In the early days of the Korean car industry, local companies, now known worldwide, produced cars under license. But as time passed, they soon developed their own technologies and, finally, their models. Today, Korean cars are often compared with Japanese vehicles. We must find out which is better: Korean or Japanese cars.
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Features of Korean cars
In about 15 years, Korean automakers have repeated the success for which Japan travelled for half a century. The latest cars produced by Korean manufacturers have proved that they are as good as Japanese cars and, in some respects, sometimes even surpass them.
Koreans do not copy but create their original products, which can compete with the cars of any auto giant. Hyundai and KIA power plants are as reliable as Japanese motors. Their resource is 500 or more thousand kilometres. The same can be said about performance and economy.
The drives have a service life of at least 100 thousand kilometres. They are reliable and can withstand extreme loads. Korean cars are equipped with manual and automatic 6-speed gearboxes. The transmission resource is not less than 500 thousand km.
The suspension was once considered a weak point in Korean cars, but today, it is no worse than Toyota’s. In some models, it can outperform the Japanese counterparts in terms of quality.
The exterior of Korean cars is created following the trends in this direction. Korean manufacturers’ cars are attractive both outside and inside. The quality of interior finishing materials is at the highest level. Add excellent equipment, including driver’s assistance and safety systems. At the same time, Korean car prices are still in the average range.
Thanks to the achievements of the Korean automobile industry, its cars are precious on the secondary market. Increased resources, reliability, and availability of modifications operating on diesel and gas – all make Korean cars very attractive to buyers. Even more confidence is given by the inspection of cars from Korea, which allows you to identify unpleasant facts from the history of car operation.
Features of Japanese cars
Japanese automakers began their expansion into the global market much earlier. Such brands as Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda and Mazda are most people’s quality and reliability benchmarks.
First of all, we are talking about engines that are being developed in Japan. These are power units with a service life of at least 500 thousand kilometers, and they are reliable and economical. There are many innovations in this area, for example, by Mazda, which offers units with high power but low fuel consumption.
The suspension in Japanese cars is no less enduring, considered one of the most reliable and efficient in the world automobile industry. Its service life reaches 150 thousand kilometres.
As for gearboxes, there may be issues with them. We are talking about Toyota’s robotized and automatic transmissions.
The exterior design of Japanese cars is quite aggressive, with a deep idea. As for the interior, Japanese manufacturers often use budget finishing materials. However, this happens rarely and applies to budget models.
Despite all of the above, it must be recognized that with the development of other brands, Japanese manufacturers have primarily lost their leading positions.
Which is better: Japanese and Korean cars?
In general, the cars of both countries occupy leading positions on the world stage and are noticeably ahead of other Asian countries. Despite rapid development and the emergence of new brands in China, many copies and technologies have been borrowed from other companies. Japan and Korea are the favourites in new developments, and the former’s superiority is only because it began to develop its industry much earlier.
So which is better: a Korean or Japanese car? American experts favour the former. Japan has a large market share, so quality indicators are often relegated to the second plan. Korean manufacturers supply half as many cars in the market, so they try to use competitive advantages. It should be noted that Korean cars statistically have fewer breakdowns, and to compete, they strive for a balance between price and quality. That is probably why, lately, most people prefer Korean products.
