Did a couple of hundred miles in one the other day, nicely refined CR motor, pulled strongly from 2000 to 3000 though not as punchy below 1800 as my Mondeo, quite rapid progress possible though didnt really feel like 170 bhp. Also 6th gear too high needing down changes at anything below 60 mph.
Ride harsher than my Focus ST, particularly ridges thumping through the rear suspension though at the same time not as sharp steering.
Nice interior, in fact it would be picky to fault it, clear dash, well equipped. And the exterior looks quite tasteful in silver or metallic black.
A good family car with a sporting edge though I reckon I would seriously consider the 2.0T.
|
I'm a fully paid up member of this fan club. Although i've got the car lovers choice, the petrol!
The ride is under damped i think. So much so i'm going boy racer and sticking aftermarket shocks (& lowering springs hence the boy racer bit) on it. There;s a lot of bump steer in the golf mk5 chassis (octavia, audi TT etc.) and it takes some £150 of aftermarket parts to move the tie rod ends to eliminate this. Stiffer rear anti roll bar is a common prescription to sharpen the steering and if it's to be a track car, an upgraded front ARB and a very very hard rear.
Dash is a bit plain over at the passenger side especially. Could do with a little detail to break up the monotony, IMO.
The 2.0T is the better choice i think. The skoda brochure has a mistake, it lists the car as 200bhp, but since the Special Edition & Facelift it's 208bhp, and achieves peak torque 100rpm lower at 1700rpm (which it holds up to ~6k rpm).
Not that it really matters because this engine is phenomenal. It's all about the torque. Where the ST is peaky and doesn't hold the power as long, this engine (and it's predecessor) hold the power over a very wide band of the power range.
A remap is a lucrative change on this engine, and a £400 lighter wallet will give you 260bhp and 290 lb/ft torque, but again the peak figures aren't the headline with this engine, it's how long it manages to hold that power across the rev range.
Last edited by: CraigP on Tue 29 Jun 10 at 11:49
|
Just re-read what i wrote
>> Where the ST is peaky
That comes across very "my willy is bigger".
On reflection, it probably is :-P
Forgot to mention fuel economy for the petrol. Hammering it (i loooooooove the acceleration and the turbo) i really struggle to get below 30mpg. The higher tuned version of these engines in the Leon Cupra R (240ps with bigger k04 turbo) as at Knockhill show mid teens for fuel economy. Those are cars that are *only* used on track, they are only ever full throttle or full brake pedal and never anything in between.
Last few tanks i've started off trying to do a brim to brim economy run, i kept getting carried away but this time i'm sticking to it. Should turn in ~42mpg combined (currently done 255 miles and just past the halfway indicator on the fuel guage, 55 litre tank, 44 litres added last fill). This is normal driving no fancy tricks (coasting out of gear or worse) just no heavy right foot.
In summary: wow! :-)
|
Good info
Though an ST peaky, I am talking MkII 2.5T not the Mk1 170, it pulls smoothly and like a train from 1000 rpm with TD like stomp and a fighter jet rush from 4000 particularly on V-Power where it is supposed to give nearly 250 bhp.
The ST will give over 30mpg on a run though when driven enthusiastically it is 27 - 28, less I am sure on a track.
|
|
I'm only yanking your chain Cheddar :-P blue oval goading by closet blue oval admirers is an officially recognised olympic sport.
|
Sounds good, CraigP. :-)
It had a good act to follow in the old 20v 1.8T. In my Golf, I haven't yet got less than 30 mpg over a tankful even when caning it, and I have seen over 40 mpg a couple of times. The engine is also remarkably flexible. On a busy motorway where the traffic keeps slowing, I never come out of top unless below 40 mph, and it still gives enough at these speeds to keep up with the traffic flow. You can feel the turbo working with as little as 1500 RPM on the dial, and peak torque is at 2000 RPM.
|
Mine (same model as the one Cheddar has driven) has done 14,000 miles in 14 months (would be 16,000 if it hadn't been away for a month being stolen and recovered!) - no problems and lots of fun. It's basically a Golf GTI estate (GTD actually) and suits my needs perfectly
I agree that the ride is harder than I'd like: the sporty tyres are partly to blame and they were also useless in the snow. This is the first car I've had to buy winter tyres for. I'd be tempted to put 17" wheels on it (as on other Octavias) but if the suspension has been set up for 18s that might cause problems. Any expert like to comment on that issue?
The CR diesel engine is excellent - refined (especially compared with the PD) and torqey - but so is the 2.0 T FSI petrol, and with my annual mileage slightly lower than before I'll be tempted by this next time. I'll also look at the Fabia vRS which you can have as an estate.
There's a bit of me that wants a Golf GTI - but the extra room comes in so useful even with the children grown up. Yesterday if I'd had a GTI I'd have had to pay to have a flat-pack garden storage cupboard delivered - easily swallowed by the Octavia. But the main thing is that it's great to drive. And, as I've said before, it's £6,000 less to buy than an A4 Avant with the same mechanicals.
Last edited by: Avant on Tue 29 Jun 10 at 19:26
|
It's hard to pick real faults and to be fair although we've all picked on the ride, it is supposed to be the sports model and from that point of view, it doesn't half hang on.
In fact, if i hadn't experienced the lateral grip first hand on a track (under instruction) i just would plain, flat not believe it.
Coming out of turn 2 at knockhill, a 90 degree left hander off a downhill, where you need to get hard over to the left in prep for turn 3, the lateral grip to cross the track right to left there is insane, you can sustain the turn so long and so hard that your neck and every muscle in the body is completely fighting the sideways g-forces and all the while the car just stays planted.
The brakes too on track, phwoar! haha prime the brakes before you use them then you can maintain the tread blocks on the tyres squealing for a bit while you see if you can get the instructors nose closer to the windscreen this time!
Totally recommend a day out at the track.
Last edited by: CraigP on Tue 29 Jun 10 at 22:12
|
>>Totally recommend a day out at the track
Talking of track days, I'd have liked to have been a passenger in this. Watch the speedo.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h3I_GTBKLw
|
Craig but how did it do at the "Real Radio" hairpin???
Fantastic viewing corner on the Touring Cars!
|
|
I have about 12 months before I choose/order a new car. For cost reasons the Skoda has to be on the list - but estate for looks I think. Other options will be saloons or 5 doors... but I am not sure I'd go for a VRS. I might go for the top of the range instead. i.e. the Laurin and Klement although maybe an Elegance.
|
Rob, buying a skoda is torture. Skoda UK are, well i don't have any polite words for them.
All the insanity you'll experience:
- blatantly incorrect brochures that are republished time and again without being fixed
- dodgy spec constraints
-- no folding mirrors on a UK vrs
-- No reversing cameras (unless you retrofit it yourself from a golf)!!
-- no bluetooth without an auto gearbox on the Vrs
- unclear offers with noone able to clarify (dealer or skoda uk)
- the worst website in the business etc. etc.
The annoying thing is it's all Skoda UK. Skoda Europe are really sensible, offer exactly what you'd expect.
|
Thanks Craig. Actually created a quote for the K+L and Elegance in estate form. About £40/mnth difference pre tax as what I'd pay. Both less than my allowance though :-) So I'd pay tax on the difference.
My Mazda6 is so comfy (wife needs good seats wand the previous Mondeo Ghia was not that car!) then the next needs to also be comfortable. Saving money is only part of it. I might go for a car big enough and a saloon.... an Audi A4.
|
|
*begin hobby horse* Don't forget to order the missing Curtain airbags and ESP which are standard on just about every other car in the class when you get your Octavia *end- hobby horse*
Last edited by: idle_chatterer on Tue 29 Jun 10 at 23:19
|
ESP's standard across the range, but there's 2 versions, there's an upgraded version (newer, more features) for the base spec models, standard on higher spec.
Curtain airbags are extra, as is the spare wheel, which costs £55, i'd prefer it was free but you couldn't buy the bridgestone tyre for £55 never mind the full size steel wheel (not space saver despite the brochure!) + toolkit.
There's lots of small differences between the hatch and the estate, the estate comes with quite a few more bits and bobs at the back (permanant live) power socket in the boot; extra folding hooks for your shopping bags, extra storage compartment etc.
A visit to briskoda.net and drivethedeal.com in that order if buying a Skoda would be my recommendation.
You'd never tell from my posts that i like this car... Here's mine the day i got it, never taken any proper pics yet :-(
picasaweb.google.com/106022899596357479599/OctyVrsFL
|
Don't mis-understand me, I like Skodas an fact 2 of my in-laws have them (Fabia and Superb, formerly an Octavia Estate).
My company car scheme has taken a marked turn for the worse, supposedly in the name of greenness but penny pinching really, when looking to replace my 330d next year the Superb estate will be high on my list of candidates.
I still think any car in this class should have full ESP and every possible airbag as standard (the Octavia's Golf and Seat brethren do and so does the Focus, Astra, Auris, Civic etc let alone Mondeos and their ilk). As these are options which many won't think to select this means that many (most ?) Octavias on the road don't actually qualify for all for all of their NCAP stars etc, I guess it depends whether you think the car should be £300 more in the first place and properly equipped or not....
Then there's that awful 140PD engine instead of the much nicer 143PS CR available in just about every other VAG car, I guess it's all down to brand differentiation - with Skoda very much the poor relation?
|
>> I still think any car in this class should have ... every possible airbag as standard
Yeah i tend to agree, if it's a proven effective safety technique then it should be implemented far and wide.
>> Then there's that awful 140PD engine instead of the much nicer 143PS CR available in just about every other VAG car
Yeah seems in some ways it's a step forward and in others not so much. I think emissions laws will all but kill diesel over the coming years.
Maybe not.
|
Corax that is insane, that guy has nerves of steel, the wee green throttle bar is scary, he's got his foot on the floor boards right through some of the scariest bits!
Bobby haha depends how close you are spectating there! It's the favourite spot on the track for losing wheels!! A few spectators have had close shaves there.
Last edited by: CraigP on Tue 29 Jun 10 at 23:02
|
Craig, cracking looking car, I still miss my Fabia vrS though the latest reports on the new model don't seem too great. Is yours the same colour as the original Fabia vrS special edition run-out model?
Will keep an eye out for you, are you in Lanarkshire? That street looks familar though I guess many new estatess are built the same way (is that 2 estates in the one thread!) :-)
|
Yeah it's the same Race Blue, looks really good in the flesh, came out quite dark on the iphone though.
Haha another thread split :-) Yeah i'm in the fields between Carfin, Newarthill and Cleland. Delivery drivers can never find me :-(
|
>>Corax that is insane
It gives me goose bumps when I watch it. It's so fast it's almost like a speeded up film. There are other cars on the Nurburgring like the Corvette ZR1 and Dodge Viper that are fast, but there is a lot of tyre squealing and sliding where the Radical handles like, well, a Radical. And the thing is road legal.
By the way, really nice car, judging by your photos. I see that they've changed the seat colour, I always thought the white inserts on the older car would really show up dirt.
Last edited by: corax on Wed 30 Jun 10 at 20:57
|
>> Radical handles like, well, a Radical.
A radical must be getting into bike territory for thrills. I couldn't physically do what that drivers doing so it'd be wasted on me, much as i would love to experience it!
>> By the way, really nice car, judging by your photos. I see that they've changed the seat colour
Cheers corax, i still love my BMW and drive it regularly so there's no chance of me deserting the best general consumer marque on the planet :-P
They still do the white seats by default -- half leather with that white cloth in the middle. They do look more interesting than the full leather seats but they'd never keep. When i ordered, i was lead to believe i was getting these beauties --> www.testdriven.co.uk/photos/210109sko.jpg but they were only fitted to the "special edition", ho hum.
|
>>they were only fitted to the "special edition", ho hum
ooh matron, they look nice. If I was expecting those and didn't get them, I'd be pretty crestfallen too :-)
|
There seem to be two different threads in here......
Sticking with the Octavia, the problem (possibly due to shortage of 170 bhp CR engines which are used by the other makers in VAG) is that you have to have the vRS to get this engine. I'd have gone for an Elegance if I could have had the 170 with it (April last year), and even now the 2.0 PD is still being fitted to the Octavia although the 1.6 CR is now available.
You also have to have the vRS to get the TFSI petrol engine.
|
I've given up trying to understand VAG's engine policy.
How come that you can have a DSG automatic gearbox to go with the 170 bhp 2 litre diesel engine on a VW or a Skoda, but if you want an automatic gearbox on a 2 litre diesel Audi A4 or A5, then you must have the 140 bhp engine, and have to make do with the Multitronic CVT gearbox?
I'm sure that there is a logical argument there somewhere - but I don't get it. Audi are supposed to be the "premium" marque, but get the weakest specification!
|
i have a 1.8tsi l&k estate on order - due end of august
cant wait to get it, will be a nice change from a 1.6 2002 focus
|
SWMBO '07 Passat Tdi lease period was up recently, and with 120k miles on the clock, she fancied a change. Her choice was another Passat, Insignia Ecoflex, Focus (some diesel variant) and an Octavia VRs CR170.
My initial instinct/advice was to get the Octavia, but then given her annual mileage of 40k+, thought that the Insignia would be more comfortable. The Insignia arrived last week, looks great in Pomegranate Red (my colour choice) but she is quite disappointed with the quality of the interior trim. We regret not looking at the VRs and I stupidly discounted it purely on the grounds of it having a firmer ride than the Ecoflex. Please, no more comments on how good the VRs is.....
|
>> Please, no more comments on how good the VRs is....
It's not as good as a 330Ci ;-)
|
>>We regret not looking at the VRs and I stupidly discounted it purely on the grounds of it having a firmer ride than the Ecoflex. Please, no more comments on how good the VRs is.....
Having owned a VRs estate, petrol, I can confirm firstly how good the TFSi engine is and secondly how much road noise (too much IMO) is transmitted through to the cabin, due in some part to the suspension and according to many, the OEM tyres. There you go, hope that makes you feel better about the Insignia choice. I wouldn't have another Octavia VRs but for a 4cyl engine its got to be one of the very best.
|
" I wouldn't have another Octavia VRs but for a 4cyl engine its got to be one of the very best."
What are you driving now, Neil? Possibly something with 6 cylinders - the most obvious reason not to have another vRS, there being lots of good reasons to have another.
|
|
I've just got an Octavia hatch. I could pretty much purchase what I want within reason but at the same time I'm not concerned about the badge and won't throw my money away. After some test drives took a 2 litre PD Elegance. It's quieter than my previous Golf with the same engine and there is definitely no road noise issue. It's one of the things I paid specific attention to after reading the various threads. I do about 17k a year and certainly wouldn't have brought it if I wasn't sure.
|
>>>What are you driving now, Neil? Possibly something with 6 cylinders - the most obvious reason not to have another vRS, there being lots of good reasons to have another.
A Subaru Outback, diesel. Before that a Legacy 3.0 petrol so you're right about the move to 6 cylinders! The company car tax and fuel consumtion eventually drove me back to diesel. Only two reasons I wouldn't have a vRS - having had 4 wheel drive I don't want to be without it again and the road noise at higher speeds in the vRS. I do 95% of my miles on the motorways and "my" priority now is comfort with as little noise as possible. Old age gets you eventually!
|
>> having had 4 wheel drive I don't want to be without it again
I wish 4wd was an option on the Vrs :-( it can technically fit, it's just a decision not to make it available on this model by Skoda.
Yes i know that with good quality tyres the 2wd will out-accelerate the 4wd because of the weight difference and yes i've seen the quarter mile video.
But i'd still like it to be *me* who choses whether my car has 4wd or not. Happy to pay for it, just want the option to be available.
|
|
Just think yourself lucky. Come the snow, at least your driven wheels are at the front, and not the back. :-)
|
>> and secondly how much road noise (too much IMO) is transmitted through to the cabin
When Workshop Tech used to be on Honest John, the issue of road noise in Octavias cropped up, and he recommended putting a large piece of sound insulation under the carpet in the boot (there is none there as standard), as most of the road noise comes from this area apparently. He said it made a big difference. Got to be worth a try.
Last edited by: corax on Fri 2 Jul 10 at 16:42
|
Haha Londoner :-) ground clearance will mean the vrs has to stay at home when snows forecast. The BMW and golf both have winter boots to wear so it's all good.
Corax, yeah he was spot on with everything he said about this car, even down to the wee bits like you mention and he had all the right recomendations for the suspension mods and remap supplier etc.
I guess he doesn't frequent either site now but would have been good to be able to say thank you to him, part of the reason I have this car is because of his initial recommendation and enthusiasm for them.
WT if your Reading this, many thanks for the heads up. 1 extremely happy customer here ;-)
|
CraigP. I would welcome your advice on this.
How do you manage the winter tyre situation. I asked my dealer if they have any scheme for swapping over the summer tyres to winter ones, and storing them, but the answer was a resounding "NO".
I don't want to muck about changing them myself with my bad back - so what are the options?
|
I just do them myself Londoner EDIT: snipped -- just engaged brain, shouldn't have posted that info, hope google didn't snaffle it before i edited, otherwise i have to store my wheels somewhere else :-(
I'd ask another dealer because Douglas Park BMW in Hamilton do offer it.
I think the usual deal is pay for storage and they'll rebalance / fit / set tracking for free (that's what it is with parks).
Last edited by: CraigP on Fri 2 Jul 10 at 17:58
|
Many Thanks, CraigP. That is well worth knowing.
I'll get this sorted out well in advance.
|
>> WT if your Reading this, many thanks for the heads up. 1 extremely happy customer
>> here ;-)
He came across as a no nonsense kind of guy, and he had loads of useful advice, not just Skodas and VW/Audi stuff, but all kinds of makes. He used to say that he was frustrated with the afore-mentioned site, he should find this site no problem. WT come back!
|
Skoda Octavia II - Octavia VRS CR170 estate impressions - Skoda
