Choosing a new car has never been more complicated and car manufacturers don’t really help.
A friend of mine who is looking to buy a new car for the first time in 20 years, dropped by at the weekend to consult with me on a shortlist of cars he was considering having visited both a Fiat and a VW showroom. The list included 2 Fiats: Grande Punto and Sedici and 2 VWs: Golf Plus and Touran. I pointed out that he was comparing apples and oranges as the Polo is the logical VW competitor to the Grande Punto. He was unconvinced as he felt the Polo seemed a much smaller car, but then I came to realise that his decisions were being heavily influenced by style. He didn’t like the look of the Multipla so it was ruled out whereas the Touran ticked the right box in the looks department (and he liked the idea of an extra pair of seats in the boot). Another factor turned out to be the limited space in his garage which meant most 7-seater’s were out of the question.
OK, so it’s clear that my friend has some thinking to do before he gets to a shorter shortlist, but the fact that the Fiat Grande Punto is badged only as a Punto with not a hint of ‘Grande’ was one source of confusion.
Another is a more general point in the way that cars are categorised. With every manufacturer seeking to differentiate their products, it makes the consumer’s purchase decision devilishly difficult and they often find themselves, like my friend, comparing apples with oranges…which will eventually drive them bananas!
Let me know if you find (or have found) yourself in a similar quandary.
