHEAP to build.)

toyota is the best, because they can claim credit for all the great lexus products.
ls400/430 were even proudly branded as toyotas in japan.
they also make V12 toyota century models.

AND, they also make the best 4x4s and sport trucks, and truck trucks on the planet.

NO OTHER company makes as EXTENSIVE a RANGE of products, ALL of which are at the top or close to it in their respective categories.

MPower
If Lexus copied BMW engineering then you would see Lexus service departments overload like BMW

Tha best car brand? For the love on Benjie! Not only one, there are two of them. Kia and Hyundai, cause if they feel like copying Toyota; Honda or any other well known brand, you can have it, plus they cheap!!

Everyone has their own goals when buying a car: these goals vary from person to person and could be as simple as achieving the lowest possible life-cycle cost, getting the most bling for the buck, or even obtaining the highest level of luxury and elegance at any price. Some value durability and reliability while others are willing to sacrifice all other qualities in favour of drag-strip acceleration capability. The "best brand" is in the eye of the beholder and can only be properly defined as the brand that consistently delivers to that beholder what it promises in areas that are important to him.

you bmw and mercedes people are idiots. You just put out random crap and use no factual evidence. According to JD Power in June of 2006, ford and chevy beat bmw and mercedes for quality. Don't give me that "they're more money so they're better" crap! The top 3 quality brands according to JD power are porsche, lexus, and hyundai in that order. Look it up if you don't believe me.

BMW for its status and driving pleasure.

You got to be a moron to not know that.

Its got to be lexus im sorry i hate bmw

Best car brand for me is either bmw, mercedes,or voklswagen. Porsche is a nice car but its more of a car that says: look im driving a porsche. Audi is 99.55% owned by Volkswagen, so volkswagen should get the credit. Bmw might be expensive but it owns the mini mark and i like mini coopers. Mercedes is also expensive but yet again it owns the smart mark. So its a tie unless i bring up the wiesmann, another german car wich is hand made and costs more than most middle class north american houses. Check it out all you german car fans cus u might like it: The weismann Mf5 a true dream car and in my opinion the best car brand for me.

The Best Car Brand in the World by far is udoubtely Aston Martin for is exceptional quality, abitlity to push the boundries of the physical world, and overall breath-taking style