Sainted

- any auto electrics repair shop can fix the window - no idea on the hoist - no idea on the EPC - battery can be replaced at any watch repair shop - scratches - depends on how bad they are What I'm trying to say, is that there's only one reason to take your car to the authorised dealer - to fix the possible Engine Management electronics. Everything else can be done at a much lower cost pretty much anywhere

For this reason TOYOTA headlamp washers are operated via a separate button, so you only wash what you want to wash. And the fluid consumption is much better. :-)

17 inch wheels on a Fabia? That's lunacy, which looks brilliant, actually. Skoda seem to have designed the body in a way it "swallows" all the wheels which are being put underneath it...

Slightly offtopic again, but would anyone explain me why do you think about emissions? Does tax vary from for different emission amounts? Because where I live, those g / km is the last figure we look at, if at all...

Bagpuss, I was actually referring to Opel Vectra, which was manufactured in Germany. Possibly Vauxhalls assembled in Luton / Bristol are of different quality...

WJA, they use the chain, actually, not the belts... I've had mine for almost 3 years now (bought it new in Feb. '06), and done 58000 miles with it now. Not a single glitch in the gearbox. I spent a few extra money on the paddle shift buttons on the steering wheel, but I only "played" with them for around 2 months after the purchase. The box provides nice response in all situations. The electronics is faulty though... Sorry for offtopic. :-)

I drive a 2006 Audi A4 2,0TDi MultiTronic, which is another transmission type - Continuously Variable Transmission. I truly consider this to be the "best" in terms of smoothness and reaction time. When I'm standing still with the lever in P or N, I press the brake pedal, press the gas while holding the brake, and the engine only revs up about 1200rpms...

Let me throw my two cents in. As Argee has stated above, there is absolutely no way you could have had any sort of Hill Hold system on your car prior to around 10 years ago. Even now, according to my information, the system is provided as standart only with top models like Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7-Series and Audi A8. Yes, one might get an impression that most automatic-equipped cars have the system, but this only because of the way the automatic gearbox operates. When on even road (not going up- or downhill) you take your foot off the brake, the car begins rolling. This happens because the hydraulic converter (I might be using the wrong word since English is not my mother tongue) is transmitting some % of the torque to the wheels. This same effect keeps the car from rolling backwards when facing uphill. Regarding your comment that "when ou use your left foot on the brake, there is a lag as the engine takes hold". This is done intentionally to avoid a nasty situation: if you notice an obstacle on the road and rush to stop you car, you might accidentally press both pedals at the same time. Should the engine respond to the gas pedal, the braking distance might be long enough to kill you. To death. So now, on most modern cars, whenever brake pedal is being pressed, the gas pedal cuts off. ------------------------------------ The saleperson should have known this. I am an ex-salesman myself at my country's premier TOYOTA dealership, and we all have extensive product training in order to minimize the chance of miss-informing the customer. I doubt you can do anything about your car now. There is realistically no way one can prove the act of misrepresentation during discussion of the order, and the order documents (whichever you have) clearly state that you have never ordered a Hill Hold system.

Ken, I owned a Vectra (2003, 2,2 petrol, 5-speed manual) for 3 years, and I was very satisfied with it. Not a single thing went wrong (bought it used with around 10000 miles on the clock), accept with 1 shock which was faulty. Extremely satisfied. The ride was smooth, the sound proofing - excellent. Octavia? I only drove the current model for about 200 miles non-stop. Good car, honestly. But I can't find anything in it I'd like over Opel / Vauxhall.

I do have a problem with this thread. Seriously. Why? Because someone managed to turn the Skoda Forum into a Skoda Worship Dome. Face it, it's fine that Superb has lost. And no, it's not because it's "yet another Skoda". Obviously the people responsible for the votes have their own list of things that should and should not be on a car. Insignia (even though I haven't seen the real thing yet) seems like a good car. Vectra was a great car, but the image was too spoiled in the UK - it was "a rep car", as someone put it. Insignia has a feel of luxury to it, and from what I have read and heard, the interior quality is simply amazing. People, if you dislike the car, this doesn't mean it's actually worse. Swallow the Superb's loss, go to a dealer, get one, jump on a back seas and masturbate. At least this would be more sensible thing to do than yelling at "some Germans beating us".

Bassa, small cars are just like this. Short gears is the only way to compensate the weaker powerplants... You will NEVER get a powerful engine under the bonnet of a supermini because of: - engine size - turbos? Price, mate! - price - price - price -price.

Using the same engine on an Audi A4, but with MultiTronic gearbox (variable ratio thing) I eeeeeeeasy get 50mpg city and 70mph highway...

Guys, you seem to not be reading my reasoning. You'll never have long gears on minis and superminis - because you'll need a big engine to power through. Bigger cars have no problem with that - my Audi A4 2,0TDi Multitronic revs ar 2000rpm at 75mph in "final" ratio...

Bassa, this whole high-rev deal is logical. Let me explain. You're probably aware of strict emission restrictions applied to today's cars. To achieve these figures, automakers (apart from other measures) make the final gear quite short, so that you can drive in 5th at around 27-30mph. The engine does not eat fuel in lumps, and doesn't pollute the planet all that much. This, however results in the final gear being found too short on highway. Toyota Corolla / Auris, for instance, revs around 3400rpms at 70, but given it's awesome soundproofing, you don't actually hear the engine. Driving faster, around 95mph, the engine already makes it's presence felt, which is freakin' frustraring. In other words, you'd better get used to this tendency, 'cos it isn't changing anytime soo.

I don't think it will fit. You've got a 3-cylinder engine, while 1,9 is a 4-cyl. So I suppose the entire engine is different, hence the fittings...