Perceived measures of quality vs. reality.
Discussion
Spurred on from the Audi A1 thread where, amongst the justifications for £30k+ list prices, was the idea the interior is higher quality than the competition because 'the dash feels nice when you prod it'...
What common perceptions of quality have no actual relevance to the true quality of a product?
I'm going to stick my neck out and say soft dashboards have no quantifiable benefit over hard ones.
And leather seats are less comfortable and wear more quickly than good cloth ones.
That's not to say I don't find myself wanting a squidgy dashboard and leather seats, but my sensible hat says 'what is the point?'
What others are there?
What common perceptions of quality have no actual relevance to the true quality of a product?
I'm going to stick my neck out and say soft dashboards have no quantifiable benefit over hard ones.
And leather seats are less comfortable and wear more quickly than good cloth ones.
That's not to say I don't find myself wanting a squidgy dashboard and leather seats, but my sensible hat says 'what is the point?'
What others are there?
Edited by busta on Thursday 26th May 00:22
ukwill said:
Define true quality.
My dictionary says:The standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something : an improvement in product quality | people today enjoy a better quality of life.
In the context of cars I would translate that to durability and resilience.
Edited by busta on Thursday 26th May 00:27
busta said:
What common perceptions of quality have no actual relevance to the true quality of a product?
I'm going to stick my neck out and say soft dashboards have no quantifiable benefit over hard ones.
And leather seats are less comfortable and wear more quickly than good cloth ones.
That's not to say I don't find myself wanting a squidgy dashboard and leather seats, but my sensible hat says 'what is the point?'
For me Quality = Lack of degradation over time. If a dashboard is nice and squidgy, but starts peeling and crumbling in 2 years time, then it's clearly not quality. Difficult to spot the difference on new items.I'm going to stick my neck out and say soft dashboards have no quantifiable benefit over hard ones.
And leather seats are less comfortable and wear more quickly than good cloth ones.
That's not to say I don't find myself wanting a squidgy dashboard and leather seats, but my sensible hat says 'what is the point?'
I bought one of the cheapest new cars available in the UK - by the logic of quality = £££ it should be terrible quality and should therefore fall apart almost instantly.
I think the biggest problem with the A1 is not of quality, but of the fact it has put itself into a completely different category with it's price range - it's not "small car" money but is definitely "small car" quality, albeit towards the high end.
I think the biggest problem with the A1 is not of quality, but of the fact it has put itself into a completely different category with it's price range - it's not "small car" money but is definitely "small car" quality, albeit towards the high end.
Edited by Kiltox on Thursday 26th May 01:16
Caruso said:
For me Quality = Lack of degradation over time. If a dashboard is nice and squidgy, but starts peeling and crumbling in 2 years time, then it's clearly not quality. Difficult to spot the difference on new items.
Having said that, with my old Focus, with 100,000 miles over 8 years, nothing ever fell off it (with the exception of one bit of trim that a mate caught on his jeans, but it pushed straight back in), hardly any rattles and nothing broke. With the exception of very slight sagging of the drivers seat base (my fat arse on it for 8 years, but any car would suffer the same) when cleaned it looked exactly as it did when it was new, i.e. plasticky and crap
Edited by The Wookie on Thursday 26th May 09:08
STOP DOING THIS (* * tears hair out * *) No one said that the £30k A1 was good quality for the price, what people were saying (me included) was that a base spec £14k- £17k car is good quality, and nothing else in the price range comes close. Besides, the OP who specced the £30k had added every option, so as far as you know it could have a downstairs torture chamber, which would certainly make it worth more than £30k 
busta said:
My dictionary says:
The standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something : an improvement in product quality | people today enjoy a better quality of life.
In the context of cars I would translate that to durability and resilience.
Now I think that's quite a key point. For some quality is about durability, for others it's going to be about feel and look.The standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something : an improvement in product quality | people today enjoy a better quality of life.
In the context of cars I would translate that to durability and resilience.
Edited by busta on Thursday 26th May 00:27
Benbay001 said:
STOP DOING THIS (* * tears hair out * *) No one said that the £30k A1 was good quality for the price, what people were saying (me included) was that a base spec £14k- £17k car is good quality, and nothing else in the price range comes close. Besides, the OP who specced the £30k had added every option, so as far as you know it could have a downstairs torture chamber, which would certainly make it worth more than £30k
Yet you didn't reply back to those who suggested interiors which are better.I would rather have a durable interior than a quality interior that fell apart. For example, while an 18 year old camaro I once had squeaked and rattled probably from new, it still had its original interior in good nick even after nearly 2 decades.
The acid test is really how long the car lasts before it has to be scrapped. Quality isn't just about interiors, it is about construction, quality of bushes, brake discs, pads etc.
There is a point where a car becomes unnecessarily plush while economies are made in more important areas like suspension and brakes.
It depends on your priorities - are you paying for something you wouldn't really miss if it wasn't there or built down to a price.
For me, what beggars belief is that anyone would WANT to pay over £20k for a car that looks identical to its cheap brethren. I'm far more intent on getting value for money hence buying a new Mondeo for under £14k rather than buying a piddly little hatch with engraved or chromed plastic.
The stupid thing is that my first car was a 1964 Austin A40 that came with chromed metal door handles, chromed steel headlight and indicator wands, chrome trims round the instruments, crackle paint on the fascia, aluminium highlights et etc and that was a "deluxe" model. Outside it had chrome handles, headlamp trims, aluminium slat grille, chromed bumpers, chromed window frames.
I don't see how mass-produced plastic is so expensive as to me, it looks like cheap tat however you dress up the tupperware.
The acid test is really how long the car lasts before it has to be scrapped. Quality isn't just about interiors, it is about construction, quality of bushes, brake discs, pads etc.
There is a point where a car becomes unnecessarily plush while economies are made in more important areas like suspension and brakes.
It depends on your priorities - are you paying for something you wouldn't really miss if it wasn't there or built down to a price.
For me, what beggars belief is that anyone would WANT to pay over £20k for a car that looks identical to its cheap brethren. I'm far more intent on getting value for money hence buying a new Mondeo for under £14k rather than buying a piddly little hatch with engraved or chromed plastic.
The stupid thing is that my first car was a 1964 Austin A40 that came with chromed metal door handles, chromed steel headlight and indicator wands, chrome trims round the instruments, crackle paint on the fascia, aluminium highlights et etc and that was a "deluxe" model. Outside it had chrome handles, headlamp trims, aluminium slat grille, chromed bumpers, chromed window frames.
I don't see how mass-produced plastic is so expensive as to me, it looks like cheap tat however you dress up the tupperware.
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