Car of the Year

[dan123]

The C5 is a beautiful car...something that could never be said for the new Superb.

Before you all jump down my neck I have chosen the Superb over the C5. The reason...better CO2, better spec, hatchback (as opposed to saloon), nicer more logical dash....but not looks.

Dan

[jcblincs]

but the looks come at the expense of practicalities - the boot is pitifully small for a large family saloon.

[dstev2000]

The new C5 is shamefully small compared to the old C5. The new'un is shockingly bulky too, any decent level of performance can only be obtained by opting for the V6 diesel which equates to average MPG and high CO2 output.

As for COTY - who really cares? if you fancy a certain car go and test drive it. If you like the test drive, go and buy one. Simple as that.

[Noblemon]

I personally don't take any notice of COTY - same as everyone on here it seems! My issue is with these conflicting reviews you see as I would like to be able to rely on them when, for eg, compiling a shortlist of cars without testing every car in the class. Testers will always have differences of opinion on certain things (looks, design etc) but i refuse to believe that 2 testers get in the same car and one gets out thinking, "smooth ride, very refined" and the other one thinks "rides like suspension's made of wood and couldn't hear myself think"!

[Allams Skoda]

To be fair I only drove the new C5 for a very short time at the launch of the Superb, it faired better than the other French competitor (Laguna) which ended up going home on an AA truck. I didn't like the new C5 especially but it was my experience with the old C5 which has made my opinion of C5 what it is.

[Supurbia]

Anything French is a no no ime, my dad likes a Citroen sadly, and this has just cost him a small fortune, firstly his Xara develops the old electronics failures, £700 later and still not resolved he pays £11k for a C5, 11k :eek: could've got a new one for that, I tell him off but as usual I'm the bad guy for telling him he paid 3k too much for it and that he could've bought it cheaper without the px, everytime they buy something they never ask for advice, they prefer the advice of the guy selling to them, and he will always have a jerk of concience and wanna help won't he.

[Sainted]

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".

[KenONeill]

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.

Have you ever driven an Octavia and a Vectra over the same worthwhile length route? I have, and I know that, despite being a 2.2 petrol rather than a TDi90, the Vectra was no better or worse in everything except straight-line acceleration and rear-seat legroom.

[Sainted]

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.

[Supurbia]

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 rest my case, this VX bashing has to stop, I ran them as cabs for yrs and yrs, overall I was never let down by either the car or the dealer network, and in the network case how many can say the same of Skoda, they totally ruin a good product imo, I can't say where my money will go next, I fancy a Passat but it's due a facelift soon, a Superb will be cartel mega money as the VAG buy back rules will apply and that leaves the Insignia which will be a good buy SH and hopefully have room for rear passengers, if the Vectra failed on one thing it was the nasty dashboard design they put in it, other than that all other problems came from the Fiat diesel engines which perform really well but break real easy also, blame euro emmission law for that one.

As for COTY, what a sham anyway, how can anything be COTY before it's hit the road, if anything the Mondeo should be COTY this yr assuming that owners of it have been pleased with it, it's also been noted the Rover SDi won it back in the 70's and that really was a dog V8 aside.

[KenONeill]

overall I was never let down by either the (Vauxhall) car or the dealer network, and in the network case how many can say the same of Skoda, they totally ruin a good product imo,

I have the opposite experience of the dealer networks. Calling the Vauxhall dealer techs near my parents "chimps" is an insult to the primates, and I've been impressed by 2 Skoda dealers (not that easy). I know not all Skoda dealers are that good but I'm not the one who made the "they're all the same" statement.

[PowerMalc]

Supurbia

'a Superb will be cartel mega money as the VAG buy back rules will apply'

Can you explain what this means please, is it going to make secondhand ones expensive?

Thanks

[Supurbia]

Supurbia

'a Superb will be cartel mega money as the VAG buy back rules will apply'

Can you explain what this means please, is it going to make secondhand ones expensive?

Thanks

The group has a policy to buy back anything of theirs to stop the indy sellers having them, this in turn keeps the prices high, which would be ok, but it seems when you sell it's just another car, when they sell it's a VAG car, it's like starving the market to keep it all in house for both new and used sales.

[Supurbia]

I have the opposite experience of the dealer networks. Calling the Vauxhall dealer techs near my parents "chimps" is an insult to the primates, and I've been impressed by 2 Skoda dealers (not that easy). I know not all Skoda dealers are that good but I'm not the one who made the "they're all the same" statement.

Well you lot up there only discovered the spanner 30 yrs ago Ken so it's not suprising

Seriously though every Skoda dealer within 50 miles of me seems to have either a bad or mixed reputation reading the reviews section on here.

[jcblincs]

The group has a policy to buy back anything of theirs to stop the indy sellers having them, this in turn keeps the prices high, which would be ok, but it seems when you sell it's just another car, when they sell it's a VAG car, it's like starving the market to keep it all in house for both new and used sales.

not sure i agree. there are plenty of audis, vw's, skodas all over autotrader at independent dealers. there are many specialist VAG independent dealers selling nearly new cars.

[Supurbia]

not sure i agree. there are plenty of audis, vw's, skodas all over autotrader at independent dealers. there are many specialist VAG independent dealers selling nearly new cars.

They do it for the first 3-4 yrs, then you see them start to appear on W R Itoffs forcourt.

Do an Autotrader on any VAG car up to 3 yrs old, you'll find 80% at least are franchise sales.

[Bagpuss]

I do have a problem with this thread. Seriously. Why?

Because someone managed to turn the Skoda Forum into a Skoda Worship Dome.

Sounds like a great idea for a film. I wonder if Mel Gibson is free?

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.

What have you been smoking (and can you tell me where to get some)?

I've been unfortunate enough to get Vectras as loan cars on three occasions in the last couple of years, and 'great' is not a word I would use to describe any of them. Uncomfortable and bland spring to mind. I guess a black Estate might make a good hearse, but I can think of much better ways to make my final journey.

Now, I'm not totally anti-Vauxhall. I had a 1.8 G-reg Cavalier from 2002-2006, did nearly 70,000 miles in it and loved it. It might have been simple, but it was comfortable and reliable. I'd still choose it over a Vectra, any day of the week.

As for the Insignia, then it looks like it could be a good car. Externally, it's much nicer looking than the Superb, but the interior design just looks messy. It's got more buttons on the stereo than the space shuttle. Why?

The big problem with all of these awards is that journalists tend to vote on the basis of which company gave them the best freebies at the press launch. Over the years, some really, really crappy hunks of junk have been COTY. Only time will tell if the Insignia is one of them.

Bagpuss.

[Bluefox]

Wow, this has been rumbling on. I was over here because the Superb I forum's really quiet, and now I can see why!

For my 2p's worth, I agree with Superbia about the Vx bashing. The reason I now have a Skoda is because of the disaster of a Meriva I had before hand, and the dealer's handling of that plus my previous Corsa.

It's fair to say that Vx aren't saints. But niether are Skoda, Audi, Jaguar, Ford...

Surely the definition of a "good" car is more than just the car, the dealer, the reliability... it's a combination.

By the way, the old C5 is an absolute bargain second hand (like 2003/2004 FSH diesel examples for a couple of grand) and the HDI engines aren't that bad.

[Sainted]

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

[pauljmuk]

I'd second that Bagpuss - Insignia looks like a lovely car to be honest, and pretty well specced, but the interior to me is woeful (never have liked Vx interiors anway) but this one is like a cheap hifi system (rather like the new Mondeo - hate the interior)

But to say that Vectras are great and was "spoiled" in the UK. I had an earlier one for a year, about three years ago, and in the next two subsequent years on hire for about 5 weeks each (both nice specced SRi models, one an Estate, one a saloon) - in all cases i thought they were lumpy, uncomfortable, dull and uninspiring. Can't imagine the Opel version is suddenly much better?

Good luck to the Insignia though, but bang for buck, I'm happy with my Superb (when it arrives!)

[Bagpuss]

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

Given that the Luton factory closed in March 2002, all Vectras since then have been produced in either Holland or Germany. As all of the cars I've driven were produced from 2005 onwards, then they can't have been built in the UK.

It would seem odd to build a lower quality car, just for the UK market.

I've always felt that the Vectra was a substandard car compared to the competition. If it was a choice between the Mondeo or the Vectra, I'd take the Ford every time. The Ford is nicer to be in and nicer to drive, and I'm not just talking about the current Mondeo.

Given that I deal with a company car fleet of nearly 400 vehicles, I've driven most medium to large cars on the market today, and the Vectra would be in my bottom 3 out of all of them (followed closely by the Zafira and the Chrysler Voyager).

Compared to the new Corsa and Astra, the Vectra was looking very, very tired indeed. I really like the new Astra, so I'm hoping that the Insignia will prove to be just as big an improvement over the Vectra, as the new Astra was over it's predecessor.

Until I actually see and drive the Insignia, I'll reserve judgement as to whether it's better or worse than the new Superb. Whatever happens, I'm certain it won't get near the Superb in value for money terms.

Bagpuss.

[skippy41]

I think they should show the depreciation figures, the Insignia and the C5 will be like a brick falling from a building

[Supurbia]

I think they should show the depreciation figures, the Insignia and the C5 will be like a brick falling from a building

That one only holds for the guy who bought new and paid list, if you want a 57 plate Passat in SE spec dsg you'd best have 12k hanging around at least, buy a 57 Vectra CDTi Design auto and it can be on your drive for 8k right now, so that's the VX for 66% of what the Passat is, and we all know come px time the Passat will only be worth a grand more than the Vectra at 4 yrs old don't we.

For what it's worth I've had a real revelation today, I sat in a Passat cos I fancy one and it ain't that special tbh, I think the Insignia will be the same and the Mondeo is already, they have 2 main faults, no room in the back and styling like a tart at a wedding determined to catch the flowers when the bride throws them, the Superb however has room and bucks the must look like a rabbit trend in a dated but elegant way.

[Lady Elanore]

I saw an Insignia today and was very impressed with its looks. A little French at the front and they have nicked the Hoffmeister kink a bit, but overall a very handsome car ( at least in black with Bling spec)

Edited 22 November, 2008 by Lady Elanore

[dan123]

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".

Having spent an afternoon driving the Insignia at Millbrook on a launch event I can state categorically that the interior quality is not amazing...many of the plastic pieces around the dash move (for example the surround of the joystick controller between the front seats and the interior trim near the wing mirrors to name 2). The interior quality of the Superb is in another league.

The Insignia looks great though....but only with big (19") wheels, the lower specced models looked appalling. All the marketing pictures I have seen so far are of the SRI with the optional 20" wheels.

Dan