I have a theory!

I BELIEVE THERE is only one car maker out there right now that doesn't make a single bad car. By my logic, this makes them the best manufacturer in the world. Just don't laugh when I tell you who it is.


People may talk about Ferrari, Pagani, Bugatti and Lamborghini as producing great cars but these don't count because they don't have a big enough range of cars for it to be possible to make a bad car (although some still manage it).

I'm talking about mainstream manufacturers that produce many thousands of cars every year and have an entire range of different cars, from superminis and family saloons to MPVs and 4x4s. 

You might think "well it's clearly Ford, they always make the best cars", and you'd have a fair point. Most Fords are indeed excellent but the latest Ka is a real disappointment.

What about BMW? Same story I'm afraid. While cars like the 3 series and 5 series are class leaders they also make the ghastly X6. VW make the Beetle, Vauxhall make the Antara, Renault make the Koleos, I could go on.

This is the problem, plenty of manufacturers make terrifically good cars but they all have that one model that lets the side down. A bit like a family where the mum is a doctor, the dad is a scientist, the daughter is at university studying to become a lawyer but the son spends his days in McDonalds flipping burgers. The parents will say they are proud of him but secretly they wish he'd tried a bit harder at school.

However, there is one manufacturer that makes good cars right across the board, a manufacturer without a single duffer it its range.

And that manufacturer is...

Yep, that's right. According to my system, Skoda are the best car manufacturer in the world. The uneducated amongst you may laugh at this thought but you'd be wrong to do so.

Now part of the unfortunately named VAG (or Volkswagen group) Skoda have shaken off the bad image they used to have and are now producing cars of genuine quality.

Lets examine the evidence. The Fabia is a very good little car, based on the VW Polo but cheaper, it's solidly built, good to drive and reliable. There's also a fast vRS version.

The Roomster is equally good, providing plenty of space and quality. Then there's the Golf based Octavia and the Yeti 4x4. Both extremely capable and high quality yet very affordable.

All these cars sit right amongst the top cars in their class but the real jewel in Skoda's crown is the rather presumptuously yet aptly named Superb.

The Superb really is as it's name suggests, superb. It offers levels of quality and refinement that you'd find in cars costing twice or even three times as much. Add in a good driving experience, reliability, economy and in estate form, a truly cavernous boot and you've got an outstandingly good car.

 

So there you have it, the best car maker in the world is Skoda. I just hope they don't suddenly release something crap and make me look foolish!