Where cars are built for "stock" I can understand why the manufacturer may decide to offer different versions (e.g., S, SE or Elegance) of the same car (e.g., Octavia) at different price points, with different levels of trim and a fixed selection of other options, so that buyers can buy pretty much the type car they can afford - or rather, are prepared to pay for.

However when cars are built to order and when buyers are prepared to wait for their individual cars to be built, it is hard to see why some features are available on some versions and some features are not.

As a design engineer myself, I can perhaps understand why this might be the case with some electical options.  It may be, for instance, that (for example) SE versions might - for reasons of production economy - all have the same wiring harness which would have connectors for all the possible features available on the SE, whether all these features were actually fitted or not, but no wires or connectors for the features which were only available on the Elegance version.

This would be a reasonably cost-effective arrangement, requiring just three different wiring looms - one each for the S, SE and Elegance versions respectively - rather than the cost of fitting  just one identical wiring harness with all the wires and all the connectors for every possible feature, even on the most basic versions of the car.  And it would be simpler, cheaper and more practicable than making a myriad of different wiring looms for each different combination of chosen optional features.

However ... this does not seem to be the case.  Some combinations of version / trim level and optional features are not available in the UK but ARE available in other countires.  This does not make sense.  As far as I am aware, all the cars are made in the same factory and come down the same production line regardless of which country they are sold in.  So there would appear to be no engineering reason why some combinations are available for sale in some countries and not in other countries.

In fact, for similar reasons, there doesn't even seem to be any sensible commercial or administrative reason for this inconsistency either.  To quote just one imaginary example: If it is possible to have an electrically-adjustable seat even on an S model in country A, why is it not possible to build a car with this combination of features for sale in country B?  Readers may know of actual discrepancies even more bizzarre than that.

I would love to read an official explanation from Skoda.  No, sorry: a sensible and honest explanation.  As others have said, to artificially, arbitrarily, irrationally and inconsistently restrict the features and combination of features which are available in one country as compared with what is available in another country is a sure-fire way of antagonising potential buyers and losing sales.

Over to you, Skoda.        

Edited 7 October, 201312 yr by Stuarted

In the mk2 Discovery and the Range Rover that's just been replaced, the wiring loom was the same regardless of version. They just didn't install and plug the equipment in!

Andy