RE: Skoda Octavia vRS 2.0 TSI: Review
Discussion
Lundqvist said:
Seat's styling over recent years (latest Leon excluded) is that of 'leave a people carrier in the sun too long, let it melt, then sell as a hatchback' which is a massive stonking turnoff. Everytime I see a mk2 Leon FR I think 'Oh look, it's Zafira man!'. Then there's the fact the hot Seat's tend to look a bit Halfords whereas Skoda have that Q Car thing in spades.
Having had experience of both, despite using very similar VAG parts bin componentry the overall build quality of Seat seems to be somewhat far behind Skoda. Our Leon has had a staggering array of issues which according to the owner's forums are considered 'common' problems. The interior is ok to look at but feels like it's made out of drinks straws. The Octavia by contrast despite running for similar mileage and having broadly the same components has had no issues whatsoever and generally feels like it's screwed together properly. Equally the interior, despite being built 'to a budget' (it is a Skoda after all) and therefore being a little more utilitarian looks the part and feels properly built.
Add the fact that the boot in the hatch Leon is loads smaller that that of the Octavia. I know they now do an estate version but I guess that's also smaller than that in the Octavia estate.Having had experience of both, despite using very similar VAG parts bin componentry the overall build quality of Seat seems to be somewhat far behind Skoda. Our Leon has had a staggering array of issues which according to the owner's forums are considered 'common' problems. The interior is ok to look at but feels like it's made out of drinks straws. The Octavia by contrast despite running for similar mileage and having broadly the same components has had no issues whatsoever and generally feels like it's screwed together properly. Equally the interior, despite being built 'to a budget' (it is a Skoda after all) and therefore being a little more utilitarian looks the part and feels properly built.
Clivey said:
It goes with the whole faux-sportiness that seems to be a requirement on new cars in the UK in order for them to sell (Merc GL-class for example; GL63 AMG aside, you can only get it in "AMG Sport" trim in the UK. It looks ridiculous.). Never mind that some of our roads resemble the surface of the moon; let's set-up our road cars to perform on a pristine track. Makes about as much sense as wearing a leotard for a space walk.
Maybe you could say that it's [b] "the best" of not a particularly appealing bunch though. I wish more manufacturers would do estate versions of their hatches...fast estates should be cool.[b/]
I completely agree faux sportiness has become fare more essential than a touch of real class, genuine luxury or simply a car that delivers a balance of comfort without behaving like jelly the moment you take it around a corner.Maybe you could say that it's [b] "the best" of not a particularly appealing bunch though. I wish more manufacturers would do estate versions of their hatches...fast estates should be cool.[b/]
It has to be said the leotard for a space walk cracked me up, just what I needed this morning -
aka_kerrly said:
I completely agree faux sportiness has become fare more essential than a touch of real class, genuine luxury or simply a car that delivers a balance of comfort without behaving like jelly the moment you take it around a corner.
On that note, this weeks' SOTW (MG ZT) and the Rover 75 are perfect examples of cars that gets slated by the (IMO ignorant) masses, yet when I've driven them I've always been left thinking "You know what? They were on to something here.". I also really rate the current Citroen C5 - it doesn't try to be "sporty" and is all the better for it. For everyday driving (being endlessly stuck behind dawdlers / badly-maintained roads / stuck in traffic), they're pretty much ideal.But what do I know? People want their S-Lines, twenty exhausts and drug dealer wheels and the manufacturers willingly oblige...
aka_kerrly said:
It has to be said the leotard for a space walk cracked me up, just what I needed this morning -
Glad to be of service. 
I recently went from a Honda S2000 to a diesel one of these. Lots of miles and the need to be able to carry things meant I couldn't keep ignoring the fuel bills! Does it engage like the honda? No. Not even 10%. But I dont feel like I've lost out. It has enough poke to be fun, has lots of toys and comfort and I think it looks great too. For the money it's a tough combo to beat and I enjoy driving a car with a skoda badge -I find it amusing for some reason. Next plan is to save for a Clio V6.
aka_kerrly said:
I completely agree faux sportiness has become fare more essential than a touch of real class, genuine luxury or simply a car that delivers a balance of comfort without behaving like jelly the moment you take it around a corner.
It has to be said the leotard for a space walk cracked me up, just what I needed this morning -
I don't mind a bit of faux sportiness as I think sporty alloys and bumpers usually make a car look nicer. Also sports seats tend to hold and support your body better. However I've not really driven a non-performance car where the spring/damper 'sports' option really felt better overall, there's just a bit less roll and a slightly worse ride.It has to be said the leotard for a space walk cracked me up, just what I needed this morning -
The other downside to faux sportiness is that sometimes very low profile normal width tyres can cause problems like 'tramlining' and worse noise/vibration/harshness.
TaylotS2K said:
Imagine being a designer for VAG.
The brief for the Skoda must be....."Make sure it's uglier than the Audi and VW equivalent.
I don't think Skodas are ugly, they just look a bit duller. Partly because they have to look less desirable and expensive, than the more expensive equivalent/s. The brief for the Skoda must be....."Make sure it's uglier than the Audi and VW equivalent.
I know that with any new car, the development costs are a huge cost. I guess car companies would rather spend as little as possible to restrict or improve the desirability of a model. Then they can appeal to as many markets as possible.
Ah,the Internet.Full of nonsense posters.Never changes.
I've had Audis and VW's and a Skoda
Nothing to tell the difference between them apart from the badge stuck on the nose.So amusing to see the most ridiculous posts though.Same equipment,power,quality,engines.Same blooming car really.
Things will never change in interweb land.lol
I've had Audis and VW's and a Skoda
Nothing to tell the difference between them apart from the badge stuck on the nose.So amusing to see the most ridiculous posts though.Same equipment,power,quality,engines.Same blooming car really.
Things will never change in interweb land.lol
Interesting to see this pop back up , I posted back in December. I alway felt the mk3 Octavia was too much money , after owning a mk2 vrs Octy and mk2 Superb I wondered where the pricing had gone but I now my situation changed and I have a mk3 Octavia tsi Vrs estate sat on my drive .
With my previous Skodas I always felt you could tell where the money had been saved much less so with the mk3 everything is of significant better quality than previous models and there is a massive amount of technology on the car so much so there is little point comparing them IMO
I did consider the Focus ST estate (too small and the Skoda is much nicer inside , plus more thirsty) , Audi S4 (simply too much money) or wait I got for Golf R estate (probably too small)
The boot is huge in the mk3 , (both versions) and the handling is a significant improvement also over previous models . Engines are largely the same as the outgoing model , the petrol is torquey and responsive with a fat torque curve but lacks top end rush IMO , probably why these are already being mapped, not driven the diesel but had a 170 Superb before and no longer doing the miles that make a diesel necessary (thank god !)
But yes still hell of a price, easy to get over £30k if you spec a lot of options but deals are around with brokers etc
Best Skoda yet ? Probably, at least until the new Superb hits the road
For those that think they are familiar with the product, think again.
With my previous Skodas I always felt you could tell where the money had been saved much less so with the mk3 everything is of significant better quality than previous models and there is a massive amount of technology on the car so much so there is little point comparing them IMO
I did consider the Focus ST estate (too small and the Skoda is much nicer inside , plus more thirsty) , Audi S4 (simply too much money) or wait I got for Golf R estate (probably too small)
The boot is huge in the mk3 , (both versions) and the handling is a significant improvement also over previous models . Engines are largely the same as the outgoing model , the petrol is torquey and responsive with a fat torque curve but lacks top end rush IMO , probably why these are already being mapped, not driven the diesel but had a 170 Superb before and no longer doing the miles that make a diesel necessary (thank god !)
But yes still hell of a price, easy to get over £30k if you spec a lot of options but deals are around with brokers etc
Best Skoda yet ? Probably, at least until the new Superb hits the road
For those that think they are familiar with the product, think again.
Bullett said:
If it's anything like my Mk2 it will be a competent, reliable and spacious family car with a reasonable amount of go for a reasonable price.
I'd certainly consider a new one but as mine is still fine I don't need to.
Sorry for the self quote but mine has just gone boom in a big way. It seems it's slipped its timing/cam chain and you can imagine the damage that has done. Just trying to sort out a return to Skoda for confirmation but it looks like major engine rebuild time.I'd certainly consider a new one but as mine is still fine I don't need to.
A little research has lead me to believe it's a known issue, lot's of people over on briskoda with the same situation. It's 5 years old so out of warranty but if this is the problem then it appears that although rare it's a design fault in the cam chain tensioner.
It seems it's fixed in later cars.
Bit cheesed off.
Yes, the cam chain is a known weekness on some 2.0 TFSI engines. IIRC, Skoda didn't use that version for very long because they were later than the rest of VAG to pick the chain up (the older cars like ours were belts). There's a number of other known failures on the mk2 Octavia too, but you wont find many cars of that era without them.
The Octavia (unsurprisingly) seems to be on a par with most things coming out of Germany in terms of reliability, which is to say that it's fairly average in the market as a whole. Statistically speaking if you want something that's reliable in the long term, I think it's best not to buy European cars.
The Octavia (unsurprisingly) seems to be on a par with most things coming out of Germany in terms of reliability, which is to say that it's fairly average in the market as a whole. Statistically speaking if you want something that's reliable in the long term, I think it's best not to buy European cars.
Edited by kambites on Wednesday 15th April 09:52
The comment a few posts above about the golf estate probably being too small made me laugh. A mate has just swapped a company car from a golf estate to the octavia estate and surprise surprise the boot line is an exact fit, his comment is he was surprised that they are essentially the same car.
The mk2 chain tensioner issue is one of the reasons I just bought a saab turbo estate rather than the octavia vrs. Although I believe it is now sorted, it wasn't on the cars I was looking at and seemed like a fairly big risk to be taking. In general though on the test drive I had the vrs went well and apart from numb steering and overly sharp brakes I was quite impressed.
The mk2 chain tensioner issue is one of the reasons I just bought a saab turbo estate rather than the octavia vrs. Although I believe it is now sorted, it wasn't on the cars I was looking at and seemed like a fairly big risk to be taking. In general though on the test drive I had the vrs went well and apart from numb steering and overly sharp brakes I was quite impressed.
edward1 said:
The comment a few posts above about the golf estate probably being too small made me laugh. A mate has just swapped a company car from a golf estate to the octavia estate and surprise surprise the boot line is an exact fit, his comment is he was surprised that they are essentially the same car.
So the Golf estate has a longer wheelbase than the hatch? I didn't know that. 
ETA: Makes sense though with the flexibility of the MQB platform. I never liked the way manufacturers tended to simply shove more bodywork behind the wheels of estates in this sector.
Edited by kambites on Wednesday 15th April 10:09
edward1 said:
The comment a few posts above about the golf estate probably being too small made me laugh. A mate has just swapped a company car from a golf estate to the octavia estate and surprise surprise the boot line is an exact fit, his comment is he was surprised that they are essentially the same car.
Im glad you enjoyed it, however dont let the facts stand in your way The fact is compared to the Golf the Mk3 Octavia has more headroom in the front, more headroom in the back 995mm compared to 980mm for the Golf (Important when you have a 6'3" 15 year old) and thanks to the slightly longer wheelbase more rear legroom and although it only has a marginally larger boot with the seats up it has an extra 120 litres extra with them down
So as I said its larger and thanks to a tall teenage son, too small in the back to function as the main family car , for me.
I did fancy the golf r though
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