More proof salesmen are idiots

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Wed 28 Sep 2016 21:39
More proof salesmen are idiots - skidpan

Still weighing up all the options. Our holiday last week proved yet again what a brilliant car the Leon 1.4 TSI is, 49.5 calculated mpg for the week (1200 miles) and never felt I needed more power (or torque) but we definitely need a bit more space in the next motor. On the journey there and back (430 miles each way) the boot was absolutely full and there were 2 suitcases on the back seat, good job its only pets and not people who sit in the back.

So having concluded a 1.4 TSi is what I really want yesterday I went to have a look at the new Tiguan. In 1.4 TSi 150 PS form with SE trim it has all the kit we need and its within the budget (although cheaper would be nice). Having downloaded the brochure and pricelist I had a few questions so I hoped I made contact with a knowledgeable member of staff, some hope.

Took some critical measurements and it looks like its big enough without being huge externally, so far so good. Salesman proudly showed me the adjustable boot floor, a feature the Note has and one which we find quite useful. In the Note there is about 5 or 6 inches between the 2 setting enabling you to hide valuables but in the Tiguan its only about 2 inches, pointless, perhaps a few files or laptop if you are lucky. But under the floor there is a standard space saver so that made me happy.

The price list listed tyre pressure monitoring as a £130 option but I believed it had been a legal requirement since 2014 for it to be fitted to all new cars. All the salesman knew was that the car actually had it fitted and had no idea why its shown as oan option. After some looking round the car I think the answer is simple, as standard an ABS based system is fitted (rubber valves on showrrom car) but the £130 gives you a valve based system with a dash display showing individual tyre pressures. I am quite happy with the ABS system so I can save £130 but suerly the salesman should be aware of the facts since it appears to be like this on most (if not all) VW's.

He did better on questions relating to more rroutine questions but he proved he knew b***** all when he pointed to a row of 15 plated Golf outside the showroom. 12 cars in all, all TSi's but he had no idea they were the 125 PS version. Best bit was the vinyl wrap on the car at each end of the row which proudly proclaimed they were 1.6 diesels when there was a TSi badge on the tailgate, salesman was not in the least bit interested in this obvious mistake.

So what did I think about the Tiguan. Well its a contender but actual interior space is not great for the cars size. Its big enough for us but the cheaper and better equipped Mazda CX5 is probably a bit bigger, shame I have no faith in the 2 litre non-turbo petrol being up to the job. The Nissan Quashqai is smaller and probably not quite big enough but the Nissan X-Tail is little more expensive and considerably bigger. That is definitely a contender.

Now the fun starts. Need to get test drives in petrol cars and no one has demonstrators.

And lets not forget the Volvo V60 still looks a possibility as is the Seat Ateca. Need to look over both and drive them.

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Wed 28 Sep 2016 22:59
More proof salesmen are idiots - Avant

It's really annoying, isn't it, when you know more about a car than the salesman does. I've been lucky the last few times (Ridgeway Skoda Oxford, Ridgeway BMW/Mini Salisbury, and (particularly) Yeovil Volvo).

The Ateca is quite a bit cheaper than the Tiguan - there's a good review of the 1.4 TSI in today's Autocar. But it may not be any more roomy than the Tiguan: Autocar says it doesn't have the sliding rear seat that the Tiguan has.

Final thought - I never had the problem that you did with tyre noise in any of my three Octavias, so it may depend on what make of tyres is fitted. Could be worth another look (I'm assuming that you've found the Leon ST too small).

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Thu 29 Sep 2016 20:31
More proof salesmen are idiots - skidpan

The Ateca is quite a bit cheaper than the Tiguan - there's a good review of the 1.4 TSI in today's Autocar. But it may not be any more roomy than the Tiguan: Autocar says it doesn't have the sliding rear seat that the Tiguan has.

Just been on Carfile, a broker I have used before, and the prices (after deduction of any PCP contribution) are as follows:

X-Trail 1.6 DIG-T Acenta £19691.50

CX5 2.0 165 PS SE-L Nav £19394.00

Tiguan 1.4 TSi 150 PS SE £21323.00

They do not list any Ateca's so I visted Broadspeeds site, another broker I have used before (prefer Carfile since they don't charge £199 for their services):

Ateca 1.4 TSi 150PS SE £20874.00

So the Ateca is a bit cheaper than the Tiguan but according to the on-line info its smaller and not as well equipped, The Tiguan does look far better value.

The best value is without a doubt the CX5 but the engine worries me and getting adrive is proving difficult. The X-Trail is huge and has a turbo engine and is well equipped so is a contender.As usual getting a drive in a petrol may well be impossible without some travelling.

Final thought - I never had the problem that you did with tyre noise in any of my three Octavias, so it may depend on what make of tyres is fitted. Could be worth another look (I'm assuming that you've found the Leon ST too small).

When we last tried the Octavia tourer in 2010 the 1.4 TSi 122 PS was our intended purchase. Not sure of the model, at the time they had names, think it was the Ambience, one up from the base. It had alloys and some other stuff over the base but needed climate, cruise and other bits as extras. The tyres were 15" Dunlops and the car was unbelievably noisy, painfully so for the wife. So they lent us the next model up which had all the gear as standard and 16" wheels. The tyres were Bridgestones and the car was better but only a bit better than our 5 year old C-Max. We really liked the car and were happy to proceed on the basis that we would order the better specced car but if the car was delivered on Dunlops we would want them changing to Bridgestones if after a short drive they proved painful for the wife, they refused so we walked away.

But the plot thickens.

Been to the coast today, 250 mile round trip, 5 hour travelling time, Leon averaged a true 53mpg (computer said 55.5mpg but it lies). Were were incredibly comfortable as usual and overtaking over the North Yorks Moors on the Pickering to Whitby road was a doddle. As I have said before my only real issue with ordering a Leon ST is the fact that rear seat acess is an issue for the pet crate and I also have a bit of an issue with the looks of the car, the estate rear looks a bit ungainly compared to the hatch rear. But thats in white, whilst sat out of the wind eating an ice cream a Metallic Grey ST FR parked up opposite and it looked superb. Got us thinking again and basically if the only issues with the ST are the rear seat access for the crate and the "challanging" looks in white why not consider a Grey one and buy pet crate that fits easier. Our current crate has done 14 years sterling service so it owes us nothing.

Carfile are not offering much discount off the Leon but Broadspeed are quoting £16839 including their fee for the 1.4 TSI FR, add in metallic and its still only £17386. No extras needed, everthing we need standard. Thats about £2000 less than the cheapes of the cars listed above, £4000 less than a Tiguan.

Since we are more than happy with the Leon hatch that may be our solution. Need to look at other broker now to see what is on offer.

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