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I’m due to order 10th February and need an SUV position for comfort (I have degenerative cervical myelopathy and am covered in metal rods pins and a battery in my hip for a spinal cord stimulator ) so number one priority for me is comfort and this car is my lifeline. Having researched and taken advice here ( thanks @oscarmax and @kezo) I’ve narrowed my choice down to an Audi q4 etron, a Skoda Enyaq and a Hyundai Ionic 5. I did want to look at a Volkswagen ID4 but you’ll understand why that’s out shortly.
For background I’m female and my husband ( non disabled) is 6ft 7 so for obvious reasons I wanted him to sit in the cars to check he can actually see to drive before we test drive.I’ll start with the positives; Audi couldn’t have been more accommodating. Utterly superb, when I told them it was a motability car they didn’t blink. All staff are trained and I’ve been made to feel like a normal buyer. That this stands out as excellent treatment probably indicates where the rest of this tale is leading.
Also pretty good were Hyundai, they do have specialists but were lovely in the showroom helpful and knowledgeable. Oh my goodness those seats are comfortable in that car. Like sitting on marshmallows.
However, Volkswagen and Skoda really have made me wonder if I even want a car from them. Skoda when I visited today had no Enyaqs in the showroom the salesman once I managed to make him talk to me and not over my head to my husband said it’s because‘they’re on the motability scheme now and every time we get one in ‘they’ order them’ apparently oblivious to my walking stick and shuffle. I told him he had one outside and explained could my husband sit in one? After a lot of searching keys were found. The seats were a manual adjustment an absolute no for me and when I asked if electric versions are available outside of the max pack I was told no. ( I now know that’s not true and we can order an edition version) but that would have been a deal breaker for me. It’s such a good car I will still test drive this but if the Audi AP stays at £3999 I think they will have the order.
As a sad little epilogue I initially felt the ID4 would be my number one choice given the AP and performance akin to the Skoda and Audi. I messaged them last Saturday to arrange a test drive an excited salesman rang but on hearing it was a motability order the disappointment in his voice was audible ( I get it, they have targets) on Monday their motability ‘ specialist’ texted me to say they’d be in touch to arrange a test drive asap. Tumbleweed since. Nada.
I know it can vary from town to town and people might have different experiences from their local dealers. Isn’t it time we started ranking this on one thread and holding them to account?
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I went to Toyota and they were great, I phoned at 9am and they arranged a test drive within the hour and they let me drive to different trim levels so I could pick. I then went to Skoda to see the Enyaq but the salesman was quite rude and when I asked to see the boot he said he couldn’t open it. He then proceeded to tell me that the car sells itself which is lucky for him as he was useless. I went straight back to Toyota and ordered from them.
So sorry you had that experience with those two retailers.
Have you considered the Volvo xc40? We had fantastic service from them and it has great head room and memory seat adjustment. I’ve ordered one after a great test drive, great AP, so thought I would just mention it.Good luck with whatever you choose.
@ellyr5 I have and I don’t know why I’ve discounted it!!! just plethora of choice I think. Thanks for the reminder I’ll add in back on and have a look.
@mishmash I honestly felt like dirt on his shoe on Skoda and although I will still test drive if things don’t change even if it’s the best car if the bunch I won’t be ordering it.
<p style=”text-align: left;”></p>I’m just a bit under 6′ 6″ (old age shrinking!) and I sat in the VW, Audi and Skoda. Out of all them the Skoda was the only one I felt comfortable in. I’ve had an 85x Sportline Plus for 2 weeks, and while I have my issues with the quality of the “upgraded” stereo system (part of the £2035 Advanced Pack) the car itself is very comfortable and smooth to drive.
The Edition trim, as you said, has an electric drivers seat as well as heated seats and steering wheel. I’d find another Skoda dealer and have a good look at it and a long test drive. If you do low mileage trips the 60 Edition at £499 to £699 is a steal, however I’d go for the 85 Edition (from £1,499 to £1,699) as they have the newer battery tech, motor and software. And of course you may qualify for the £750 new car payment reducing your cost 🙂
Please excuse spelling/typos. Apart from being a clot it turns out I had one on my cerebellum that's now causing various problems!
@phaedra yes you’re right a different dealer might be needed. My condition was caused by a broken neck in a car crash ( fixed at the time but caused degenerative changes) so large safe cars are important to me and the Skoda definitely ticks that box as does the Audi the Ioniq feels a little lower and not quite as sturdy but I’m sure that’s just my understandable heightened concern. As @ellyr5 said the xc40 should be on my list too. It’s tricky for you tall people as I’m sure you know all too well a car can look large and be absolutely shocking for headroom ( I’m looking at YOU Q1 ) conversely my husband fitted in my daughter’s Peugeot 107. ?♀️
As a sad little epilogue I initially felt the ID4 would be my number one choice given the AP and performance akin to the Skoda and Audi.
They are all the same underneath and have the same power. AP wise, I think the id4 and Enyak are closely matched.
Non EV wise the Kia Sportage full hybrid and PHEVs are probably the roomiest of its class along with the Tuscon
The Ioniq 5 Ultimate is nice, even nicer with the Tech pack and has alot of bells and whistles including ventillated seats. It also has more of an open space at the front than the Enyak,should hubby want to move hs legs about.
Nissan Ariya, is roomy to, althugh Ive heard some have had several issues.
As you say, each dealership is different and the service you get is very related to individuals.
For me, I’ve always found my l8cal Skoda dealership has always been excellent, same with the local Hyubdai.
I wouldn’t ever go near the local Peugeot and Seat dealers again.i found the Q4 etron not as nice as the Enyaq, due to the small centre screen and the high door casings which makes it dark and claustrophobic,the Id4 feelt cheap and not as nice as the Enyaq or tge Audi, or yhe ionic
@Phaedra I’m just grateful mines only 5ft 8 ?
Which dealer you end up with could make a huge difference to the experience of your years of ownership. The car will need regular servicing and, should anything go wrong, further visits for repairs. If they’re not keen with Motability customers, could you have great difficulty getting booked in?
I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.Mark
@mfillingham 100% what is on my mind. My Mitsubishi outlander has been a fantastic car but the dealership and servicing has been dreadful. They do Jeep and Suzuki now Mitsubishi has exited the UK and for that reason alone I’ve not even considered those cars.
Oh fun… just had an email from Volkswagen titled
“what are you waiting for”
to which I childishly responded :
‘Well for one thing I’m waiting for your motability specialist who texted me on Monday morning saying they’d arrange a test drive as soon as possible to actually fulfil this promise and actually phone me. ’
@mfillingham 100% what is on my mind. My Mitsubishi outlander has been a fantastic car but the dealership and servicing has been dreadful. They do Jeep and Suzuki now Mitsubishi has exited the UK and for that reason alone I’ve not even considered those cars.
I was in the same position our Mitsubishi dealership were excellent we had not even booked a test drive but the dealer offered us a 24 hour test drive immediately, we decide on a couple of hours, up to that point excellent.
After Mitsubishi UK exit MG took over as caretakers immediately thing went downhill the last 2 services were appalling they even got the dates and mileage wrong, when I confronted the manager he stated our contract is with Motability not us.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally I get confused and often say the wrong thing.
Oh fun… just had an email from Volkswagen titled “what are you waiting for” to which I childishly responded : ‘Well for one thing I’m waiting for your Motability specialist who texted me on Monday morning saying they’d arrange a test drive as soon as possible to actually fulfil this promise and actually phone me. ’
Our local VW dealer would not even look at their demonstrator let alone test drive, this time when looking for a replacement we did not even bother to contact them.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally I get confused and often say the wrong thing.
The treatment I received at the local VW group in N Ireland put me of dealership for life!
The Skoda dealer was even worse, soon as we mentioned the magic word Motability
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally I get confused and often say the wrong thing.
The treatment I received at the local VW group in N Ireland put me of dealership for life!
The Skoda dealer was even worse, soon as we mentioned the magic word Motability
Hasn’t the VW group now moved to an agency model in the UK?
The treatment I received at the local VW group in N Ireland put me of dealership for life!
The Skoda dealer was even worse, soon as we mentioned the magic word Motability
Hasn’t the VW group now moved to an agency model in the UK?
It was back in 2020 we were after a Skoda Superb Estate PHEV, what’s an agency model
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally I get confused and often say the wrong thing.
Only had one bad experience so far. That was at a DS dealership, the Motability specialist wasn’t there but we dealt with a normal salesman. He rolled his eyes when i mentioned Motability, asked if i could see the DS4 and he just pointed outside to one. He sighed when i asked if i could sit in one.
Car History:
Ford Fiesta
Vauxhall Astra Mk6
Mazda 3
BMW 2 Series Coupe
Mercedes A Class
Vauxhall Astra Mk8 (Lease ended early)
Renault AustralI found the seats in the BZ4x to be the most comfortable and it was a lovely drive, I preferred it to the Enyaq and they treated me better. Also delivery was only 3 weeks. So far it’s been great and now it’s not -1 outside I’m seeing over 200 miles which will increase when it gets warmer.
I found the seats in the BZ4x to be the most comfortable and it was a lovely drive, I preferred it to the Enyaq and they treated me better. Also delivery was only 3 weeks. So far it’s been great and now it’s not -1 outside I’m seeing over 200 miles which will increase when it gets warmer.
it’s the range people are reporting that’s put me off the Toyota. I know none of them do the stated range but it did seem a little low. It looks a great car though.
I only need max 50 mile journeys most of the time but I do do an occasional 250 round trip.
It was back in 2020 we were after a Skoda Superb Estate PHEV, what’s an agency model
This should explain it mate. Only applies to electric models,
To be honest the fwd has similar range to the Enyaq it’s the awd that has an issue with range. I don’t understand why the Toyota is getting so much criticism, I’ve had Audis, Volvos and this is as nice as any of them. I would check it out as the seats are the closest in comfort too the Volvo. It’s also worth asking for a discount.
@mishmash will do. It was just the range issue. It looks lovely. One of my favourite previous cars was a Prius.
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