It's DB's premier long distance fleet, as the 80x fleets are for LNER and GWR. I see no reason for having lower expectations here.
I don't think we shouldn't have high expecations; it's just that a higher standard would drive up fares and make the train less attractive because of the shortage of public transport funding in this country.
The thing about the ICE is that it's often not the
only sensible route from A to B - there are IC and RE services which are an alternative. Whereas on most medium to long distance East Coast or GWML journeys - at least those in and out of London - an LNER or GWR 800 will be pretty much the only option. The UK really lacks a mid-tier option.
When the new FirstGroup east coast open access operation launches there will be a more budget-orientated competitor to LNER, and then one could argue that LNER is the premium service and should have more put into it. But still, there will only be a few open access trains a day so most will still be stuck on LNER.
I can't believe that we are accepting a worse ride - and it is significantly worse - than a Mark 3. It's just embarrassing that a 50-year-old design is better than what there is now: my car offers a smoother ride than the equivalent in the 1970s. Or are we saying that the BT10 is perfection and will never be matched?
Admittedly yes, but I just don't think it's a massive deal. There are far worse issues with IETs that need to be sorted out first.
Plus it's not like the engineering hasn't progressed. Compare a the 319s to the Desiros on the west coast for example; the Desiros are very smoother, quieter, more reliable and have better acceleration compared to the 319.
My suspicion is that they just cheaped out to be honest. I don't think the engineering is incapable of delivering anything better; I think the money just wasn't there.