I own the older model Skoda Superb. It does not have the 'brand image' of a Merc, but that was the reason I bought it in the first place. If you think of your own driving experience rather than about impressing people around you, Skoda Superb is a very good buy.
I'm an avid follower of auto shows in most channels and I find that Indian commentators haven't got the guts to criticize flaws in self proclaimed top companies such as BMW and Mercedes. One reason I could come up with is that they might not get a car to review on their next show if they did so. Sadly the show which have the guts don't cater to Indian viewers and it is in BBC. Always wondered why Merc are so revered by tom dick and harry. Nowadays the automobiles are so refined that possible areas of improvement, in my suggestion, lay in fuel effiency and competitive pricing. Anyone can build a car with huge guzzling engine and fill it up with gadgets, they claim to be luxury. But it takes expertise to build one with many features and environment friendly. Personally I prefer Skoda here than Mercedes. I don't want to pay 50L and be a slave to the car, instead, I prefer to pay less and be the king of my car.
Re: Indian auto commentators don't have the guts
by Argumentative Indian on Feb 10, 2011 11:13 AM
I cannot even afford a Skoda Superb at this stage.
However, I do appreciate the Merc above all. The Daimler Benz company invented most of the technologies that are used in modern automobiles.
I find it funny to compare Skoda, or even any VW, except the Phaeton, with any model of the Merc. The Phateon compares, & well at that with the S class. Its like comparing at a lesser level, a Maruti Suzuki with a Honda.
BBC is one of the most biased institutions in the world, an Imperial Colonialist, wearing a Baseball Jacket to fool the feeble minded. BBC still refers to Kahmsir as "India Controlled Kahmsir" in many of its articles. It pushes down Merc, I feel, essentially because it dislikes a German marque. Also, I've seen Top Gear & read reveiws about Merc on the BBC Website, especially on the E 500, and while the remarks were disparaging, they were in comparison with the BMW 5 Series, which I at least find reasonable as a yardstick.
Re: Re: Indian auto commentators don't have the guts
by www www on Feb 10, 2011 09:35 PM
Please read my comment fully. I never epitomised BBC but only noted that their auto commentators dare to bring out the flaws in the 'top' brands. And also I never said that Skoda would be a 'must buy' I see that by calling BBC imperialistic, you paradoxically worship other 'imperialistic' institutions such as dialmer benz. Stop your hypocrisy...
Re: Re: Indian auto commentators don't have the guts
by Kungfu Panda on Feb 10, 2011 01:00 PM
only Indians are crazy about flop cars like hyundai, merc etc. They are not a big deal in Europe, USA and Japan. In india merc has been since long time and people do not have proper knowledge of global cars due to lack of exposure that is why they praise the mediocre cars to the heavens
You can't compare Super delux luxery sedan fm MERC with delux sedan fm VW. fm Lay mans perspective the very price diff of 20 lacs separate the Skoda fm Merc.
The only disappointment with the Superb V6 engine was its requirement of 95 octane petrol, which is quiet sparely available all across India. We had to carry octane boosters with us
if u buy Superb ppl will say nice car and all, but if u buy E-class ppl will say ... ohhh... man MERC, brand value of MERC cannot be compared to Skoda...
You're seriously comparing a Merc to a Skoda...?? Why don't you throw in a Kia and a Roller as well - that'll make a good article..? Where do they get these hacks from - some village in Bihar..?
Re: Is this a serious article...?
by Rakhs Raks on Feb 10, 2011 10:03 AM
Ya man i agree with this looks like a joke .Only a really stupid guy can compare a skoda which is low cost variant of VW with merc...and at the end its difficult to say what is good...give me a break .........Hope rediff will stop publishing this kind of crap.
Re: Is this a serious article...?
by Kungfu Panda on Feb 10, 2011 10:46 AM
Of course you can compare a Merc to a Skoda. First understand that these cars are just overpriced. The same cars in USA would cost half as much as they cost here. There is not a lot of difference in the quality of a Skoda and Merc. You are paying the premium for the brand value and nothing more. Merc is way overpriced considering the fact that you can get better cars at lower prices like Skoda and Japanese cars. The craze for Merc is only in India where as in the rest of the developed world like Europe, USA and Japan, its not a big deal. Its just because of the import duties on CBU vehicles in India that we have to pay 100% import duties thereby doubling the cost of the cars here.
