American REacts to 10 Fascinating European Cars that America NEVER Got
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- čas přidán 24. 06. 2024
- The Euro car market is fascinating to say the least..
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Dacia is a very affordable brand in Europe that Top Gear made fun of for years
Not anymore, i guess ;-)
Guess what!
WHAT!
THE DACIA SANDERO IS COMING TO THE LEFT HAND MARKET!
Anyway 😂.
@@SpardauDebesi Big news 😂
Dacia WAS affordable, now due to EU regulations and war it costs same as any other basic car but has much lower build quality.
They are Romanian
Vauxhall is how Opel is called in the UK. The rest of Europe would call that car an Opel Astra. About Cupra Leon. It's a Spanish brand related to SEAT but the foto is from the Seat Leon Cupra, just before transiting to the new Cupra brand. Before, the 'Cupra' name was like the top sport class of each car type (Ibiza Cupra, Leon Cupra, etc). Now it's its own brand.
Dacia is a Romanian brand, known for their ultra cheap cars and fake 4x4 :) They started selling 4x4 "looking" cars but not 4x4 at all, like the Duster in the foto. Not sure if they still do it.
You can order the duster as 4x4 or 4x2
4x4 always has been an option since the start of the Duster. You probably just heard from people who bought the 4x2 version.
"Cupra" also stood for "Cup Racing".
Now that they split off "Cupra" as it's own brand, they also got away from that cup racing spirit and just make them more expensive...
The Duster has more offroad capabilities than most SUVs that are raised and overgrown cars
Years ago, it was only the UK that had the Astra, the Opal version was called the Kadette then in the 90s they changed to UK and Europe having the same names for both Vauxhall and Opal.
The Fiat Panda is a legend here. The 4x4 model espacially. The older ones from the 90s are indestructible, you can go offroad and throw them around and they'll still work after 20 years. They're crazy good and reliable
The brilliant little "Bisley" Panda. It was built like a milk crate on wheels but it's definitely a car i'd have loved to own.
They are smaller and slower than a 500, and that is already very small for us standards. (remember, the 500 in the us only gets the 1.4 turbo)
@@nielsdebakker3283's The original 1960's Fiat 500's were tiny, 2 cylinder 500cc fun little things that were even smaller and lighter than the Panda.
I daily drive Fiat Panda 2 1.4l 100hp version and I love it.
@@nielsdebakker3283 Hardly smaller and slower since the 500 is based on the Panda, sharing the same floorpan and the same drive train. Now of course US model Fiat 500 has more powerful engines but in Europe they share engines and gearboxes. It is true however that the Panda models don't get the Abarth engines that sporty model 500s get. But underneath they're the same car. Actually with the same engine equipped the Panda is slightly quicker because it's a tiny bit lighter than the 500.
Don't just scroll a list, look up each car and you'll be 10× more blown away. The Meganes "cup" version is an absolute weapon
The Megane beats 80% of American cars on the ring.
True, like for the Astra, he showed the 3 door GTC and not the regular Astra 5 door hatch/wagon.
The Dacia Duster is rebadged as a Renault in lots of markets including Mexico. It's a Romanian brand owned by Renault and they're pretty successful with simple cars
Same here in South Africa
I know it is sold in the foreign markets as a Renault, and they even got a pickup version there. I was very surprised to find such a model here in Germany the other day.
Its not rebrandet! The base of the most Dacias is from Renault Clio platform.
In many countrys the Duster or other models is rebrandet as Renault.
They used to be simple. Also the design. But the new models are very good looking!
@@Andi_de its a rebrand because it features Dacia styling.... no one is gonna say that a Seat Leon is a rebadged Volkswagen Golf or Audi A3? sure it features the same drive platform but the styling is totally different... or its like saying the Audi R8 is a rebadged Lamborghini Gallardo/Huracan
Yes, the Skoda is very popular in Europe. You see them pretty much everywhere. Also many police forces and ambulance services use them.
Many police forces, like which countries?
Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Czechia, Slovakia and a lot more
@@tomitomasko3848 so only eastern then
@@erik.... Croatia used Škoda for years. These days Citroens and Škoda.
@@erik.... from non eastern european countries United kingdom, New Zealend, Israel, France, Italy, Austria and Spain uses them as well
Dacia is part of Renault group. You might find it also as Renault Duster. It is a Romanian brand which survived collapse of Iron curtain.
I own this one. It is cheap, small and surprisingly capable in terrain. Not so good on highway as around 150 kph it becomes slightly loud inside. But I am quite happy with it and it never failed me in snow or in mud.
In Brazil all Dacia models are marketed as Renault
Dacia is a Romanian car brand. Previously, UAP was a state-owned company. From 1999, the factory belongs entirely to the French Renault group. The name refers to ancient Dacia, roughly present-day Romania and Moldavia. In 2014, about 510,000 vehicles of this brand were sold.
nope dacia a morrocain made car the main factory is in north morroco in tanger city its one of the most sold cars in the world morroco by the way is in northwest africa so tohis car is not european car duh. czcams.com/video/kbvgS8hP2_E/video.htmlsi=-tTkBxm4fgmVA5mP
Since 1999, the factory has belonged entirely to the French Renault group. Today, Dacia models are produced in 9 different countries (Algeria, Romania, Russia, Morocco, Iran, India, Argentina, Brazil and Columbia).@@LoneWolf-sg1cl
??? It dose not belong ;entirely; they bought 51% from the Romanian state.
That Saturn Astra you showed as well as the Vauxhaull Astra are simply rebadged Opel Astras, the pictures you showed are of different generation cars. Opel of course being the European arm of GM for a very long time.
It's a Holden badge in Australia
The name "Astra" was in use by vauxhall for at least a decade, maybe 15 years, before Opel renamed their "Kadett" line in the end of the nineties
@@user-oj4bm5nn8t This is true, but I was talking about the specific car in itself, not generally about the name. Oh, and it was the very early ninties when Opel put the Astra name on the car that Vauxhall had already used for a good while, yes.
Check out the original Panda from 1980... it also came in a 4x4 version made by Steyr in Austria.
It was very popular, also still used by farmers for example in vineyards because it is so narrow and fits where regular cars don't.
or in italia for communal service, or as post-cars in the hills. if there's just a little bit grip, the old 141A 4x4 goes uphill like a goat on stereoids (had one, and i know that they can do that, 'cause i tested it. Noone were harmed by these tests - not the car, the hill or the driver.).
Still to these days, original Fiat PAnda 4x4 are very popular in teh Alpine regions. They seel at price you could have a nice car for, even if it's fully rottted.
Contrary to what some comments suggest, the Duster is quite decent off-road (better than 90% of suvs) and the brand is an affordable and surprisingly popular choice for people who need a car. Eg. 25-26k will get you a fully optioned 150hp automatic 4x4 Duster. It's cheap but honest, hence the popularity.
Renault, Seat, Skoda, Citroen are all nice brands that make excellent hatch-backs. I used to own a Renault Megane - the sportiest front wheel car I have ever driven... very nice to drive on a twisty road. It remained in the family for over 10 years. The only things that we had to change were break disks and pads. We sold it in excellent nick without a speck of rust
Dacia are affordable Renault-based cars built in Romania. The latest models are actually quite nice, here in Italy they offer factory LPG (propane) models too
Cupra was always the sportier version of the Seats, they've now spun the brand out into its own thing and they're producing their own cars.
And they also look awesome
Dacia is a Romanian brand, that's part of Renault. They are basically budget Renaults in disguise.
The same for Skoda and SEAT, (Spanish brand) in regards to Volkswagen. Those are the budget VW brands, like Audi is the Premium brand. The Seat Leon Cupra in the list is interesting, because Cupra was a sub-brand form Seat for sportier vehicles, and it turned into VW brand's sportier brand (they wanted to acquire Alfa Romeo instead, but it didn't happen).
And Alfa is like upscale Fiat
Vauxhall/Opel were sold from GM to what is now Stellantis (Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, etc.), when GM gave up selling anything in Europe and closed shop. I think that was 2017.
Dacia is part of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, and is indeed designed to be very cheap and somewhat more usable on bad roads or off road. Romanian
Cupra is shaping out to be VW's affordable, interesting sporty brand, especially with electric cars they split more from Seat, where it before was its AMG equivalent in house tuning subcompany. Both Spanish. Skoda of course also VW.
And Opel was already profitable again after a year, after the separation from GM.
@@arnodobler1096 Indeed. I know a few people who are very happy with the Opel variants of the PSA small electric car templates, and see a lot more on the streets nowadays. Personally, I prefer the Peugeot style of the same, but that is exactly why a company should have brands, to separate style variants/customer types and setup a market team with understanding of region or customer group. No point having 10 boring basic car brands, or 10 flamboyant sport car brands, but lack the other. At the same time having the same type car or component developed multiple times inside the same company is also a waste of time.
Well explained. Just one thing: Dacia isn’t part of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi but only part of Renault since RNM is just an alliance between the three standalone manufacturers ;)
@@Prof.Dr.Diagnose They call it an alliance, but it is still a registered company under that name. But yes, definitively on the Renault side of things.
U pravu si za stelantis, ja radim u citroenu cca 30 godina
The 4x4 Pandas with the Puch AWD drivetrain is one of those coackraoch cars (in the best sense of the word) as they are damn near indistructible, get friggin everywhere and are just plain likeable.
yeah but the success was with the old version not with the one show on photo. in france, outside city its a common thing to say that a panda 4x4 can climb a tree
Aren't those manufactured by Magna in Austria?
Some decades ago Puch had their own car Brand "Puch" or "Steir Puch". They provided off-road vehicles to the Austrian armed forces for example. I'm not entirely sure if BMW gets their 4WD systems from Puch.
@@michaelburggraf2822 Yes the first Panda 4x4 is manufactured by Steyr-Puch (as it was called like that in the era)
@@michaelburggraf2822 Steyr-Puch build all the 4x4 stuff, clutches, three part crunkshaft, differential etc, then the parts were sended to Termini Imerese Fiat factory where the rest of the Panda was producted ( I talk about the original 4x4 )
Elisa, Paolo, thank you for your clarifications.
BTW, if I remember well the original Fiat Panda has been designed by the Italian industrial designer Giugario who has also created the design for the first VW Golf/Rabit.
dacia is oriiginally a rumanian car company, but is under the flag of renault for many years now. the duster model is their only small suv in their lineup
Dacia is a Romanian car manufacturer that takes its name from the historical region that constitutes present-day Romania. The company was established in 1966. In 1999, after 33 years, the Romanian government sold Dacia to the French car manufacturer Groupe Renault
Fun fact, the Renault Megane was the fastest production FWD around the Nurburgring and they’re used by the BRI ( french highway patrol basically) not that powerful of a car but a really great car in the end
Its chassis is really good, it's really nice to have horsepower, but if you don't have the chassis with that, it's barely usable (except on the Autobahn)
Aujourd'hui la gendarmerie française les a remplacer par des Alpines A110S!
The roadster version looks good too
@@evil7011 not really, plus it’s makes it heavier and less performant in general and was mostly sold in the diesel version wich makes it a great and relatively cheap everyday convertible, but not a sport car like the RS Trophy
The car I used in driving school was a ~130PS diesel Megane. That thing had some pull-ability (diesel for low-RPM torque + 130PS for the top end during Overland/Autobahn lessons).
Dacia is a car that is produced in Romania and is under the Renault company. In their cars, there are only Renault engines. Dacia is also one of the cheapest and among the best-selling cars in Europe.🇷🇴
I also want to say about Seat, that it no longer belongs to Cupra and that Cupra uses only Seat's platform🇪🇸
greetings from Croatia🇭🇷👍
As you mentioned the C3... I just received my new car which is the SUV version of the Citroën C3 (called "C3 Aircross") in an upper version called "Shine". That's my first Citroën. It's not a luxury car,and not a sporty one either, it's just a mid-market car which fits my needs as an average driver in his sixties. The equipment is standard for a 2023 car in its category, GPS, cruise control, AC, wi-fi equipment...... my favorite being the great camera vision when backing up. My personal two bests on this car are: 1) it's a compact vehicle but it has surprisingly large inner space for a vehicle this size. 2) the top quality of this car is comfort, the seats of course, but more specifically the shock absorbers with hydraulic stops, a true Citroën mark that does make a difference on some roads.
This is also our first automatic car, my wife and I are getting used to it; it's been a relatively recent trend for the last few years, about half of new cars now sold in Europe are automatics.
The C3 may have progressive hydraulic shock absorbers but that's NOT the Citroën Trade Mark which is the Hydropneumatic suspension, steering and braking system which is a completely different system and superior in every way. They have long stopped building these.
Your car has a mostly standard suspension.
Dacia is a romanian car brand started as a collaboration between Renault and the romanian government in the 1960s. It was fully absorbed in the Reault group in the late 90s.
In the last years it has become hugely popular here in Italy, especially in the countryside with their small and cheap, no-frills SUVs.
Regarding the Citroen C3 bumps on the side. They were originally introduced on the Citroen Cactus and it was a bigger panel. Fun fact: At Goodwood Festival of Speed before they were launched, the Citroen stand had panels of the rubber bumpy bit on the floor where kids (and adults) could use them as trampolines lol.
I have the cactus...
The panels are basically an anti door ding measure
@@dasy2k1 perfect for the grandmas
@@pedromlopes12 And their neighbours
Im Australian, I owned a Renault laguna 2.2 diesel hatchback….loved it, passed it to my father.
In South Africa the Dacia Duster is sold as the Renault Duster. It is considered as the most fuel efficient SUV available. Only available as a 1.5 Turbo Diesel.
Seat is part of the VW group.
My little Panda 4x4 is a brilliant little car, and it's a hoot in the snow. Living in the Lake District localised flooding is a problem after extended periods of rain and its surprised me with how well (my experience with Italian wiring is coloured by owning a Moto Guzzi or two) it fords flooded roads.
Dacia is Romanian brand. Its under Groupe Renault. They made affordable cards, i wont say cheap but affordable and they are quite good. There is plenty of them where i live. Everyone i know that own one (especially Dusters) say they are reliable.
The first generation Nissan Qashqai was pretty much the vehicle that started the SUV craze in Europe. Nissan replaced the Almera and Primera sedans with this in Europe and sold lots of it so it is well known.
I feel that the suv craze started with the q7s and x5s
I think Almera and primera were replaced by tiida.
But still it's just so nondescript rolling things that is just meh. The article was about cars that US never got and they should be cool, not so mundane. I would say article could have instead included Peugeot 508 PSE. I know it's stupidly expensive, but it's interesting and very European and was never in US.
The Peugeot entry says that they only sell in Europe, but unless something’s changes recently, Peugeot is still available here in Aus. Seat Cupra are now seen on Australian roads too.
The Duster is sold as a Renault in South Africa. It also partakes in the Dakar.
The Dacia is sold as Renault in Mexico and can be seen on US soil, next to the border from time to time. There's even a video of one spotted there on CZcams.
Dacia is a budget brand from Romania btw.
Where i live Vauxhall is called Opel
The way you pronounced Dacia is the way most English speakers say it, but it’s actually supposed to be pronounced (phonetically) DACH-EA.
They came into being as a cheap car maker in Romania producing discontinued Renault Models primarily for their home domestic market.
Renault took the company over in the 1990’s.
Dacia is named after the old Roman province which is what we now call the Romania.
We pronounce "Dassia" in french
Maybe when the brand was introduced to the UK, but I've never heard anyone say it like that for the last, perhaps 8 years.
Most of the time I've heard it pronounced datchia, which is no surprise as that is the pronunciation in the adverts.
@MrOrange the way we naturally pronounce this brand in french
Correct pronunciation is "dat-ya".
@@mulrich no
DACIA is directly inspired by Dacie, the ancient name given by the Romans to their territory, the name and history of Dacia begins in Romania in 1966, with a clear objective since its creation: to provide all Romanians with modern, robust and economical vehicles.
But it is in 1999, with the purchase of Dacia by Renault, that the brand makes a strategic change, whose first success will be the Logan.
Best regards from Portugal
Dacia is a brand originally from Romania, currently (I think) owned by Renault. Same as Škoda and SEAT owned by the Volkswagen group. Cupra is now an independent brand (just like DS which has been spun off from Citroën). Originally it was the name of a SEAT Ibiza rally model (CUP RAcing). Some Cupra models are those of SEAT (like the Leon) only with more sporty and powerful features and engines, although there are also their own models
Have a look at the top 10 best selling cars in different European countries of Europe as a whole to get an idea what cars are popular here
The Dacia Duster is a first gen Renault in 4x4 or FWD, made in Romania/Brasil. Amazing value. The Astra was a GM global car, built everywhere. Fiat Panda is brilliant, same size as a Geo Metro but 4-door and also 4x4 like an everyday, street-legal side by side. FUN!!!
it's a 5-door, 'cause the rear is also called a "door" - while there's a glass screen moving with it when you opens it. 4-door were it then, when you just had a small flap to open (like in the older limos, like audi 80, Fiat Tempra, Mercedes W124, BMW E36 ect.
Fiat Panda 4x4 is just an awesome off road tool, its so light it doesn't bog down
The one in the picture is a Cross which is semi off road
The Panda is a best seller in Italy, not so much in the UK because it has the wrong badge on the bonnet (Hood)
The Fiat Panda is a legendary car, at least in Italy, specially the older version of the 4x4 model which can literally go anywhere or almost anywhere and it still costs quite a bit if compared to other cars of the same age and tipe. It's compact extremely reliable and a very simple design. You should watch something about it. In TopGear they also made an episode about that car if I remember well.
Seat and Skoda are Part of the Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Audi Group* (VAG)
I bought the first version of the Dacia Sandero in 2009. Up until now (14 years later) I have had only 4 headlight bulbs and 1 top brake light bulb burn out and the exhaust repaired. In Germany you have to have a roadworthy test every two years, up untill now has passed every time without faults. The motor could do with a bit more power, but it gets me from A to B
And they last. Keep up with maintenance, and it will last 1m kilometers easily. In my country, there is a taxi cab company that only uses Dacia. Some have survived over 1m km without tears in the seats, or worn buttons, or whatever. If I am not mistaken.
Ian, all these except Dacia and Unimog are or were available in Australia. GM has abandoned Australia altogether so no more Astras now. The NA market Saturn Astra was sourced from Opel like all the other Astras. GM sold the same car around the world under local brand names (Holden, Vauxhall etc). I used to drive a series 3 Mégane RS but because of my advancing 'maturity' a Peugeot 308 GT has replaced it. More comfortable.
A thought about the Fiat Panda.
It was my first car, I think it's an engineering marvel. I loved it and it was so nimble that it had no rivals in the city, it also went easily at 130 km/h (81 mph) on the highway.
To back up why I think the Panda is an exceptionally good car:
Model: 1987
4 cylinders.
Engine: 965 cm3 / 58.9 cu-in
Horsepower : 48 PS / 47 HP / 35 kW - I know it's not too much but...
Weight: 740 Kg / 1631 lbs
All Wheel Drive!!!
Weight-Power Output Ratio 15.4 kg (34 lbs) /hp
When the red light turned green in the city and an expensive Mercedes, Audi or BMW was standing next to me, they didn't always get to the next light first... 🙂
Panda was an angry little devil in town. 🙂
My first car was a 1990 Fiat Panda too, little fiesty red car with cool striping on the sides👍
The Astra was a hugely popular Car here in the UK. They did a high performance model, called The VXR. Boy could that thing move. I have owned a couple of Peugeot`s in my time and can honestly say that they were great cars with no issues at all.
Dacia and Skoda are brands from the former Eastern Bloc countries Romania and Czech Republic . They were bought by the French and Germans, thanks to which they survived. They produce modern cars from the whole spectrum - from the most expensive to the cheapest. In other words, they offer something for everyone by something.
Skoda is Czech, not Polish.
@@mulrich right, my mistake.
The Duster is very capable off-road, and with some proper off-road tyres that cheap little offroader can keep up with anything that other manufacturers offer. There are a lot of purpose built Dusters here in Romania and if you see the paths their drivers take them you wouldn't believe someone could go there on foot. 😅
Dacia is a Romanian brand (Dacia was the latin name of Romania when it was a region of the Roman Empire). They used to make the typical soviet cars before the 1989 revolution that brought democracy to the country. It is now owned by Renault and makes the cheapest cars you can buy in most European countries and so have aquired a quite good market share.
Really take a look at Peugeots current line up! They turned their image around hard in the last 5ish years and make awesome looking cars. (especially looking at the front with their sabre tooth Daytime running lights)
Probably the most interesting to you would be the new 2023 508 PSE.
I love the Dacia Duster mention! I have one like the one on the photo in the video, second generation, just in blue. It's great affordable small SUV with comfy drive and reliability. Maybe you've never heard of Dacia but surely you've seen some in videos from Europe. Small hatchback Dacia Sandero was best-selling car in 2022 in whole Europe!
And to the Quashqai, it's actually sold in US as Nissan Rogue Sport! Rogue and Rogue Sport share the same basis.
Dacia is a low cost brand from Romania.
Fun fact : The Nissan Rogue in America is our Nissan X-Trail in Europe
A few fun facts:
1. Many Opel and Vauxhall have been rebranded under Buick nowadays.
2. The Opel Mokka's identical twin the Chevrolet Trax is also sold in Europe.
3. The Buick Regal is a rebranded Opel Insignia / Vauxhall Insignia.
4. Saturn is dead nowadays.
5. Saturn cars were never sold in the EU.
6. A Saturn Astra was used in one of the Michael Bay Transformer movies. I think it was in the 2nd movie.
Many of you will remember that Dacia has been a brand of the Renault group since the end of the 20th century, after having been a Romanian national company. But, the links with Renault (also a state company then) were old, Dacia building Renault 12 (Dacia 1300) in the 70s until its replacement 30 years later by the Logan. The R12 had been preceded by the R8 (Dacia 1100) for a few years.
Actually the Dacia 1300 and 1310 was slowly replaced by Dacia Nova, Supernova and Solenza. The Logan was the fourth one and the most successful when it appeared.
So some clarification:
1) Vauxhall, like Opel used to be a General Motors brand that was only sold in the UK. Opel was sold in the rest of Europe (this was in the 1980's before that both brands would operate both in Britain and Europe). GM had bought these brands (Opel in 1931 and Vauxhall in 1925) and both companies for the longest time made their own cars, sometimes based on US based cars, but mostly their own designs. In the 1970's this changed when Vauxhall started releasing cards based on Opel designs (sometimes with a bit of a different body design). One of these cars was the Opel Kadett, which in the UK was renamed to Vauxhall Astra. The Opel Kadett name lasted until the F series, after which Opel also adopted the Astra name for the car (probably to appeal to a more international market as Kadett is German for Cadet). The version that you guys got as the Saturn Astra was the Astra H model, the one in the article is either the Astra J or K model (they look similar). General Motors sold both Vauxhall and Opel to the company that owns Peugeot (amongst others), Stellantis, which is the biggest car manufacturer in the world. They also own FIAT BTW
2) Skoda is part of the Volkswagen group and as such does a lot of parts sharing with the other VW owned brands that operate in the same market area (like VW, SEAT, and Audi). For some cars there are whole platforms shared between the models of each manufacturer at the same level, with only the the exterior and interior specifically designed by each manufacturer, with sometimes also engine options somewhat diverging as well. This model Fabia (4th Generation) is based on the MQB platform, that is also used for the Audio A1, VW Polo and SEAT Ibiza for instance, amongst others.
3) Megane is pronounced May-gan (like gun, but with an a i.s.o a u)
4) Dacia is a Romanian car manufacturer that was bought by Renault. They started out rebatching older Renault cars with new bodies, but now create their own models (but still part sharing with Renault)
5) Citroen is now also part of Stellantis
6) The Leon Cupra is made by SEAT. The Cupra nominator was used to designate their high performance versions (so the regular SEAT Leon had a high performance variant called the SEAT Leon Cupra for instance). These days SEAT has set the Cupra brand up as its own sub-brand where all the performance variants and special cars (like electric vehicles) are positioned under, while the regular cars are sold under the SEAT main brand. As stated before, SEAT is owned by VW, BTW SEAT stands for Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo.
7) You are not wrong, a quick Google Search told me that Qashqai (pronounced Cashkai) was sold in the USA as the Nissan Rogue Sport.
@IWrocker The comment written by @YouHaventSeenMeRight it is extremely detailed and good, very good job mate :D
Some minor remarks:
The Opel Kadett was the last one remaining of a series of naval ranks models including Kapitan and Admiral.
Skoda is indeed part of the Volkswagen Audi Gruppe/Group (VAG) and offers the most car for the least money for each equivalent in the group.
we have the cupra here in australia, i saw a couple of them in the local shopping centre as a display for people to check over.
Dacia started off as a branch of Renault that recycled unsold change/spare parts into an affordable car. It's widespread all over Europe, Africa and even the Middle East, not sure about Asia, and I think most countries of South America have it, though in some it's rebranded as Renault, like Renault Sandero RS.
Dacia is Renaults budget brand. Uses mostly old Renault platforms, which is a good thing, because then the kinks are worked out of them. Not the best in luxury or comfort of course, but they do the job just fine. As far as value for money goes if you just want a car that does car stuff, there is no western-made or japanese brand that comes close.
They got a poor reputation with brand snobs (they are just too cheap), which are heck of a lot of people, but the ones who own them like them and the customer satisfaction and reliability are quite good.
If you watched the old top gear, you should have heard James may utter the famous "Good News!" followed by some news blurb about the Dacia Sandero.... It became a meme, there are lots of compilation clips about it on youtube.
I'm absolutely shocked by the more than doubling of the Sandero's "from" price in 10 years. In 2013 it was £5995 (yes I know that was for that very basic Access model and with no stereo) but in 2023 it's £13,795!!!
@@RWL2012 Yeah they finally moved it to a new Clio platform instead of using the very old early 2000s one. A lot more stuff now. Also, inflation has taken its toll a lot relatively recently...
As a middle schooler, here in Italy, I had one certainty:
It didn't matter how much snow we had in the winter, it didn't matter if half of the teachers couldn't get to the school, our math tracher would certainly be there because she had an old Fiat Panda, and those things fear nothing.
They'll slowly but surely get you everywhere.
I've now been driving a newer model for 10+ years and I love it.
Edit: hearing "is it an SUV" made me laugh the same way I do when telling my shih tzu he's a scary lion.
Dacia is a romanian brand owned by Renault since 1999 but was founded in 1952 and in 1968 they started to making Renault-cars
on license. It was the dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu who give the order due to his decision to manufacture a Romanian public car.
Dacia is a romanian origin brand of Renault Group.
The first Fiat Panda of 1979 was a huge success in Italy.
Skoda is a Czech brand of Volkswagen Group. Its engines are in common with VW, SEAT and Audi.
SEAT is a spanish brand of VW Group. In the years 60'-70' it produces Fiat cars under licence (127, Panda, 850...)
French cars tend to be highly inovative over here and a pleasure to drive, with superb engines, especially smaller powerful diesels, and very comfortable. It's just a shame they still fit defective electrics from the 1970's!
As someone who has drive a Renault three times (the first time, last time, and only time) I don't agree except for the last bit. Won't buy a French car anytime soon and stick to Japanese and Korean brands.
Depends on how you define "pleasure". If pleasure for you means driving into corner leaning like a boat , then sure. They are comfortable tho.
The faulty electrics though....
A lot of them are just weird, but they still have their own very French identity and a lot of them are overall fine cars. Their electrics are fine and definitely not that old. Frankly VW cars often have even more electric problems and cars like B6 Passat was kinda infamous for being a bit of lemon electrics-wise.
Skoda and Seat are under the VW Group - the Fabia is the same as a VW Polo and the Leon is a Golf chassis. The main differences are cosmetic and where they are assembled, but the underlying parts are shared across most VW brands including Audi.
yes.
VW Polo= Audi A2= Seat Ibiza= Skoda Fabia
VW Golf= Audi A3= Seat Leon= Skoda Octavia
VW Passat (based on the Golf Platform!)= Skoda Superb
@@Andi_de Audi's version of the Polo nowadays is the A1.
@@Andi_de Its the A1 not A2. the A2 was a very strange car and somewhat related to the VW Lupo.
@@nox5555 But again only in the engine department. As a car the A2 was a unique construction and it had no sister models with VW, Seat or Skoda. Full aluminium construction actually. And it never had a successor either.
@@varmastiko2908 Well the Lupo was designed for the same reason, but yeah the A2 is unique in its design, and a realy good car.
Dacia, it is a brand owned by Renault, that comes from Romania in Europe, where it was founded originally!, The Leon Cupra R, it is the sportiest version of the model Leon, made by the brand "Seat", owned to this day by the Volkswagen Group which also owns the brand Skoda!.
Renault Mégane - "MehGAN". Dacia is a Romanian brand but nowadays French-owned and part of the Renault company.
The Saturn Astra was the Opel / Vauxhall Astra "H" 1.8-litre petrol automatic hatchback sold on the North American market from 2005 to 2008 I believe (the black Astra you show is an Astra "J", and the current Astra generation is the Astra "L").
The Peugeot 3008 is very nice - available to rent at Sydney domestic airport. BMW and Peugeot co-developed small turbo fours. Also in Mini and Citroen. Beautiful interiors. Not soft riding Peugeots of old though, like the 505.
You should take a look at the Dacia Logan that raced at the Nurburgring 24h this year and last year 😉 One of the most unlikely cars you expect at a race track, let alone the “Green Hell”.
Hello ! About Dacia Duster: is a Romanian brand. The Duster is the best seller in the compact SUV class. It is the top dig in off road. To make you understand I can tell you that, in off road, Dacia Duster wipes the floor with: Toyota Rav 4, Nissan x trail, Land Rover Freelander, Audi Q5, BMW x3, Mercedes GLC, Honda CRV etc. Dacia Duster is at the top of the food chain in its class.
What always strikes me is that you are always so well informed! I like that!
I have Dacia Duster and it is greatly priced SUV - it's not as good value as before, but I got 4x4 6sp. naturally aspirated version with auto-AC and CarPlay in full trim they offer (kinda budget-y but still good) for €16500.
It is especially beast in off-road for a cheap car, can handle bumpy roads like a champ and the service costs? HOOO boy it's cheap. My 2019 version has basically Nissan Engine, Nissan Chassis and French Panels/Bodywork.
Us have Saturn, Uk has Vauxhall and in Europe we have Opel and all 3 are the same thing. The same models and stuff, just the brand name is diferent becuse of some legal stuff...i think. But they are the same.
Dacia is a fairly old brand. It was already around, and the sole automobile brand available in communist Romania in the 70ies, 20 years before the iron curtain came down. Ceausescu, the then dictator, had bought a complete factory and the license to build a Romanian version of a Renault (the R5, if I remember correctly). So it does make sense, that Renault stepped in, after Romania opened to the west. The USSR did exactly the same, but with Fiat. The Fiat 124 was resurrected as Lada. Lada also lives on: since 1977, they are producing the Lada Niva, which once was an icon among die hard outdoor people, long before off-roading became such a rage, because it was sturdy enough to survive the Siberian tundra. It came with its own toolbox.
The Saturn branded Astra was a Vauxhall Astra with minor changes made for the US market, i.e, the lights and the Saturn badge, it was built in Belgium and withdrawn from the US market when Stellantis (the same company that owns Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler and Ram) took over Vauxhall.
Some of the brands are pretty region specific. You'll find Romanian Dacias, Czech Skodas and Spanish Seats everywhere in Europe but they aren't nearly as popular as they are in their native countries
Dacia is a Romanian brand and it produces like the cheapest cars in Europe, and they are really popular. I remember in Top Gear, James May always loved the Dacia Sandero. And to clarify - Nissan Qashqai and Nissan Rogue are the same exact car. It's really different, so it's cool seeing you cover something like this.
And as far as cars we currently don't have in Europe (at least in Poland) are Nissan Altima/Maxima, Honda Accord, all the trucks like F-150, Ram, Silverado. Ford Explorer came to Poland just a few years ago, and only in the PHEV variant if I'm not mistaken, while the american Ford Fusion is called Ford Mondeo.
PHEV only for EU markets.
Slight correction the Nissan Rogue is the Nissan X-Trail and the Nissan Rogue Sport is the Nissan Qashqai.
That America NEVER Got part also is true for a lot of US cars/trucks here in the EU.
Also true for engine choices, for example Ford Transit only diesel here in EU.
To be fair it was for the best. US cars are not practical for European environments
I've driven the Peugeot 3008 two times. The interior is awesome. You feel like in a spaceship😊
When I was at school, Skoda was a car company in a former soviet country and the vehicles were a joke and laughing stock. However they were bought by Volkswagen group who did an amazing job of turning the company around and now they produce some fantastic vehicles.
Actually Skodas are better value and also look better than VW counterparts.
@@koga1330 Absolutely
I went behind the iron curtain in the Soviet era, and I was amazed how good looking the 70's Skoda coupe, the 110R, was. They lost that in the 80's but the Czechs kept doing styling well under communism. Also the Tatra's.
The 4×4 Panda should have sold in the USA, if only for ranch holders or going off road, its literally a goat, I wouldn't be surprised to see one clinging on half way up the grand canyon
They did get them but very rare. Rebranded "JEEP PHOENIX"
@@whitecompany18 The Jeep version look much uglier. I swear that Americans manufacturers always make cars uglier on purpose, especially when rebranding European cars
@@whitecompany18 Plus that ugly Phoenix was a rebranded second generation Fiat Panda
The front wheel drive Panda can climb mountains too, hired one in Crete anywhere the 4x4s went I could also
A fun car that Americans have only just started to import is the Fiat Barcetta. The car was built from 1995 to 2005. It's a two seater convertible with a 1.8 Litre 4 cylinder engine with a 131 PS (129 hp). Retro Italian looks that look good today.
It's also my current car and I love driving it. :D
The Nissan Rogue is sold as Nissan X-Trail in Europe, so the Qashqai is a slightly different car. The Qashqai is smaller and got only 5 seats.
Dacia is a cheap brand from Romania, which was famous for rebranding old Renault models. Nowadays, they have a fairly unique look, but they still use Renault parts (as a sub-brand from Renault).
Škoda is a really popular brand in Europe. They are a sub-brand from Volkswagen, using the same plattforms, engines, gearboxes and so on. The Škoda Fabia is the equivalent of a VW Polo, Seat Ibiza or Audi A1, a Škoda Octavia is like a VW Golf/Jetta, Audi A3 or Seat Leon with a different interior and exterior.
The Vauxhall Astra in this clip is the sportiest version, called Astra GTC VXR. Outside of the UK it was sold as Opel Astra (and the sport model was called Astra OPC). The Saturn Astra you have shown is the predecessor and was also sold in Europe (as Opel/Vauxhall Astra) with only minor differences.
I had a Seat Leon Cupra (not the R, mine had only 290 hp) and it was a great car. Now I have the successor which is the Cupra Leon VZ. Cupra is now a sub-brand of Seat. I really like compact hatchbacks. I think, there should also be the Ford Focus (ST) in this list. I had this car before and it was a good driver's car.
Australia has just about more options for car manufacturers than any other country. This is one of the reasons why we don’t make our own cars anymore! ❤️🇦🇺
I've recently seen HubNut's Ford Fairmont AU from up close, though much of its design resembles European Fords, it's got an inline six cilinder engine which was never sold in Europe and it's got much tougher suspension than its European siblings.
Which is why one only ever sees Toyota's on Aussie roads! European vehicles cost a friggin ransom in AU.....the models that are available anyhoo.
1. Vauxhall Astra is an Opel Astra(made by Germans) Vauxhall is selling just in UK. Opel is a part of GM Motorsport. US model is like EU Opel Astra
2. Dacia(in Europa)/Renault(rest of word) is a car made in Romania, and is a brand of Renault Nissan Group
DACIA DUSTER - Romanian brand...under Renault Group France licence!. It's a good, reliable SUV, an the chepest in its class. Worth trying a test drive.
i had two dacia duster, the first from 2019 till 2022, it was a 1,5 liter diesel with 5 speed mual transmission and 115 horsepower, the second one was a tce 150 edc ( 1.3 liter turbo engine with 150 horsepower and 6 speed automatik transmission )...in my eyes dacia is perfect and they build very good cars.
Škoda is very popular in Europe, it is sold in each country of the EU and even outside, f.e. Ukraine, Russia (withdrawn from the market due to the war), Vietnam etc.. To the most growing markets belongs India for the last 5 years...
It is not completely true what is said in the video, that only the Škoda Fabia model is not sold there, as the whole brand is not sold on the US market - it starts from the Fabia model, but Škoda makes awesome high class sedans/combis, such as Superb, Octavia, or even SUVs, such as Kodiaq, Karoq, Kamiq etc... The Kodiaq is an awesome looking car..
What differs them from other car companies, is enshrined in their slogan "Simply clever" - they add really cool gadgets, accessoires, they simply make the driving really a cool experience..
They are going to release facelifts of some models in autumn this year and mainly 6 new electric models..
We get all but three of these in Australia. Personal favourite would have to be the Renault.
We got Holden Astra models just like both the Vauxhall and the Saturn models that you showed.
I live in Brazil, here Dacia are Renault. I have a Duster 1.3T, the car delivers a good package for the segment. The major oponnent is Jeep Renegade here, who sells better than Duster, but only the Duster haves a better internal space and the trunk is the bigger of the small suvs, the suspension is so good for bad roads, so these Dacias were develloped for bad conditions, ideal for russia, ucraine, brazil, etc.
And in the past we had a Megane, very confortable but not so easy to mantain, speccialy because suspension, eletronical issues and mainly for the AL4 automatic french transmission, a little fragile and not very robust.
The Seat cupra is basically just a VW Golf. The Skoda Fabia is basically just a VW Polo. You can get Dacia Duster in Mexico as the Renault Duster.
1- Vauxhall in UK, Opel in the Europe. This Astra is the coupé version and the most good looking. They made a OPC (Opel Performance Center) version with a inline 4 turbo charged, claiming 280HP. Great machine. The one you had in US, the Saturn Astra, looks just like the older version of the european Astra.
2- Unimog is a sub-division from Mercedes. People mostely used it in the armed forces and north-european countries, as snow-plowers. Too expensive to have in a private garage.
3- Fiat Panda, italian made with the PSA group engine (equips Fiat, Renault, Peugeot, Citroen and so on...). It is a goofy looking litlle car, with a good clearance, perfect for the ladies climbing cubs...
4- Skoda was a Czech Republic brand, later adquired by VW (as was Seat, from Spain). In the end, is a cheaper VW, sharing engines, interiors and a lot of other parts from the VWGroup.
5- Renault is french. The RS divison (Renault Sport) is famous by its sport cars. Sharp in the tracks, people also use them in rally and rally cross competitions. There as even a MeganeRS Cup, some years ago. The road version of the Megane RS used to have a inline 4, also claiming 280HP as the Astra OPC.
5- Peugeot is french, as Renault. They have been putting all the chips in the SUV market and are doing very well in that segment.
7- Dacia was created in Romania, later bought by Renault. They didn't inspire very confidence, but after Renault grab it, it started to be more accepted. They are now more reliable, with better materials, better construction and better engines.
8- Citroen, another frencie car. The least favourite, to me, from all the frenchies. Not a fan of the design and lots of the later models had lots of problems, electrical, construction, etc.
9- Cupra was the sport division of Seat. Now they no longer call Seat, only Cupra (as in CupRacing). Spaniard brand, bought by VW years ago, they are more expensive than the Skodas, but cheaper than the mother brand (VW). I love one of the models, the Cupra Formentor (www.cupraofficial.pt/gama-cupra/cupra-formentor/descobrir), despite almost all of the Cupra models are now hibrid...
10- Nissan Qashqai is the number one SUV sold in Europe since... well, since someone invented the SUVs... I owned one for 7 years, with a PSA group engine (1.5 diesel DCI, claiming 105HP), no complaints. Great car for both worlds, city and travel.
The Nissan Qashqai (say, Kash-kai) is apparently known by Nissan dealers in the UK as the Nissan "Cash-cow" because they sell so many of them, or at least they used to when they had that sector of the market pretty much to themselves.
It's still at the top of sales charts in the UK (second best selling car in 2023 YTD).
Dacia is a Rumanian company, taken under Renault's wing sometime around 2005, I think, in much the same way Skoda got relaunched in the nineties with help from Volkswagen.
The red Saturn you showed an image of, is the car I have pretty much, only I have the Opel Astra H, with a 1.7 turbo diesel, and it's a wagon.
I've actually been wanting to see if I could find all the Saturn bits to put on my Opel, just for the heck of it, like the grille, and the badges etc. ^^
4. Dacia is a Romanian brand owned by Renault. In Europe the Dacia is very popular as a reliable budget car and Renault has been putting a lot of work and engineering into making it go past the "budget car" equipping it with very nice features and still keeping it friendly for the wallet. Dacia has a big history in Romania and it's most uprise was after the fell of the communism. In south America there are a couple of Dacia models, often sold under the Renault logo, and they come with different engines, slightly bigger and with Nissan gearboxes, because in EU such setups wouldn't pass the strict restrictions. Take for example Dacia Oroch with is the Duster pickup and comes with a larger engine than what you would get in Europe. The Oroch doesn't exist in Europe and isn't even imported from countries outside Europe. The only Duster pickup is a 2 seater modification by a separate company that works in partnership with Dacia. Renault works together with Dacia, Nissan, Lada (used to own it but sold it when the illegal russian invasion in Ukraine started) and most recently with Mitsubishi. Dacia even though it's under the Renault umbrella it still exists as a standalone company and is one of the top sellers in Europe.
The Saturn Astra was essentially the North American market badged version of the Opel/Vauxhall Astra sold in Europe.
The photo of the Fiat Panda is the 4x4 version, the chrome under the bumper and the slightly raised look are the giveaway compared to the 2-wheel drive car
The Astra you showed was the previous gen of the Vauxhall Astra you featured.
My mate who lives in the Pyrenees mountains has a Fiat Panda 4x4.
He loves it. Small and cheap to run, especially for a 4x4.
In normal conditions it's just front wheel drive but as soon as it's needed power goes to the rear wheels as well.
On a UK car program called 5th Gear they put it up against a Range Rover and went off-roading.
While the RR got stuck in the mud the Panda had no problems and beat the RR with ease.
Great little car.
1:54 that Saturn is Opel Astra H coupe. The black one is Astra J Coupe. Basically any car that looks like an Opel, is an Opel. Just rebadged for the market that's in.
Cadillac Catera was Opel Omega, 5th and 6th gen Buick Regal is Opel Insignia A and B. Insignia B is also Holden Commodore ZB.
Buick Cascada is Opel Cascada.
Buick Encore/Chevy Trax are 1st gen Opel Mokka.
Looking rebadges of Opels on wiki will make you go down the rabbit hole when you find out a lot of cars are rebadges of many other manufacturers
The Skoda is part of the VW/AUDI group so the VRS is a VW Golf GTI in a cheaper build and the SEAT also part of the same group
I hate that generic nonsences in that article, so:
Vauxhall Astra - Pretty average boring car, but the OPC (VXR) is fast, 280 hp, with limited slip diff and 6 speed manual
Fiat Panda 4x4 - old model from 80s is now very cool car of italian billionaires. This new model is still in supermini class, but it has 2 cylinder turbo engine!
Skoda Fabia - typical european small hatchback that you can find everywhere. Bigger model Octavia is the best selling car in several european countries (it used to be 8 countries). This more stylish Fabia in the picture is called Monte Carlo (where Skodas used to have some rally winnings)
Renault Megane RS - widebody sports version with 1.8 litre turbo 4 cylinder and 280 or 300 hp. Both manual and automatic availible. It has 4 wheel steering. The best version is called Trophy R and it can have super expensive carbon wheels and brakes.
Peugeot 3008 - very boring SUV, only front wheel drive, fancy interior with small steering wheel, nothing really interesting
Citroen C3 - just a shadow of what Citroen used to be. One of the worst cars at european market. Same size as Fabia
Seat Leon Cupra - spanish hot hatch, rival of Megane RS, same platform as Golf GTI
Dacia Duster - cheap, strong 4x4 from Romania with Renault technics
Nissan Qashqai - one of the first crossovers in europe, very popular, same engines and platform like Nissan Rogue, just smaller package, nothing really interesting to drive
PS: I drove them all
Real list of interesting European cars not sold in USA: Alpine A110, Skoda Octavia RS 4x4 diesel estate, Toyota GR Yaris, Dacia Jogger, Porsche Panamera 4S diesel, Cupra Formentor VZ5, VW Arteon Shooting brake atc
Mexico actually got the Dacia Duster. In Mexico it´s just branded as a Renault Duster because Dacia belongs to the Renault Group.