Half free? The cheap options for the expensive dreams

Let it be clear from the beginning, in all the examples given here, there is no pretense of a real comparison.

The purpose of this whole thing is to try and find very cheap replacements for expensive desirable vehicles.

Those who buy a new Range for NIS 1.3 million will not think for a moment of being seen in a Chinese car whose price is under half a million NIS.

I mean, the question we ask all the time here, is whether those who don't have an exorbitant amount in their pocket to buy a new car, will be able to find some kind of replacement with a significantly lower budget.

And maybe this semi-philosophical exploration will even broaden the mind of a person or two.

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Exotic brand

And if we start at the highest and most desirable, we will go straight to a brand that is all exotic and unique.

A company that doesn't have and probably won't have a second to it in the automotive world.

This strange journey if here begins in Italy, home of the coveted car manufacturer, Ferrari.

This fine and outrageously expensive Italian exotica doesn't really need to be introduced, but we will anyway.

Born from Enzo's passion for racing and victory, Ferrari is without a doubt the strongest and most respected brand in the world today.

Ferrari started making road cars to fund his racing operations, and from the start, each one was worth its weight in gold.

With tremendous seniority, a decorated racing team and pretty much total control of the sports and supercars since about the time the car was invented, Ferrari both stars in the dreams of car junkies around the world and is unattainable for most.

With prices starting in Israel at NIS 1,765,000, this dream is irrelevant to the vast majority of the population.

But you don't have to go far to the regions that are the property of millionaires to find an Italian brand with a lot of tradition and meaning.

It was also established in Italy in the same year as Ferrari (1949) by Carlo Abarth.

Abarth gave his name to the company and his zodiac sign (Scorpio) on its front.

With a deep familiarity with the world of racing and the top Italian racing drivers, Abarth produced sports cars, won races and even contributed his knowledge and ability to other companies.

The close cooperation with Fiat led to the purchase of the company by the Italian giant in 1971. Under Fiat, Abarth effectively became the racing department of the company and was responsible, among other things, for two decades of almost complete Italian control of the rally tracks.

And if we come to the point, today Abarth produces more or less the only hot little one around.

Of course there is no basis for comparing a Ferrari, any Ferrari, with such a new Abarth 595.

Not in terms of capability, performance, engine configuration, drive location, quality or luxury.

But those who want a sporty, frenetic and exciting car will find no equivalent to the little Abarth.

With a starting price of NIS 130,000, and touches that every steering wheel enthusiast with a bit of nostalgia appreciates, it offers a taste of another era with a meaningful Italian symbol.

Arrival coefficient

Dealing with a sacred cow like Ferrari.

Switching to a Range Rover already feels almost easier.

Easy, still doesn't make sense here.

Because Range Rover has been providing a triple solution, one that has no other, for many decades.

The combination of high road capability, good off-road capability and a clear British aristocratic flavor is something that no one can compete with.

Whether it's the handling of the passenger cabin, the impressive ride comfort or the ability to climb any Tel Ra'anan - the Range knows how to do something different and different.

Over the years, the range has also become a status symbol, one that goes well with both old money and is much loved by those who have made fresh money.

If we take from the point of assumption that a high-quality luxury car knows how to offer at least the same ability and quality on the road, and that the off-road ability is no longer really interesting to the buyers of the range, then we are left with the issue of posing.

The arrival factor of a new Range Rover is very high, it cannot be ignored on the road and in the parking lot.

With a price tag starting at NIS 1,300,000, it is also expensive.

is very.

Here a Chinese brand enters the picture, old there, new here.

Hongchi.

Here, too, it is completely clear that there is really no basis for comparing these two, but compared to the previous comparison, the differences are beginning to narrow.

First of all the Hongchi itself is not exactly a cheap car.

With an entry price of NIS 400,000, it offers a lot, but is still not really accessible.

On the other hand, in a short time, several dozen such vehicles have already been registered - there are probably quite a few for whom this mix makes sense.

Despite the conceptual and physical distance, both are very large vehicles, with excellent performance and endless comfort and safety equipment.

There is here, beyond the world that separates them, also a completely different driving approach.

Both have dual drive and air suspension.

But while the Range relies on a familiar range of engines and a 'train response' system that works wonders off-road, the Hongchi is powered by electricity and does not give the impression that the off-road is at the top of its list.

And maybe it's time to mention that with 21-inch rims and low-tread tires, both of them would be wise to stay on the paved road.

It is absolutely clear that the Range offers a different world when it comes to precision and refinement, and you can feel it from the stitching of the seats to the operation of the steering wheel.

He also enjoys, as mentioned, an image that is second to none.

On the other hand, for less than a third of the price, the Hongchi has a look that cannot be ignored either (for better or for worse) and still offers a great deal in terms of equipment (including safety related), comfort and speed.

In its most expensive version (NIS 500,000), it offers even more, including the option of choosing between six and seven seats.

It's not a range, is it?

But it's the closest to there on the light side of half a million shekels.

family relation

It's no secret that the Israeli dream, for quite some time now, is a family-sized recreational vehicle.

One of the most successful models on the market, one that offers 7 seats, is the Mitsubishi Outlander.

The bestseller of this particular category in fact.

The Outlander has a new and super impressive generation both in terms of capability and in terms of the exterior appearance and the interior of the vehicle.

Prices start at NIS 197,000, and this is absolutely the most obvious thing for the average Israeli, one who wants a multi-seater vehicle, would like to see in his parking lot every morning.

And again we can find a significantly cheaper replacement here as well.

Dacia Jogger recently landed on the Israeli market with an interesting and above all very cheap offer.

With a base price of NIS 105,000, it offers a leisure-like appearance and seven seats with excellent space in the third row as well.

how does he do it?

It gives up a lot of things, some of them very basic, to offer this low price.

The 1.0 L engine provides only reasonable performance.

There is no automatic transmission and here you shift gears by hand and use the clutch pedal.

The rear windows are manually operated and the level of equipment is generally quite low.

It's a cheap car, which may not look like it from the outside, but the materials and fittings in the cabin certainly show it.

It can be a great replacement for those who don't want to spend almost twice as much to get seven seats in another new car.

The issue of equipment and ease of operation could easily be waived.

But the Jogger comes with a low safety score in the European crash tests also due to a lack of advanced safety equipment.

There is indeed autonomous braking here, but the rest of its capabilities depend on a local alert system.

So those who want to transport passengers for half the price (almost) should consider this issue.

Born to freedom

Even on two you can find accessible substitutes for the real thing.

Here too of course the set of capabilities and quality are completely different but the idea is similar, maybe even from the examples on four wheels.

Let's start from the big adventures category.

Those motorcycles that gobble up kilometers with comfort and speed that know a thing or two even when the asphalt ends and the dirt roads begin.

There are quite a few examples of such motorcycles, with the largest and most respected of them reaching prices that scratch the 200,000 shekels.

BMW's big GS is absolutely one of those and is absolutely one of the best big adventure bikes being made today.

He also comes from such a long lineage that could fill an entire evening of an end-of-day sit-down riding around the campfire.

With prices starting at NIS 163,000 for the basic version of the GS1250R, it is also one of the most expensive.

Among other things, it offers a wonderful ability to cover distances, comfortably and safely - an ability that is more emphasized overseas, but is also very enjoyable in our tiny country.

The promise of adventure and other features of an adventure motorcycle is also offered by the Chinese company CF Moto.

It is an old company, with its own serious research and development department and is known overseas mainly thanks to its SUVs and ATVs.

In recent years, along with deep cooperation with the Austrian KTM, the two-wheeled activity of this company is becoming more significant.

Within this it offers its mid-sized adventure, the MT800 Touring.

Everything you need to find in a motorcycle like this is here.

The engine comes from KTM's 790 series and produces 95 hp, there are a variety of dedicated extras, the behavior is excellent and more.

In fact, except for the lack of traction control, this CF offers a package that is surprising in its capabilities and quality.

With a price of 65,000 shekels, it is not only a cheap replacement for the large and desirable Adventure, it is a medium-volume adventure that presents unparalleled capability and value.

Not at any cost

These were four pairs of models that represented completely different corners of the Israeli market.

There are more like that.

Behind every example like this are hidden quite a few processes that the global automotive industry goes through, ones that cannot be ignored.

One very obvious issue that comes up here is Chinese industry.

This is definitely a problem facing the old car manufacturers and one that requires an immediate answer, certainly with regards to the field of electric vehicles, mass production and low price.

Another issue is the matter of branding.

European super brands that have built their entire name on dynamic and driving ability, fine engines and more, are facing a very different reality, one that is fast approaching.

A world where driving, the sound of the engine and its reactions and other traditional advantages are about to disappear from the world.

As mentioned, there are quite a few questions that arise from dealing with all of these, but one thing remains clear as day.

The automotive field contains a huge amount of valuable dreams and realities.

Happily, the multitude of brands and models can also give people from the settlement alternatives to those dreams.

Not an equivalent replacement, but certainly one that will provide an answer, even if partial, to one motoring whim or another.

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