RE: Shed Of The Week: Skoda Octavia vRS

[Konan]

VolvoT5 said:

Does anyone else still see 5X plate cars as 'new'. I only seem to think of cars on the old prefix style plates as 'old'.

I'm worse. 'New' cars started around the point they issued a new prefix every 6 months. Prior to that, I could match letters to years fairly well. In fact, I've just found out my T plate is as new as 1999, I had it in my head it was '98.

[Skodacious]

MC Bodge said:

I wonder how many vRS's are still on the standard map?

Mine is! Bought new in 2004 and still going strong

As said earlier - it used to be fun when lots of the unmarked cars were these in Cambridgeshire. The number of cars that would slow down before blasting past on the M11 was most amusing. Was tempted to hang a hi-vis on the back of the seat but never quite got round to it!

I think it would benefit from a 6th gear though for better MPG.

[freak70wayne]

rtz62 said:

An addition to my earlier post;
When Shed first posted the vRS on here a couple of days ago I was arranging to buy an estate version.
Fast forward from then to yesterday, and I duly picked up a 126k, 53 reg, one family owned from new vRS estate, my 4th Octavia vRS (and this despite me owning newer and faster cars)
True, it had a REVO st1 remap (showing 226bhp on REVOs last rolling road open day) and an uprated clutch with lightened flywheel.
Short of sorting out a couple of cosmetic paint issues, and having the alloys repainted in silver rather than their current satin black (to me black wheels look wrong on a red car - I'm a fan of OEM looks) the car is blinding, especially as it cost the grand total of....... £900, which I think is a bargain.
My friend drove it home in a, ahem, 'spirited' fashion from Manchester via the Peak National Park to my home in rural Ruralshire and still got late 30s / early 40s to the gallon.
Like others, I'm a fan of the anonymous looks as a counterpoint to its ability to make good progress; to paraphrase an Amercian president 'it walks (drives) softly but carries a (fairly) big stick'

was only driving spirited to keep up with you

[Kidders]

kambites said:

It's not lack of feel per se that makes the steering on the mk4 Golf, etc. feel odd; as you say many modern cars are no better. There's just a strange sense of... artificiality about it - as if the weighting and feel is somehow inconsistent not just across the rack but at different times in the same situation. I've no idea what causes it, but the mk4 Golf probably has the most unpleasant steering of any car I've ever driven (the contemporary Astra's steering feels like Elise in comparison).

I haven't actually driven a mk1 Octavia VRS but the standard car is certainly exactly the same as the Golf.

Edited by kambites on Monday 26th January 07:38

Agreed, and it was this that really took away from the car. Yes after handling mods it would go where you pointed it but it had no soul, no feel, it just did it's job.

[hedges88]

iloveboost said:

The steering weights up on all of them ok, but it's vague. It has a dead zone in the middle of the rack, but the steering weight gets greater as you add lock, just not by as much as you expect and it's not precise. It's also got no real 'elasticity' to it like the great steering cars have. In the great steering cars I've driven, you can almost feel the tyre stretching through the wheel, but it remains precise.
Perhaps it has low caster or poor toe control? To be fair no car with power steering will steer like an Elise, and high caster causes bump steer, doesn't it?
If I was a better driver I'm sure I'd know what's wrong with it, just by feel.

Iv'e only owned 2x Octavias, both MKII, one an early 54 Plate 1.6 hatch (Non FSI) and the latter a 07 Plate Elegance estate DSG diesel. If I remember rightly I changed the electronic assistance to it's heaviest setting via VAG-COM with both of them which helped with the over assisted feel. Iv'e had a MK1 and MK2 Fabia but couldn't change the steering weight as they were not CAN-BUS and I don't think I had the right adapter.

I don't know if the MK1 Octavia is electro-hydraulic or if it's possible to change the assistance provided. Generally I have found all Skoda's to not be setup quite right in the damping department, the last Fabia MKII I had was crashy yet also harsh, uncomfortable and very under-steer prone. As mentioned in previous posts a stiffer rear ARB helps the Octavia a treat and the difference is quite pronounced.

This shed having the sump mod is very useful, big overhangs make it very vulnerable. I ripped the sump off my MKII diesel, dealer advised I had just missed the DSG box, it was very close to that too. This was just from coming off a high kerb without noticing, my fault entirely but I'm certain other cars wouldn't have been damaged so bad

Another thing to look out for is if you check the build list (Found in the handbook or under boot carpet) and enter it in here: http://igorweb.org/equidec/Default.aspx ..... you may find petrol engined Automatics using diesel front springs to support the added weight of the transmission, which can make them crashy as well

Nice SOTW, surprising though how many have been chavved up with some hideous body kits