ECOLOGY
SCALE OF ASSESSMENTS
I’m reading the section “Our Acquaintance” with interest, but I don’t quite understand the rating system you adopted. How can cars that are completely different in class and price receive the same points? And why are there almost no fives among the ratings? Yes, any of our motorists, reseeding from "Moskvich", say, in BMW, is not that "five" - "tens" put up!
As in most automotive publications, we have adopted a five-point rating system. The basic mark is “four”, corresponds to the norm - the average or expected indicator in the class. Naturally, for a representative limousine and a cheap small car, this very “norm” can differ as heaven and earth. If for the first “norm” is genuine leather and air conditioning, then for the second - faux leather and a simple “stove”.
The remaining ratings strictly correspond to their names. "Five" - means the most "excellent" from the average level, again in the classroom. In its “pure form” it practically does not occur, since the design of a modern car is reasonably balanced and it makes no sense to put, say, “Oka” super-efficient brakes, although in this case they could get the highest rating. If you put the motor, corresponding to the brakes, then it will already be a car of a different class, with a different "norm". In addition, in our tests, the assessment of complex indicators is defined as the average of several quotients. For example, the body is judged by its appearance, quality of painting, interior space of the passenger compartment, convenience of boarding and disembarking, functionality of the luggage compartment, the presence of a tool, as well as some other parameters. It is clear that the arithmetic mean will lie somewhere near the "norm".
A rating of “three” indicates that the parameter “satisfies” the minimum functional requirements for it. Accordingly, "deuce" - "unsatisfactory." If some design received such an assessment, then it is simply inoperative and does not fulfill its main function. “Unit” is set in case of not only non-functionality, but also a direct danger to the life and health of the driver or passengers. This is extremely rare, but this is how an unsuccessful location of the seat belt is assessed when it hits a neck, or power windows without blocking by force - they can easily break your fingers.
For maximum objectivity, each car is tested by a group of three to four experts. At the same time, their physical condition, car addictions and driving style are completely different. Final estimates are determined, again, as the arithmetic mean.