Mag articles like this really annoy me

Think you might of been hooked there Tel

I'm exhausted just reading this thread - makes me too tired to go out in the rain and get soaked anyway, unless of course I am carrying my LX which has been in sandstorms (slight exaggeration but the Bahrain desert when it was windy), up mountains skiing and dropped in the snow, and of course in pouring rain and never failed once...weather sealing is not just a new feature of Pentax.

I naively took it everywhere since I assumed all cameras were made that way...and some day they might be

A college lecturer of mine used to own a Skoda and he was so fed up with the jibes he did the following: stood on the front bumper of his Skoda, steped on the bonnet, walked up the windscreen, across the roof, and down the boot. He then went to one of his jibing friend's cars and with his thumb, pressed hard against the bonet and left a dent! The Skoda showed no dents! His friends didn't jibe any more.

Nobody laughs at Skoda anymore because they are Volkswagons with a Skoda badge.

Skoda / Seat / VW / Audi now all share the same or similar dna. Floorpans, engines, running gear etc shared with different takes on the bodies. The other differences tend to be quality and robustness of interiors refinement levels, target markets etc.

Seat probably did the best at hiding the family links until the Exeo was launched (previous generation A4 with a re-skin mostly at the front and rear). Still it's a nice vehicle at a very competitive price for what is on offer

Who make what cars these days is anybody's guess, Ford use some Peugeot engines (diesel) Renault and Nissan do the same with engines and other bits and the list goes on, so if a car suits you
forget the badge on the front of any thing, if the price is right (value for money etc) get it.
We have become too ready to oblige the advertising people, splash things in front of us enough and it will sell, kids today wont wear anything that does not have the the right label.
Also look at the TV adverts they must be spending a very large amount on womens "beauty" items, (because your worth it)for one.

Same could of course be said for Pentax/Samsung.

All publications and their editors are slaves to and at the bidding of their advertisers. That is a fact and it really should not be a surprise that in any side by side test the company that spends most on advertising will get the best review.
It really is just a case of job preservation and how can anyone blame them for showing bias. You are not forced to buy the magazine or believe what it written.

I could point to reviews dating back to the late 70's early 80's when there was page after page of Pentax product advertising and Pentax got very good reviews and manufacturers of equally good products did not.

The fact is that current Pentax marketing is a joke. The recent viral campaign surrounding the K7 and its subsequent uncoordinated damp squib launch is further evidence of that.

The K7 is undoubtably a very good product, but unless Pentax gets behind it with a professional grown-up marketing campaign and some serious high street presence, it's moment may pass.

In the meantime it seems that it is left to users on this and other Pentax forums to do their jobs for them. Keep up the good work Danny

Steve

Sorry, but the B7 A4 on which the Exeo is built was the worst Audi I have ever had (and I've had seven...). As I see it, the interior quality and comfort suffered dramatic cost cutting - our Seat Leon was very comarable quality-wise. The Audi S-line seats are to be avoided at all costs.

Interesting, I rather liked the B7 and the B6.
Having owned a A4 B6 (one of the last 190PS GmbH Sport versions rather than an S-line). I must admit I found the B6 Sports seats to be excellent, very comfortable and supportive.
In your opinion what did Audi do to make the B7 so bad?

BTW We now run a Leon FR TDI which is an excellent no nonsense car (I love driving it) but I couldn't compare the interior quality with that of our previous B6 Audi. The Leon is not bad but the A4 was top drawer IMHO

Rather off topic now... sorry. They really cut quality in the interior, especially soundproofing, carpets and seats. The B6 still had decent carpets - the B7 were just like the Leon (we had a previous model LCR).
The B6 1.8T is much nicer IMHO than the B7 version. I had a 2.0 TDi, and can't understand why Audi would put such unrefined (and surpisingly uneconomical) engines in their cars. The poor seats were the killer for me in the end.

Interesting, thanks El Dingo and also an apology from me for veering off topic

I have seen so many reviews of Pentax cameras with the "Pro-sumer" or "advanced amateur" moniker when it (K10D, K20D, K7) really deserves a pro-moniker due to the features. When I bought my K20D, I researched for months. NO OTHER CAMERA had the flexibility, backward lens compatibility, in camera stabilization (cheaper lenses, Yeah!) for the price. My other options for what the K20D had to offer sensor and pixel-wise were minimum $2500 dollar Canons and Nikons and Sony's.

Here's the deal. I'm thinking that Canon and Nikon tell the reviewer to keep the gear after the review. To tell you the truth, I would favor a free-for-me-to-keep camera as opposed to a loaner "for review only." Who am I going to keep happy? The loaner guy or the guy who lets me keep an awesome piece of photographic equipment?

I prefer Pentax. The K20D has many more features than any comparably priced camera on the market at this time.

Look at Toyota, Datsun and Honda in the '70's. They were given all kinds of crap, but were cars of quality. It just took time for the consumer to realize this. Pentax was at the top in the '60's and with the K-7 and Hoya backing Pentax will be at the top again.

Isn't it amazing how each of us as individuals is the only one that isn't biased?
If you're happy with your camera who cares what someone else thinks?
If that review had been heavily for the Pentax, would anyone have complained about biased reports? No, of course not. Apart from people who don't have Pentaxes, of course.
A friend of mine, an ex motoring correspondent observed that when people asks him 'what is the best car?', that's not what they mean. What they mean is, 'tell me why my car is the best'

I don't have a car so what would he do if I wanted one and was enquiring which was the best?