"The Japanese brands didn't build their reputation for refined, high-quality cars overnight, nor did the big 3 make their reputation for building crap overnight."
The Japanese cars first came here during the Carter days as a market for fuel-efficient cars grew. Detroit's answer: the Ford Mustang II and the Chrysler K. There was also all this new anti-pollution noise, and rather than start over with a fresh new perspective, we got chopped up, pollution controlled weanie engines that were an embarrassment after the glory days of the '60s muscle cars. American automobile crap was born and they still haven't figured it out.
I can almost always tell an American made car simply by the tactile feel of the materials. The hardness of plastics, texture of foams, the feel of a switch when it clicks, etc. American cars today MAY be as reliable as their Asian competitors, but they still FEEL cheap, and thereby overpriced and undesirable. There's that perception thing. They seem to be aware of it, which is what's most puzzling. When they asked: "Have you driven a Ford LATELY?", they were implying that they knew of people's perceptions and things had changed.
Things haven't changed that much though, IMHO. Again, they aren't all bad, just different in a bad way.
I've owned a Ford recently, and won't go back or look back. I now own two Japanese cars that are years ahead of US cars.
It can be a real conundrum.
I had a '96 Nissan Sentra. Good basic transportation, pretty reliable and fuel efficient. It did eat 2 alternators over the course of 270,000 km, though. Anyway, when it was in for bodywork (due to an accident that was not my fault, btw), they gave me a 2000 Chevy Cavalier to use. Compared to my car it was buzzier and the overall fit, finish and materials inside looked pretty cheezy, even compared to my stripped-down Sentra. OTOH, it drove better on the highway, having better directional stability and resistance to cross winds. The brakes were crap, though, as per usual for a Cavalier.
Have you tried a Honda Pilot or Toyota Camry for hard plastics? They're all going downhill in material selection....
Japanese imports were well on their way in the early 70's & didn't wait for Carter's arrival....FWIW
Oh man, you nailed it so well!
It really is just a feeling. I am completely in love with the way the Chrysler 300 looks, but when I drove it it felt like a toy compared to my Lexus, like it just had too much plastic in it and not enough steel. It wasn't solid, and I pictured what it might look like after a minor collision.