My mate and I were wondering the other day, what exactly do you get different between all the VAG brands (apart from which country the parts get put together in)? We figured Audi gives you the quality, Seat go for a more sporty feel, while Skoda give you it all for less moolah. Which leaves VW...?

To sort it out we want to see Top Gear take four 2.0 TDi PD 140s with 6-speed boxes, Cruise Control, Climatronic (why does the Golf only come with Climatic as standard?), CD player (A basic spec A3 Sportback only has a Rad/Cass as standard), E/Windows, E/Mirrors, PAS, 16" alloys, the usual stuff.

By my reckoning you'd get:

New Octavia Elegance

Your paying for the badge and thats about it.

Being a techie for three of the four brands in my history I will say that If I stayed on Skoda for the rest of my working career I will be a happy man.

At present there is a

Agree with Lum there, but also dont forget the countries where the cars are screwed together as it makes a difference, also somtimes even if the car is built in a country where labour costs are cheaper, the labour difference and cost to transport may still only give slightly more profit per vehicle.

I drove an A3 on Saturday, 2.0TDI sport (which was pretty poorly specced for

At present there is a

Its quite simple really. Let people pay inflated prices for VW's and Audi's. They think they are getting a superior car, just because of the badge. Whilst they do this, Skoda will continue to offer more for less spondoulies !

Its quite simple really. Let people pay inflated prices for VW's and Audi's. They think they are getting a superior car, just because of the badge. Whilst they do this, Skoda will continue to offer more for less spondoulies !

Ok i will be one of these people that pay over inflated prices, ive owned a Skoda, VW and now an audi.

And being totally honest the Audi is by far the most complete car. its better put together IMO by a mile, trim seems better. etc etc

oh and another point my 9month old A4 cost less than a new Oct PD!!

Ok i will be one of these people that pay over inflated prices' date=' ive owned a Skoda, VW and now an audi.

And being totally honest the Audi is by far the most complete car. its better put together IMO by a mile, trim seems better. etc etc

oh and another point my 9month old A4 cost less than a new Oct PD!![/quote']

So when do you get the Seat you VAG whore?

With the Audi and VW you are paying extra for the badge and a LESS reliable car. Latest Which survey shows that Skoda is the most reliable VAG group car. Audi, VW and Seat are all rated "poor" for reliability. Since most of the bits on my Superb seem to be marked with Audi or VW stamps most of the parts are probably the same (engine and gearbox is identical). So it comes down to how well they are put together. It seems that Checzs may be better at that than the germans now, especially since both Mercedes and BMW are now also rated "poor" in the same survey.

So when do you get the Seat you VAG whore?

not my thing SEAT's although i did consider a Cupra R before the A4 came up

With the Audi and VW you are paying extra for the badge and a LESS reliable car. Latest Which survey shows that Skoda is the most reliable VAG group car. Audi, VW and Seat are all rated "poor" for reliability. Since most of the bits on my Superb seem to be marked with Audi or VW stamps most of the parts are probably the same (engine and gearbox is identical). So it comes down to how well they are put together. It seems that Checzs may be better at that than the germans now, especially since both Mercedes and BMW are now also rated "poor" in the same survey.

in my personal experiance with our last 8 or 9 VAG cars skoda have been by far the poorest. but this is just my experience and obviously not over a bigger number of cars.

you will always find people that drive skodas say they are the best, vw drivers will say theres are the best! etc etc

oh and another point my 9month old A4 cost less than a new Oct PD!!

With a couple of notable exceptions (BMW 3-series and Lexus IS200/300), 'executive' cars always suffer from horrendous depreciation, though. Your A4's still probably better than most (certainly not in the league of a Citroen C5, a Renault Vel Satis or an Alfa 166), but that's the reason why you got it so cheap. People who buy executive cars want new ones, not second-hand ones.

It's the same reason why most family cars hold on to their value comparatively well. For example,

the A4 was only

the A4 was only

Alot of it is do with the badge but to throw something else into the equation...market placement.

VW/Audis/Seat ar emore expensive than the equivalent Skoda but only because people will pay that because they believe they are getting a supperior product.

If people refused to pay the premium then the prices would drop....a bit simplistic but basically true.

That's my point. Although, to be fair as long as depreciation isn't an issue, you do get good value-for-money money buying a second-hand premium car... 6 month old 166 Lusso for

Alot of it is do with the badge but to throw something else into the equation...market placement.

VW/Audis/Seat ar emore expensive than the equivalent Skoda but only because people will pay that because they believe they are getting a supperior product.

If people refused to pay the premium then the prices would drop....a bit simplistic but basically true.

i know im probably sticking up for my car too much but there are very few if any areas the skoda was better than the A4. if the 2 were the same price i would buy the a4 everytime. it has proper 4wd, more powerfull engine, better interior, better seats, better stereo, better speakers, climate is better.

im trying to compare it objectionally as i loved my octy and would have another anytime i just feel skodas are getting played up as being the be all and end all of cars.

yeah i know what your saying. just others are saying skoda is a better car so if they were the same price i should have bought the octy.

I personally reckon they're much of a much-ness. VW and Audi might use better materials for bodywork and interior, but the mechanicals are pretty much identical, and the actual engineering will be of a similar quality across the range. With any of the VAG brands, you stand a chance of ending up with a duffer of course, and maybe that chance is higher with some marques than others...

TBH, if it wasn't for the extra insurance, I could be persuaded to go for a nearly-new VW or Audi instead of a new Skoda. But then again, I also like ordering a car from new as I feel it's 'mine'.

It really is horses for courses. I don't think there's much real difference between the marques...

have to disagree, as the ones ive owned have been differend in a big way, handling and ride is a big difference

IMHO the A3's at the bottom so far on my list...

Octy - So much kit - 2.0 Fully specced DSG with sat-nav for the price of an A3 SE.

Golf - OK, dull, expensive.

A3 - Noise, Noise, Noise! Build quality not noticably different at all. (Climate control better though).

I must say,having owned an Audi A4 the difference in cabin quality and fit and finish is phenomenal.The Audi was in a totally different league.Going to the skoda I almost despaired at first but I am now very happy.Even the simplest things like the leather trim,dials and seats.To me it is a luxury car and it felt like it.

The new octy trim is a vast improvement but it is still really like sitting in a golf.Yes I will be having a new one at some point because I have had so much fun and enjoyment and of course I have a nice 1.8T and Jane gets the same pd130 lump under the bonnet of her fabia and to some extent (a big extent!) I get a perverse enjoyment out of embarrassing twonkers in supposed better cars than skoda getting up your backside. I also think skoda is at a big turning point at how they are perceived.

Seat VW and Skoda compete between each other.I think audi should be left out of this particular equation because you cant compare the other three to it at all.Just the dealers at Audi that left me cold and that is a big part of car ownership to me :(

One of the other differences is the optional factory-fit extras you can have fitted when you spec it - compare the Fabia vRS options list with the Polo's!

Chris

in my personal experiance with our last 8 or 9 VAG cars skoda have been by far the poorest. but this is just my experience and obviously not over a bigger number of cars.

you will always find people that drive skodas say they are the best' date=' vw drivers will say theres are the best! etc etc[/quote']

Agree entirely that there is a tendency to "support" the car you are driving but the Which survey is on questionnaires filled out by owners on number of breakdowns, faults etc. So it is not necessarily about "supporting" one car over another - just reporting the facts. Or maybe Skoda drivers were more willing to lie.

It appears that the size of the survey ensures that the results are statistically significant - i.e. very likely to reflect the breakdown/fault rates as a whole.

but there are very few if any areas the skoda was better than the A4. if the 2 were the same price i would buy the a4 everytime. it has proper 4wd, more powerfull engine, better interior, better seats, better stereo, better speakers, climate is better.

But that's just the point. They aren't the same price! I'm looking at cars that have the same engine and gearbox, and although I'm not entirely certain I would have thought the 2-zone climatronic unit was the same too and probably a whole load of the buttons. The A3 is also 2wd like the Octavia. Where it could have been better was basically down to interior trim, maybe the stereo (although the Octy had a changer and the Audi didn't), and the suspension set-up. Is it really worth the extra?

J