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Cars That Could Have Been Great, But Missed

421 messages,  Last post on Jan 31, 2013 at 2:32 PM

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Messages Page 41 of 42

#401 of 421 Audi 5000 by hpmctorque

Oct 01, 2011 (7:45 pm)

The Audi 5000 could arguably be the poster child for '80s cars that could have been great, but missed. It had the makings of a great car. Ground-breaking style and aerodynamics, and excellent driving dynamics made this a favorite for many, until the bogus unintended acceleration episode sunk this model, and almost ended sales of the entire brand in the U.S.
 
Despite its strong attributes, though, the 5000 (and its refreshed and renamed successors, the 100 and 200), had significant counterbalacing negatives. Chief among these were that they were very high maintenance cars.

#402 of 421 Re: Audi 5000 [hpmctorque] by ab348

Oct 02, 2011 (5:11 am)

Replying to: hpmctorque (Oct 01, 2011 7:45 pm)
My boss at the time bought a 5000 around '85 and it is exactly as you say. It was a real maintenance nightmare although how much of that was the dealer I dunno. After that he bought a BMW 635, so he was a glutton for punishment.

#403 of 421 Re: Audi 5000 [hpmctorque] by andre1969

Oct 02, 2011 (12:48 pm)

Replying to: hpmctorque (Oct 01, 2011 7:45 pm)
My 1985 Consumer Guide tested an Audi 5000, and in general they liked it. They scored it 76 out of a possible 100 points. 20 different categories, each ranging from 1-5 points. It scored 76 overall, which was at the high end in that book. A Mercedes 300D scored 77, as did a Volvo GL sedan. Highest scorers were a Toyota Camry and Cressida, both at 78.
 
FWIW, it would be impossible for a car to score a perfect 100, because the categories are so varying. For instance, for a car to score a 5 in acceleration, it would probably score a 1 or 2 in fuel economy.
 
The Audi 5000 got mainly 4's and 5's, got rated 2 for drivability and fuel economy. It was hard to start in cold weather, and got fairly bad fuel economy. It was rated a 3 for heating/ventilation, and 3 for overall value.
 
It got high marks for quality, scoring a 5 for body, 5 for interior, and 4 for paint/exterior. Alas, high initial quality doesn't always make for a good, reliable, long-lasting car.

#404 of 421 Re: Audi 5000 [andre1969] by texases

Oct 02, 2011 (1:34 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Oct 02, 2011 12:48 pm)
Audi kept trying to cover their tracks, changing the 100 to the 5000 to the 100 to the A series. Only now do they seem to be on track to not need another name change in a few years...

#405 of 421 Re: Audi 5000 [andre1969] by fintail

Oct 02, 2011 (4:46 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Oct 02, 2011 12:48 pm)
Funny thing is that by 1985, the 300D was a 9 year old design. MB could really get away with a lot then. Volvo was even older, but those existed in their own world.
 
I think a lot of old Audi issues are related to dealers, both repair quality and parts stocks.

#406 of 421 For 2012... by hpmctorque

Nov 06, 2011 (9:58 am)

...the Honda Civic clearly stand out as a miss. Unlike the Detroit 3 of the '80s, '90s and '00s, though, Honda recently acknowldged what the critics have said about its bread and butter model, and have announced they will move up its mid-cycle refresh.
 
With the soon-to-be-introduced next generation CRV and Accord, we'll see whether the Civic is an aberration, or if Honda is in a funk.

#407 of 421 Re: For 2012... [hpmctorque] by berri

Nov 06, 2011 (7:18 pm)

Replying to: hpmctorque (Nov 06, 2011 9:58 am)
Honda listened to the fan mags too seriously. I expect a turnaround.

#410 of 421 Delorean Survey - Your help is Needed! by bumba

Apr 07, 2012 (10:23 am)

Hello everyone,
 
We are a group of MBA students from the Boston University. Our class project requires us to pick a failed product and revitalize it through design and innovation. We have picked Delorean DMC-12 as our product. In order to gather information for our project. We have designed the following survey to understand your perception about the Delorean vehicle. The survey should take about 5 - 10 minutes to complete.
 
Q1 – Do you know the DeLorean DMC-12?
Q2 – Based on your understanding of the DMC-12, what are the three biggest issues from the original vehicle design?
Q3 – If the DMC-12 is to be redesigned for an all new 2012 model, what are the three most important design elements that should be retained from the original vehicle design?
Q4 – What are the three top 3 features to be added to the new design to improve your user experience?
Q5 – To position DeLorean as an elite sports car brand, how much would you pay for an all new DMC-12?
Q6 – How should the new DeLorean company keep track of customer satisfaction?
Q7 – What should the new DeLorean company to improve the service and user experience of DMC-12?
Q8 – Do you have any other recommendations to the new vehicle or the company?
 
We value your responses and thank you for the support of our project!

Messages Page 41 of 42

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