Isocrem

That's true. As long as you can accept that it's great fun to stick to the speed limit when you have an obviously annoyed person up your chuff (not suggesting you do this), but it does seem to be the default position for many ****ed off drivers wanting to 'progress' in a 30 or 40 zone. If I want to get a speeding ticket, I'll get one on my own terms, not another drivers

True, join my junction of the M3 at 8am and 40 mph is three times the prevailing traffic speed!

So, you get stupidly frustrated because you personally can't break the speed limit and travel maybe 3-6 mph faster? Man, that's high blood pressure territory.

If you choose to go on a speed awareness course, you will not be able to go on another for 3 Years. After 3 Years, you might be offered one, if they are still available. EDIT. Re read your post! My mistake

I came from a 2.0 Diesel Mkii Estate and over the 6 Years I owned it, I adapted to that lazy, low rev, high torque style of driving. 5th Gear at low speeds was effortless and the Diesel lump was very good at holding back the car, so no real need to change gears that often. For the first couple of weeks of driving my Petrol vRS, I drove it in the same way, and, as you say it's more than capable of being driven in that 'wafty' fashion, in a high gear. The only difference being is the engine braking is minimal in the Petrol. It's a very flexible engine though. Agree, the gear 'suggestions' are best treated just as suggestions!

I'm not an expert on running in an engine, however 30mph in 3rd Gear is only 2K revs, so I wouldn't call that excessive strain. I would also say it's more mechanically sympathetic than putting it into 4th or 5th at 30 mph then having to brake going down hills, change gear for uphills etc. It's all down to individual road conditions, of course. A nice flat, long straight bit of 30 mph road, sure, put it in 4th or 5th.

In the main, I'm in 3rd gear in 30 zones. It's an incredibly flexible gear and provides that little extra bit of acceleration sense. If I'm negotiating a tight hazard, going down into 2nd at mid twenties to thirty is absolutely fine. I'm generally a gear or two lower in 30 or 40 zones than I was in my Diesel as there is far less 'engine' braking in the petrol unit. The car will upshift easilty from 2K, but it depends on the road circumstances. It does like to rev though..

A/C helps to dehumidify the air in the car. Useful in Winter and Summer. No idea how much extra fuel it might use, but worth it for comfort, in my book.

See your point. I'm not certain this can be done, but I'm sure someone will confirm if it is possible.

Can you elaborate? Do you want to be able to sit in the car, take the key out of the ignition but keep the doors locked? I can't quite see how that would be beneficial.

Maybe they've made more than one, but I thought it was a Superb? I saw a link to an article (probably on here) that he drives a 280 Superb as part of a sponsorship deal. http://www.skoda.co.uk/why-skoda/driven-by-something-different/pages/default.aspx

My Samsung is 5 3/4 inch in length and it sits nicely on the sliding lid of the cubby (not in, it's too big for that) in front of the gear stick. The lip of the lid holds the phone in place perfectly and a nice short lead slots into the usb input.

The Winter Tyre setting on the infotainment is to set a speed warning if Winter Tyres are fitted that have a lower speed rating than Summer tyres. No need to do anything if you are running standard tyres.

My Mkii Estate had the variable floor and the seat bases also folded forwards. This produced a flat surface, though the seat bases meant pushing the drivers seat forward a little from my normal position

Ahh, that's a shame. Every now and then I turn on the sport setting for the sound and it's entertaining for a few minutes, then it's off again

Press the vrs mode button. Select 'Individual' then click on the 'change' button towards the top of the screen. You can select whatever mixture you want and change 'interior engine sound' to eco. This works on my 65 plate, but not sure if this is different to earlier models.

The reality is, whether its 180 200 or 220, I run out of driving talent (and balls ) before I need to use anywhere near all of the horses! I know my limits

Well if you can call yours that I'm claiming mine as a 240

That surprised me. Maybe the 0-62 figures are VAG Conservative..

Yes, that's true and where the diff would make a bit of difference. I don't think I'd fancy 300hp going through the front wheels of my 220.

I read this a lot on the forum, and it sounds as though units can pump out a little more power than stated. However if that's the case, a stated 245 hp would probably pump out more than this, so it's all relative.

So is the vRS 245 the 'standard' new vRS, or an upgrade from the 230 brake previously reported?

Clearly insurance costs are dependent on personal circumstances and I wouldn't dream of pushing an opinion on anyone else; however, to give you my own personal experience (for what it's worth) moving from a 09 plate Mkii Octavia 2.0 Diesel Elegance Estate to a 65 plate Petrol vrs Hatch saw a very small increase in insurance costs (50 quid per annum., mainly due to a pending SP30). Your Mileage may, of course, vary, but if the possibility of something a tiny bit more spicy attracts you, it might be worth a call to your insurer..

I regularly see a Range Rover with a very simple 07

No, my Summer tyres are not directional, though the Winter ones are, but they've got big arrows on them, so shouldn't be too much problem next Winter