walter

I have my new Octavia just one week and have noticed the same thing. It pings and then the * (snowflake) icon appears on the display. afaik it's just the temperature alarm, though I haven't even looked through the manual yet.

Flamenco Red

The presenter came across as a surly teenager. A bit stroppy and inarticulate too. Wouldn't like her fighting my corner. Who is she anyway - a journalist ? I can't believe it.

The only problem I have with the floor-mounted accelerator is that it appears to be made of plastic. I can't imagine it being very durable. I may be wrong: I haven't had a chance to take a proper look yet.

On friday morning I took delivery of a new Skoda Octavia Ambiente. I bought it from Tarrants in Banteer, a small village in North cork. The drive from Cork city is along a winding country road that rolls over hills and through wooded valleys. Quite a pleasant drive regardless of the car you're driving. When I arrived at the showroom Eamon (the owner) was talking to prospective customers so I had a few minutes to look over my new car. The new Octavia in Flamenco Red is a handsome brute of a car, much better looking than I had imagined. There is nothing quite like the feeling of walking into a showroom, seeing a beautiful shiny new car and knowing that within the hour, you will be driving it home. I'm not a car nut and never have been but those few moments prowling around my new car in the showroom ... bliss. People say a car loses a grand once you drive it out of the showroom, but at that moment in time I thought the feeling was worth every penny (so much so that I've been toying with the previously unthinkable idea of trading in for the new model VRS when it comes out - though I'm sure in the meantime common-sense and SWMBO will prevail). I should say that my previous car was an Opel Corsa that I bought secondhand and have held onto for 9 years (unheard of nowadays) so buying a brand new Octavia was, for me at least, a very big deal. I'll no doubt p1ss off a lot of octavia mk I owners by saying this but, looks-wise, the old model can't hold a candle to the new model Octavia. (I'll post some pictures when the weather improves). I was thinking of getting an Octavia, 2 or 3 years ago. I'm glad I held out until now. While Tarrants were putting on the reg plates and other last minute things I got talking to a taxi driver who had left his octavia (a 1.9 diesel) in for repair. He had 211K on the clock and was planning on holding onto it until it failed the NCT sometime in the distant future; "Noone will buy a car that's had taxi plates on it" he said. A quick run through of the radio and wiper functions and after hooking up my iPod I was on the road in my new car. I can't tell you how long I had been waiting for this but needless to say I was a very happy bunny as I drove the scenic route back to Cork through the boggera mountains. I took the family out for a spin to Ardmore in Waterford on saturday. SWMBO and little kate were both very happy and found it very comfortable (I'm 6ft2 and my wife still had plenty of legroom in the back). There are some very nice touches inside. The central armrest stores 6 cds and has coin trays. The front and rear windows are adjustable from the driver's door. I read somewhere that driving the Octavia is like driving on rails. It feels very solid and unlike in the Corsa: I don't get queasy taking corners. There isn't a lot of travel in the gear stick: I'm guesing theres just a few millimeters between 1st, 3rd and 5th so that takes some getting used to. I also have to shift up and down gears a lot more than I did in the Corsa (the corsa was more forgiving in that respect). It revs up a little too quickly in 1st but can feel sluggish in 2nd and 3rd. I guess the car and me will have to adjust. I certainly don't want to push it too hard during its run-in period. I don't think I can overstate how good this car looks. On saturday night I was parked next to a 3 series BMW and to be honest (OK I'll admit I might be a little biased) the octavia looks better. Needless to say I am now a very happy (and inordinately proud) Octavia owner.

I'll be collecting my 1.6 ambiente (no extras) this friday. Ordered it January 17th. Just under 5 weeks. Now all I have to do is try to remain as calm as possible between now and friday morning.

I'm a software engineer and yes I owned a spectrum 48k.

Magnum, I was looking at buying a Toyota Avensis before I settled for the Octavia instead. I tried the Corolla too. I thought the Corolla's interior looked a lot cheaper than the Octavia's (much smaller too). I ordered a 1.6 Ambiente on Jan 17th and am still waiting.

>I saw a black superb at the Castle in Prague last year >delivering some VIPs and thought it was understated and elegant. I first saw the Superb at prague castle last summer (I've only seen 1 in cork recently). Have an order in for an Octavia but tried out the leg room in the superb. I'm 6ft2in and even with the driver seat fully back I had plenty of leg room in the back. A beautiful car.

Anyone know if there's a Auxillary Line Input on the 'Stream' stereo in the new octavia ? If so - Is the input on the front panel or do I need to fiddle about with wires ? Walter

Ordered a 1.6 petrol ambiente (no extras) last monday (17th January). Was told at the time it would take 3 weeks - now I've been told it will be between 5 and 8 weeks ! :eek:

Whats the Octavia CD player like on poor roads ? My wife has a '00 reg Volvo S40 but stopped playing CDs because the CDs kept skipping on bumpy country roads. Would a CD player capable of playing MP3s have the same problem ?

Thanks for the replies. I could potentially spend an awful lot of time on this website. Some great info. Thanks again.

I just put in an order for an ambiente this week. Theres a pic on the inside back of the brochure which SWMBO and myself both liked. I thought it was island green metallic, she thought it was graphite. We couldn't agree so I went for metallic red instead. Kevin, which dealer did you go through? How long have you been waiting?