I often hear that unlike in the US where those brands are considered a luxury item, in Germany and Western Europe in general, they are affordable and accessible without having the premium status.

That is obviously not true but I'm curious what is this idea based on?

Is it because those brands offer small hatchbacks and more basic cars than in the US? It is true but even a Mercedes hatchback is more expensive and luxurious than comparable vehicle from VW or Ford.

Or is it because such cars are more common in certain parts of Europe? Also true but that is a matter of the demographics not the brand itself.

Could anyone provide other reasons or some background to this?

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WDk8ueDqG8

"When the going gets tough, who’s toughest? That’s the question Top Gear set out to answer when we sent the new Toyota Land Cruiser off into the Welsh wilderness together with the facelifted Mercedes G-class, the latest Land Rover Defender, and the 4x4 that apes ye olde Defender, the Ineos Grenadier."

Fair warning, I don't think they are all that experienced off-roading and it does hurt to watch. Especially the bit with the defender in the "bomb hole"

So much driver error, Tom just standing right behind the car, could've been crushed any minute, ollie just taking the wrong angle scraping it over and over again. To me it didn't look like they where in the second off-road/height mode but may be wrong, same with the sidewall puncture in the river run. I feel like they really did that car dirty.

But overall I do feel its a good watch and having tried these cars off-road while I don't agree with 2-4th in their ranking (they ranked LC250 #1, G-Class/Grenadier tied for #2/#3, and the Defender 4th) I do agree the LC was the best of the lot. I do also appreciate they took it through the real world instead of a course.

Their one complaint - the argriculture 4cyl diesel power plant in the LC, is also solved here in the states where we get the hybrid i-force power plant.

We compare the newest 2025 Acura MDX vs the Honda Pilot. The test looks at interior and exterior features, including usability. We look at the mechanical parts of each and then take them for a drive to rate them from best to worst. There is a lot to digest, with prices ranging from $40,000 to $68,000. Which one would you choose? Other options are VW Atlas, Kia, Grand Highlander, Mazda CX-90, Telluride, Chevy Traverse, Volvo XC90, and Ford Explorer.

https://youtu.be/8PkEJoAOUIM?si=FSBaS7k_pLe1usnU

I prefer MDX design over Pilot. But there is big price diff between the two might not matter for those leasing.

Throttle house reviewed the new ID buzz with mixed results. They also discuss some channel changes at the start of the video, mostly the end of Throttle House Extra.

https://youtu.be/uxLjOhoLdjg

I think they were pretty fair on the car. Personally it seems like such a let down. It’s been a long wait and it’s hard for a product to live up to all the hype, but between the high price, the interior cost cutting, and lack of real buttons it doesn’t seem worth it.

I’m personally excited for a good electric minivan, but until that happens the hybrid Sienna is probably the next family hauler purchase for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7733fcW__4c

Meet the Finnish talented driver Valtteri Bottas, one of the 33 passionate owners of the new Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.

Valtteri is not just an owner, but a real contributor and developer committed to give his feedbacks to Alfa Romeo engineers and designers, for reaching the perfect formula of driving pleasure.

Discover the sound of the 33 Stradale on track from the voice and the performance of a true Alfista and professional driver as Valtteri Bottas.​

He now has an AMG One and the 33, doesn't get much better than that. I believe this is the first video showing someone driving the actual car.

https://www.youtube.com/@CarSceneKorea/community

https://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=231218

Exterior and Interior revealed. Not too many other details though. Looks attractive, bold, and quite unique. It will very likely have the rumored new hybrid system based on the existing 2.5T engine. Very likely to use a 3.5kwh battery and be more performance oriented as detailed in the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oi0HdUv_0g

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a63081891/honda-accord-hybrid-sport-l-vs-toyota-camry-xse-awd-compared/

Not going to lie, I'm quite confused by this result as most other outlets reached a different conclusion. Interesting comparison though. Especially if you look at the performance numbers...

From what I can see around here, people are sort of lukewarm about it, and obviously YouTube comment sections are full of 8 year olds. I'm kinda curious as to if there are anyone actually digging their whole rebranding thing so far.