Value for Money???
No, it's not another thread about prices on Club Sites.
I was skimming through the latest club magazine, November issue (big tick for the club in supplying the magazine in the month it is advertised for as opposed to many other mags that give you January editions at the end of November). Apologies for digressing already. Anyway I looked at the 2 reviews of new models, one for Motorhome and 1 for a Caravan.
The M/Home was for a Moto Trek Xplora for which the price is nearly £66,000 OTR. The caravan is an Adria Action priced at nearly £25,000 OTR. Both units are compact 2 berths. This is not a thread about discrepancy in price between the 2, rather it's about the overall marks each received. I don't know about you but if I'm handing over £66,000 of my hard earned I expect something a lot better than a brand new unit that only scores an overall 70% with a range of 66-74% for the various categories. The Adria scores 92% with a 7% variation between categories.
This is not a M/Home v Caravan thread either.
Why is the reviewer seemingly satisfied with such a paltry mark for the Xplora? Along with the actual unit it is this that perplexes me. If the Adria can manage to circumvent a shortage of space with empathy for the customers needs why can't the Moto Trek?
I know the needs for the Motorhomer and Caravanner differ but my thoughts were more geared to VFM and looking at the 2 reviews I would certainly cross the M/Home off my list if I was in the market for a compact 2 berth but would take a look at the Adria Caravan.
Others may and probably will differ.
Just my observations, no right no wrong.
Comments
-
Trouble is two different reviewers so two different perspectives. Personally I wouldn't lay much store by a CMC review preferring to check out MMM as they do much more comprehensive reviews. I would agree that the score seem quite low given that there is not much in the way of commentary to justify one way or the other. The 6 metre motorhome market is quite crowded, more so than the caravan reviewed. So its difficult to judge what it is being judged against. Clearly, as noted, the model provided was in the process of being upgrade which probably marked it down. In my view the double bed is too small which would rule it out for some. In terms of value a price of under £70,000 I think would be considered "better value" than the norm now with most starting prices in excess of £70,000. Unlike caravans there is a massive choice of motorhomes out there so until you drill down on your requirements its often difficult to see the wood from the trees. Different things will be required by different people.
David
0 -
We're in the process of buying a new caravan, and so have been accessing a lot of reviews covering the ones on our shortlist. I find that most are basically a 'feature dump' of what is available on a given product, without much comment on what the benefits of those features are.
Coming from a sales background, I was taught that customers have needs, products have features, features have benefits and benefits match customer needs, and this is what I'm looking for in a review. Some do, but my experience is that most don't.
My view is to have a clear idea of what you want from a product, taking in your own experiences and those of people you know, and make your own decisions from there. Reviews will help compile a shortlist, but the ultimate decision, and how to get there, lies with the purchaser.
3 -
Full +1, especially your last paragraph.
I think, and hope, that people know most reviews from magazines like the club's and others major publications aren't really 'independent' and perhaps the club's is even less so.
1 -
Probably the best reviews are those that test a product over a longer period where it is used as it should be. They often report back on several occasions over the period of the loan and short comings tend to show up over time.
Going back to Wherenext's point about the disparity between the overall ratings I think that if a rating falls below, say 85%, there should be some sort of explanation. After all you wouldn't buy a car if the road holding or brakes were only rated at 70%?
David
2 -
It seems that the Xplore is at the lower end of motorhome prices at the moment.
I was interested in this van as it was a similar layout to our Adria Compact - until I noticed that it had a window at both ends of the bed, which is fine if you never sit up in bed!
0
