BMW 320i vs Octavia VRS 245
Discussion
Long time lurker, but my first post.
Recently I've been thinking about changing our car. Currently we have a 2014 Octavia VRS TSI 220 Hatch (52,000 miles). It's obviously outside of warranty and recently we've had to replace the water pump, thermostat, temperature sensor and radiator at a cost of over £1,000. My overall opinion of the car is that it's bloody good. The engine is great and whilst not the sportiest of cars, it has plenty of grunt to put a smile on your face when you're not carrying the family. When you are carrying the family it's big enough to fit everything in and carry everybody in relative comfort. The only negatives about the car are, the common issues with the water pump and thermostat, which are expensive to repair. A common issue with pain peeling around the boot spoiler which we've had repaired ourselves, and some of the interior plastics lack quality (but good for the price).
We've started looking to see if we'd like to change the car for something else, and the only two suitable options (within £22,000) we can come up with is another VRS (facelift), or a BMW 320i Touring M Sport Shadow. We're looking at vehicles less than a year old. A VRS might cost around £18,500, but the BMW somewhere around the £22,000 mark.
The problem we're having is that we're struggling to make a decision on which to get. A VRS provides more power, but lacks the quality feel of the 3 series. The 3 series has that quality feel but lacks the grunt of the VRS. The 3 series costs more, but should retain more of its value when we get rid of it.
The plan is to keep either car for 2-3 years, potentially then picking up the new shape VRS after it is launched towards the end of this year, or picking up a used 3 series touring (the new shape).
I have a few questions for those that have owned or driven either vehicle.
The 3 series, the Shadow edition comes with 19" wheels, how harsh is the ride for a family car? If it is too harsh, then we would rule out the 3 series as we don't like the look of it with 18" wheels. Is the quality of dash and ride of the 3 series a big step up from an Octavia, is it worth the extra money?
To counter the lack of power the 320i has in comparison to the VRS, we had thought of fitting a tuning box to take power to roughly 240 bhp, has anyone done this on a 320i? We've had tuning boxes on various cars in the past and they've always performed great, if not as smooth as a remap.
We've got used to the size of the boot in the Octavia, and frankly, I'm a little surprised that boot of the 3 series is only 500 litres compared to the 590 of the octavia hatch.
I've limited our choice of vehicle to a big hatch, or an estate. We have two children under 7 and have found the size of the boot in the Octavia very useful for chucking in things like pushchairs and bikes etc. Would we notice the smaller boot size that the 3 series provides?
Between Christmas I went to a BMW dealership to look at a couple of cars, they were just the standard M Sport version and not the shadow edition, and to me they felt and looked dated, but I cannot decide whether this is because they were slightly older cars, and were not prepped very well.
I'm really just looking for some advice and suggestions here, something that might help us make a decision.
Recently I've been thinking about changing our car. Currently we have a 2014 Octavia VRS TSI 220 Hatch (52,000 miles). It's obviously outside of warranty and recently we've had to replace the water pump, thermostat, temperature sensor and radiator at a cost of over £1,000. My overall opinion of the car is that it's bloody good. The engine is great and whilst not the sportiest of cars, it has plenty of grunt to put a smile on your face when you're not carrying the family. When you are carrying the family it's big enough to fit everything in and carry everybody in relative comfort. The only negatives about the car are, the common issues with the water pump and thermostat, which are expensive to repair. A common issue with pain peeling around the boot spoiler which we've had repaired ourselves, and some of the interior plastics lack quality (but good for the price).
We've started looking to see if we'd like to change the car for something else, and the only two suitable options (within £22,000) we can come up with is another VRS (facelift), or a BMW 320i Touring M Sport Shadow. We're looking at vehicles less than a year old. A VRS might cost around £18,500, but the BMW somewhere around the £22,000 mark.
The problem we're having is that we're struggling to make a decision on which to get. A VRS provides more power, but lacks the quality feel of the 3 series. The 3 series has that quality feel but lacks the grunt of the VRS. The 3 series costs more, but should retain more of its value when we get rid of it.
The plan is to keep either car for 2-3 years, potentially then picking up the new shape VRS after it is launched towards the end of this year, or picking up a used 3 series touring (the new shape).
I have a few questions for those that have owned or driven either vehicle.
The 3 series, the Shadow edition comes with 19" wheels, how harsh is the ride for a family car? If it is too harsh, then we would rule out the 3 series as we don't like the look of it with 18" wheels. Is the quality of dash and ride of the 3 series a big step up from an Octavia, is it worth the extra money?
To counter the lack of power the 320i has in comparison to the VRS, we had thought of fitting a tuning box to take power to roughly 240 bhp, has anyone done this on a 320i? We've had tuning boxes on various cars in the past and they've always performed great, if not as smooth as a remap.
We've got used to the size of the boot in the Octavia, and frankly, I'm a little surprised that boot of the 3 series is only 500 litres compared to the 590 of the octavia hatch.
I've limited our choice of vehicle to a big hatch, or an estate. We have two children under 7 and have found the size of the boot in the Octavia very useful for chucking in things like pushchairs and bikes etc. Would we notice the smaller boot size that the 3 series provides?
Between Christmas I went to a BMW dealership to look at a couple of cars, they were just the standard M Sport version and not the shadow edition, and to me they felt and looked dated, but I cannot decide whether this is because they were slightly older cars, and were not prepped very well.
I'm really just looking for some advice and suggestions here, something that might help us make a decision.
Edited by TheBinarySheep on Thursday 2nd January 10:53
Edited by TheBinarySheep on Thursday 2nd January 10:54
James_33 said:
I'll keep it short, keep your current car that you've fixed the faults on and if you plan on getting the new VRS at the end of the year then look at getting that.
Sorry, I don't think I was clear. The VRS comes out of the end of this year, but we would be waiting to pick up a 1 year old one. So, another 2 year or so before we'd be looking. We've had the current car 4 year now and this is the longest we've kept a car. I've normally gotten an itch to change well before now.We had considered keeping the current car, but we're concerned about further issues cropping up (i.e. turbo) and if I'm honest, I fancy something a little different. Our current VRS is manual, no sat nav or cruise control. A newer VRS gives us 25 more bhp, sat nav, cruise control, an electronic lsd, DSG and manufacturers warranty.
Edited by TheBinarySheep on Thursday 2nd January 11:02
If you're gonna get a petrol 3-Series, I'd personally have go for the 340i with the ZF 8-speed 'box. The B58 is a cracking engine and I'd always opt for a 6-cyclinder, as it's what BMW does best. I think the 4-cylinder in the 320i is much better and more reliable than the old N/A unit, but I'd just keep your current car or get a newer vRS if you're keeping the cylinder count low.
I'm not sure if this would fit within your budget though or would need to be older than a few years old. You'd be getting a better car out of it though. If you had a bit of lenience on the age and maybe budget too, you could also get something like a Golf R estate. With these what-car threads, a healthy compromise is usually what will get you the best deal.
I'm not sure if this would fit within your budget though or would need to be older than a few years old. You'd be getting a better car out of it though. If you had a bit of lenience on the age and maybe budget too, you could also get something like a Golf R estate. With these what-car threads, a healthy compromise is usually what will get you the best deal.
Edited by culpz on Thursday 2nd January 11:11
culpz said:
If you're gonna get a petrol 3-Series, I'd personally have go for the 340i. The B58 is a cracking engine and I'd always opt for a 6-cyclinder, as it's what BMW does best. I think the 4-clinder in the 320i is much better and more reliable than the old N/A unit, but I'd just keep your current car or get a newer vRS if you're keeping the cylinder count low.
Cylinder count doesn't really both me. I'm sure a 6 cylinder sounds awesome, but a four provides a good balance of power and economy. I've looked at a 330i instead of the 320i (still four cylinder), but they're at least £3k more expensive.
Your current car seems to fit all your needs and you clearly really like it. I know 1500 quid to fix the common faults will have stung a bit, but not as much as the thousands a year you will experience if you change to a newer car. I’d keep what you have, maybe save for longer and then get the BMW with a 6cyl engine, all your boxes then ticked.
Jag_NE said:
Your current car seems to fit all your needs and you clearly really like it. I know 1500 quid to fix the common faults will have stung a bit, but not as much as the thousands a year you will experience if you change to a newer car. I’d keep what you have, maybe save for longer and then get the BMW with a 6cyl engine, all your boxes then ticked.
It does make some sense.I guess the way we're looking at it is that we're still technically paying for the car we have, although not in the traditional sense. We borrowed ourselves the money to buy the car and set ourselves a strict monthly payment which meant we were paying ourselves back at an interest rate better than we would have received from the bank. I think we have around 18 months to go before we've completely paid ourselves back, but have roughly £2.5k equity in the car at the moment (based on webuyanycar). The plan was to put the current car in part exchange and then loan ourselves the difference. With another VRS, is would mean the money we spend per month remains the same, but we get a newer car. What I also didn't mention about our current car, is that when the water pump etc broke, we were scheduled for a weekend away that week, and ended up hiring a car so we could get away. The experience has given us a negative experience of owning a car outside of warranty. In fact, each of our last three cars have left us with large bills fairly soon outside of warranty. One, a vauxhall astra who's gearbox failed, then another vauxhall astra whose DPF packed up, and finally the VRS with paint and cooling issues. Owning a car outside of warranty has always been an expensive experience for us, and while spending thousands of pounds per year for a car in warranty might seem counter productive, we're currently paying thousands per year anyway for a car outside of warranty anyway.
The sensible thing to do would be to keep the current car until we've paid ourselves back and start again (and pray nothing else goes pop!), hopefully with a little more equity available in the current car to put in as part exchange. However, when have decisions about the car you drive been based completely on the sensible choice?
Edited by TheBinarySheep on Thursday 2nd January 11:58
Buying another Octavia shortly before the new one comes out will cause a big depreciation hit if you only plan to keep it a few years.
Personally, I'd keep the Octavia you've got for a couple more years unless they can offer a really good trade-in price, or at least wait until the new one is out and then buy the old model when the dealers are trying to get rid of their demonstrators, management cars etc at a lower price.
If you do want to change and like Skodas, another option would be a Superb Sportline with the same engine as in the vrs? They are a bit better finished/specced than the Octavia, and not due a model change for a while yet. The boot is even bigger than in the Octavia too.
I wouldn't bother with the 3 series. The base model ones really aren't that great, and a lot of the money is just for the badge. The higher specced / better engined ones are good, but at £22k you'd be buying something nearly as old as the Octavia the OP wants to replace.
A left field choice would be a Hyundai i30N. The fastback version has a boot nearly as big as the 3 series tourer, and it comes with a 5 year warranty.
Personally, I'd keep the Octavia you've got for a couple more years unless they can offer a really good trade-in price, or at least wait until the new one is out and then buy the old model when the dealers are trying to get rid of their demonstrators, management cars etc at a lower price.
If you do want to change and like Skodas, another option would be a Superb Sportline with the same engine as in the vrs? They are a bit better finished/specced than the Octavia, and not due a model change for a while yet. The boot is even bigger than in the Octavia too.
I wouldn't bother with the 3 series. The base model ones really aren't that great, and a lot of the money is just for the badge. The higher specced / better engined ones are good, but at £22k you'd be buying something nearly as old as the Octavia the OP wants to replace.
A left field choice would be a Hyundai i30N. The fastback version has a boot nearly as big as the 3 series tourer, and it comes with a 5 year warranty.
SkodaIan said:
Buying another Octavia shortly before the new one comes out will cause a big depreciation hit if you only plan to keep it a few years.
Personally, I'd keep the Octavia you've got for a couple more years unless they can offer a really good trade-in price, or at least wait until the new one is out and then buy the old model when the dealers are trying to get rid of their demonstrators, management cars etc at a lower price.
If you do want to change and like Skodas, another option would be a Superb Sportline with the same engine as in the vrs? They are a bit better finished/specced than the Octavia, and not due a model change for a while yet. The boot is even bigger than in the Octavia too.
I wouldn't bother with the 3 series. The base model ones really aren't that great, and a lot of the money is just for the badge. The higher specced / better engined ones are good, but at £22k you'd be buying something nearly as old as the Octavia the OP wants to replace.
A left field choice would be a Hyundai i30N. The fastback version has a boot nearly as big as the 3 series tourer, and it comes with a 5 year warranty.
Thanks, some good suggestions in there.Personally, I'd keep the Octavia you've got for a couple more years unless they can offer a really good trade-in price, or at least wait until the new one is out and then buy the old model when the dealers are trying to get rid of their demonstrators, management cars etc at a lower price.
If you do want to change and like Skodas, another option would be a Superb Sportline with the same engine as in the vrs? They are a bit better finished/specced than the Octavia, and not due a model change for a while yet. The boot is even bigger than in the Octavia too.
I wouldn't bother with the 3 series. The base model ones really aren't that great, and a lot of the money is just for the badge. The higher specced / better engined ones are good, but at £22k you'd be buying something nearly as old as the Octavia the OP wants to replace.
A left field choice would be a Hyundai i30N. The fastback version has a boot nearly as big as the 3 series tourer, and it comes with a 5 year warranty.
Personally, my ideal next car would be the Superb Sportline 280 4x4, but sadly they're out of our budget at the minute.
As for the i30N fastback, I had looked at those, and there's a Hyundai dealer around the corner from us so I may have a look at the boot dimensions to see if it would work.
Why did Skoda have to go and make the boot of the Octavia so bloody big, it means when you look at almost any other car you're down sizing the boot.
Hub said:
Everyone forgets the 3 Series GT (probably because it is a bit ugly!), but I think it has a bigger boot than the estate and a bit more rear legroom too. Have you looked at those?
I certainly have. I wouldn't rule one out to be honest. I don't think they're 'ugly' as such, but certainly a bit different. I'm also surprised that these has been discontinued, I would have thought there was a market for a premium brand hatchback with a large boot.We've also looked at the 4 series grand coupe as well. I think it's boot is 480 litres, so bigger than an i30 fastback, but smaller that a 3 series estate. One of my hobbies requires my to carry a large box full of gear, and I don't think the boot of the four series is tall enough.
I've looked in more detail at the i30n fastback, and it is definitely my kind of car and comes with loads of equipment as standard. It also have a few features that the VRS lacks, such as a decent exhaust. The boot is only 450 litres though, and I'm not sure if that's big enough for us.
TheBinarySheep said:
Change of plan, we're going to look for a 2018/19 Superb Sportline 280 4x4
More boot space, nicer car, better sound system, DSG, sat nav, adaptive cruise control, more power and part-time four wheel drive.
Nice choice. Just bear in mind these with a few options can nudge over 40k which incurs the additional VED. Not sure the sound system is any better in reality? I have the Canton system in my Octavia, and it's rather good, but from what I can see the Superb one is mostly the same spec wise. Canton not standard either, in Sportline or Sportline Plus.More boot space, nicer car, better sound system, DSG, sat nav, adaptive cruise control, more power and part-time four wheel drive.
You must have been unlucky (or perhaps I'm lucky?) my 63 VRS 220 hasn't had anything go wrong and is now at 65k. Agree with your thoughts, it's a good all round car that fits a lot of needs well while being a master of none.
Edited by ahenners on Thursday 9th January 21:14
In your position I would take out a Personal Contract Hire on a new Octavia VRS with Black Pack.
These can be had for around £250 per month at the moment.
https://www.leaseloco.com/car-leasing/skoda/octavi...
These can be had for around £250 per month at the moment.
https://www.leaseloco.com/car-leasing/skoda/octavi...
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