Skoda - Now socially acceptable?

Robbo

I heard that a Brazilian soccer team's plane crashed into an open Octavia boot and they've never been seen since.

moe_sizlak

if you want to buy a dull uncomfortable over rated car , buy a volkswagon

if you want to buy a dull uncomfortable over rated car and save 4 k , buy a skoda ,

colm_mcm

Robbo wrote: »

I heard that a Brazilian soccer team's plane crashed into an open Octavia boot and they've never been seen since.

did the lift the boot carpet?

Gran Hermano

I'd rather not be mistaken for a taxi driver

JJJJNR

IMO since the arrival of Kia I think it has become acceptable, simply because that brand and others are bringing up the rear. Skoda I think make some of the most boring/bland looking cars on the market.

SEAT make some of the most exciting.

BostonB

Gran Hermano wrote: »

I'd rather not be mistaken for a taxi driver

Easily solved. Don't put a big yellow sign on the car, and don't drive like a twat. No one buys a large family saloon as a codpiece or to attack a favorite road. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKmtsN_gzMM&feature=related)

Its reliable (hopefully) transport from A to B thats has enough space for a family/passengers and all the crud that goes with them. Usually it has to reasonable running costs.

colm_mcm

JJJJNR wrote: »

Skoda I think make some of the most boring/bland looking cars on the market.
.

The problem is the limited model line up.

A VW model lineup that consisted soley of the Polo, Jetta, Touran and Passat would hardly be described as exciting either

BostonB

JJJJNR wrote: »

IMO since the arrival of Kia I think it has become acceptable, simply because that brand and others are bringing up the rear. Skoda I think is one of the most boring/bland looking car manufacturers on the market.

I don't get the logic that being 2nd last makes a brand more popular I have no idea. You pick up a car magazine and read a review of a car. Why would you pick the 2nd last one? Makes no sense.

Lots of people are not interested in having a flashy car. They want a box on wheels thats good value (relatively), reliable, doesn't cost them an arm and a leg to run, gets them from A~B, doesn't depreciate like a lead balloon, and doesn't attract attention. Theres lots of people who simply aren't into cars and couldn't tell one car from another.

BostonB

you can't look on VW or Skoda as companies in their own right. They are part of the VAG group. They are targeted at specific markets and overlap is not allowed.

JJJJNR

Right, so where do lamborgini, bentley and bugetti fit in, in this ideal of yours.

JJJJNR

BostonB wrote: »

Lots of people are not interested in having a flashy car. They want a box on wheels thats good value (relatively), reliable, doesn't cost them an arm and a leg to run, gets them from A~B, doesn't depreciate like a lead balloon, and doesn't attract attention. Theres lots of people who simply aren't into cars and couldn't tell one car from another.

Yep lots of people drive toyotas

colm_mcm

BostonB wrote: »

you can't look on VW or Skoda as companies in their own right. They are part of the VAG group. They are targeted at specific markets and overlap is not allowed.

Not really true, VW, SEAT and Skoda all do dull superminis that compete, the Leon Cupra and Golf GTI compete, the Alhambra and Sharan were the same car, as was the Cordoba ad Polo saloon.
The Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg are all aiming for the same type of customer.

dubambman

The only thing i really hate is the big gaudy badge on the steering wheel, its the same with the coloured VW badge on the steering wheel of the sport model passats. looks desperate

E92

BostonB wrote: »

you can't look on VW or Skoda as companies in their own right. They are part of the VAG group. They are targeted at specific markets and overlap is not allowed.

Technically is the Volkswagen Group. In saying that I always call it VAG even though I know it hasn't been VAG for well over a decade, simply because I'm too lazy to write out Volkswagen Group every time I want to talk about VAG:D.

BostonB

colm_mcm wrote: »

Not really true, VW, SEAT and Skoda all do dull superminis that compete, the Leon Cupra and Golf GTI compete, the Alhambra and Sharan were the same car, as was the Cordoba ad Polo saloon.
The Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg are all aiming for the same type of customer.

So badge snobbery doesn't exist then. People won't pay extra for an Audi because its not a Skoda. They don't tweak the Cupra/Golf GTI to make them different and instead of a 3.0 TDI Touareg you can buy a TDI Cayenne.

Its Badge engineering. Which as the wiki says, shouldn't be confused with platform sharing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badge_engineering

colm_mcm

BostonB wrote: »

So badge snobbery doesn't exist then. People won't pay extra for an Audi because its not a Skoda. They don't tweak the Cupra/Golf GTI to make them different and instead of a 3.0 TDI Touareg you can buy a TDI Cayenne.

Its Badge engineering. Which as the wiki says, shouldn't be confused with platform sharing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badge_engineering

Sure, a Cupra and a GTI aren't identical, but they still target the same buyer.
I'm not saying badge snobbery doesn't exist, but VAG do have products from different brands that take potential sales from each other.

BostonB

colm_mcm wrote: »

Sure, a Cupra and a GTI aren't identical, but they still target the same buyer.
I'm not saying badge snobbery doesn't exist, but VAG do have products from different brands that take potential sales from each other.

I reckon that if you asked all the GTI owners out there, (about a billion people just in Ireland alone), what a Cupra was, 99% of them wouldn't have clue. Having learnt of what it was, 99% would still buy the GTI.

How about how many GTI owners of any mark would know what BHP their car has? 50%. How many Cupra owners? 95%?

colm_mcm

I don't know anyone in this country with a Cupra!

BostonB

colm_mcm wrote: »

I don't know anyone in this country with a Cupra!

A rare best indeed http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=search&CategoryID=1&MakeID=27&xMakeID=27&ColourID=&xColourID=&ModelID=244&xModelID=244&Doors=&BodyID=&Engine_Min=1800&Year_Min=&Engine_Max=&Year_Max=&Price_Min=1&Price_Min_integer=Minimum+price+entered+was+not+an+integer.&CountyID=&xCountyID=&Price_Max=&Price_Max_integer=Maximum+price+entered+was+not+an+integer.&BusinessID=&xBusinessID=&IsPrivateSale=&FuelID=1&Mileage_Max=&Mileage_Max_integer=Max+mileage+entered+was+not+an+integer.&SortBy=MakeAsc&MaxRows=50&InsertPeriod=&ResultFormat=&submit=Find+%3E%3E

Not taking too many GTI sales...:)

colm_mcm

Ireland is hardly significant to any car maker.

BostonB

So the topic " Skoda - Now socially acceptable?" was referring to socially acceptable around the world? Not Ireland?

colm_mcm

Two entirely different questions combined! Good work.

BostonB

Its a gift.

galwaytt

acceptable? who cares - you either like them, or don't. Their abilities stand for themselves.

Example, tootling along a couple of years ago at decent clip - - in my 87 911, this pair of headlights came along the dual carraigeway from behind, at a ferocious rate. I being a true Knight of The Road, and knowing Significant Progress was being impeded by I and my Stuttgart Steed, and knowing how us pilots hate to have our rythm interrupted, I slowed and pulled into the l.h. lane with the other traffic.

I wasn't half-shocked by the sight of a UK reg VRS annihilating tarmac off into the night, ahead of me........as they say in MTV land.......respect !

And whilst one poster commented on the fact that a Skoda cost 32k.......I b bet it was better equipped the the VW he was comparing it to.

Longrangedriver

jimbo78 wrote: »

Im liking the VRS alright, got great reviews -a little bit on the steep side though - €32k

Relax, its still practical, and with a bit of poke, there are a few clowns spending €30k on a Sh!tty Corsas out there.

Skodas generally wouldn't be at the top of my shopping list, as I am a bit negative towards anything VW, but Skodas are half decent cars, except for the tight fisted 1.4's, but that goes for all VW group cars IMHO.

Just remember its not a PASSAT or A6, its only ever going to be a working class JETTA.

BostonB

The Octavia (current model) looks bigger than the Jetta. Is it? The Octavia looks to have a bigger boot than the Passat and the Jetta. And more rear space.

Longrangedriver

BostonB wrote: »

The Octavia (current model) looks bigger than the Jetta. Is it?

More room in an Octavia, but I was saying to all the Octavia drivers in my company, and elsewhere, is that they are still only Golfs/Jettas and not Passats, as they are related to the Superb, which is on an extended Passat chassis; ahh, this is getting all too complicated.

BostonB

Longrangedriver wrote: »

More room in an Octavia, but I was saying to all the Octavia drivers in my company, and elsewhere, is that they are still only Golfs/Jettas and not Passats, as they are related to the Superb, which is on an extended Passat chassis; ahh, this is getting all too complicated.

So its a golf chassis thats giving you the more "space" than the passat.

Longrangedriver

BostonB wrote: »

So its a golf chassis thats giving you the more "space" than the passat.

It's VW's fault they forgot to make the new Passat bigger inside, the Czechs didn't with a so called smaller class of car.

I can't find the webpage with info, this is my fault.:rolleyes:

colm_mcm

the overhangs are quite big on the Octavia. it's not bigger than a Passat, especially in the back.