Octavia vs. A3 puzzle!

colm_mcm

The last two cars I have driven for extended periods have been:
Audi A3 Sportback 1.6
Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDI DSG Combi.

From the outside the Audi is obviously the better looking of the two, that's not to say the Skoda is pig-ugly, it's just more biassed towards load lugging than the Sportback.
On the inside I can't see any edge the Audi has on interior materials, the dash plastics are very similar, and items such as the stereo and switchgear are almost identical.
Handling and ride quality are neck in neck, and reliability should be similar.

I have never been a fan of basic Audis, but driving these 2 similarly priced cars back to back makes me wonder how people waste ther money on 1.6 Audis.
Choose the Audi and lose, the diesel engine, the DSG box, the aircon, heated mirrors, lumbar support, and a long list of "Extras"

What is it about that badge?

junkyard

It's all about the badge at the end of the day, Skoda's have the reputation for being cheap and nasty and I don't see them losing that tbh but on the flip side, people who buy them are getting great value for money and I'd go so far as to say Skodas are by far better built that Volkswagen. I think Audis are what Volkswagen should be, I've never seen a brand name slip so far down the ladder as VW have with the exception of Mercedes-benz of course.

BrianD3

I was talking to a girl I know the other day and the subject of her getting a new car came up. very quickly the names Audis, Saab and BMW started to get mentioned (by her), and she was practically wetting herself at the prospect of getting one of them. I asked her what particular models she liked and she hadn't a clue! Knew nothing about the cars, just knew that she wanted the brand.

bazz26

To sum it up in two words:- Perception and Image.

Two very important weapons used by the marketing department of most car manufacturers.

And not just cars for that matter. Do we shop in Aldi or M&S?

unkel

BrianD3 wrote: »

she was practically wetting herself at the prospect of getting one of them

Did you verify that?

Esel

unkel wrote: »

Did you verify that?

Damp patch on his passenger seat?

colm_mcm

I know it's obvious, in this instance the Octavia was clearly the superior car. I suppose the people that buy the low spec Audis are paying for the R&D for the more expensive Audi models, That said, most innovations are available across the range of VAG stuff...

On a side note, the DSG box is excellent. Never had one for long enough. Did just under 1,000 miles on this one.

Biro

BrianD3 wrote: »

I was talking to a girl I know the other day and the subject of her getting a new car came up. very quickly the names Audis, Saab and BMW started to get mentioned (by her), and she was practically wetting herself at the prospect of getting one of them. I asked her what particular models she liked and she hadn't a clue! Knew nothing about the cars, just knew that she wanted the brand.

Silly dope. An amazing amount of people are like that. The other thing that drives me mad is people telling me "wow, he got a new BMW 5 series, and it's the sport one as well! A sports BMW... woooowwwww...."
Basically it meant that they bought a 520i with the M-tech kit. Great.

Marcus.Aurelius

I do love to see the boy racers with their 316i and 318i sh*tboxes with M on the back, anyone who would care about it; knows it isn't.

Sad stuff, especially w regard to the marked downturn in overall VAG quality in the last decade or so. Why aren't Hondas etc becoming more desirable as the VW/Audi badge gets all the bashing?

Marcus.Aurelius

unkel wrote: »

Did you verify that?

esel wrote: »

Damp patch on his passenger seat?

Bold!!!

pburns

maoleary wrote: »

I do love to see the boy racers with their 316i and 318i sh*tboxes with M on the back, anyone who would care about it; knows it isn't.

Sad stuff, especially w regard to the marked downturn in overall VAG quality in the last decade or so. Why aren't Hondas etc becoming more desirable as the VW/Audi badge gets all the bashing?

Perceptions can take a generation to change. Maybe once all these youngsters in Civics and Integras grow up, get families and decent jobs, they'll lean towards Accords instead of Passats

Also, I think some people, especially Irish people, equate 'heaviness' with quality... which in a car is stoopid!!

Trouble with Skoda (and SEAT) is that there has to be a certain amount of 'cynical engineering' built in. They can never be allowed to be quite as polished or showroom-friendly as an Audi or VW...

colm_mcm

pburns wrote: »

Trouble with Skoda (and SEAT) is that there has to be a certain amount of 'cynical engineering' built in. They can never be allowed to be quite as polished or showroom-friendly as an Audi or VW...

I got that impression from the Skoda, they left out the little sun visor over the rear view mirror on the new model, and it looks like they went out of their way to make thinks not quite as nice as the Audi. that said, dash materials on the Octavia look better than those on the A3, and things like the cruise control (same as on Golf and Touran) on the Octavia are better thought out on the Skoda.

kindalen

skoda all the way,jd power seems to back up the point.

Sandwich

junkyard wrote: »

Skoda's have the reputation for being cheap and nasty and I don't see them losing that tbh

Not sure about that. 30 years ago your statement was probably correct. At present, I think top quality and superb (!) value is probably a truer guage of their reputation. (Just an observation; dont have one, dont sell them, no vested interest etc.)

E92

kindalen wrote: »

skoda all the way,jd power seems to back up the point.

Only because people expect a lot more from a sister VW or Audi than they do from a Skoda, JD Power is nothing to do with reliablility(well technically it is in the sense that you are asked was the car more or less reliable than you expected) its all to do with what the car was like to own and the fact that the Skodas are no more reliable or mayber it should be unreliable than a similar VAG car means that owners are pleasantly surprised while on the other hand VW and Audi always had a reputation for making a quality car.

I don't believe for a second that a Skoda will be any more reliable or unreliable than an Audi or other VAG car.

However, AFAIK Skoda aren't allowed to make their interior as nice as VW or Audi are(hence why the grab handles in the Octavia aren't silicone damped whereas VW's and Audi's are)

peasant

VW has lost the plot ...quite literally.

By trying to became a "posh" brand, they have alienated their traditional customer base, who are buying Skodas in droves.

Their bread and butter cars, Polo, Golf and Passat are now so expensive that they're not selling enough of them to keep the factories operating at capacity.

They have sunk millions into the Pheaton and its dedicated glass factory in Dresden, trying to compete with Merc and BMW top end cars, which that market clearly doesn't accept (even though the Pheaton is by all accounts a brilliant car)

Their last "peoples car" the Fox is a dodgy import from Brazil ...yet is still mysteriously too expensive andcrap

With all the silicone grab handles and tactile plastics thay have lapsed in what used to be their trademark ...reliability.

All the other marques on the group are doing everything better than "mother" VW herself.

Audi has got the image / premium thingy down to a Tee, Seat has flair and charm, and Skoda is the new "peoples car".

VW is somewhat superflous these days....