Skoda vs Volkswagen Australian Pricing

[woofy]

Dare I add the reliability elephant that is in the room. After coming from Japanese cars, I have heard so many stories about VW and where they cars are really made and the ramifications, that the only thing enticing me over to VAG was the year on year surveys over in the UK placing Skoda at or near the top each year.

That is influenced here by SKoda HQ and the dealers themselves, but after needing both front headlights replaced within weeks, it was done quickly and with no fuss.

[Jake02]

Great job on the list Jake02, but pricing is not the reason why people will buy a Skoda over a VW and vice versa. All of model ranges how ever similar mechanically cannot be aligned that close. I've always found it amusing how there is a continual comparison between a GTI and a VRS, when all they share is an engine.

Right, thanks, but that wasn't what I was really suggesting. Put simply, people who are looking at Skodas are likely to know that they are a form of VW (which is likely to be the case until Skoda starts being a bigger-seller in Australia where the average punter will buy them, not people like us who have a high knowledge of everything Skoda and everything Volkswagen Group), meaning that they'll know that Skoda is aimed at being a sort-of budgety version of the VW range, albeit filling more straight-ahead markets (apart from the Roomster). So they're kinda the no-nonsense VW. But that's my point, Skodas are meant to be priced somewhat lower to offset the effects of the (supposedly) lower-quality interior trim (I think that the lower-plastics on my Octavia are abit too plasticky, but otherwise it's fine. I've heard that Skoda sell are abit high on road-noise though).

Of course I know about the Superb vs Passat comparison. The Superb is a much better car yes, BUT it's more expensive, so it'd want to be. At my dealer, a black Superb V6 4x4 with metallic paint and I'm pretty sure sat-nav was $66k on-road, which, I'm sorry, is way too much! That's almost Passat R36 pricing and I'm sure that you don't get R36 levels of performance and it's also alot more than the Passat V6. That's how much a Superb Combi V6 is likely to cost when it arrives and that's a hell of alot of money. Counter in Skoda's lack of advertising (they should be already advertising the Superb Combi even if it's not here yet, the name needs to be out there). And the RS vs GTI comparison is so old and so irrelevant. Jetta 147TSI is the car to compare.

So yes I'm annoyed, and yes some of you are likely to slow me down and say that I shouldn't worry, but I do. Skoda brings so much in it's range and it deserves to do so much better, but I'm afraid that because of the people who run it, it's potential isn't being realised.

If pricing was the only issue why would anybody buy an Audi?

Lol too true, and I suppose you'd know (owning an S3 right?) I think I've cleared my previous statements regarding pricing above.

[Frufru]

I am in the market for a new car as my car got written off (hail damage). I went to VW and Skoda to check out pricing for a diesel manual car. Well, you can get Golf for about 27 (I think 1.6CR engine) but in such an atrocious trim that you wanna vommit. Golf wagon with 2.0TDi was priced at 40 drive away, Octavia wagon 2.0TDi was 37 driveaway (this is what dealer was offering, not talking about advertised price); these ones had trim on the same level. I did not bargain as I was more or less on a fact finding mission. So overall Golf or Golf wagon were about two grands more expensive than Octavia or Octavia wagons. I simply dont believe this talk about Octavias being more expensive than comparable Golfs.

[Jake02]

So overall Golf or Golf wagon were about two grands more expensive than Octavia or Octavia wagons. I simply dont believe this talk about Octavias being more expensive than comparable Golfs.

Octavias are if you want the DSG version, but the manuals are cheaper. The Golf is cheaper in DSG form because there's no manual imported, so they can lower the price abit.