Fifth Gear tonight,
Originally Posted by Bada Bing!,Oct 1 2007, 08:14 PM
The 500 looks shit in black, but it was good to see someone else getting excited about it.
And yes I texted in to win one!
And yes I texted in to win one!

Gotta be white.....and preferably the Abarth one.
Can't wait to see one in the flesh...I'm really tempted to buy one as a family runaround next year.
Originally Posted by Shipley,Oct 2 2007, 08:26 AM
Gotta be white.....and preferably the Abarth one.
Can't wait to see one in the flesh...I'm really tempted to buy one as a family runaround next year.
Alfa claims have been disproved (let's not even mention the dealerships)
Seats are supposed to be the equal of VWs - only a moron believes that
In warranty, it would be worth a punt
Out of warranty, I would be very afraid
SEATs do seem to be the equal of VW's build qulaity recently; The septics are bitching about it all the time!
Fortunately VW has spotted this & are trying to rectify their problems.
Mostly though, hacks are fooled by 'perceived quality' - the thickness of the plastic, heaviness of the gearchange etc. VAG uses this (and it's why Audis have such horribly heavy gearchanges!) for brand distinction.
Frank Stephenson basically showed this trick to FIAT, so the 500 should at least get away from the brittle image.
But yes, FIAT/Alfa dealers are still bloody hopeless. At least it allows the lifestylers something less grey Velcro shoes than a Jazz.
Fortunately VW has spotted this & are trying to rectify their problems.
Mostly though, hacks are fooled by 'perceived quality' - the thickness of the plastic, heaviness of the gearchange etc. VAG uses this (and it's why Audis have such horribly heavy gearchanges!) for brand distinction.
Frank Stephenson basically showed this trick to FIAT, so the 500 should at least get away from the brittle image.
But yes, FIAT/Alfa dealers are still bloody hopeless. At least it allows the lifestylers something less grey Velcro shoes than a Jazz.
Originally Posted by Nick Graves,Oct 2 2007, 11:18 AM
Mostly though, hacks are fooled by 'perceived quality' - the thickness of the plastic, heaviness of the gearchange etc. VAG uses this (and it's why Audis have such horribly heavy gearchanges!) for brand distinction.
The only time I touch the dash is to wipe the dust from it.
Remember the build quality of the previous TT? One of the most unreliable cars available.
TBH, it's probably one of those things that did it for Rover; being essentially Hondas, the 600s, etc had that slightly 'light' Japanese thing, which made them 'feel' a lot less well-made than they really were.








