Knuckles: Emergency vehicles infrequently travel in excess of the speed limit and are not stock standard showroom models for obvious reasons.
Redbruce: Never said the Skoda was high performance but I'd normally expect a vehicle with 1.2L more capacity to at least be similar in performance (gearing and different torque/horsepower requirements for their intend purposes not withstanding) but it is not even close.
The Holden Rodeo of the early 2000's was a much better vehicle in my line of work. I'll admit, we do go hard on our vehicles but the Rangers are in the shop getting work done more than our Falcadore, Hilux or ILoad vehicles. We have had engine, suspension, computer, gearbox and interior trim issues on a few vehicles we've had, which is really rare for a fleet vehicle driven north of 120km by drivers who are not financially responsible for their upkeep