NRMA Open Road March/April 2010 - World Beating Wheels

[aslsw]

I haven't seen anyone else post about this article (sorry if I've missed it). Here are a few snippets from what they say about the Octavia RS:

"Is the RS TDI the best value European car on the market? Again, the prognosis looked good ..."
"The diesel power band impressed with its breadth..."
"And it sounds fine when extended, too."
"Sometimes, Sport is too aggresive, holding gears longer than is necessary or comfortable."
"Conversely ... 'Normal' can change up too early."
"... the ride gets better with speed; only around town is it on the wrong side of firm. The RS also excels as a relaxed family cruiser..."
"The brakes are strong but over-eager, while the steering has a meaty feel too it but is a bit dull, giving the impression the Octavia is not as alert to direction changes as it really is."
"... the Skoda is not quite the market darling we anticipated."
"The Skoda is a terrifically capable workhorse, but the new VW Golf GTI betters it for ability, appeal and value."
"Frankly, it [the Golf GTI] makes the Skoda seem a bit expensive."

I can only assume that these journalists look at list price only. For starters, the price comparison is unfair, as it compares the diesel Skoda with the petrol VW - if you go back to the petrol Skoda, then it beats on price alone.

Secondly, add any single option to a VW and you will be paying more. When I was looking, I couldn't figure out how exactly the same optional equipment (albeit with a different badge) could cost so much more when put on a Golf instead of a Skoda.

At least we should be grateful that Skoda is getting noticed...

[K1W1]

In five years time when Skoda is an established brand in Australia it will be safe for journalists to pronounce them as good cars. At the moment none of them have the balls to go out on a limb for fear of being excommunicated by some other manufacturer.

[gregozedobe]

The trouble is, a lot of "average" car buyers will read an article like that and not bother to even look at a Skoda because an "independent" journalist has made a comparison based on just plain wrong information.

For some strange reason he compared the price of a base Golf GTI (manual gearbox, petrol engine) with a vRS fitted with two VERY expensive options (TDI engine and DSG), then downgrades the vRS because the "The VW has a smoother turbo-petrol engine" and the VW "makes the Skoda seem a bit expensive". WTF !!!!

He also states the VW has "even more advanced transmissions", when AFAIK they are identical.

I hope Skoda Australia take notice and force him to either do a retraction, or better still actually compare apples with apples ie a GTI and a vRS with both cars having the same engine (turbo petrol) and gearbox, and include some long journeys on typical (ie rough) NSW country roads, not just a short blast on some smooth freeways.

I don't mind journalists expressing opinions, but when they get basic facts totally wrong and then make conclusions based on those incorrect facts it annoys me (and obviously hardly anyone get their facts checked before publication any more).

[Jake02]

I actually wrote in about this, so you may see it in the next issue. I'm sorry but the whole situation with Skodas being reviewed unfairly got to me, it's happened many times before and I was shocked at the level of inaccuracy, especially from a corporation that criticises so much in society, eg petrol companies. As mentioned above, the reviewer compares a diesel RS to a petrol GTI, suggests that the GTI makes the RS look expensive (and yet a 5-dr TSI liftback manual is a whole $3k cheaper than a 5-dr manual GTI, with options to the RS spec it'd be a much bigger gap) and so on and so forth.

The biggest annoyance however was suggesting that the GTI is a better 'world-beater car'. If this 'world-beater' competition was based purely on performance then maybe, but the RS offers 90% of the drive of the GTI, and yet it's the GTI that offers less than 90% of the practicality of the RS. A 'world-beater' suggests that the car is good in all areas. Try fitting a family of four and all their luggage for a weekend away in the back of a GTI. Didn't think so. In the RS? Done and dusted. I'm sure that makes the RS a much better 'world beater' car. Hello Open Road!?

[gregozedobe]

Sic'em, boy

[Antiplastix]

Its the NRMA, who gives a "flock" what they think. They cater to old grannys and would have everyone driving around at 80 km/h. I think most people (like me) withdrew any interest in their opinion when they sold out and demutualised.

[Bayford Skoda]

Next to none of our customers seriously compare an RS TDI to a Golf GTI... Different animals all together. The TSI maybe...