When planning to buy a new car, the car enthusiast will undoubtedly face the question of what to prefer: the left-hand drive of the "Japanese" or the right - legal - "European".
The struggle between left-handed "Europeans" and right-handed "Japanese" has been going on for decades. Of course, starting from the 80s of the last century and up to the expansion of the Korean car industry, Japan held the palm in the global automotive market. Europe could not compete with the advanced technologies and high quality level of the "Japanese".
Japanese
Over the years of the reign of Toyota and Mazda, the Russians got used to the peculiarities of the right-hand drive, moreover, they found undeniable advantages of operating in city mode, even with local left-hand traffic: in a dense stream, overtaking on the right is much easier and safer than jumping out into the oncoming lane.
The true Japanese quality has been confirmed for years, the hardy cars of the Land of the Rising Sun did not require frequent repairs, were very unpretentious, but more importantly, they were safe and comfortable. In addition, it was Japan that was the first to offer its customers an automatic transmission, and then variators and tiptronics.
The beginning of the crisis of the 20th century was another turning point in Japanese automotive history. Most of the companies in the face of the crisis and rising fuel prices have reoriented themselves from the production of large cars to small cars. Compact, but with a modern design and excellent technical performance, right-handed cars will still give odds to European cars of the same class. In addition, Europe - conservative and slow - almost buried its auto industry altogether, saving on components and assemblies produced in the Middle Kingdom, where in 2007-2008 the production of all major auto concerns were transferred. Review after recall, accident after accident …
Europeans
However, the "Europeans" still have a certain number of their fans in Russia. The first to orient itself was pragmatic Germany, betting on the quality for which it was famous at all times: the technical embodiment of the car and high-quality iron. Engine building in this country developed in a special way, so all those who value the endurance and liveliness of the engine will make a choice in favor of Mercedes, Volkswagen.
The French car industry got up from its knees only for a short time. Lagging by 15-20 years in design and engineering solutions, they still churn out cars that were produced by AvtoVAZ in the 2000s. Nevertheless, for example, Logans are unpretentious and have an amazingly stable suspension, and therefore all those who have a summer cottage, love fishing and driving on dirt roads will love these "workhorses".
Retro style lovers will love the updated English cars. There are few of them in Russia. These are mostly recognizable small cars, which are perfectly adapted to urban conditions and can park for almost one square meter.
