Originally posted by NorMich99SE:
Actually, 2 of the most capable off raod vehicles made have come from the "nice" manufacturers. the Mercedes "G-Wagon" has 3 differentials and can climb hills a Hummer can't make it up, (according to an old C&D article I once read) and is still available in the U.S. and Europe and what i remember my older brother's calling "the rambo Lambo" (don't know the true designation)made by Lamborghini (sp?) back in the 80's. I agree the navigator, M class, etc are pretty pointless cause what grey hair driving a Nav would take it into a 3 foot deep mud pit or even down a 2 track. But just cause Porsche is making the Cayanne, don't automatically accuse them of selling their souls to sales number gods.
True, but Mercedes also makes trucks, and has a history of being a "full-range" manufacturer. Only in the US are they more of a niche brand. The G-Wagen (pronounced Voggen) is a military derivative, like the Hummer. The M-class is cushier and meant to market to the off-road posers.
In contrast, Porsche has always occupied the sports-car niche. They've never even made a 4-door sedan, for Pete's sake, and now they're jumping on the SUV bandwagen? Or rather, VW corporate is jumping on, trying to leverage decades of sporting history into the marketing of a bloated station wagon with big horses. In other words, the soul of Porsche is in serious jeaparody.
(all misspellings intentional.)
People spend 200,000 on ferraris that will never go over 70 MPH. What is the difference?
Well, apart from spending way too much on a car....
1) Find a Ferrari that's never been over 70 mph. Go on. Find it.
2) A Ferrari is built for the environment that it occupies--the road. SUVs are built to project an image of suitability for an environment that they often never see. Worse, many of them acknowledge their own status as posers, and focus on the "image of a sporting life."
3) IOW, a Ferrari is over-capable for where it runs. An SUV is under-capable for where it is 99% of the time, and only marginally suitable (with rare exception) for the "off-road" environment.
That's the difference.
