Octavia VRS - sanity check please
Discussion
Hi all,
After 13 years of various Fords, I've found that both the Mk3 & Mk4 Focus STs don't really inspire me & I've decided to make a change.
I fancy an Octavia VRS estate, probably a 2018 or later. I'm thinking towards the DSG automatic & petrol engine. Unfortunately these cars appear to be like hen's teeth in Scotland - weeks of trawling AutoTrader & the classifieds here has turned up a load for sale in the North West of England & Yorkshire, but nothing further north.
The reason for the estate is that I've got a toddler already & hopefully another baby on the way at some point, so I need the room for all their stuff, especially as staycations are looking like they might be more of a thing for the foreseeable.
If anyone's got either this car or similar, could they possibly point me to the things to look for/avoid and generally sanity check whether this is going to be a sensible purchase? I'm hoping ideally for something approved used with a bit of warranty left, either manufacturers or Skoda UK. If you've got any experience of living with one day to day, I'd love to hear it.
I've already signed up to Briskoda, but browsing there didn't turn up anything useful in terms of a buyers guide etc.
If I'm being daft, I'm happy to listen to any alternative suggestions. I've got about £20k to spend and this is going to be our only car, we're not using the cars enough to justify keeping 2 at the moment or for the next couple of years.
Any advice gratefully received!
After 13 years of various Fords, I've found that both the Mk3 & Mk4 Focus STs don't really inspire me & I've decided to make a change.
I fancy an Octavia VRS estate, probably a 2018 or later. I'm thinking towards the DSG automatic & petrol engine. Unfortunately these cars appear to be like hen's teeth in Scotland - weeks of trawling AutoTrader & the classifieds here has turned up a load for sale in the North West of England & Yorkshire, but nothing further north.
The reason for the estate is that I've got a toddler already & hopefully another baby on the way at some point, so I need the room for all their stuff, especially as staycations are looking like they might be more of a thing for the foreseeable.
If anyone's got either this car or similar, could they possibly point me to the things to look for/avoid and generally sanity check whether this is going to be a sensible purchase? I'm hoping ideally for something approved used with a bit of warranty left, either manufacturers or Skoda UK. If you've got any experience of living with one day to day, I'd love to hear it.
I've already signed up to Briskoda, but browsing there didn't turn up anything useful in terms of a buyers guide etc.
If I'm being daft, I'm happy to listen to any alternative suggestions. I've got about £20k to spend and this is going to be our only car, we're not using the cars enough to justify keeping 2 at the moment or for the next couple of years.
Any advice gratefully received!
alangla said:
If anyone's got either this car or similar, could they possibly point me to the things to look for/avoid and generally sanity check whether this is going to be a sensible purchase? I'm hoping ideally for something approved used with a bit of warranty left, either manufacturers or Skoda UK. If you've got any experience of living with one day to day, I'd love to hear it.
It wasn't a VRS, but I had a 66 reg 1.4TSI Octavia estate on 16" rims. It was fine on a smooth road, but on anything even slightly rough (and I mean asphalt with stone chips pressed into it, as per a typical UK road) or uneven, the ride was awful, with a constant chattering and a nasty (booming/pressure)resonance -this is quite common in the estate versions, Briskoda is full of posts about it. The body panels were very thin and it may have been caused partly by vibration through the roof.
Wind noise from the wing mirrors and around the windows was very annoying.
The steering was completely devoid of feel, especially around the straight-ahead -My wife found it unnerving to drive in a straight line on the motorway. By comparison, we still have a 15 year old Fiesta which rode and handled better and my wife and I both preferred driving over the Octavia.
Front wheel traction was not great in the dry and terrible in the wet, even with Rainsports. It won't be an issue with the VRS, but the brakes overheated/faded with hard use. The rear suspension (different to the IRS in the VRS) was very poor for brisk handling, even before encountering bumps.
Although not a big factor, the touchscreen infotainmentwas a bit slow to respond and the sat nav system not very user-friendly (It didn't have a "smart" destination selection field)
I fitted better brake pads and cooling ducts and tried, unsuccessfully, to resolve some of the noise & vibration issues.
The car really irritated me and I kept it for only about 10 months (I had realised within days that I had made a mistake) and then traded it in for a Mondeo estate (which is a far better car, and can carry more luggage, despite what the stats might say).
In my view the Mk3 Octavia is over-rated. As only some reviews noted the vibration issues, I suspect that Skoda hand-picked unaffected cars to give to the press. I'd look at the Superb, Passat or Mondeo.
Edited by MC Bodge on Tuesday 9th February 13:40
Thanks all - appreciated. I'll take a look at the Seat options, that might be an available alternative. If there's definite inconsistencies between vehicles then I'll definitely hold off until I get a chance to properly inspect & drive the actual car I might be buying - I was already nervous about the various click & collect options the dealers were offering, this has just confirmed that my first instinct of looking closely at the actual car was correct.
From an ex-Skoda and VW salesman, great cars just do everything well. Not outstanding in any particular area except practicality, but a solid 8/10 car. For me, SEATs even though they had a higher RRP always feel cheaper inside, plastics don't match up to Skoda.
Have a 2017 2.0TFSI 252ps A4 Avant and I had no worries about buying the 2.0TFSI engine. It's the Mrs's car and she doesn't like the Skoda badge, unfortunately.
Have a 2017 2.0TFSI 252ps A4 Avant and I had no worries about buying the 2.0TFSI engine. It's the Mrs's car and she doesn't like the Skoda badge, unfortunately.
I had a 18 plate hatchback vrs with 2litre diesel and manual box for nearly a week.
Was close to ordering one but dieselgate stopped build availability. I covered alot of miles in it and it got a lot of attention but looking back something was missing.
Yes it looked the part lowered, bodykit, wheels but it didn't handle that well and whether it was because of tools in the boot but front end lift on dual carriage was a major concern. Also it would find every bump on the smoothest of roads which isn't great.
Shortly after I had a stint in two BMW 3 series estates 318d sport manual and a 320i m sport automatic. Personally the 318d sport was the best, gave me some nostalgia of how a car should handle, every day I would put it in sport plus mode, that combined with the manual box and chunky tyres was heaven for me.
Was close to ordering one but dieselgate stopped build availability. I covered alot of miles in it and it got a lot of attention but looking back something was missing.
Yes it looked the part lowered, bodykit, wheels but it didn't handle that well and whether it was because of tools in the boot but front end lift on dual carriage was a major concern. Also it would find every bump on the smoothest of roads which isn't great.
Shortly after I had a stint in two BMW 3 series estates 318d sport manual and a 320i m sport automatic. Personally the 318d sport was the best, gave me some nostalgia of how a car should handle, every day I would put it in sport plus mode, that combined with the manual box and chunky tyres was heaven for me.
PisstNBroke said:
Also it would find every bump on the smoothest of roads which isn't great.
Yes, it was uncanny how mine did that too, even just doing 30mph through suburbia. Given how poor the ride was over tiny bumps on 16" wheels, the bigger rims must have been quite unpleasant. Maybe people are just conditioned to thinking that cars are just like that?I just got a 2017 VRS Estate, 230bhp 3.5 in DSG.
Mainly had BMW 3 series tourers in the past, but a nice change in the Skoda, has all the toys I want such as car play, DAB, Nav.
Very spacious and the boot space is really good - I think the only difference between the boot against the hatch is the height in the back.
I found they were difficult to come across, I'm in the NW and bought mine from a Kia dealer in Peterborough. Never viewed it in person, so bought over the phone and they delivered. Mine is a Panoramic roof, I'd have preferred not to get that model but as you say not much about.
Fuel economy isn't great. but maybe I'm still getting used to it and therefore a heavy right foot!!
Overall, I really like it and it's a welcome change for me from the BMW.
Mainly had BMW 3 series tourers in the past, but a nice change in the Skoda, has all the toys I want such as car play, DAB, Nav.
Very spacious and the boot space is really good - I think the only difference between the boot against the hatch is the height in the back.
I found they were difficult to come across, I'm in the NW and bought mine from a Kia dealer in Peterborough. Never viewed it in person, so bought over the phone and they delivered. Mine is a Panoramic roof, I'd have preferred not to get that model but as you say not much about.
Fuel economy isn't great. but maybe I'm still getting used to it and therefore a heavy right foot!!
Overall, I really like it and it's a welcome change for me from the BMW.
As said early the boot in the hatchback Octavia is the same area as the estate just loses height at the extreme rear due to the sloping rear screen (which means the rear screen keeps cleaner than the vertical glass of the estate).
I had a 2012 Octavia vRS for 6 years. No problems except for 2 replacement rear wiper motors under warranty.
I had a 2012 Octavia vRS for 6 years. No problems except for 2 replacement rear wiper motors under warranty.
Thanks again all.
The thing that's putting me off the hatch is the same issue I had with the Focus - getting scooters, trikes & the like in upright so I still have space for a decent amount of luggage for a few days holiday - I think the extra height will make the difference. It's good to know that the length etc is pretty much the same - we went to look at some standard estates on a forecourt so the wife could get an idea of the size & shape - her first response was that it looked huge.
Unfortunately VRS estates in Scotland are still proving to be hen's teeth. I'm hoping that with the reg change in a couple of weeks, there's a few that come off long-term leases & appear as approved used. In normal terms I'd have booked a Travelodge for a Saturday night & done a tour round the ones in the North West during the day, decided that night and bought one on the Sunday, but obviously that's not really an option just now.
The thing that's putting me off the hatch is the same issue I had with the Focus - getting scooters, trikes & the like in upright so I still have space for a decent amount of luggage for a few days holiday - I think the extra height will make the difference. It's good to know that the length etc is pretty much the same - we went to look at some standard estates on a forecourt so the wife could get an idea of the size & shape - her first response was that it looked huge.
Unfortunately VRS estates in Scotland are still proving to be hen's teeth. I'm hoping that with the reg change in a couple of weeks, there's a few that come off long-term leases & appear as approved used. In normal terms I'd have booked a Travelodge for a Saturday night & done a tour round the ones in the North West during the day, decided that night and bought one on the Sunday, but obviously that's not really an option just now.
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