Design Awards........
https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/whats-on/awards/caravan-design-awards/caravan-design-awards-winners/
Pity that the "design" element of the assessment doesn't cover the primary consumer gripes with this industry ie , Cracking panels & Water ingress, Load margin, Appliance reliability Collapsing axles and build durability.
I would not buy a new LV based on these awards!!
Would you??
These assessors(video below) seem to be in a different reality to most of us who have actually purchased and really used an LV. Apparantly quality is almost too high to make a judgement Whhaaaat??
Ok am I a sensitive having suffered all of the above over the last year.
Comments
-
Quite agree. If only the judges could somehow use a crystal ball and forsee the coming heartache for the non-suspecting buyers!
I suppose, to be fair, they cannot be expected to do this and so they must only report upon what they see at the NEC. And to be fair, the presentation is first class, with all the caravans all polished up and looking pristine, having been built by their respective manufacturers' 'top team'.
And for those of us who have had severe problems with a previously new caravan, it's very interesting to see how the design changes each year to overcome the most basic design howlers of the year before as unleashed on an unsuspecting public! Our 2016 purchase topped that year's awards, yet should have come with a mental health warning for the new owner!
It'll be interesting to see the 2019 ratings!0 -
The clue is Design Awards.... it doesn’t say Build Quality Awards. I don’t disagree that build quality based on customer feedback is an issue but there are lots of great car designs and designers (Bertone and Guigaro to name but two) to have won awards that have enthusiasts drooling and yet the cars (Alfa and Citroen to name another two) are dire quality.
0 -
There are only so many ways that you can fit all the equipment people insist on having in a rectangular box of fixed volume. UK consumers seem to be the worst in insisting on more and more features which often compromise the design. Pity that we are getting further and further away from the idea of “camping” and appropriate functionality.
Having said that, I’m as bad and love all the gizmos and attractive design.
0 -
form and function should be mutually exclusive terms.....but they seem to be....
0 -
lol, yes sorry Boff.....well spotted....you understood the sentiment
0 -
We do the same......
Our AT M/H came supplied with a beautiful set of deep pile light beige carpets.......
To go camping.....?? WTF !
They are now in the loft and a set of cheap rubber backed "runners" from Dunelm Mill are on the floor......
0 -
You are absolutely right FC. What we could do with is 'Build Quality Awards'. To be honest, I very rarely look at the Design awards seriously. I almost feel that many of the design features are a little cosmetic, on the basis that there's only so much you can do with a caravan. I'm far more interested in quality these days....
David
0 -
Being an engineer, design probably has a different emphasis to me. Longevity, water resistance, chassis, axle (and now Brake) capability, performance and ultimately product quality are all part and parcel of the Design, ref engineering drawings, material specification, assembly methodology etc. Or maybe this has been redefined by the LV industry, Hmmm....
0
