Should We Have To Pay Extra For This?

[MEP's Yaris GS]

They should, or should have. Their advertising is questionable at least. Their latest offerings are just people singing dreadful tunes whilst 'enjoying' themselves. Might work in France or Spain where they're obviously made, but they're just dreadful here. Even my dad who's in his 80's said "oh no, not this awful advert again" when the singing man in his Auris in India came on - again.

So the advert, believe it or not, is working then - you've remembered it as an awful ad if nothing else - working exactly the same way the go compare adverts do.

Regarding Fiat and their customer service though, been there and done that, surprising how often you need to get a legal team involved before they even consider resolving an issue, and their dealerships are just as awful!

If you fancy a long read of my personal experiences with them….. http://www.fiatforum.com/members-motors/306733-meps-bravo-dynamic-multijet-dualogic-3.html#post3553231

[PeteB]

depends how you define "working" - I hate the two burks on the BT adds so much I simply won't have anything to do with BT, even if they could save me money (which they don't).

[PeteB]

I also hate the quote system on this forum!

[Grumpy Cabbie]

depends how you define "working" - I hate the two burks on the BT adds so much I simply won't have anything to do with BT, even if they could save me money (which they don't).

Agree.

I don't want to be associated with a dreadful person on a dreadful commercial. To me the Toyota adverts say "Buy this car and be an annoying pr*ck".

I guess there are two camps; 1, Any publicity is good publicity and 2, a commercial should sell a product you aspire to.

Ask Michael O'Leary about the first! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/11201992/Ryanairs-Michael-OLeary-I-was-wrong-the-customer-is-always-right.html

There are annoying commercials that work: think GoCompare and those pesky Meercats. There are also commercials that don't: think Nissan Almera, the car 'they' don't want you to drive. lol That was a foreign commercial used in the UK and failed. Just like those Toyota adverts are. http://www.jasondawe.com/NissanAlmera.htm

One recent Toyota advert that almost worked was their hybrid advert in a smoggy city with people driving old 1920's cars. I guess it was trying to say that in the modern world cars are still using 100 year old polluting technology and drive a hybrid which is modern and clean. I fear the meaning was lost on the foolish public, hence these new sing a long ads.

New ad agency needed.

[Duffryn]

Michael O'Leary - another annoying pr*ck! Would never dream of using b***dy RyanAir - but an awful lot do!

[PeteB]

Michael O'Leary - another annoying pr*ck! Would never dream of using b***dy RyanAir - but an awful lot do!

Yes, I with you on that one too, but I guess I should "never say never"... - a friend of mine doesn't like them either, but they're the only ones flying from Stansted to a Spanish Airport he uses - the next alternative is BA from Heathrow, more than double the distance from home.

[johalareewi]

They were about 20 years late with heated door mirrors

Toyota did have heated door mirrors many years ago, but they mysteriously vanished (even as an option) until recently.

[Converted]

A lot of this stuff is also linked into the NCAP ratings here in Europe.

A tick box exercise, you haven't got something, you're not getting five stars.

I am surprised the 2015 Auris TS Hybrid does not have some kind of city safe. My 2011 Volvo has this, though it is a pain when some idiot pulls out on you on a roundabout and the car behind is too close. Causes a brown trouser moment for the following driver.

[FROSTYBALLS]

We use the Euro NCAP ratings in the UK, and the Auris is currently a five star rated car. Euro NCAP are considering revising the tests and ratings in 2016, where the current five star ratings will be reduced to two stars, and vehicles will earn additional stars up to a maximum of five, for fitting safety systems like that on your Volvo.

However, the additional stars may be dependant on achieving a certain volume of sales for cars fitted with those additional safety systems - if the sales volumes aren't achieved, the additional stars are lost

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Will that just make it irrelevant? NCAP became important to me as it was a good way to compare cars. An old 2 star car was quite significantly crumpled compared to a 3 star and especially a 4 star car. Obviously you then wanted to buy a 4 or 5 star car.

If a perfectly safe car is now going to become 2 star just because it doesn't have a blub to say your airbag is on or doesn't brake automatically when a car almost pulls out on you, then will people stop caring? In the 80's safety didn't sell. In the 90's and 00's it did, but now all cars are pretty good, will it just become irrelevant again?

[Converted]

Doesn't it just rebaseline the system ?

You said "NCAP became important to me as it was a good way to compare cars.", that will still be the case when you choose your next car, depending on where we are in the cycle when you start looking cars will still be comparable.

The race for the manufacturers to chase the next set of safety features will be on again. It never goes away, it's just the scope for manufacturers to innovate has changed as there are fixed rules/guidelines which must be followed. This is why all cars look the same now.

[FROSTYBALLS]

The one issue with the comparability of the NCAP ratings is that when they strengthened the ratings in 2009, older models haven't been re-tested to reflect the revised ratings. For example cars tested before 2009 had three areas of rating - adult protection, child protection and pedestrian protection. From 2009 a fourth rating was added - safety assist (eg whether the car had ESC) - was added.

Although cars have to meet minimum safety standards, Euro NCAP testing isn't legally required. For example earlier this year it came to light that Audi UK salespeople were telling customers that the R8, A5, A7 and A8 had achieved 5 stars in their Euro NCAP tests, when they hadn't been tested at all.

[PeteB]

When NCAP first came along and replaced the 30 mph dead square into a flat block of concrete test with 40 mph into a deformable block with about a third of the car's frontal area, plus a 25 mph side impact test, the manufacturers all bleated it wasn't possible and it would make cars unaffordable.

Before (too) long, they were delighted to advertise their 3, then 4 then 5 star ratings.

I just know that if the side impact I had in a Yaris in 2001 or a 40 mph shunt in my Gen 1 Prius in 2002 had happened in any of the first five cars I owned in the 70s and 80s the former would have put me in a wheelchair (at best) and the latter would have killed me for sure.

In both cases I got out unharmed (admittedly through the passenger door after the first one!).

So the safety features in any car I buy weigh very heavily in the assessment.

If you want to see something really sobering, try this:

http://youtu.be/qBDyeWofcLY

[FROSTYBALLS]

Just as sobering is the video of the Indian market Datsun Go failing it's Global NCAP test earlier this year - awarded 0 stars: http://autos.aol.com/article/video-datsun-go-fares-poorly-in-indian-crash-test-results/

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Yeah but there's a difference between that crap car and a 5 star car suddenly becoming 2 star and 'unsafe' because it doesn't brake automatically or doesnt have lane change warning or check your alcohol rating before starting.

That's not safety. It's an excuse to push up the cost. Gone are the days of Allegro's where a seat belt was all that was needed. But the stuff now is over kill.

[johalareewi]

However, the additional stars may be dependant on achieving a certain volume of sales for cars fitted with those additional safety systems - if the sales volumes aren't achieved, the additional stars are lost

Run that by me again.

[PeteB]

I think he means they take into account what percentage of a model is actually sold with key safety features:

For example, if a model has four trim levels, and say AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking) is standard on the top version, optional on the 3rd but not available on the first two levels, and only 2% sold are top models, and 2% are 3rd model sold with the option taken, then they are less likely to get 5 stars than if it's standard across the range.

Maybe that's why the newly launched Lexus NX I test drove recently had the pre-crash safety system standard across the range (on the Prius, it's only an option, and only on the T-Spirit).

[FROSTYBALLS]

Yes. Obviously if they're taking sales of models with the additional safety features into account, there will need to be some retrospective action taken where the volumes aren't reached.

Then again these are considerations, so we will have to see whether the proposals reach fruition.