Top Gear.

That's the specs of the £28k model.

No, I wouldn't. They're horrible cars - s**te interiors and everything controlled by computer with limits so high you'll never reach them on the roads. They're the result of a pointless techno-race between Subaru and Mitsubishi - it's not as though they're the ultimate rally cars anymore, either. Aside from this, every one I see around these parts is being driven by a blonde bint.

Lovely. But enough of your sick tastes.....

Well, they're hardly likely to underestimate the 0-60 by over a second heh. It will have shit interior though and be smaller, I concur. It will also be lighter, and handle, in a new way better than the Passat though. Of course, if you're looking at a Passat, you're hardly likely to have an Evo on your shortlist anyway heh, and vice versa.

This is true - it's aimed at people who want an M5 or RS6 type of car for half the cash.

I'd have one, despite the Haldex 4wd, just because there's nothing else on the market of that size with that performance for that kind of money. Only the 159 GTA is likely to be close in that class.

That's the point though - a badge is just a badge.

Writing something off as s**te because for whatever reason you've decided

*anything* knocked out by said badge, be that now, in the past or in the future, is, was and will be crap, is as I've already said, the act of an arse... albeit a small minded one.

In that case I suggest 'a lot of people' maybe be missing out on something they'd actually quite enjoy or see the sense in, just because of a prejudice or perceived sense of social elevation they're likey to get from having the right badge on the snout of whatever their choice of faithful steed is, is influencing their choices.

Their loss, I suppose.

My gain, as I sit here laughing at some of the opinionated tripe reeled out in here as fact, all coloured by said perceptions and prejudices.

VW seems not to learn from mistakes... don't their bosses know that there are car compagnies outside the VAG-group?

VW makes the most of trying to bash its own products.

The R36-Passat then: yeah, the world is waiting for them. As it was waiting for the W8-versions... How many did sell? One, two, no kidding all three made?

Tom De Moor

Yes you would - it's a free car... in fact it's a car you're being paid to use, going by the above statement.

HTH

They make a good used buy now though heh. You're 100% right though, they'll sell literally about 10 of those, once you get into that price range the VW badge doesn't cut it, no matter how good the car is, people spending that want a Beemer/Merc/Audi etc - sad maybe, but true.

Yes, an integral part of the car, just as important to some people as the engine & the looks.

Didn't say otherwise, but a vast amount of people also do not buy a car to "enjoy".

Yet you presume to do the same thing that you are actually mocking - deriding others for making their own personal choice to their own personal taste (or lack thereof).

But a lot, lot of people don't buy a car for it's handling/fun etc - it's a fashion accessory in a lot of cases, and some people just want something that gives across what they perceive as a good image for them. Now I've never been much of a badge snob (obviously, as I've only owned Pugs heh), but I must shamefully admit I decided I couldn't have a Fabia vRS purely because it was a Skoda... Now I know these days that's not such a bad thing, and to be fair, if the interior wasn't so ugly I might have thought twice, but still, it's just what happens isn't it heh.

It's nothing more than a badge... something borne out by the amount of badge engineering that goes on these days, whereby some of said fuckwits will spend that much more because of the badge on the front, regardless of whether or not the end product is any better.

Nice snippage of '...or see the sense in' - I've written something off as s**te before, and then having tried it, found it wasn't as bad as I'd expected, and in some cases more suited to my needs than a quick browse at one on paper, previously revealed...

Not quite.

If someone says 'look at the styling of that there car, I don't like it', I can see why they're rejecting it.

Or maybe they've had a drive of something and they've said 'I wouldn't have one of those - the brakes are s**te, and it doesn't handle', or 'I didn't like the feel of the non-soft touch dash' again, whilst it's their perception and all relative to what other experiences they've had and what else they've ever tried and tested, they're basing a decision having gained some actual reasoning as to why something is bad, rather than just letting a preconception or (unfoundered or otherwise) prejudice colour their judgement.

I might not agree with it - apart from anything else, my experiences may be different, but if they are, I'll say *why* they are, rather than just go 'Nah, that's s**te mate - has to be because of the badge'.

The fact it has a certain badge on the front is not really something to completely reject something for, not least if it otherwise meets with what you want from a car.

Indeed.

I'm just giving my 2ps worth as to how I see it... :-)

The world would be a boring place if we all had the same theories and opinions.

It is however a fact, that some people will reject a perfectly good car that meets their needs entirely, all because of the badge on the front.

As I've already said, it's their loss...

As it happens the Skoda didn't meet my needs when I noted it was no quicker than the 206 on paper really, and it was a pretty unpleasent place to sit heh. Then I decided my needs included possibly a softtop, and definately

200bhp minimum... I've spent far too long sitting inside in hospital and home, therefore I need fresh air and excitment :-)

So... when's the R1 being delivered then? ;-)

The Hornet 600 still scares me :-) I dunno how my back will cope with a S2000 or VX220, I'm gonna test drive after surgery to see. I dunno when / if I'll be able to get back on the bike unfortunately. Probably not this summer, and I've done my time as a winter rider, so I'd guess the summer of '08. And then it wouldn't be an R1, RSV Mille R for me - just cos of the sound really, and the fact they look awesome. ALL litre bikes have FAR more talent than me, so it's kinda irrelevent from a which is quickest/handles the best etc POV heh.

Dinosaur. And not one mention of the number 8 and the letter C as mentioned in the program. So what number is yours. Surely for such defence of the marque they granted you a complimentary one?

No, the Matsui section.

28000 quid. That's Alpina D3 money, or six cyl 3 series money, or V6 C class money. Or Volvo T5 money. Anyone spending 28k on a big wheeled repmobile should be getting the Alpina, yes it's not as fast but lower CO2, sublime ride and handling (I reckon the passat will be just good at both, or will sacrifice the ride) and a great looking car.

Then that's just hypocritical, as people may be missing out on a perfectly good car that they may enjoy "or see the sense of" if they drove it.