Skoda Octavia vRS 230 Estate: PH Fleet

Meteor Grey too 'grey'? Le Mans livery puts some colour into James's hard-working vRS

In my last update I mentioned how hard the Skoda has been working, racking up nearly 4,000 miles in its first month. Even with a week in Heathrow long-stay it's done almost the same this month too - this is one hard-working car!

Regular hacking up and down the M1 accounts for a lot of that and the vRS excels at the job. This and last month's track tomfoolery has seen the engine loosen up further, with corresponding improvements to both performance and fuel economy. Win-win! Day to day it's just more enjoyable; overtaking is a breeze, cross-country 'diversions' are more fun and I'm getting more miles between fuel stops (about 385 for anyone interested).

Indeed, even the exhaust has clearly been broken in a bit as I'm even getting the very occasional pop-and-bang on gear changes and over-run. They're rare, but all the more satisfying for that. I'd still like a little more bass though - in general use the car sounds quite ordinary.

Track use has left its hangovers though. Aside from fingernail marks in the dash and a bit of strain to the passenger side grab handle the nearside front tyre looks to have had an especially hard time. Traction is suffering as a result, thanks to both the engine's new-found enthusiasm and the conditions offered up by the 'summer' weather of late. One result is ever more intrusive interventions by the traction control as it attempts to make up for the shortfall.

It's so sensitive it seemingly negates the point of having the clever VAQ 'differential', cutting the throttle before the system has even had a chance to wake up. Turning off the ESP completely just highlights the apparent 'soft' configuration for VAQ in the Skoda; it never seems to be doing that much. Maybe the uneven wear across the two front tyres is a factor - we'll see if things improve with fresh rubber.

In the meantime many of those additional miles have been racked up as part of our Le Mans activitives. After making not one but two trips down to Le Mans, plus additional related errands, it's little wonder the miles are accruing so fast. But the combination of a very large boot and an ability to cover ground quickly makes it the perfect tool for the job. Meteor Grey paint was perhaps a little subtle for a trip to the La Sarthe region in June though. A suitable livery update was required.

The nice people at Wrapcube made the magic happen across the whole PH fleet, but I personally think the 'Hot Magenta' scheme on the Octavia was the best. Not that I'm biased.

Further preparations for Le Mans came courtesy of Thule and Next Base. In what might be a world first, we managed to completely fill the boot of a Skoda Octavia. We had so much stuff to carry for the Pit Stop, Friday Service and PH campsites we couldn't fit it all in. There was only one option - a loft conversion.

I don't like to brag, but during my formative years I was a pretty valued member of staff at the Guildford branch of Halfords. I know, impressive stuff. Accordingly I've seen my fair share of roof boxes and, when not skiving off in the warehouse, I've even fitted a few. Meaning I wasn't especially looking forward to installing the Thule Wing Bars and Dynamic L roof box. Seems things have moved on a bit since I was a lad. Fitting was straightforward courtesy of the built-in torque-settings on all the knobs and attachments. In use, the roof box swallowed a huge amount of gear and, despite a slight dent in the fuel economy, it was quiet, secure and even made the car look quite cool in a expedition vehicle kind of a way. Also from Thule was our now well-used VeloSpace 2 tow bar mounted bike carrier. Because Le Mans just isn't the same without a bike to get you out and about around the circuit. It carried the bikes with no fuss and made getting all the clobber out of the boot nice and easy thanks to its fold-down design.

The final addition was a Nextbase 512 HD dash cam. After some seemingly aribtrary interactions with Les Flics on previous occasions I figured it was a good idea to have it for some back-up, just in case. It also took less than a minute to set up and fit, and is so unintrusive that it has also remained in the car since.

All of these changes made the car quite distinctive, in a good way. A view seemingly shared, given the number of people showing their approval at our Pit Stop and Friday service. I guess the combination of hot hatch performance, a big boot and the Thule 'lifestyle' mods made it seem like the ultimate utility vehicle.

New tyres and further exploration of the VAQ's abilities need addressing but I'm still loving life with the vRS. And its workhorse abilities will continue to be tested, with another trip to Le Mans for the Classic next week. If you're heading down, make sure you drop in and see us (and the Skoda!) at our Le Mans Classic Pit Stop.

FACT SHEET
Car: 2016 Skoda Octavia vRS 230 Estate
Run by: James
On fleet since: April 2016
Mileage: 7,742 (and counting...)
List price new: £29,910 (Basic list of £27,800 plus £550 for tow bar, £765 for Adaptive Cruise Control, Crew Protection Assist for £150, Heated seats for £200, Simply Clever package for £85 and Meteor Grey paint for £360)
Last month at a glance: Two trips to Le Mans down, another one to go...

Previous reports:
Yes, really, a grey Skoda estate on the PH Fleet
Practical family estate into track car does go!

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