What do you mean with “ Skoda has somewhat of a partnership with VW?” Skoda is a 100% subsidiary of VW. It’s essentially nothing but a brand now - like Seat, Bugatti, Bentley, Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, Ducati, MAN (well, 95% there), and Scania.
Skoda are very reliable vehicles. Even Skoda is own by VW but they have their own R&D and even university for their engineers. I own a Skoda and I know.
Yep. Holden in Australia is pretty much gone.The name still exists but they aren't making cars in Australia any more and taking a bath sales-wise. Chevrolet in South Africa is closed. Vauxhall (UK) and Opel (Europe) have been sold to PSA
@@Adrian_Nel My 1st Saab in 1991 was an '87 9000 turbo 5-spd that was awesome! Then in 2010 for vindication for STUPIDLY selling my 9000, I bought a '99 9-5 SE that was nice, luxurious, had nice touches, and rode supremely like a Buick Park Avenue or better, like a Cadillac as it was soft for a sports sedan but that six cylinder engine was probably GM designed and built and thus crap as I put TWO engines in it. In 2017 I bought a '99 900SE that's been wonderful. I'm STILL pissed at GM for screwing Saab over....
6:08 this isnt a Unimog, its a Mercedes Zetros. Its a complety different truck, its also available as a 6x6 version. And with the Dacia Duster you dont miss anything, its complety waste.
Torque FX Agree with Zetros, disagree with Duster. Dacia is not refined, but really surprising off-road and very affordable. If you want low cost 4x4 there is nothing better. Well Suzuki is better bot neither cheaper nor more refined.
I hate SUVs with a burning passion, but the Duster is certainly not the worst offender. _For its price_, it's surprisingly good, with off-road capacities similar to "pro" 4x4 costing several times more thanks to its nicely engineered traction system and its contained weight. It's obviously not nice to drive and the first gen interior was a bit depressing, but it's very reliable and quite effective, especially on snowy roads. I'd love to see a Logan estate with the same drivetrain.
@A real bisexual petrol-head I do, but I get some people need that kind of ground clearance and all terrain abilities, depending on where they live and/or their activities. I wouldn't mind them if they covered less than 5% of the market, but when in a lot if markets like France or Switzerland, these overbloated, inefficient, limited utility vehicles threaten to overcome the market, when station wagons, minivans, sedans and coupés are agonizing, I think it's sad. In that context, I don't think the Duster is the worst offender...
Amaroks are expensive. They can get as expensive as F-150 on a high trim. And it's not even a full-size truck. They don't sell well to be honest, they've had safety problems (second row).
One of my favourites that never made it to the US is the recently discontinued Audi S1 Quattro: Smaller than a Golf, only available as a stickshift, AWD and ~240 horsepower.
The S1 have 300hp as street legal version, the factory group B cars have 600+hp The longer series model have 200 and as tuned Treser model 240hp. Here this are collector cars and even new where very expensive. You can go and look for an Audi 80 (B2) quattro - also rare - or a 200 turbo quattro (C3 model). th-cam.com/video/vIVPSSRb4nQ/w-d-xo.html
VW has had the worst range choices in the past few years and thy certainly dropped the ball about not bringing another van to the USA. I checked the used prices for the Eurovan and they are rather expensive on high mileage vehicles.
I have a 2002 Eurovan T4 since new and is a daily driver. This is my first van ever and I love it. I dream of a new VW van the proportions are perfect, from the seating position which is as high as a normal full size pick up to the function of carrying people and lots of stuff!!!
Veterans. Veterans learned to love the Hilux. The Hilux small block diesels (and the Mighty Mouse Mitsu L200!) gained more cult following here after we used them for on-post Non-Tactical Vehicles, and learned what we were missing out on. It wasn't just Top Gear plugging it. I dragged dead up-armored M1114's across Joint Base Balad with them. That's insane for a tiny truck. It always worked. It was fun to drive. Many of us have been chomping at the bit to get our hands on The Indestructible Truck back home ever since, especially if you're in the Cult of Taco
I'm kind-of surprised not to see the new Focus and Fiesta STs on the list. Granted, we technically still get the old Fiesta ST and the Focus ST hasn't been gone too long but the new versions of both are SOOOOO much nicer than the ones they replaced. It's a damn shame that we aren't getting them. Two more forbidden fruit that I wish we had are the Mazda 2 and Mazda 6 wagon.
@@riddlerandsa8161 Porsche didn't get the outright ownership, but Porsche-Piëch family via their Porsche Holdings company is by a large margin the largest shareholder of VW Group at 38%. VW and Porsche obviously always been closely married with Ferdinand Porsche being the main guy behind original Beetle.
Just for your information: The Name of the little Daihatsu is a mix of closed and open. -> copen! And the Yeti from Skoda is no longer built.The new model is called Karoq. Greetings from Germany 🙂
The new Suzuki Jimney is sold out world wide till the end of 2021! In Australia there biggest market there is already a 18 months waiting list! The demand and sale of the new Jimney exceeds the highest expectations. And yes the unimog an incredible piece of machinery. I drive as a volunteer a1994 6x6 model reengined to a Euro 6 diesel engine. Every wintertime at night i and other collegeas clear roads and put salt on to the roads. We also assist the police and fire departments to pull cars and big rig trucks back onto the road. They run on average 2 months a year 24/7 non stop. They are worked hard and just keep on running in the hardest conditions.
@@cowboyfromnorway1441 The LJ, SJ and Samurai yep they were a true miracle of rust and corrosion. You can find them mostly in ironore form. The Jimney is way better in rustproving. The Jimny had the very bad suicidle Renault 1.4 DDiS Turbo Diesel. They liked to blow them self up in turbo runaways, fueled by their own engine oil! Often people think the Jimny had the prehistoric 1.6 GM Iveco dieselengine. The 1.3/ 16V petrol is almost bulletproof. how the 4th generation is only time wil tell
Skoda did put the Kamiq in the market as the intended follow up for the Yeti, but it's more a crossover between their Octavia wagon and Karoq SUV, which I consider the true follow up for the Yeti, altough the Karoq sits in a slightly higher price bracket.
I'd like to see Škoda do a new Yeti as a kind of bigger Jimny / smaller Defender but it seems that they now play it very safe with their designs. I find the Karoq and Kamiq to be bland and boring.
Correction, Skoda does not have a partnership with Volkswagen, Volkswagen owns Skoda the same way it owns Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Ducati, Bentley, MAN, SEAT, Scania just to mention a few.
I'm glad you mentioned Skoda. Growing up in England in the 80's and 90's, we had Skoda's. They were the first car I got into rally racing with! So much fun! It's sad that they aren't available over here.
No. The Karoq is a real good car. It has many improvements above the Yeti which are based on the experiences with the Skopd Superb and the Skoda Kodiaq. Just the looks isn't so unique as the Yeti, the Karog is a small SUV. But guess which country is responsible for this SUV hype around the world? Which one is it, hmm?
@@RetroAndMore89 The Karoq might be a good vehicle, but it will be totally forgotten. The Yeti will be remembered, because it is small, yet practical and unique. And I'm not really sure which country you're referring to, as I'd say it is the US or China?
@@lucassg3535 If you have read my answer, I already said that the Yeti is more unique. But the class is more a MPV, like the Skoda Roomster, Citroen Berlingo, Opel Meriva, VW Touran or the BMW 2 Active Tourer. It's a car category which isn't used too much used anymore since SUV's are available in any sizes. We have a first generation Citroen Berlingo (with facelift), and it's really a great car. The SUV boom is of course from the USA, starting with real off-road-capable cars from Jeep and so on, until luxury was more important than off-road-capabilities.
@@RetroAndMore89 I respectfully disagree. The Yeti is not an MPV. It has bigger wheels, higher ground clearance and sort-of offroad capability, which none of the cars you mentioned have. And the point of my comment was that the Karoq will be forgotten very quickly. It looks like any other compact SUV - Karoq, Ateca, Tucson, ASX, Qashqai - they're all pretty much equal in design (and boredom, frankly) - whereas the Yeti was, indeed, unique.
Isn't that basically what the Jeep Renegade is? A Fiat with a bunch of Jeep Badges? Although I think it was the 500X and not the Panda. Either way, just buy a Renegade and you get a re-badged Fiat.
Weary Man yup that is correct but the panda 4x4 has different chassis and drivetrain also the old one ma from the 90s are totally different from every other fiat car! Look it up it’s a deadly and funny box of tin that can take you anywhere you want. They are for sale for 500€ or even less😂
Renegade and 500X (and Fiat 500L) are the next platform-size bigger. Panda is same platform as the actual 2 door 500 (or perhaps more correctly, the 2 door 500 is same platform as the Panda, because Panda came first)
The Panda is different to the 500. The old square boxes known as 4x4 used a drivetrain complete developed and manufactured by Steyr Puch. Austria. Quality.
wisenber we could have had diesel cars for years. The particulate filters are just another way to get money from hidden taxes on DEF fluid. Surely you haven’t hit your head hard enough to believe that the oil companies and our government don’t trade favors with our dollars.
@@GraysdadCal "we could have had diesel cars for years." We did up until a couple of years ago. Now all of the producers have left the diesel passenger car market. "Surely you haven’t hit your head hard enough to believe that the oil companies ..." My head is intact, thank you. Intact enough to realize that an oil company would be happy to sell diesel to someone getting 40mpg than see an EV drive off the lot. The sulfur and particulate regs have erased most of the benefits of diesel. In a few weeks it will get worse for diesel owners when the new sulfur rules hit international shipping driving container ships that currently burn fuel oil into the diesel market.
@@wisenber Exactly! Back in the day, Diesel was cheap and diesel Chevettes got 50 and 60 mpg. Regs ave driven the price through the roof and cancelled much of the diesel benefits. And electric cars aren't super-clean. They drive up the demand on the grind substantially increasing the need to rely on fossil fuels for power.
@@chriss1757 We haven't seen the full lifespan of EV's yet. Early indicators are that once they are out of warranty, the repair costs render them as scrap. Diesels aren't/weren't that way. Several hundred thousand miles is the norm for diesels.
Ozgrade3 Australia Except no, they aren’t. Not through their manufacturers anyway. They are imported by third party converters and sold as used vehicles. That’s not at all the same.
Ozgrade3 Australia It’s not semantics. You cannot walk into a Ford, Ram, Nissan, Chevrolet or Toyota dealer and buy one. That’s the point. You can buy one of those the same way I can buy a Holden Ute... through a third party conversion shop. They don’t even make them with the steering on the right side. Hell, you don’t even have Ram or Chevrolet dealerships to walk into. These companies don’t export these vehicles to Australia.
Not to make it Breaking Bad Thing, but I always loved the Corolla four-wheel drive with the extra low first gear. I've seen those still on the road. And I would have liked to have seen that specific car evolve into a more modern version of what it was. Cheap reliable all Road capability. Sure the RAV4 is arguably its spiritual successor. But I have an affinity for those quirky little wagons that just won't quit. Saw a guy wants that blew out the front differential. But he just put it in 4-wheel drive and it became a rear drive car after that. It was pretty funny watching a little wagon get the rear end out everywhere he went. He drove it like an animal and it just never died.
@@robertryan7204 - your knowledge is flawed then. Skoda is not a 'division' of anything, it's a separate brand that is subsidiary of VAG, not Volkswagen directly, same as Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley or Volkswagen itself. And it's the second most profitable VAG brand after Porsche.
French974 Australia is soon to introduce the F150 to the market but it won’t be a big seller as the oversized trucks are not really suitable for our urban landscape, and we also have a very healthy dual cab/chassis market
Additionally, the F-150 would not be great off-road as our trails are narrower, as they are made for mid-size trucks. We also have stricter license laws, so you wouldn't be able to use the full towing capacity if you only have a car license. Full size trucks only really make any sense for farmers here.
And get arrested the second you put your hands on it, if they even let it come off the transport. Not legal in the US unless it is 25 years old or older.
They forgot all the desirable little vans from JDM market like the Toyota Proace , Hiace , Previa Estima , Tarago , Granvia ,etc. We are stuck in North america with 3 poor unreliable offers : Nissan nv200 , Ram Promaster city & Ford transit connect . The Vw Caddy must be part of the same unreliable family as the last 3 .
"The French have a very different perspective on building a vehicle" Yes, they build half a vehicle, go on strike 5 times, then somewhat finish the rest and provide you with an unreliable piece of shit that no car mechanic dares to touch with a 10ft pole.
*in the US, because french brands didn't bother to actually teach mechanics how to work on their car, a receipe in failure, that, and the fact that spare parts were really sent "on demand"... In Europe french cars are fairly reliable, you just need to know how to work on them, because a lot of things on it are quite different than in german or american cars for example
@@XxJay71xX Lol, well I live in the Netherlands, and also there all car mechanics I know tell the same story about french cars, they are complete trash. A friend of mine had a clean 2014 Renault Megane with 80k km and no issues, he wanted to buy a Toyota, but the Toyota dealer said they didn't want to trade it in since they wouldn't be able to guarantee the quality to a potential buyer. They rather miss out on a sale than deal with a Renault... that has to say something about the brand. Not to mention the number of times my parents had to get their 2006 renault clio fixed for the stupidest issues.
@@MrSkyl1ne well, everybody can have a different experience, here every mechanics that I know have no problems with working on french cars, they sometime have their annoying quirks (like the Renault Modus, the car that you need to nearly unscrew the whole front of the car just to change a light bulb... urk...) Toyota don't do that just to Renault, they can be actually quite annoying with wich car they take "used", they do it with Fiat, Seat and Skoda too to name a few... Welp, as I said, everubody have a different experience, my parents got a 1998 Clio, still driving fine, nothing major ever happened to it. But I'll agree with something you said, 2006 is RIGHT in the middle of one of the worst generation of cars Renault has ever made, before and after, they're actualy pretty good.
So no Grand California either , on 2nd thought i do understand cause the Crafter is not available , wich i find difficult to understand seen the U.S. sales of the Competition Sprinter ... The grey truck climbing the hill at 4:39 was not a Unimog but a Zetros off-road truck. The Up Gti is not very fast as it is much heavier then the 1st Gen Golf/Rabbit . I don't understand why the Fiat TORO was not on your list though as it could be a RAMpage ?
You guys and Roman ofc are the only people who have a chance of coming close to touching the grand tour/ top gear gang. That is a huge compliment as I’m sure you can tell
WOW nice video ! I am french and really loved you talked about french cars. The pronunciation of Citroen by andré is the good way "citro-en". Plus I loved the black old DS because it has the number of my department on the licence plate "62" which is the "Pas de calais" in northern France. The C4 cactus has sort of semi-hydrolic suspensions that are very cushy. Citroen focuses on great comfort for their vehicles. Finally the true forbidden fruit is the Alpine A110 & A110S. And what do you think of Peugeot 5008 ? new 2020 208 & 508 ? Bonne journée les gars ! 👍👍👍
@@dapprman my english is not good enough to explain what is the suspension of the C4 cactus so I explained with "my own words". If you understand french : le C4 cactus a des suspensions avec butées hydrauliques. look at this : th-cam.com/video/B7iFVgiM6vw/w-d-xo.html
@@dapprman The second gen C5 was available with hydro suspension option except on the entry level. And the C5 2.7/3.0 V6 HDI was only available with hydro
It's because america has stupid rules and car manufacturers have to create a whole other model for us cars whereas every other country can use the same car. Here in the uk all we need is the right hand drive.
Couple of Observations: - Many of those cars are small and the general (stereotypical?) view outside the US is that Americans won't buy anything that hasn't got front and back being in different postcodes. Maybe some of the manufacturers shy away from trying to sell small cars in the US because of that. - Dacia is named after a Romanian reason, so it is pronounced "Dutch-ya" - Skoda is not a partner of VW, but actually owned by them. It's part of the Volkswagen Group, which includes Audi, VW, Seat, Lamborghini, Skoda and other brands.
The Australians modify Toyota Landcruisers etc instead of importing American trucks. Take a look at 4WD Action, it makes American off-roading look tame.
My buddy was a mechanic for a state agency. The last project he worked on was a circa 1988 MB Unimog. Said it was the most complicated piece of machinery he ever worked on. It had train wheels, a front end loader, air tanks, a crane, and assorted other goodies. Had, I believe 3 gear shifts too. Insane.
They got some Yorkshireman to do the adverts. We all know that Yorkshire types are as tight as Gnat's chuffs so they market the Dusters to us that are sick of the ever increasing amounts of bits on cars to go wrong. I've not had my second hand one for long but so far, so (very) good.
Hmm on my wish list: VW Amarok V6 TDI, Suzuki Jimny (i know already mentioned), Nissan Patrol (the old one not the new softy), VW Polo Cross, VW DOKA Quad Cab fold down bed (south african market), and pretty much every Škoda and Seat.
All the wagons we have instead of every kind of suv and a "real" VW Passat. That one you have... I can't understand why VW makes a different crippled model with same name to your market. And all the tech which isn't yet allowed in US. Full range in BMW laser lights, adaptive/matrix headlights etc... 🙄
The European Passat would be too expensive to compete with Camry and Accord. Buyers were not ready to pay the premium price so they introduced the cheaper US Passat.
Thank you so much for putting the Cactus at the top of your list. During a trip to Iceland a few years back those vehicles were everywhere as they were the default light rental vehicle for travelers due to their ruggedness, fuel consumption and handling. For those tourists who weren't travelling in campers, but hotel to hotel, these cars are perfectly suited to the roads of Iceland, which features long stretches of gravel highways. The cactus would be perfect on the windy roads and forest service roads of the West coast in Canada.
L200! I still have a Mighty Max but I hated when they stopped importing them. So many options, L200 and Challenger are like Japanese Land Rovers. Mitsubishi's history with Jeep production gave them a huge boost in 4wd capability, which has sadly disappeared in the US.
i agree about the Jimni!!!!!! You forgot to mention the Ford Everest (basically a rwd explorer) Toyota corolla wagon Short Wheelbase Land Cruiser The AWD turbo Toyota CHR
there's no region in Romania called Dacia. Dacia is the old name of the territory occupied by thracians before the Roman Empire occupied it. the name "Romania" developed much later.
Agreed! Also the reversed emphasis given to the first and second syllables in Peugeot! Rather like the American pronunciation of perfume Citroën = sit-rown (the ë is not pronounced ee ) it’s like trying to say all of the letter sounds in caution when ‘cau’ is pronounced ‘caw’ and ‘tion’ is pronounced ‘shun’
The term partnership you guys constantly use is unfortunately wrong. ;) VW and Renault dont have a partnership with Skoda and Dacia they outright own them. Both VW and Renault using the eastern european companies to cover the market segment of "cheap" cars in Europe without diluting the reputation of their mid and upper brands. After the end of the cold war and the big downfall of eastern europe industries and products these companies where more or less non-existing, especially Dacia. VW was the first company to revive one of the companies, Skoda, to use it as the mentioned low cost brand. All Skodas of today are build on the same plattform as the VW cars and the differences to VW cars are very small to be honest. I think the reason why both branches, Skoda and Dacia, are not available in the US is because of market circumstances. VW has always struggled with the US market and has put lot of efforts into settling VW in the US. Renault not even has a single foot in the door. So VW would have to place a very unknown product competing against its own brand. Renault would rely on Nissan, a real partnership, facing the same problems as VW with Skoda competing with Nissans low cost and mid cars. Additionally as I remember, the auto market in the US is already very saturated, especially in the asian dominated low cost and middle class cars market. There are more reasons like differences in price structure in the EU and US etc. but I think I wrote enough and could clarify the situation a bit. XD
What's the deal in USA, why the car's need to be be so bloody big, especially truck's. Don't want to insult but is it something to do with compensation something?
Bigger roads ya goof. Texas alone is almost size of EU. Why drive peanut car when you got landing strip sized roads plus fuel is way cheaper since we don't pay near the taxes you goofs do
@@jamesavery6671 still won't make sense, it's just stupid. And quality is 200 years behind. Still thinking it's something to do with self esteem and dick size
I was scrolling down the comments to find this comment. Glad somebody mentioned it! I woulda bought one in bright green (as Chevy El Camino SS!) Complete shame they didn't build them for here! Woulda liked to have a Chevy SS, but I didn't like that you had to get it fully equipped with every fru-fru option so they could inflate price like a baloon. Woulda been a fantastic $32k car, but no- try 45k! Which is why they didn't sell... And no Ute/El camino. A hotrod LS powered car-based pickup that could boogie and handle handsomely was apparently too good for fat Crossover-luving American women who's husbands are making the exhorbitant payments!
Guys, Skoda as a companyname is around since 1859, and the car company was founded 1895 as "Laurint & Klement" (to build bycicles and made their first car in 1905). So before the country it is in was named Czechoslowakia.
The one that makes no sense to me is the VW Caddy & Caddy Maxi. Available in Mexico, and much better than the similar Ford Transit Connect, Ram ProMaster City, or the Nissan NV200, it's not available in the US. Why??? In fact, why are none of VWs "commercial" vehicles sold in the US?
@@edipires15, the chicken tax does not apply to passenger vehicles, which is how Ford imports the Transit Connect. Also, it doesn't apply to vehicles built outside of Germany. The Caddy is built in Spain.
Wiegand Moulding the chicken tax applies to all commercial vehicles built in Europe not just Germany (Europe is a single market). VW Caddy is a commercial vehicle
Great video, guys! The first Unimog was launched in 1945 and wasn't from Mercedes, they bought the production in 1950. The truck we see at 6:08 is not a Unimog but a Mecedes Zetros.
I live in Mexico and it is great to see that of all these cars/SUVs, some of them are available right here right now, for instance, the VW Transporter, the VW Up!, the Duster (under the Renault brand) and possibly the Suzuki SUV (this I am not sure) but we do have the Suzuki brand here, as well as other brands difficult to see in the USA. Probably we have al the Japanese car companies as well as the major Korean car companies (KIA is being built right here in my hometown). There are also some Chinese car and truck companies operating here too. You are welcomed to come any time you want to review any of them locally.
@@afcgeo882 Ya but when I looked the ss used is more expensive than a used camaro ss of the same year. I wanted one too and thought they'd have good deals on them since they are not well known
James Avery Sure. Both, the Chevy SS and Pontiac G8 are more expensive than a Camaro. They’re more expensive new, rare, and much more useful, since they fit 5 comfortably and have huge trunks. Their Achilles heel is that their parts are very hard to find. They have nothing in common with N.A. cars. Also, the Chevy were only sold to government fleets, mostly for police use, so their interiors are basic and though they have low miles, they have high idle hours.
It's so tuner friendly that with minimal mods it will become a beast off roader, with it's short wheel base it can also go nearly anywhere. I don't understand why they don't bring it in US, 2019 version would sell very well.
Hi-Lux is the same size as the Tacoma. Just more "work truck" focused. And the Jimney seems like the successor to the old Samurai, which I would kill to have brought back.
@DroidTech hilux has boxed frame from front to rear, tacoma front is boxed frame chassis, but mid to rear is C canal frame that weaker but more flex so help wheel articulation. tacoma is superior in offroading with lighter loads of goods, but when it came to overlanding, hilux is more superior because payload is higher.
I loved my Renault Espace III when we lived in Norway. It had tons of storage. Cubby holes and places to keep things . The ability to configure the seats in so many different ways. Made it to the utility vehicle. A single seat Transporter whatever we wanted. It was wonderful. If the the 2020 Has any of the same features, with the impressive new styling I would love to have one of those.
Got an UP and it is great! Was going to buy a Dacia and it felt so cheap, the door handles felt like the plastic forks you get in fast food restaurants and the doors felt so hollow.
@@colinkrefting9501 nothing wrong... just know a litle more about french crappy cars... unless it's a bugatti (actually engineered in germany) they're all crap.
@Godless Toyota - Two main reasons, the cars we want either A: Don't pass minimum EPA standards, and/or B: Don't pass NTHSA Saftey requirements. I am sure the companies would like to sell them here if they could.
@@Coopsoldman Never buy a new one, let the mines and corporations. Get the used ones for 1/2 the price. Also reason they're good and worth it is lack of junk and old designs.
I remember seeing a lot of old Daihatsu Hijets while I was attending college in the 1990s and early 2000s! They were interesting vans to say the least!
Is the Renault Capture available in the US? As far as I know there are many more Unimogs sold to municipalities, agriculture and forestry then to the military.
I almost didn't watch this video, but I am so glad I did. Not for the cars but for the silliness. Made my day.
What do you mean with “ Skoda has somewhat of a partnership with VW?” Skoda is a 100% subsidiary of VW. It’s essentially nothing but a brand now - like Seat, Bugatti, Bentley, Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, Ducati, MAN (well, 95% there), and Scania.
Absolutely, If Skoda & Seat were allowed in to America the sales of lower spec VW & Audi would flop lower than whale shite.
@@russcattell955i I get your point. However, technically speaking, whale excrement tends to float.
Skoda are very reliable vehicles. Even Skoda is own by VW but they have their own R&D and even university for their engineers. I own a Skoda and I know.
I think all British car manufacturers are now owned by foreign companies, Great Britain is actually shite
@@DarthDainese69 Morgan is British brand. It is not owned by foreigners.
How to kill a car company
1. Let GM buy it
2. See #1
Taelor Watson Australia boss just quit!
Exactly. Saab was the most honest car maker EVER. Note, was.
Yep. Holden in Australia is pretty much gone.The name still exists but they aren't making cars in Australia any more and taking a bath sales-wise. Chevrolet in South Africa is closed. Vauxhall (UK) and Opel (Europe) have been sold to PSA
@@Adrian_Nel
My 1st Saab in 1991 was an '87 9000 turbo 5-spd that was awesome! Then in 2010 for vindication for STUPIDLY selling my 9000, I bought a '99 9-5 SE that was nice, luxurious, had nice touches, and rode supremely like a Buick Park Avenue or better, like a Cadillac as it was soft for a sports sedan but that six cylinder engine was probably GM designed and built and thus crap as I put TWO engines in it. In 2017 I bought a '99 900SE that's been wonderful. I'm STILL pissed at GM for screwing Saab over....
@@jacobmoses3712 the incredibly shrinking General Motors
Between the 'Golf' and the 'Up', there is the 'Polo Gti', with the 2L turbo-engine, also not in the US
J.R. Arnolli There’s a 2.0T Polo? I was thinking the 1.4T would be great.
The golf gti here is enough
Georgi Georgiev You’re probably right.
The Polo GTI sucks often from blasted bell housings. Their walls are to thin.
No good option to buy, better the TDi.
George L Polo R has 2.0 turbo, quite enough for Polo.
6:08 this isnt a Unimog, its a Mercedes Zetros. Its a complety different truck, its also available as a 6x6 version.
And with the Dacia Duster you dont miss anything, its complety waste.
Torque FX Agree with Zetros, disagree with Duster. Dacia is not refined, but really surprising off-road and very affordable. If you want low cost 4x4 there is nothing better. Well Suzuki is better bot neither cheaper nor more refined.
I hate SUVs with a burning passion, but the Duster is certainly not the worst offender. _For its price_, it's surprisingly good, with off-road capacities similar to "pro" 4x4 costing several times more thanks to its nicely engineered traction system and its contained weight.
It's obviously not nice to drive and the first gen interior was a bit depressing, but it's very reliable and quite effective, especially on snowy roads. I'd love to see a Logan estate with the same drivetrain.
@A real bisexual petrol-head I do, but I get some people need that kind of ground clearance and all terrain abilities, depending on where they live and/or their activities.
I wouldn't mind them if they covered less than 5% of the market, but when in a lot if markets like France or Switzerland, these overbloated, inefficient, limited utility vehicles threaten to overcome the market, when station wagons, minivans, sedans and coupés are agonizing, I think it's sad.
In that context, I don't think the Duster is the worst offender...
Dacia Duster is fabulous for 11k new with taxes, reliable also.
The Duster is a beast off road in it's segment. And with a bit of modifications it becomes the fearsome mudster. www.mudster.ro/en/
A like for all the Europeans laughing in American :D
"Laughs in European"
I really miss the Touareg, but I wouldn’t want to own one out of warranty.
Still more reliable than a used Range Rover, though.
..... until us in Britain fill up with gas.
The Alpine A110 and 110S as well
You forgot to mention the Vw Amarok (vw pickup diesel)
Unfortunately you won´t get any european trucks due to the chicken tax.
The current gen US Ranger is an old truck that was mildly modified for the American market, there is a new one in the works.
@tech 52 they're body on frame not unibody. I owned one which is different from seeing one in California
@@juancargts I think he's talking about the original VW Rabbit pickup
Amaroks are expensive. They can get as expensive as F-150 on a high trim. And it's not even a full-size truck. They don't sell well to be honest, they've had safety problems (second row).
70 series Land Cruiser didn’t make the list?!!! Cmon, that’s the ultimate forbidden fruit.
Seriously weird, who cares about some crappy skoda? :D
They never sold them in the UK either but I have one of the few Japanese Imports. Truly the Ultimate forbidden fruit.
I love the Land Cruiser Pick Ups. I have driven them in Africa. They are unstoppable!
Wow, an actual real list, not bs exotics . Good job
I didn't know that Andre didn't speak English when he started working for TFL. It's amazing how good his English is now! Just Amazing!!!
One of my favourites that never made it to the US is the recently discontinued Audi S1 Quattro:
Smaller than a Golf, only available as a stickshift, AWD and ~240 horsepower.
What about the Volkswagen Sirocco!
@@johnnymichael1804 Unreliable.
@@LuisGonzalez-sb9lx Its basically a Golf, so no.
The S1 have 300hp as street legal version, the factory group B cars have 600+hp
The longer series model have 200 and as tuned Treser model 240hp.
Here this are collector cars and even new where very expensive. You can go and
look for an Audi 80 (B2) quattro - also rare - or a 200 turbo quattro (C3 model).
th-cam.com/video/vIVPSSRb4nQ/w-d-xo.html
Jesper Holm Jakobsen what does it make you think a Golf is reliable? lol 🤠 The last reliable Golf was the Mk5
The VW camper should be No.1.
VW has had the worst range choices in the past few years and thy certainly dropped the ball about not bringing another van to the USA. I checked the used prices for the Eurovan and they are rather expensive on high mileage vehicles.
Its simply their way of punishing the US market over dieselgate
They call California but dont sell in Usa. Wtf?? Like call Paris but dont sell in France.
I have a 2002 Eurovan T4 since new and is a daily driver. This is my first van ever and I love it. I dream of a new VW van the proportions are perfect, from the seating position which is as high as a normal full size pick up to the function of carrying people and lots of stuff!!!
@@carlstoutamire9525 the t4 was one of the best transporter in the whole series. the price of the used models were at a high level i bet for a decade.
Veterans. Veterans learned to love the Hilux.
The Hilux small block diesels (and the Mighty Mouse Mitsu L200!) gained more cult following here after we used them for on-post Non-Tactical Vehicles, and learned what we were missing out on. It wasn't just Top Gear plugging it. I dragged dead up-armored M1114's across Joint Base Balad with them. That's insane for a tiny truck. It always worked. It was fun to drive.
Many of us have been chomping at the bit to get our hands on The Indestructible Truck back home ever since, especially if you're in the Cult of Taco
13:39 Skoda has a partnership with VW...? I thought Skoda is owned by VW...
Yes, VW has had 100% ownership since 2000.
I'm kind-of surprised not to see the new Focus and Fiesta STs on the list. Granted, we technically still get the old Fiesta ST and the Focus ST hasn't been gone too long but the new versions of both are SOOOOO much nicer than the ones they replaced. It's a damn shame that we aren't getting them. Two more forbidden fruit that I wish we had are the Mazda 2 and Mazda 6 wagon.
New focus st is ugly just like base focus... So... Not a big deal :)
Skoda is a VW Company just like the other Eleven brand.
Seat!!!
Porsche owns most of it, so technically it should be called "the Porsche group" not VW group...
@@AmrothPalantir Porsche tried to buy most of it. Failed, got into financial trouble and VW bought Porsche.
@@riddlerandsa8161 Porsche didn't get the outright ownership, but Porsche-Piëch family via their Porsche Holdings company is by a large margin the largest shareholder of VW Group at 38%. VW and Porsche obviously always been closely married with Ferdinand Porsche being the main guy behind original Beetle.
tissot233 Right but i think you mean Ferdinand Piëch, the Piëch Family is Part of the Porsche Clan.
Toyota Land Cruiser 70 (including 79) Series
Also the Land Cruiser Prado.
Canada can get it as an "Industrial Equipment" option.
@@estlerd The Lexus GX is basically a prado
@@harrisonsiegel9536 yes the lexus gx is the prado brother but without the diesel engine
Just for your information: The Name of the little Daihatsu is a mix of closed and open. -> copen!
And the Yeti from Skoda is no longer built.The new model is called Karoq.
Greetings from Germany 🙂
The new Suzuki Jimney is sold out world wide till the end of 2021!
In Australia there biggest market there is already a 18 months waiting list!
The demand and sale of the new Jimney exceeds the highest expectations.
And yes the unimog an incredible piece of machinery.
I drive as a volunteer a1994 6x6 model reengined to a Euro 6 diesel engine.
Every wintertime at night i and other collegeas clear roads and put salt on to the roads.
We also assist the police and fire departments to pull cars and big rig trucks back onto the road.
They run on average 2 months a year 24/7 non stop. They are worked hard and just keep on running in the hardest conditions.
First Jimney had big problems with rust and 1.6 diesel engines
@@cowboyfromnorway1441 The LJ, SJ and Samurai yep they were a true miracle of rust and corrosion. You can find them mostly in ironore form. The Jimney is way better in rustproving.
The Jimny had the very bad suicidle Renault 1.4 DDiS Turbo Diesel.
They liked to blow them self up in turbo runaways, fueled by their own engine oil!
Often people think the Jimny had the prehistoric 1.6 GM Iveco dieselengine.
The 1.3/ 16V petrol is almost bulletproof.
how the 4th generation is only time wil tell
Škoda Yeti was discontinued in 2017, now they have Kodiaq and Karoq
Ya that was one cool car
And Kamiq
daseteam Kamiq isn’t 4x4
Skoda did put the Kamiq in the market as the intended follow up for the Yeti, but it's more a crossover between their Octavia wagon and Karoq SUV, which I consider the true follow up for the Yeti, altough the Karoq sits in a slightly higher price bracket.
I'd like to see Škoda do a new Yeti as a kind of bigger Jimny / smaller Defender but it seems that they now play it very safe with their designs. I find the Karoq and Kamiq to be bland and boring.
17:32 Lisbon, Portugal. The "Ponte 25 de Abril" bridge, which has been built by the same company that built the San Francisco's Golden Gate.
I’m an American living in Europe... this means I get to own a 7-seat 175hp VW Sharan. Love this car!
Space of a minivan and drives like a waggon
That should be the 2.8 with four-wheel drive. Cool thing.
Correction, Skoda does not have a partnership with Volkswagen, Volkswagen owns Skoda the same way it owns Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Ducati, Bentley, MAN, SEAT, Scania just to mention a few.
I'm glad you mentioned Skoda. Growing up in England in the 80's and 90's, we had Skoda's. They were the first car I got into rally racing with! So much fun! It's sad that they aren't available over here.
The Skoda Yeti is no longer made and has been replaced with something totally forgettable.
No. The Karoq is a real good car. It has many improvements above the Yeti which are based on the experiences with the Skopd Superb and the Skoda Kodiaq. Just the looks isn't so unique as the Yeti, the Karog is a small SUV. But guess which country is responsible for this SUV hype around the world? Which one is it, hmm?
@@RetroAndMore89 The Karoq might be a good vehicle, but it will be totally forgotten. The Yeti will be remembered, because it is small, yet practical and unique. And I'm not really sure which country you're referring to, as I'd say it is the US or China?
@@lucassg3535 If you have read my answer, I already said that the Yeti is more unique. But the class is more a MPV, like the Skoda Roomster, Citroen Berlingo, Opel Meriva, VW Touran or the BMW 2 Active Tourer. It's a car category which isn't used too much used anymore since SUV's are available in any sizes. We have a first generation Citroen Berlingo (with facelift), and it's really a great car. The SUV boom is of course from the USA, starting with real off-road-capable cars from Jeep and so on, until luxury was more important than off-road-capabilities.
@@RetroAndMore89 I respectfully disagree. The Yeti is not an MPV. It has bigger wheels, higher ground clearance and sort-of offroad capability, which none of the cars you mentioned have. And the point of my comment was that the Karoq will be forgotten very quickly. It looks like any other compact SUV - Karoq, Ateca, Tucson, ASX, Qashqai - they're all pretty much equal in design (and boredom, frankly) - whereas the Yeti was, indeed, unique.
The American car industry can't have the Americans getting use to owning something that works.
Wow Andre, that English has picked up ten fold, keep it up dude👍
When did he not know English? Hasn't he been in the US for ages?
@@rkan2 Have you even watched the video?
@@Fucklesticks he's been in the US for a long time and went to school in Colorado. He was joking in the flashback clip by not speaking English.
6:08 that's not a Unimog, but a MB Zetros
Ford F series is available in Australia, It's just that the Hi-Lux is more reliable.
The fiat PANDA 4x4!! Both the old ones and the new ones they are like mountain goats in Italy!
Isn't that basically what the Jeep Renegade is? A Fiat with a bunch of Jeep Badges? Although I think it was the 500X and not the Panda. Either way, just buy a Renegade and you get a re-badged Fiat.
Weary Man yup that is correct but the panda 4x4 has different chassis and drivetrain also the old one ma from the 90s are totally different from every other fiat car! Look it up it’s a deadly and funny box of tin that can take you anywhere you want. They are for sale for 500€ or even less😂
Renegade and 500X (and Fiat 500L) are the next platform-size bigger. Panda is same platform as the actual 2 door 500 (or perhaps more correctly, the 2 door 500 is same platform as the Panda, because Panda came first)
The Panda is different to the 500. The old square boxes known as 4x4 used
a drivetrain complete developed and manufactured by Steyr Puch. Austria.
Quality.
@@junkman6456 - you know perfectly well that we talk about a different Panda here
Our oil industry is not interested in diesels using 40% less fuel.
I enjoy TFL, very much.
@GraysdadCal Don't blame the oil companies. Blame the EPA. The new particulate regs have all but killed new passenger diesels in the US.
wisenber we could have had diesel cars for years. The particulate filters are just another way to get money from hidden taxes on DEF fluid. Surely you haven’t hit your head hard enough to believe that the oil companies and our government don’t trade favors with our dollars.
@@GraysdadCal "we could have had diesel cars for years."
We did up until a couple of years ago. Now all of the producers have left the diesel passenger car market.
"Surely you haven’t hit your head hard enough to believe that the oil companies ..."
My head is intact, thank you. Intact enough to realize that an oil company would be happy to sell diesel to someone getting 40mpg than see an EV drive off the lot.
The sulfur and particulate regs have erased most of the benefits of diesel.
In a few weeks it will get worse for diesel owners when the new sulfur rules hit international shipping driving container ships that currently burn fuel oil into the diesel market.
@@wisenber Exactly! Back in the day, Diesel was cheap and diesel Chevettes got 50 and 60 mpg. Regs ave driven the price through the roof and cancelled much of the diesel benefits. And electric cars aren't super-clean. They drive up the demand on the grind substantially increasing the need to rely on fossil fuels for power.
@@chriss1757 We haven't seen the full lifespan of EV's yet. Early indicators are that once they are out of warranty, the repair costs render them as scrap. Diesels aren't/weren't that way. Several hundred thousand miles is the norm for diesels.
Andrey I used to enjoy your Russian moments, you guys should do more skits like that. 🇷🇺
Konstantin Malyugin I thought I was the only one who’s been watching for that long
You keep calling the "VW Golf GTI" "VW GTI"
In germany "GTI" is just the factory tuned Variant of every VW car
We just got our Citroen Cactus - it's such a fantastic car! I absolutely adore it.
All the full sized trucks Ford F series, RAM, Silverado, Titan, Tundra are available in Australia.
Ozgrade3 Australia Except no, they aren’t. Not through their manufacturers anyway. They are imported by third party converters and sold as used vehicles. That’s not at all the same.
@@afcgeo882 That's purely semantics. I can walk into a dealer in Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne today and buy a RAM, Silverado or F truck.
Ozgrade3 Australia It’s not semantics. You cannot walk into a Ford, Ram, Nissan, Chevrolet or Toyota dealer and buy one. That’s the point. You can buy one of those the same way I can buy a Holden Ute... through a third party conversion shop. They don’t even make them with the steering on the right side. Hell, you don’t even have Ram or Chevrolet dealerships to walk into. These companies don’t export these vehicles to Australia.
www.ramtrucks.com.au/
www.hsv.com.au/see/silverado/
I just wish we got more wagons, I really wouldn't mind having Corolla wagon hybrid as a daily driver or the 2020 Forte5
At least Audi is gonna give a damn and finally give us the Avant in 2020
Not to make it Breaking Bad Thing, but I always loved the Corolla four-wheel drive with the extra low first gear. I've seen those still on the road. And I would have liked to have seen that specific car evolve into a more modern version of what it was. Cheap reliable all Road capability. Sure the RAV4 is arguably its spiritual successor. But I have an affinity for those quirky little wagons that just won't quit. Saw a guy wants that blew out the front differential. But he just put it in 4-wheel drive and it became a rear drive car after that. It was pretty funny watching a little wagon get the rear end out everywhere he went. He drove it like an animal and it just never died.
VW owns Skoda outright.
That is correct they're one of the divisions of VW
Robert Ryan nope, division of VAG as also VW is.
@@Karjis i know Skoda is a division of VW
@@robertryan7204 - your knowledge is flawed then. Skoda is not a 'division' of anything, it's a separate brand that is subsidiary of VAG, not Volkswagen directly, same as Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley or Volkswagen itself. And it's the second most profitable VAG brand after Porsche.
Skoda is as VW as are Audi
12:17 Not understood. As I am not fluent in english, may someone explain me why Australia does not get F150?
French974 Australia is soon to introduce the F150 to the market but it won’t be a big seller as the oversized trucks are not really suitable for our urban landscape, and we also have a very healthy dual cab/chassis market
Additionally, the F-150 would not be great off-road as our trails are narrower, as they are made for mid-size trucks. We also have stricter license laws, so you wouldn't be able to use the full towing capacity if you only have a car license. Full size trucks only really make any sense for farmers here.
These are great vehicles and they look far more appealing than things for sale here in the USA.
Had the Jimny been available, I'd have bought one.
Me too. I loved the Daihatsu Rocky when it was on sale in the USA.
Me too, that would be my 'first' choice, I love simple, small, and rugged!
carfromjapan.com/cheap-used-suzuki-jimny-for-sale
They just didn't make them when they needed to. It could've competed with jeep, but they wanted to sell subcomp cars.
And get arrested the second you put your hands on it, if they even let it come off the transport. Not legal in the US unless it is 25 years old or older.
you're missing out on the vans segment from japan like the vellfire/alphard
They forgot all the desirable little vans from JDM market like the Toyota Proace , Hiace , Previa Estima , Tarago , Granvia ,etc. We are stuck in North america with 3 poor unreliable offers : Nissan nv200 , Ram Promaster city & Ford transit connect . The Vw Caddy must be part of the same unreliable family as the last 3 .
martin martin The new Hiace isn’t that unique.
@@afcgeo882 I know ''it's a box on wheels '' ... but now with a nose instead of the flat nose previous gen .
@@martinmartin5904 no the VW Caddy is pretty reliable but it is unfortunate you do not get the Japanese in Korean vans
The bell fire and Alphard are gussied up Sienna's.
"The French have a very different perspective on building a vehicle"
Yes, they build half a vehicle, go on strike 5 times, then somewhat finish the rest and provide you with an unreliable piece of shit that no car mechanic dares to touch with a 10ft pole.
*in the US, because french brands didn't bother to actually teach mechanics how to work on their car, a receipe in failure, that, and the fact that spare parts were really sent "on demand"... In Europe french cars are fairly reliable, you just need to know how to work on them, because a lot of things on it are quite different than in german or american cars for example
@@XxJay71xX Lol, well I live in the Netherlands, and also there all car mechanics I know tell the same story about french cars, they are complete trash. A friend of mine had a clean 2014 Renault Megane with 80k km and no issues, he wanted to buy a Toyota, but the Toyota dealer said they didn't want to trade it in since they wouldn't be able to guarantee the quality to a potential buyer. They rather miss out on a sale than deal with a Renault... that has to say something about the brand. Not to mention the number of times my parents had to get their 2006 renault clio fixed for the stupidest issues.
@@MrSkyl1ne well, everybody can have a different experience, here every mechanics that I know have no problems with working on french cars, they sometime have their annoying quirks (like the Renault Modus, the car that you need to nearly unscrew the whole front of the car just to change a light bulb... urk...) Toyota don't do that just to Renault, they can be actually quite annoying with wich car they take "used", they do it with Fiat, Seat and Skoda too to name a few... Welp, as I said, everubody have a different experience, my parents got a 1998 Clio, still driving fine, nothing major ever happened to it. But I'll agree with something you said, 2006 is RIGHT in the middle of one of the worst generation of cars Renault has ever made, before and after, they're actualy pretty good.
@@MrSkyl1ne well said, that's the sad truth.
@@XxJay71xX Why they do that to Skodas? Skodas are the most reliable cars I know.
So no Grand California either , on 2nd thought i do understand cause the Crafter is not available , wich i find difficult to understand seen the U.S. sales of the Competition Sprinter ... The grey truck climbing the hill at 4:39 was not a Unimog but a Zetros off-road truck. The Up Gti is not very fast as it is much heavier then the 1st Gen Golf/Rabbit . I don't understand why the Fiat TORO was not on your list though as it could be a RAMpage ?
You guys and Roman ofc are the only people who have a chance of coming close to touching the grand tour/ top gear gang. That is a huge compliment as I’m sure you can tell
WOW nice video ! I am french and really loved you talked about french cars. The pronunciation of Citroen by andré is the good way "citro-en". Plus I loved the black old DS because it has the number of my department on the licence plate "62" which is the "Pas de calais" in northern France. The C4 cactus has sort of semi-hydrolic suspensions that are very cushy. Citroen focuses on great comfort for their vehicles. Finally the true forbidden fruit is the Alpine A110 & A110S. And what do you think of Peugeot 5008 ? new 2020 208 & 508 ? Bonne journée les gars ! 👍👍👍
C4 doesn't have semi-hydro suspension - last Citroen with hydro of any sort was the C6. Even the second gen C5 only had shocks and springs.
@@dapprman my english is not good enough to explain what is the suspension of the C4 cactus so I explained with "my own words". If you understand french : le C4 cactus a des suspensions avec butées hydrauliques. look at this : th-cam.com/video/B7iFVgiM6vw/w-d-xo.html
@@dapprman The second gen C5 was available with hydro suspension option except on the entry level.
And the C5 2.7/3.0 V6 HDI was only available with hydro
Peugeot 508
Volkswagen Sirocco
As long as it is an SW
The Citroen DS was one of the greatest cars ever made .
No
@@DerKaktusAvant RUBBISH Compare it with American cars of its era.
Km firstly I am not American and secondly american cars are utter shit ds are on the same level
I want the Renault 16 back!
@@DerKaktusAvant You are entitled to be wrong .
It's because america has stupid rules and car manufacturers have to create a whole other model for us cars whereas every other country can use the same car. Here in the uk all we need is the right hand drive.
Couple of Observations:
- Many of those cars are small and the general (stereotypical?) view outside the US is that Americans won't buy anything that hasn't got front and back being in different postcodes. Maybe some of the manufacturers shy away from trying to sell small cars in the US because of that.
- Dacia is named after a Romanian reason, so it is pronounced "Dutch-ya"
- Skoda is not a partner of VW, but actually owned by them. It's part of the Volkswagen Group, which includes Audi, VW, Seat, Lamborghini, Skoda and other brands.
The Australians modify Toyota Landcruisers etc instead of importing American trucks. Take a look at 4WD Action, it makes American off-roading look tame.
Very much agree anyway Australian companies are very much involved in the overlanding movement in the US
Was kind of hoping to see the 70's Series Land Cruiser on this list.
Vw bus/camper and Suzuki jimmy I definitely want those.
My buddy was a mechanic for a state agency. The last project he worked on was a circa 1988 MB Unimog. Said it was the most complicated piece of machinery he ever worked on. It had train wheels, a front end loader, air tanks, a crane, and assorted other goodies. Had, I believe 3 gear shifts too. Insane.
And Dacia is pronounced ‘Dachia’ - just sayin’ .... greetings from a Brit in Romania (where the Duster is made) 👍🏻🇷🇴🇬🇧
Adventure and Gaming In Germany we speak it 'Datschia' I worked at Renault/Dacia for 3 Years.
Duster always sounded like a vacuum cleaner for me... the DirtDevil Duster
They got some Yorkshireman to do the adverts. We all know that Yorkshire types are as tight as Gnat's chuffs so they market the Dusters to us that are sick of the ever increasing amounts of bits on cars to go wrong. I've not had my second hand one for long but so far, so (very) good.
Dusters are very popular here in México, but they are sold as Renault as well as the Logan, Kwid, Sandero and Kangoo
Something I'm really interested in is your story André.
I have the best combination in my garage.
Skoda Yeti TDI and Amarok V6 TDi 👌
. . . . you guys are missing out !!
Andre learned English quickly.
It's amazing what full immersion will do! :)
I love these forbidden cars videos
Hmm on my wish list: VW Amarok V6 TDI, Suzuki Jimny (i know already mentioned), Nissan Patrol (the old one not the new softy), VW Polo Cross, VW DOKA Quad Cab fold down bed (south african market), and pretty much every Škoda and Seat.
Touareg III. 4 litre TDI V8. 415hp. 660 lb ft.
All the wagons we have instead of every kind of suv and a "real" VW Passat. That one you have... I can't understand why VW makes a different crippled model with same name to your market.
And all the tech which isn't yet allowed in US. Full range in BMW laser lights, adaptive/matrix headlights etc... 🙄
The European Passat would be too expensive to compete with Camry and Accord. Buyers were not ready to pay the premium price so they introduced the cheaper US Passat.
Guys don’t forget to mention the Toyota LC Prado!
It is the 4 Runner’s analog but it is more cool for me!
Thank you so much for putting the Cactus at the top of your list. During a trip to Iceland a few years back those vehicles were everywhere as they were the default light rental vehicle for travelers due to their ruggedness, fuel consumption and handling. For those tourists who weren't travelling in campers, but hotel to hotel, these cars are perfectly suited to the roads of Iceland, which features long stretches of gravel highways. The cactus would be perfect on the windy roads and forest service roads of the West coast in Canada.
There's a reason why many of these don't come to US. 1. Many are junk and won't sell. 2. EPA compliance issues 3. NHTSA safety issues.
I’d love to see the Mitsubishi L200 or the Montero Sport!!! Or the Toyota Fortuner or Volkswagen Amarok.
Id love to see the Amarok or Hilux
Chicken tax kills those better not bring up the concept of tariffs
We have the Mitsubishi L200 Animal model
L200!
I still have a Mighty Max but I hated when they stopped importing them. So many options, L200 and Challenger are like Japanese Land Rovers. Mitsubishi's history with Jeep production gave them a huge boost in 4wd capability, which has sadly disappeared in the US.
i agree about the Jimni!!!!!!
You forgot to mention the
Ford Everest (basically a rwd explorer)
Toyota corolla wagon
Short Wheelbase Land Cruiser
The AWD turbo Toyota CHR
The Everest in Australia is a Ranger based 4x4 and 2x4 ladder chassis off roader. Diesel only.
Marcel 101 And it's still awesome, and I could've sworn they offered it in eco-boost motor as a option ... but yes i love the everest
Dacia Pronounced Datch-ee-ah, after the region in Romania. You pronounced Škoda correctly though! 👍👍👍 I'll let the Citroën pronunciation slide.
there's no region in Romania called Dacia. Dacia is the old name of the territory occupied by thracians before the Roman Empire occupied it. the name "Romania" developed much later.
@@bombardier6033 Regardless, the initial point still stands.
Agreed! Also the reversed emphasis given to the first and second syllables in Peugeot! Rather like the American pronunciation of perfume
Citroën = sit-rown (the ë is not pronounced ee ) it’s like trying to say all of the letter sounds in caution when ‘cau’ is pronounced ‘caw’ and ‘tion’ is pronounced ‘shun’
{Dacha}! Why is there H in the end" AHHHH? forvo.com/search/dacia/ro/
@@funkyfender1 Why do you pronounce French brands in English? forvo.com/word/citro%C3%ABn/#fr
The term partnership you guys constantly use is unfortunately wrong. ;)
VW and Renault dont have a partnership with Skoda and Dacia they outright own them.
Both VW and Renault using the eastern european companies to cover the market segment of "cheap" cars in Europe without diluting the reputation of their mid and upper brands.
After the end of the cold war and the big downfall of eastern europe industries and products these companies where more or less non-existing, especially Dacia.
VW was the first company to revive one of the companies, Skoda, to use it as the mentioned low cost brand. All Skodas of today are build on the same plattform as the VW cars and the differences to VW cars are very small to be honest.
I think the reason why both branches, Skoda and Dacia, are not available in the US is because of market circumstances. VW has always struggled with the US market and has put lot of efforts into settling VW in the US. Renault not even has a single foot in the door. So VW would have to place a very unknown product competing against its own brand. Renault would rely on Nissan, a real partnership, facing the same problems as VW with Skoda competing with Nissans low cost and mid cars.
Additionally as I remember, the auto market in the US is already very saturated, especially in the asian dominated low cost and middle class cars market.
There are more reasons like differences in price structure in the EU and US etc. but I think I wrote enough and could clarify the situation a bit. XD
Maybe you mean travesty, not “fallacy”?
What's the deal in USA, why the car's need to be be so bloody big, especially truck's. Don't want to insult but is it something to do with compensation something?
It's all about the nanny state safety regulations. The diesels are impossible to pass smog regulations unless they are trucks.
Bigger roads ya goof. Texas alone is almost size of EU. Why drive peanut car when you got landing strip sized roads plus fuel is way cheaper since we don't pay near the taxes you goofs do
@@jamesavery6671 still won't make sense, it's just stupid. And quality is 200 years behind. Still thinking it's something to do with self esteem and dick size
I'm from us and don't get it either, I mean we have world-renouned metropolises
I'd buy a Polo if they sold them in US or any other supermini, although the Ford fiesta in Us is rubbish
The Holden Ute was also a cool vehicle that America should've had.
They were planning in the mid 2000’s and scrapped it when the financial crisis hit. Oh what could have been...
I was scrolling down the comments to find this comment. Glad somebody mentioned it! I woulda bought one in bright green (as Chevy El Camino SS!) Complete shame they didn't build them for here! Woulda liked to have a Chevy SS, but I didn't like that you had to get it fully equipped with every fru-fru option so they could inflate price like a baloon. Woulda been a fantastic $32k car, but no- try 45k! Which is why they didn't sell... And no Ute/El camino. A hotrod LS powered car-based pickup that could boogie and handle handsomely was apparently too good for fat Crossover-luving American women who's husbands are making the exhorbitant payments!
Well I gunna say Andre, your English has improved a lot over those 5 years bravo bro Keep it Up! 🙂
Yes... he now sounds like a Lithuanian with an American accent 🤣
...he' s probably lived in America since he was 2 😂 ...
Guys, Skoda as a companyname is around since 1859, and the car company was founded 1895 as "Laurint & Klement" (to build bycicles and made their first car in 1905). So before the country it is in was named Czechoslowakia.
Stop blaming customers for car companies poor performance.
When you see VW everyday... They aren't that amazing.
It's a boon for people with anxiety disorder. The straight lines, gosh so satisfying to see.
4:41 is a Zetros and not an Unimog
Correct and they are very different
Yes, 6:07 same thing.
The one that makes no sense to me is the VW Caddy & Caddy Maxi. Available in Mexico, and much better than the similar Ford Transit Connect, Ram ProMaster City, or the Nissan NV200, it's not available in the US. Why??? In fact, why are none of VWs "commercial" vehicles sold in the US?
Chicken tax
@@edipires15, the chicken tax does not apply to passenger vehicles, which is how Ford imports the Transit Connect. Also, it doesn't apply to vehicles built outside of Germany. The Caddy is built in Spain.
Wiegand Moulding the chicken tax applies to all commercial vehicles built in Europe not just Germany (Europe is a single market). VW Caddy is a commercial vehicle
Great video, guys!
The first Unimog was launched in 1945 and wasn't from Mercedes, they bought the production in 1950. The truck we see at 6:08 is not a Unimog but a Mecedes Zetros.
I live in Mexico and it is great to see that of all these cars/SUVs, some of them are available right here right now, for instance, the VW Transporter, the VW Up!, the Duster (under the Renault brand) and possibly the Suzuki SUV (this I am not sure) but we do have the Suzuki brand here, as well as other brands difficult to see in the USA. Probably we have al the Japanese car companies as well as the major Korean car companies (KIA is being built right here in my hometown). There are also some Chinese car and truck companies operating here too. You are welcomed to come any time you want to review any of them locally.
The Scirocco
One of my favs is/was the Holden Ute. Would have loved to own one of those.
JC Prov Get a Chevy SS! Handles better and it’s cheaper!
@@afcgeo882 Chevy SS is what the Holden ute is based on Chevy SS is a Holden anyway
Robert Ryan Exactly why I said that.
@@afcgeo882 Ya but when I looked the ss used is more expensive than a used camaro ss of the same year. I wanted one too and thought they'd have good deals on them since they are not well known
James Avery Sure. Both, the Chevy SS and Pontiac G8 are more expensive than a Camaro. They’re more expensive new, rare, and much more useful, since they fit 5 comfortably and have huge trunks.
Their Achilles heel is that their parts are very hard to find. They have nothing in common with N.A. cars. Also, the Chevy were only sold to government fleets, mostly for police use, so their interiors are basic and though they have low miles, they have high idle hours.
i was so sad about the jimny it was the car of 2019 i wanted
They're a great little four-wheel drive off road
me too
Sigh......
Yeah, you guys have Cybertruck and we Brazilian have Jimmy 😣
It's so tuner friendly that with minimal mods it will become a beast off roader, with it's short wheel base it can also go nearly anywhere. I don't understand why they don't bring it in US, 2019 version would sell very well.
I rented a vw bus in Italy , with a 1.6 turbo diesel it had no problem pulling a full van up to Monte Cassino. 3rd gear all the way up, impressive.
wish VW SCHIMWAGON WAS MODERNIZED!
0:07 "Fallacy" - I do not think it means what you think it means :)
I work at a campground and we have daihatsu hijet mini trucks.
I am 6’5”
My knees take up the space at 3 and 9 on the steering wheel.
same height and i've wondered how i would fit in these vehicles. i love small cars but i cant fit in most of them comfortably.
Oh yes these are not fun to drive when tall. Their only plus is that they have tons of headroom
Only two I care about: Jimney & HiLux. I'm holding a little hope for the re-introduction of mini truck in the US.
Hi-Lux is the same size as the Tacoma. Just more "work truck" focused. And the Jimney seems like the successor to the old Samurai, which I would kill to have brought back.
Had a Skoda Octavia hatchback diesel 5 speed in Ireland. Fell in love with it. The golf or jetta over here just isn't the same.
Octavia Liftback
Ctroen C4 Picasso is awesome and their new DS line, VW Amarok is amazing too; the Russian UAZ pick up and SUV, the new ones
If Peugeot brought over a station wagon I’d buy it
Well at least they would have one buyer.
@@TheRamGuy and only one
In México we have both toyota’s trucks, the hilux and tacoma.
@DroidTech hilux has boxed frame from front to rear, tacoma front is boxed frame chassis, but mid to rear is C canal frame that weaker but more flex so help wheel articulation. tacoma is superior in offroading with lighter loads of goods, but when it came to overlanding, hilux is more superior because payload is higher.
I've heard you can run the Hilux on reservations in the SW
Damn bro I’m comin down to get one. The funny part is that it is only a three hour drive for me
I LOVED MY OCTAVIA.
I loved my Renault Espace III when we lived in Norway. It had tons of storage. Cubby holes and places to keep things . The ability to configure the seats in so many different ways. Made it to the utility vehicle. A single seat Transporter whatever we wanted. It was wonderful. If the the 2020 Has any of the same features, with the impressive new styling I would love to have one of those.
Got an UP and it is great! Was going to buy a Dacia and it felt so cheap, the door handles felt like the plastic forks you get in fast food restaurants and the doors felt so hollow.
Seat, Peugot's entire line, Renault Megane's... so many more..
Seat is spanish and it belongs to VW, too ;-) They have now an own sports sub-brand named Cupra.
@@RetroAndMore89 They have had the Cupra brand for well over a decade now...
No way! nobody, except the French, will miss those brands! Especially, all the Renault models are complete waste of time and money.
@@G-rod_dj what is wrong with you
@@colinkrefting9501 nothing wrong... just know a litle more about french crappy cars... unless it's a bugatti (actually engineered in germany) they're all crap.
Thanks for reminding us that the North American market is kinda dim.
It is its bland as hell
@@1985toyotacamry what is causing it
@@neilmurphy845 I don't know to be honest the design is the same nothing different
@Godless Toyota - Two main reasons, the cars we want either A: Don't pass minimum EPA standards, and/or B: Don't pass NTHSA Saftey requirements. I am sure the companies would like to sell them here if they could.
@@DJ_Underwood ya true
U missed the best...The 76 series Land Cruiser...
Yeah 70 series Land Cruisers for me too.
Aby Mathew ditto
If you saw what you get for the ridiculous price and actually drove one you might change your mind
@@Coopsoldman Never buy a new one, let the mines and corporations. Get the used ones for 1/2 the price. Also reason they're good and worth it is lack of junk and old designs.
@@45Ninjat good in theory, the only problem is the resale is very very high in them, at least here in Australia.
I remember seeing a lot of old Daihatsu Hijets while I was attending college in the 1990s and early 2000s! They were interesting vans to say the least!
Is the Renault Capture available in the US? As far as I know there are many more Unimogs sold to municipalities, agriculture and forestry then to the military.
There is no Renault in USA. Captur! No E in the end.