Top Gear 2006 Survey : Fiat zooms into top 10, Honda, Skoda top list.

amit · 7th March 2007, 17:39

Don't know if a topic on this already exsists but there have been some surprises in the 2006 UK Top Gear survey. The top spots all went, as usual, to the Japs with Skoda giving them a tough fight. The only other European manufacturer to join Skoda in the top 10 was Fiat. Yes, thats not a typo! The Panda finished eighth overall surprising everyone, maybe even Fiat. lol

Top Ten:

1. Honda S2000 (third year in a row)
2. Honda Jazz
3. Skoda Octavia. (Laura for us)

Full Top 10 List.

In the manufacturer rankings, Skoda beat Lexus to take the top spot while again Fiat impressed jumping up four places. Alfa Romeo climbed up 6 spots compared to it's 2005 position too. Japs ruled again after Skoda top spot.

Top Manufactureres full list.

Those of you waiting for the Logan, maybe you shouldn't. Peugeot, Citoren and Renault, all the french car makers, topped the most unreliabe cars list. Not only are french cars unreliable, but they also the topped the worst build quality list.

Most unreliable cars full list.

Again, I still don't know how Skoda tops the Top Gear and all other survey's year after year, while the cars that all Skoda's are based on, VW, always struggles with problems.

In the area, most Indians are obsessive about, cheap running costs, it was a surprise with the Fiat Panda driving away with the top spot. The car was cheap to insure but more importantly, was economical and had cheap servicing costs too. Suzuki Alto came in at No. 8, Honda Jazz at 9 and Toyota Yaris at 10. Skoda had 3 cars in the top Six! Fabia, Octavia and Superb, all delighted owners with their economy and cheap maintainence. The french again had a few cars in the bottom/worst list.

maxbhp · 7th March 2007, 20:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by amit

Skoda had 3 cars in the top Six! Fabia, Octavia and Superb, all delighted owners with their economy and cheap maintainence. The french again had a few cars in the bottom/worst list.

I wish their(skoda cust) Indian counterparts had the same view but I think its otherwise. It may be economical but due to its high cost spares on an overall basis it cannot be termed economical.

theMAG · 7th March 2007, 20:31

That the French manufacturers are on the unreliable list is not news that would affect a nation's security. Surprising tho is the Fiat entry into the top 10 without the Grande Punto.

Quote:

Those of you waiting for the Logan, maybe you shouldn't

Not necessarily. We're used to far worse things and should consider outselves a seasoned lot.

rahul_intlad · 7th March 2007, 20:35

Quote:

Don't know if a topic on this already exsists

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...on-survey.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/374451-post22.html

sbasak · 7th March 2007, 21:03

Interesting to see that Hyundai is ahead of Suzuki in UK market.

Nissan was always a reliable brand but after being taken over by Renault, looks like they have gone down.

And Mercedes is in 30th place! They should concentrate more on quality/reliability.

MaserQ · 7th March 2007, 21:33

Quote:

Skoda had 3 cars in the top Six! Fabia, Octavia and Superb, all delighted owners with their economy and cheap maintainence.

Amazing. In Europe Skoda is cheap, efficient transport. The new Octavia (Laura for us) is a fantastic family car at best.

But, in India all you have to do is change its name, throw in some fancy (and extremely useful) gizmos and price it well into the next segment to become a 'luxury' car maker. So, do not complain about the maintenance costs!

maxbhp · 8th March 2007, 08:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaserQ

Amazing. In Europe Skoda is cheap, efficient transport. The new Octavia (Laura for us) is a fantastic family car at best.

But, in India all you have to do is change its name, throw in some fancy (and extremely useful) gizmos and price it well into the next segment to become a 'luxury' car maker. So, do not complain about the maintenance costs!

What about Octavia Rider. Am sure its not a Luxury car but on the spares side its not very economical

amit · 8th March 2007, 10:01

What's interesting is that both the Octavia (Laura) and more importantly the Superb are cheaper to maintain and service then the Suzuki Alto (India's cheapest to maintain car), Honda Jazz (City) and Yaris. Even the marque that topped the cheap running costs list, Fiat, has a reputation for being expensive to maintain in India.

Rtech · 8th March 2007, 10:12

What kind of warranty do Skoda give with their cars there? That could have a lot to do with the low servicing costs. If it is a full maintenance deal, then it would work out cheaper.

iraghava · 8th March 2007, 11:43

I do not have much trust in these surveys including the JD Power ones. They have some vital flaws in their analysis including the fact that if you're asking the owner of the car about how his investment in a particular automobile has turned out, then what are the probabilities of him not telling you the entire story just to make himself not look like a fool!

There are other factors too but that is a thread for another day maybe.

prabuddhadg · 8th March 2007, 12:31

I saw the survey. How come the old generation Octavia is featured? I thought the Laura came out in 2005-06. Am I wrong? Or does that mean the older Octavia was better than the newer version?

7th March 2007, 17:39	#1
amit Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 3,717 Thanked: 449 Times	Top Gear 2006 Survey : Fiat zooms into top 10, Honda, Skoda top list. Don't know if a topic on this already exsists but there have been some surprises in the 2006 UK Top Gear survey. The top spots all went, as usual, to the Japs with Skoda giving them a tough fight. The only other European manufacturer to join Skoda in the top 10 was Fiat. Yes, thats not a typo! The Panda finished eighth overall surprising everyone, maybe even Fiat. lol Top Ten: 1. Honda S2000 (third year in a row) 2. Honda Jazz 3. Skoda Octavia. (Laura for us) Full Top 10 List. In the manufacturer rankings, Skoda beat Lexus to take the top spot while again Fiat impressed jumping up four places. Alfa Romeo climbed up 6 spots compared to it's 2005 position too. Japs ruled again after Skoda top spot. Top Manufactureres full list. Those of you waiting for the Logan, maybe you shouldn't. Peugeot, Citoren and Renault, all the french car makers, topped the most unreliabe cars list. Not only are french cars unreliable, but they also the topped the worst build quality list. Most unreliable cars full list. Again, I still don't know how Skoda tops the Top Gear and all other survey's year after year, while the cars that all Skoda's are based on, VW, always struggles with problems. In the area, most Indians are obsessive about, cheap running costs, it was a surprise with the Fiat Panda driving away with the top spot. The car was cheap to insure but more importantly, was economical and had cheap servicing costs too. Suzuki Alto came in at No. 8, Honda Jazz at 9 and Toyota Yaris at 10. Skoda had 3 cars in the top Six! Fabia, Octavia and Superb, all delighted owners with their economy and cheap maintainence. The french again had a few cars in the bottom/worst list. Last edited by amit : 7th March 2007 at 17:48.
	() Thanks

7th March 2007, 21:03	#5
sbasak BHPian Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: CCU-LTN Posts: 608 Thanked: 14 Times	Interesting to see that Hyundai is ahead of Suzuki in UK market. Nissan was always a reliable brand but after being taken over by Renault, looks like they have gone down. And Mercedes is in 30th place! They should concentrate more on quality/reliability.
	() Thanks

8th March 2007, 10:01	#8
amit Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 3,717 Thanked: 449 Times	What's interesting is that both the Octavia (Laura) and more importantly the Superb are cheaper to maintain and service then the Suzuki Alto (India's cheapest to maintain car), Honda Jazz (City) and Yaris. Even the marque that topped the cheap running costs list, Fiat, has a reputation for being expensive to maintain in India.
	() Thanks

8th March 2007, 10:12	#9
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,770 Thanked: 359 Times View My Garage	What kind of warranty do Skoda give with their cars there? That could have a lot to do with the low servicing costs. If it is a full maintenance deal, then it would work out cheaper.
	() Thanks

8th March 2007, 11:43	#10
iraghava Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bhaiyyaland Posts: 8,033 Thanked: 265 Times View My Garage	I do not have much trust in these surveys including the JD Power ones. They have some vital flaws in their analysis including the fact that if you're asking the owner of the car about how his investment in a particular automobile has turned out, then what are the probabilities of him not telling you the entire story just to make himself not look like a fool! There are other factors too but that is a thread for another day maybe.
	() Thanks

8th March 2007, 12:31	#11
prabuddhadg BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 812 Thanked: 81 Times View My Garage	I saw the survey. How come the old generation Octavia is featured? I thought the Laura came out in 2005-06. Am I wrong? Or does that mean the older Octavia was better than the newer version?
	() Thanks