3 Reasons Not to Hate the French Cars.
3 Reasons not to hate French cars.
I spend a lot of time reading comments on the internet that express the hate that some people have against French cars. So I think I need to clarify some things about them, to show you that they deserve some love.
I’m not writing this as a propaganda for the French brands nor because I’m a pro-French things, but because I’m a true car lover, and as a car guy, you may understand me when I say that hating a car brand just because you don’t like the car’s design or nationality is plain stupidity, we all have our own tastes. So here are some things you should know about me: first of all, yes, I’m French. Secondly, I love cars in general: I drive a 2005 Citroën Xsara Break (diesel, 90hp, 100k miles), and my two dream cars are a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T and a 1995 Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R. And Finally, this is my first article, and English isn’t my native language (obviously), so please, be kind.
But let’s not make you wait any longer, here are my pros :
1. The place of France in the Automotive History
Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, a French inventor, is widely credited with building the first full-scale, self-propelled mechanical vehicle or automobile in about 1769; he created a steam-powered tricycle called "Le Fardier de Cugnot". Father Ferdinand Verbiest, a Belgian Flemish Jesuit missioner, may have been the first to design and most likely to build, around 1672, "a steam-powered vehicle" but that was too small to carry a driver or passengers.
In November 1881, French inventor Gustave Trouvé demonstrated a working three-wheeled car powered by electricity at the International Exposition of Electricity, Paris.
The first car to pass the 100km/h bar was the French electric car "La Jamais contente" (literally translated as "the never satisfied").
The outlines of the current car as we know it are plotted in 1922 with Lancia Lambda and the self-supporting body and independent front suspension, in 1934 with Chrysler Airflow which introduced the aerodynamics, Citroen and the development of the Traction Avant (FWD) in 1934, and the introduction of disc brakes on the DS in 1955, or by Porsche and the box bevel gear synchronizers of the 356 and finally in 1959 with the Mini Morris with the first engine in transverse position.
2. They are great cars
This is one of the most untrue stereotype about the French Brands: "They aren’t reliable". My very first car was a 1997 Citroën ZX Break. Not very beautiful, but it had its charm. I sold it a few months ago for 250€, with +330k kms (more than 206k miles) and some bumps and scrathes (was involved in 4 small crashes, not by me and never in fault). Electric windows? Still working! Anti-start code device? Tired but working too! The lights on the dashboard were a bit too feeble, but she was still ready to eat the road for a long time.
And that’s what all French cars are, cars. by this, I mean that they are great cars that won’t fail you. Of course there are some that are worse than the others, but it’s the same for every car brand.
Indeed, I won’t deny that at some point of their own History, some French brands had a bad time. It happens, but sadly as we say "Il faut plusieurs générations pour bâtir une réputation, mais il n’en faut qu’une pour la détruire", which means "you need several generations to build a reputation, but only one to destroy it".
Nowadays French car brands are way better than you could think, so good that other brands uses engines, bodies or entire cars for their own product range (for example, Mercedes uses DCI engines from Renault for their A, B and C classes or the body of the Renault Kangoo for their compact utility vehicle Citane).
And indeed, don’t mix Quality and Reliability.
3. Their Racing Gene.
A little quote of Forza Motorsport 3, during the loading screen, once said "Peugeot is the only manufacturer that can brag about having victory records in three different centuries". That is actually true. Not only as a car maker of course, but that sentence still says something.
You know them : Bugatti, Alpine, Renault, Citroën, Peugeot, Matra,… Rally, Formula One, LeMans Endurance series, BTCC, WTCC, Pikes Peak,…
Every French Car Brand has won in Racing. And every french sports car has it in its genes. They even said in right here, on CT! "If you’re a keen driver, you need to get the RCZ R. Trust me. Every aspect of the way it drives when you’re kicking its head in is leaps and bounds ahead of the TT, and I guarantee after a hoon in both, the Peugeot’s the one that’ll put the bigger smile on your face. Badge snobs be damned." Want to know more about that? It’s here : link text .
Ever drove a 205 1.9 GTI? A test driver once said "You’ll need racing skills to master this monster". 130hp only? Yup, but power never ment performance. You know what someone said : "If you’re not fast with 90hp, 900 won’t help you". That’s what is all about French sports car, power isn’t necessary if you have the right chassis.
That is all I can say for now, without making an extra-long article that would be too consistent to be readable. So if you’ve reached this point, thank you for the time you spent reading this and I hope that you’re more likely to not spread the hate, for our Frenchies and for all cars in general, because after all, it’s just a matter of opinion.
Little bonus : I want to clarify something that seems to be a good starting point of hate about French cars : the Volvo vs Modus Crash test. Yes, old Volvo’s are known for being Tanks. No, the engine hasn’t been removed for the crash test, it’s just that it is not in a transversal position but in a longitudinal position, so when the two car went on a 3/4 front collision, the engine was moved on left-side of the engine bay. No, the Volvo isn’t safer than a Modus. Why? Because the Volvo was engineered during an era when Euro N-CAP wasn’t there to rule the safety of the cars. So yes it was a tank back then, but now it isn’t anymore. Sorry guys.
And for the video where you can see a red Volvo wagon hit some old cars on a scrapyard, you can clearly see that they are using things as ramps to avoid the high strength parts of the cars that are normally collided during a crash, this resulting on a heavier car crashing with it’s own strengthened body parts on cars-parts where it’s not supposed to crash. So it may appear that the Volvo is a true tank, but it’s just tricks and lies. Sorry again guys…
Internet traditions must be respected, Sorry for the long post so here is a potato-car :
Comments
I actually don’t hate french cars, I’m just not interested in them because there is no proper RWD sports car from France that I know of. I can understand that cars like the 205 GTI and all the street versions of rallye hatch backs can be fun but they aren’t that interesting for many people that prefer RWD. This is probably also the cause for most of the hating on Civics, 150hp+ in a 900kg car sound really fun but after all it has FWD. Also many of the french cars that are sporty are hatchbacks, something that I’m not really interested in aswell.
We are all different and have our own tastes. This article isn’t here to prove they are better than other cars, it’s here to show to real haters that these cars aren’t as they say, and that they don’t deserve all the hate they encounter. Of course, I’d rather drive a RWD or a AWD for performance. Current FWD sports cars are however very interesting, but I won’t judge you or say that you are wrong if you don’t like FWD, as I said, We have our own tastes :D
I had a Peugeot 207 and unfortunately it was quite unreliable. That doesn’t stop it from being the best car I’ve ever owned. I love French cars and I’d buy one again. (As long as it’s in warranty)
Well eeehrm mate, you can’t rlly compare an old volvo with a new modus… That’s just unfair.
That is not my comparison, this is a video from Fifth gear that was about what was better between an old car known as being a tank and a new small car. Everyone said that this was unreal and that they put out the engine from the volvo and that it was why the Volvo was so badly damaged. I was just explaining my point because I read too much idiotic comment about that video. Here is a link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBDyeWofcLY
They used to be good cars … there are a few old ones (from 70’s-80’s) around here, and are work vans, and still work.
But from my own experience, i had a citroen bx 1.4 (hydraulic suspension), and it was a pain in the arse to fix, leaks here and there … but never let me down for those 2 years i was driving it. And it was my first car, and when my father send it to junkyard i cried a few tears :(
Note: But one day, i will get another one, and take good care of it.
The hydraulic suspension was a good idea but a big source of problems. That’s why the stopped using it I think. And always take good care of your car, whatever it is, and it will last forever :D
A Friend of mine worked in a Mercedes dealership and Most of The Cars that He repaired were A Class with The Renault engine. He told me that The cylinder Head wasn’t completely flat therefore The gasket didn’t Seal proprely. This caused water getting in The engineering destroying everything.
You mean the piston head or the top of the cylinder ? Because if you talk about piston head, they aren’t flat, to improve compression ratio. But if the head gasket doesn’t seal properly, that’s just the top part that isn’t flat enough. It is bad indeed :
You forgot the sheer class some have. People with old Citroens are never uncool. My personal favourite is the SM with its Maserati derived V6 and it’s suspension that I won’t even try to spell because I’ll just murder the spelling, lol.
That SM was an awesome car. The "suspension oléopneumatique" you are probably talking about was a great thing ;D
Well, I’d like to say that you have made a very good article, and I have to confess that I’m a big French car "hater".
But I do have my reasons for that. so please bear with me.
Let’s start with one thing, I tend to think that after late 90’s there has been no real cars, only fuel powered computers. Therefore I don’t touch the most modern cars on my answer.
Yes I agree French have made some really great cars. I have driven Peugeot 205 1.9 GTI and 309 1.9 GTI and 106 XSI, and those are truly great cars to drive. in fact, if I would have to pick my favorite hot hatch ever made I would pick the 205, just because it’s great car to drive.
I have also driven Citroen BX, and Citroen Xantia, and those are one of the most comfortable cars I have ever driven.
I have also owned a Renault 5 GTX which was the most horrible car I have ever owned.
The issue I’m having with French cars are mainly corrosion related, They have rusted away you just cannot find a 70’s, 80’s or 90’s French car which wouldn’t have massive rust problems, unless you find a car that has less than 50k Kms driven, and those you can find only from collectors.
Also, I don’t know is it the company policy, or our local dealership’s, but finding spare parts in older cars is a pain. specially if you want original parts.If I go to local dealership that imports Volvo and Renault I can get original parts to just about any Volvo, but for Renault if the production of said model has ended 10 years prior to that moment, there is no spares available.
Same deal if I go to dealership that imports Ford, and Peugeot, you can get original spares to most fords that never has been officially imported to this country, but I can’t get original parts for Peugeot if the production of said model has ended 10 years prior to that moment, there is no spares available.
What happens with dealership that imports Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Honda and Citroen? again, the 3 first I can get almost any part, but for Citroen I might find some suspension parts… the gas hydraulic suspension parts that is…
What it comes to reliability, My friend used to have Renault Megane Scenic -09, and it was twice a year that he came home with a taxi rather than his own car. just because something broke down. once a year he had to replace some plastic "washer" on windshield wiper system, cause it was so worn that the wipers stopped working completely.
Now I have to just add there that he was a mechanic, working in the same dealership where he bought the car. and a major petrolhead himself. Reliability I wouldn’t call it the strong point.
Yet I do agree French HAVE made few truly great cars, Citroen with it’s gas hydraulic suspension, Peugeot with it’s hot hatches, not to forget the 205 rally car, or 405 coupe hill climb car. Renault with it’s 5 Turbo and it’s rally versions…
And I cannot forget the racing pedigree, it’s there and it’s strong, But as I also live in the nation that has currently the odest cars in europe, Car average age here is 15 years while rest of the europe it’s only 9.5 years, Reliability is a large issue, Cars here also need to face -40 Celsius winters, and +35 Celsius summers. and last "at least" 400k km (249k miles) the reliability just isn’t there.
Althuogh I have seen massive drops on reliability specially among european car’s VAG cars in specific. and the average age of cars is coming down in here, it might not happen in 10 years, but I have to admit that my respect for French cars is rising, but maybe I start accepting them better sooner or later.
Where do you live ? Because finding parts for those cars are pretty easy for us so I guess that comes from dealerships. I had no issues finding parts for my 1997 Citroën ZX. And as I said earlier in the comments, reliability was a Big problem for Renault, their 1980 to 2008-10 era was a big problem for them. The rusting problem seems to vary countries by countries, because I never had rusting issues on my cars but I heard some people from other countries saying the same as you.
And you are damn right about the powered fueled computers part, because electronic is the biggest source of problems and lack of reliability in nowadays cars, from any car makers x)
Thanks for your 3 less reasons to hate French cars… Unfortunately the Internet doesn’t care and statistically still hates French cars… Maybe 3 less hate but infinity minus 3 is still a lot of hate…
i am a true at heart citrophile i love everything from the ds to the latest c5 the little bx on the right is my car. the part about the chassis is true look at a xantia activa phase that against an impreza from the same year and it will have a hard time keeping up. for me the car that describes citroen best as a brand is the cx a big strange 4 door coupe stuffed with sci fi technology a great machine one day i will own one … one day
Nice cars and I’m a Citrophile myself. Owned a ZX as my first car, now I have a Xsara as my daily drive and I have a 1978 Mehari waiting for a restoration on my garage !
My first car was also a ZX estate, with the 1.9D 55hp, very very slow car.
But when I bought my RX-8, I clearly remember driving on the same roads thinking "it’s strange, I’m pretty sure I went faster in this curve with the Zx"
amazing car.
The ZX was stuck on the tarmac like a railroad ! The 1.9D was developing 70 hp. Are you sure it was this engine ? It was slow anyway, but very reliable ! I had the 1.9 TD (90hp) on a break body, much more fun to drive !