Premium cars: then and now

[Ferrer]

Today, the movie Fun with Dick and Jane was in the telly and the main character drives at the start a BMW E30. At a scene at the start of the move its neighbour buys a brand new S500, and shows the main character how the car starts remotely by a button in the key.

This made me wonder. In the olden days those car manufacturers which are now considered premium, a word that was probably invented by someone who doesn’t like cars, were just manufacturers of high quality cars. There were pretty much no gizmos to be had, and marketing wasn’t as advanced as it is now.

So cars couldn’t rely on intangibles, and therefore they were made to be good. Take my car for instance. It has no special features. Leaving aside the wrong mechanical layout (and associated silly handling characteristics) it is just combination of good ingredients nailed together in the best possible way. As a result even 17 years and 152.000km later the car feels as tight as a drum and it goes, stops and grips very well.

Does that happen with today’s, so-called, premium cars? I don’t think so. There undoubtedly good cars to be had out there, but today most of all they are just badges. There’s no high quality ingredients put together in a no non-sense package. These days everything has to be justified and shown to the world with big shiny badges and names, otherwise it’s just seen as useless.

Of course in today’s impatient world, and easily accessed internet information, figures, features and acronyms are more important than ever, but perhaps we should take a bit of time to properly enjoy what matters and not devour all new cars at the speed of light.

[LeonOfTheDead]

I relatively agree, meaning that nowadays many cars are very well built and designed, yet if they aren't from a premium brand, it just doesn't matter.

Take my mate's Fiat Marea, 14 years old and rock solid. You can slam the door and the sound it makes remind me of a pillow. But hey, it's a Fiat...

Another friend of mine has a 2002 VW Golf mk4. Pointless stiff ride, less than interesting mileage and fading interior's plastics. He also had some problems with the fuel injectors when the car had something kike 60k km on the odometer.
My mother still has the Stilo, which by now is almost 10 years old. The ride is probably too soft, the interior often feels like talking to you making some weird noises, but the comfort is good, reliability isn't a concern and the mileage is excellent.

You know which one is referred to as the benchmark.

[Ferrer]

Possibly one of the problems too is that the difference between good and normal cars has been reduced, therefore negating the objective advantage of good cars and as a result having to rely on intangibles like badges and acronyms.

[LeonOfTheDead]

Not only intangibles, but undefinable as well.

It reminds me how all of a sudden all off-roaders either disappeared or where renamed as SUVs. I don't know if I have to blame the ML or the X5 for that.
I'll take both as repsonsible, but I liked the Ml concept when it came out in 1995 or 1996 I think (maybe because of Jurassic park I and II?)

[Ferrer]

IIRC the ML was first, but anyway I think the US should get the blame for the SUV craze.

[henk4]

who invented the word premium in the first place? Journos from Germany? Just to excuse the additional costs you have to pay for driving one of those?

[Matra et Alpine]

I think the top end of the British car market were doing that long before the German car industry was rebuilt and went from strength to strength.

An advertisement for Argyll Motor Cars, "Made in the world's greatest engineering centre", early 1900s.

definately selling teh premium concept

"magnet which draws the crowds"

Think you'll get the hint of what I'm on about.
Was sure one of the Argyll or Arroll's were sold at the time as "premium" or "Premiere" but damned if I can find it. However the ads are great

[henk4]

I think the top end of the British car market were doing that long before the German car industry was rebuilt and went from strength to strength.

Think you'll get the hint of what I'm on about.
Was sure one of the Argyll or Arroll's were sold at the time as "premium" or "Premiere" but damned if I can find it. However the ads are great

That is all very nice and fun to read, but how car manufacturers call themselves is marketing. The fact that journos are now calling certain makes "premium" sounds more like bribing...If you read German magazines the word "premium" will appear about every other five minutes of reading, invariably positively in connection with three specific brands, (surprisingly never Porsche) and negatively in connection to most other brands. (they journos have a problem with VW)

[Ferrer]

The problem is the germans (or most of them) can be the less difficult to justify. Swedes and italians on the other hand...

[henk4]

The problem is the germans (or most of them) can be the less difficult to justify. Swedes and italians on the other hand...

yes, because of effective marketing and corporate bribing. What you are saying is not because of objective reasons, but because people "believe"it easier whan said about German cars.

[Ferrer]

I don't care about people. I'm spaeking from an enthusiast's point of view. Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Volvo and Saab are little more than badges nowadays unfortunately. Audis have an inexplicable reputation for brilliant sports saloons and coupes and BMWs and Mercs are full of useless acronyms on their spec sheets.

In the olden days you could spend money and buy a car or spend a bit more for a good car. As simple as that. Today, you are not only spending more, but buying, and image, gizmos, a reputation and some marketing amongst other thing. Where the hell is the car underneath all that!?!

[Matra et Alpine]

ah, got you Pieter.
Will dig some out. The journalists of the period were as much in the pockets of the manufacturers as they are now I think. Will get some examples
I dont think it's that much different

[PRC777]

This is a very interesting thread, Ferrer.

I myself wonder what the word "premium" means. Very intangible indeed. It always happens to "sneak up" in between sentences of a car's (specifically from a German car manufacturer) description in your typical brochure.

I've noticed that particular buzzword in a recent Dodge commercial. Though the car mentioned was a Journey caravan, there was also mentioning of Italian Nappa leather as its trim, what I had familiarized as a a luxurious material found in a lot of High-end fashion brands as well as the lux car companies such as Ferrari and Aston Martin. I figured that's one way (from a consumer's perspective) to identify a car as "premium", aside from luxurious alloys used to make the car if there are any...?
Is there a "premium" steel? "Premium" paint? "Premium" plastic? If there are such materials, what process is necessary to make it in such condition?
And wouldn't that make the car or any product limited, assuming the process to make material premium is a long and tedious one? Does premium always equate to exclusivity, especially since every other company is becoming "premium" now? Nike also describes their product as premium, although their shoes are almost always made in China (known for producing their cheap, not-so-premium quality material). A truly intangible and indescribable word.

As a curious individual, questions like that always materialize in my conscience. I can't help but get a little agitated. What am I really buying? Thanks, BMW.

[henk4]

premium in almost all cases mean that you have to pay a higher price. The marketing trick is to make you believe that you also get a corresponding increase in value. The successful brands who can sell their brands as premium also get the highest profits, which should alarm buyers that they are actually paying too much.

[Ferrer]

Maybe the question should be, what's the difference between better and premium? And are they linked necessarily or not?