Just found this, the land rover disco 4 only just beat the yeti.

Car satisfaction: how does yours compare?

Skoda may have been a joke for decades, but this particular joke is over... because it has been named the car that British drivers are most satisfied with.

So which makes and models did it beat, and who came bottom of the pile?

Top of the pile

Skoda topped the league table of car makers put together by Which? It managed a satisfaction rating of 88.4%, just ahead of Porche at 87.6% and Lexus at 87.1%.

The make has been radically transformed after being taken over by German car firm Volkswagen 20 years ago, and is reaping the benefits of two decades of investment and improvement by making it to the top of the pile for the first time.

So just why has the car made it to the top? As a Skoda driver I can tell you it's still not about wearing the badge with pride, and it's not about leaving a gleaming vehicle in the drive for the neighbours to marvel at. My Skoda Fabia isn't the most comfortable car in the world or the most luxurious. It's just functional. It was relatively cheap and the performance and reliability are good enough for the money.

In tough times like this, these are the attributes we want from our cars. If we buy top-of-the range, clearly we're in a different bracket of consumer and we demand perfection in return for a bucket of cash. But for the rest of us we just want something that's good enough and doesn't cost the earth - which is where Skoda seems to fit.

The Which? Car report said: "Skoda scoops the prize for 2011 most popular car-maker. Owners love its utilitarian, great value cars – especially the latest models."

Bottom of the list

Meanwhile, some familiar names occupy the bottom of the league table with MG at 69.8%, followed by Peugot at 69.3%, Vauxhall at 69.1% and Renault at 68.1%.

Their position at the bottom of the table, reveals that consumers feel the balance of cost and quality is out of line somewhere. Perhaps they have an expensive model that doesn't live up to their expectations, maybe they opted for bottom-of-the-range and their car falls way below what they thought they had settled for. Maybe there's a little bit of both.

The magazine also listed the best and worst cars in their survey, with Toyota taking the top spot for most satisfaction for it's 2000-2005 Yaris, and Renault taking the bottom spot with the Laguna Sport Tourer (2001-2008) which scored a shocking 49.4% for satisfaction.

But what do you think, how does your car compare? Let us know in the comments.

Top cars

Toyota Yaris Verso (2000-2005) 97.7%

Volkswagen Passat CC (2008-) 96.4%

Land Rover Discovery 4 (2010-) 95.7%

Skoda Yeti (2009-) 95.4%

Honda S2000 (1999-2009) 95.3%

Skoda Superb Estate (2010-) 95.2%

Mazda MX-5 (1998-2005) 94.5%

Toyota Landcruiser (2003-) 94.2%

Skoda Superb (2002-2008) 94.2%

Skoda Superb (2008-) 94.2%

Bottom cars

Mercedes-Benz M-class (1998-2004) 60.8%

Mercedes-Benz CLC Coupe (2008-) 60.2%

Renault Grand Scenic (2003-2009) 59.9%

Peugeot 307 CC (2003-2009) 59.8%

Rover 400/45 (1995-2005) 59.5%

Renault Laguna (2001-2007) 57.3%

Citroen C8 (2003-2010) 53.9%

Peugeot 206 CC (2001-2007) 51.7%

Peugeot 807 (2002-2010) 51.4%

Renault Laguna Sport Tourer (2001-2008) 49.4%

Not looking good for the french!

Not looking good for the french!

Just finished reading a brilliant book called "1000 years of annoying the French." This could start a whole new chapter

Just finished reading a brilliant book called "1000 years of annoying the French." This could start a whole new chapter

what have i started

4 of the top 10 cars are Skoda.

8 out of the bottom 10 are French.

They may be good at wine and food but it seems not so good at cars

Not looking good for the french!

WORST cars ever , and they are sore losers

WORST cars ever , and they are sore losers

From my experience of owning French cars, they look good and drive well (comfortably) for the money. Just be prepared for some hard depreciation unless you negotiate a very good deal when purchasing...

On the technical downside, on board software has not been through the same rigorous testing as, say, a Ford or a Mercedes - resulting in 50% of the problems we experienced being CAN related including uncommanded engine shut downs, fuel gauge going down after filling up, instrument panel going mad, radio ditto.

The other 50% was down to the uselessness of the dealer network, that could only offer a reboot, a software patch or random parts replacement as opposed to correct and thorough diagnostics.

Servicing was expensive, and one "master technician" who looked about 15 had most likely never seen the inside of an engine or gearbox. However, given that French engines power Jaguars, Land rovers, Range Rovers and several other marques, it's not so surprising since it's these bits the French actually get right.

The report was quoted in the Daily Mail on Saturday with the usual Skoda jokes and how the Skoda drivers are now having the last laugh. The parting shot was another joke:-

Customer walks into a garage and asks the parts man for a wing mirror for a Renault,

The parts man says that's a reasonable swap.

Ian