Why No One Buys Big French Cars - and why they are missing something!

[@ViveLaCoupe]

Let‘s debate in the comments: What‘s your opinion on this topic?

[@LogitechXibanga]

people dont buy french cars because they are bad and they tend to do stupid things like battery terminals be a 8mm when everyone uses a 13mm, they put botons for lights on the center console and so on.

[@tankachen]

I see 2 reasons for their commercial failure: - lack of large engines to compete with the German. In most countries a 4 in line 2l engine is far enough, but it does not match the idea of a large luxury car. - the first series had technical flaws (like the Peugeot 605); they are usually corrected quickly but the damage on the image is done. It's a pity because they are indeed good, in my opinion, and their chassis are best in class. The comfort of a Citroen is unmatched at a similar budget, in my opinion.

[@ViveLaCoupe]

Absolutely agree on the engine part. German manufacturers still build v8 engines while french ones come with 3 cylinder engines in their flagship car😆

[@martsteegh4122]

My parents also always drove Renaults (except for their very firt one which was a ..... Trabant, bought in 1967 but changed for a Renault 4 in 1970, they weren't very wealthy then and a car to them was a means of transportation in that time). There was just one Peugeot in their long line of Renaults (they both needed a car for their work) that they later gave to me and I drove with it to Greece (all the wayP through Yugoslavia) and to Switzerland in the winter (I had never heard of winter tires at that time) and when I finally got rid of it I had the idea that it was really coming apart by that time, but I saw it years later in Rotterdam. More recently I have had a Peugeot 607 V6 automatic with just about all the options available, bought second-hand of course because they are so much cheaper than a comparable German car for example and I drove it for many years with great satisfaction. I loved the Renault 25 for example, unfortunately it was already a quite old model when I had the money to buy AND maintain a nice and big car. Unfortunately there are not so many Vel Satis-es for sale and either old and with high mileage (kilometrage?) and the really good ones are usually at a Renault dealership where they ask still rather high prices. I still would like to have a Citroën C6 once (there's a man further down my street who has one, had it when we moved in there in 2008 and still has it, looking very good although it's always standing outside). Anyway, hooray for big french luxury cars!

[@ViveLaCoupe]

Lovely story happy to read this. Sometimes as a french car fan you can feel lonely in the internet space. As said in the video i share a similar story. What is your current car? I hope you will continue this tradition

[@ad6350]

French man here ! I lived in Köln for 6 month in 2020, and drive alot across the country, I drove my Xsara 2.0 hdi, some drivers looked me like I was a alien, driving 185 km/h on autobahn. Also during my stay I only see one other Xsara like mine and I was a bit suprised to see very few french cars on the road (aside LCV) but I love local mix, as you still have lot of Sedan & Wagon on the road! I'm delighted to see some German who like French cars! Like you said, they are too much underrated but I have to admit that now, reliability is not great, particularly petrol & diesel engines from Stellantis (3 cyl Puretech & 1.5 blueHDI).

[@ViveLaCoupe]

Hey there thanks for sharing your opinion. Sadly you are right, back in the days in the 90s 00s French cars were much more present in Germany but you know image and branding destroyed the brands somehow. Renault for example was the most driven foreign brand bought in Germany. Now it‘s Skoda. I love driving in France because i can observe so many beautiful french classics. It‘s paradise for me(sadly only 130 km/h on the highway tho haha)

[@ad6350]

@@ViveLaCoupe Thanks for your explanation! MoreoverI noticed that you have more Korean cars than us as well, they are certainly taking market shares of french brands in your country. Yes 130 is too "slow", I miss your autobahn and road network, they are great (except the huge roadworks and famous "Staus" lol)

[@ViveLaCoupe]

@ hahaha yeah traffic jams on the Autobahn are a huge problem, Germany has many many more problems though but we don‘t want to get political.. absolutely Kias and Hyundais are taking over because they offer a great price value ratio. For me a car is emotional and i pick my car mostly because of looks. 70% looks 30% engine

[@KrystianSlezak-go2nv]

Never liked french cars...used to follow up the typical opinions etc. All until...i bought one. Since than i had a 3 fantastic french convertibles now having a baby boy changed to Scenic, my dad followed me up well impressed with the comfort. There is something about the french executive cars that fascinates me too. Great video. Greetings from Poland

[@ViveLaCoupe]

Thanks for sharing your opinion! Nice to hear that, the Scenic is the perfect family car. Which generation is your Scenic? Pozdrawiam🇵🇱

[@mrfrancy0154]

I think the problem in big french cars is that they miss some balls to make more prestigious engines, and also RWD platforms. The big example is 508 and DS9, no 6 cylinder diesel or petrol engine. Everything that did PSA with theese cars is put normal engines and make heavy plug in hybrid. The Peugeot 508 PSE was a flop. 360 hp but the battery goes down quickly. There is also a lack of 2.0 4 cylinder. The old big saloon french cars had 6 cylinder but not powerful as the competition. Anyway, going slightly off topic, other underrated cars are also big italian cars, not for the engines but for brand administration problem like no updates, or late updates like the Giulia, is a great car and handles better than a 3 series. And talking about Stellantis, the next 508 and DS9 will be based on the future Giulia and Stelvio, italians have a know how of big RWD cars.

[@ViveLaCoupe]

I also like italian cars, they suffer from similar problems sadly. You are absolutely right and i agree that was also a point in my video. How do french brands want to compete with Germans if their flagship models come with 3 cylinder engines😂

[@cimentchu]

Well, my experience with Renault started with my sister, her first car was an old Renault Twingo, this car was pure NPC car to be honest, but never, never broke on the road! For four years, she only changed distribute cap, and the car started to rust, so we had to scrap it. Next her car was a Renault Clio 2010, again very small city car, but again never broke on road.. I bought BMW 3-series (E46) that was very, very good, but I didn't feel that this was my car, so found Renault Laguna Coupe 2009 4control 2.0T with only 94000kms on the clock! Bought the car, completed all the maintenance, and the car feels pretty good! Im happy with 4control, because newest Mercedes have it in 2024, Renault thinks of that in 2009... 15 year difference but still modern car!

[@ViveLaCoupe]

Absolutely agree! Amazing Laguna you have with such a low milleage! Hope it will serve you well and thank you for sharing your story. From a Laguna Coupe driver to another i also think our coupes are absolutely unique ans underrated. Is the 4control system your favorite feature in the car?

[@LogitechXibanga]

twings are cool until you do maintence like every single french car, the problem here is that none of you do maintence you dont even know wich side tights and untights the screw 🤣

[@tiborp004]

When I was a teen, my dream car is a Safrane. Now, I drive an Initiale version of this car. I like very much! It's a youngtimer, with 300k km, and haven't got any problems. If I take my friends with this car, they recognize, and like the Safrane. They ask: This is French, this must be bad! But this is cool! So, I think the problem with the bad reputation, which is not true. If you service any French car, is durable like any other too hyped German, or Asian car.

[@ViveLaCoupe]

Many people are kinds brainwashed when it comes to french cars. Exactly what i said in the video - maintenance is key in every car

[@LogitechXibanga]

renault megan one of the worst cars, my sister keeps sending it to the garage and getting stranded on the road, meanwhile my rover with 15L of water on the floor kept going without an issue, meanwhile a bit of moister windows start to open while car is parked lights start to come on everthing goes haywire. Now engines renault makes the worse engines big issues with injectores and bronze washers. In terms of looks only the 400 series looksgood the rest looks awful the c6 looks hidous, any one that is a real car guy wouldnt say that looks good didnt even knew that was executive until now it looks a common folk car, to put in perspective its at same level as a vw passat.

[@tiborp004]

@@LogitechXibanga My friend's father was drive a Renault megane 2 taxi, with 1.5dci engine. He drive 567xxx km this car. What went wrong during this time: injectors, turbo and the starter motor. My godfather drive a Renault Laguna 2.2 dci. This car run over 600xxx km, without any problem, but the g9t engine have bad reputation. In my family have a Renault Megane 1.9dti with 433xxx km, and now replace the injector pump, the rest of the parts are factory. So, what are you talking about? If you aren't clumsy, and take care your french car, durable like anything. I think they are stylish, comfortable, and good priced cars.

[@LogitechXibanga]

@@tiborp004 stylish? ok bro you know nothing about cars.

[@mariolosberg4257]

Funny thing, they makin laugh about French cars in terms of reliability, but most of them are better even than Vw or others overrated brands, like BMW, audi... My uncle drives Citroen C5 from 2003, still runs fine, without major issues for now...

[@ViveLaCoupe]

Absolutely and i prefer some minor problems with electronics than constant engine failures and leaking oil

[@jamesvanquish9565]

Keep them unpopular. I wanna buy one in the future.

[@ViveLaCoupe]

Hahaha that‘s also a point to consider

[@GalmTeam]

Thank you my friend for this video. I'm a man just like you, passionate about french cars, I'm glad you have this nice talisman , I'm hoping to buy one as well, the rare 1.8 S-Edition and keep it until i can gift it to my grandchildren (if I'll ever have any). The sad truth is that there aren't a lot of people like us, who love big, quirky and executive French cars, mostly because of past stereotypes and because there not "German". I will have my Talisman and hopefully a C6, love the current generation pre facelift 508. In any case, need to get them while i can, because world is going crazy about any size SUVs now... Even in my family we have a 2020 Renault Kadjar GT line (Wife's wish😅)

[@ViveLaCoupe]

What a lovely choice the Talisman S edition is! Hope you will find one and i am also very happy when i read comments like yours, because as a french car fan you might feel lonely sometimes haha. Keep your french treasures they need to prevail👍

[@GalmTeam]

@@ViveLaCoupe Thank you my friend! You have gained a subscriber today! Good luck with your channel and looking forward to your next videos!

[@TheGuy_651]

🙂 tengo 38 y solo he tenido Renaults R5 1982 (850cc) Clio II 2000 (1.6cc) Laguna 1997 (2.0cc) Laguna II 2007 (2.0cc) Laguna III 2011 (2.0cc) Siempre me gusto los diseños diferentes y equipamientos, el primer Laguna era mi sueño, luego de que mi padre tuvo uno, y el que poseo actualmente es maravilloso.

[@motosnape]

My family has had a few French cars over the years. Myself, I even had a Safrane V6 for a short while. They ALL had issues. From a UK perspective, French cars tend to depreciate more quickly than average, as a result people value their cars less and are less scrupulous about maintenance, this leads to issues (usually for the second hand buyer), which damages the reputation, which then contributes to high depreciation. It's a vicious circle. Fast forward to the current day. French cars are now more reliable, but there's still enough issues to keep the old prejudices alive. Example: 1.2 Puretech - What design engineer in their right mind says "Oh, I know. Let's run a rubber timing belt in hot engine oil"? So, I was recently looking at used(but not old) Renaults. I had a chat with the Renault dealership salesman, and he started telling me which engines and models to avoid! Of course, the main issue with big French cars now, is the French market, itself. Extremely punitive taxation on powerful engines (and soon, large cars in general), has lead to a French obsession with downsized engines(even more so than the rest of the EU). I mean, who wants to drive a Talisman with a 1.2 engine? Well, the French apparently! I've had a BMW 335d for the last 13 years, she's now 17 years old and has many kilometres, she has been utterly faultless and dependable until now, but now she has an electrical fault that refuses to be diagnosed, so sadly she has to go. In my search, I looked at the Talisman, but I concluded that if I want effortless power(I'm not talking about speed), the largest petrol at 1.6 has a lot of work to do. Due to their own governmental constraints distorting their home market, the French can't get their heads around the premise of 'sell a big, relaxing car - offer a big, effortless engine'. Anyway, in the end I needed a fairly large estate/break/wagon that is well thought out. So, I bought a fairly high-spec Passat. It won't win any awards for design flair, but it's a good, honest car.

[@ViveLaCoupe]

Hey there thank you for sharing your opinion. While i understand your point and absolutely respect your opinion, i cannot agree to everything you say. I owned 10 Renaults in my life and i did not have a single issue. Especially for Renault i have to say that Engines never were the problem. Maybe not on the UK market but in continental Europe the Talisman was availlable with the 1.8tce petrol engine from the Megane RS and like in my Talisman a 2.0 diesel engine. Of course french politics are to blame as always and that‘s a very unfortunate fact. This won‘t change anytime soon so i really believe french brands will simply go extinct. Btw the 1.2 is a Peugeot engine not a Renault one, the Talisman never came with a 1.2. Thanks for sharing your opinion again drive safely👍

[@johanaberg6528]

The bigger French cars vanished from my region 20 years ago. The C5 mk1 and the 1st gen Laguna were the last ones to sell big in Scandinavia. They were a bit unloved by their own sales organization and were late to provide eg. affordable 4wd with automatic transmission and couldnt compete against Skoda and Volvo. But I am eyeing on a C5 X hybrid now (a lot of car for the money). Have had a Saxo, a Laguna 7-seater and Grand Espace (all MY 2000), all great used cars purchased from the first owner after the initial price drop

[@ViveLaCoupe]

Yes i really think you will barely see any french cars in Scandinavia nowadays. Volvo is also great so you guys are good i assume. Sadly popularity of french cara decreases in all markets…

[@MI-Tech]

25 was actually more advanced than all other cars from that era still a most impressive cockpit as well, and never seen again: a talking computer.

[@ViveLaCoupe]

@@MI-Tech the Safrane and the Vel Satis also have the speaking computer haha but yeah the R25 is my all time favorite Renault

[@NoNameSNX]

Tahnk you, keep those cars popular in France😁

[@ViveLaCoupe]

I hope you will love French cars forever in France👍

[@Edvardas11]

I owned Citroen C5 2006 and now own C5 2014. Hands down the most comfortable cars I have ever driven. The older C5 was even more comfortable, but the interior was so worn out and I wanted a tourer instead of a sedan (well, technicaly it was a hatchback lol). Love both cars, but if I had to choose one of them if they are in the same condition - would definitely pick the older one, even if it's not as beautiful. Comfort is king with these cars.

[@DanMAD]

My first cars were Romanian made under Citroen license, known outside Romania under the name Citroen Axel. Built between 1981 to 1996, it was an interesting supermini and I loved it. The air cooled boxer engine had a distinct sound, very poor fuel consumption, which made it unpopular. The mechanics in the country were not familiar so due to poor maintenance, they started to have a bad reputation. While the engine was old as a design, almost all models came equipped with disk brakes on all 4 wheels (something that's missing to this day on most cars) and independent suspension on all 4 wheels. It was comfortable, spacious on the inside and small outside. Sadly they faded to obscurity and they are hard to find these days. Later on, I had a Citroen Saxo and I loved it...simple, easy to run and I used it for almost 7 years.

[@ViveLaCoupe]

Nice story, never heard about the Citroen axel! What do you drive today?

[@DanMAD]

@@ViveLaCoupe a French car in disguise, an Opel Corsa 😅. My dad still has the Saxo and it's still running. But we moved to Germany two years back, I'm waiting for it to be able to be registered as a vintage car. Though I would love to get a V6 Citroen as a hobby car.

[@CeKyPuTo]

They arent underrated! German brands are WAY TOO MUCH OVERRATED! Every other brand is offering more equipment and better tech for less money, for the german brand you are paying 30%-50% just for the brand name, that adds nothing to your every day driving and experience! Im happy to see more and more people realize that, VAG group sales are plummeting and they have big problems right now, Mercedes and BMW arent doing much better either!

[@ViveLaCoupe]

But the truth is in the premium executive segment the germans do a better job objectively. I agree thaz German cars are overrated but you can‘t compete with a v8 amg if your flagship model is a 3 cylinder hybrid (Renault Rafale) you know what i mean? Sad fach

[@theenzoreviewer526]

lovely video mahn, you become an aambassador for france

[@ViveLaCoupe]

Till my last breath💪🏻

[@comcarclub]

IMHO, they failed because they used to be unreliable (let me emphasize, USED TO BE), while German cars used to be solidly built and durable (let me emphasize, USED TO BE). People still have this mentality that german equals good, french equals bad, so the French are always going to be losing right out of the gate. I also agree the marketing is awful, it's been terrible for years. Sometimes they can't even get basic stuff right (like pricing the C6 more expensive than an E-Class of the time!). There are lots of reasons but above all it's perception, and that will take a long time to change.

[@ViveLaCoupe]

@@comcarclub i do mostly agree, the problem is that they don‘t even try anymore that‘s the reason why i don‘t believe there will ever be a comeback of exective cars

[@Patrick76496]

I like french cars in general, since they're interesting and unique, but I find modern Citroen and some Renault designs weird. One of my friends have a 2004 facelift C5 and that car looks so nice on the inside, and its seats are extremely comfortable. People told me that my car is comfortable, but this one is on another level. What I don't like about some french sedans as a big sedan and wagon guy is that their front overhang is usually really long and their rear is short, and I rather find the opposite as attractive. Especially I'm sad for the 407 since that is a really good looking car, but the long front overhang before the front wheels makes it a little bit out of proportions. Old Alpine cars are beautiful and need even more love, I'd like to see an Alpine GTA and A610 at some point IRL. The Safrane is awesome however, and fun fact it had the very same B4204S(2) 2 liter petrol engine as an option from my 2002 Volvo S40. And with that car I totally get your point. Every non car guy wants an Audi, BMW or MB and those brands have their reputation for some of their owners, especially in Eastern European countries lol. That's why I went for Volvo, since it's not your everyday car, yet not so rare that parts are not available at all.

[@kidmods]

Delete this. i don't want them to get expensive 😂

[@ViveLaCoupe]

Hahaha no chance bro👍

[@MrSonicAdvance]

I am discouraged by massive depreciation, fancy gadget failure and expensive & difficult to obtain parts. I'm not convinced about build quality either, but I'd be willing to concede that's just my prejudice and lack of experience with French cars.

[@ViveLaCoupe]

Your opinion is valid of course but in my experience i never had any major issues with french cars and as i said in the video i never owned another car than a renault and i already owned 10👍

[@chadlittewillie7397]

E'llo, would the Vel Satis be a viable daily car?

[@ViveLaCoupe]

@@chadlittewillie7397 it is a huge car but if you go for the diesel consumption can be very low 2.0dci is the way to go. It has a huge trunk but some exploitation costs might be high and ofc parts availlability is a huge problem with the Vel Satis

[@TomASHeu]

French cars are amazing! I have Citroen C2 VTR 1.4 HDi. It broke only once (ECU Failure) in 3 years of of ownership. Most reliable car I've ever owned.

[@ViveLaCoupe]

Happy to hear that! Did you buy french again?

[@TomASHeu]

Well, now I have it, before I had Peugeot 206 and also had no issues with it. I love french cars, they're quirky, super reliable (unlike german cars, family had some and except two they were breaking all the time), and french cars provide great value for money. What not to love about frenchies?

[@TomASHeu]

And also I have two smarts (450,451) German cars but made in France 😅 But of course it's a Mercedes product and both have some issues 😆 I laugh at those who are saying Merc is so reliable. My dad drives MB Actros and It's breaking all the time, my friend's dad has 2020 Vito Tourer and also have issues with it.

[@TomASHeu]

My brother has 2011 1.5 dCi Scenic with almost 350kkm and have no issues with it. Also he owns 2018 DS3 1.6 166hp and also absolutely no issues. To be honest french cars (except my mums Honda Jazz) were and are most reliable cars

[@baronvonjo1929]

Even though I have never seen a French car in person here in the US. I get the sense they are just laughed at. They certainly have earned a rather poor reputation. And it seems based on comments the engines for larger cars are lackluster. I watched your video on the Vel Satis (I hope I spelled that right) and I personally wasn't very impressed. Especially the engine for a car in the segment its supposed to be in. I hear folks say Stellantis should rebadge DS cars as Chryslers here in the states. But then you look at their engines and see that would never work because they are so sub par for the price they sit atm

[@ViveLaCoupe]

@@baronvonjo1929 hey there thank you for sharing your opinion. You have to put into account that the engine of my Vel Satis is the weakest one, there were also two v6 Engines available. The european market is completely different to the US one, people prefer economy and fuel consumption over great performance. I think this might be the reason why they fail but still imo they are treated unfairly and not all criticism is actually valid. Cheers👍

[@AHVENAN]

Big, small, medium, tiny... Doesn't matter to me, if it's a french car, I'm staying the hell away! 🤣

[@ViveLaCoupe]

@@AHVENAN may i ask on what you base your opinion?

[@eisenerz35]

I'm french, i like french cars but Peugeot and Citroën messed up with the 1.2L puretech. Used cars on the market are often recent peugeot or Citroën with a timing belt that only wants to break...

[@ViveLaCoupe]

I know the puretech is really bad, i always would prefer Renault engine wise over PSA engines

[@edinrahimic4279]

There’s fatal mistake with big french cars its design in and out… while you are right about engines there’s fatal mistake with ergonomics, looks, trunk entry… you mention velsatis you want to tell me that sht look supperior to a6/4f? Talisman looks exactly same as megane/clio so why do you bother making something big that look so small?

[@AntJoseph_]

That doesn’t make any sense. Big German cars look exactly like the small ones too, in that sense

[@ViveLaCoupe]

A Talisman looks like a Clio?😂 ok an a class looks like an s class aswell then and yes looks are subjective. I really dislike Audis design language and i would prefer a Clio over an A6

[@chrislockey7706]

Isn't the Renault Rafale an executive car ? I would say it is

[@ViveLaCoupe]

You could argue but it isn‘t a sedan it is a mid class suv in the end

[@legoeul2676]

This is sad

[@ViveLaCoupe]

Absolutely it is a shame even

[@mpk927]

Anything French is horrible in build quality, hence

[@Hasio-Maszkietnik]

VW plastics are awful as well

[@alelsandyrsmilkin5158]

Haven’t been in 406 coupe then. Reliable and beautiful in and out

[@Hasio-Maszkietnik]

@@alelsandyrsmilkin5158 one of the best looking 00's cars