CKO

One would have thought that specs and models would be identical on both sides of The Ditch, given the small size of the NZ market, but such is not the case. Australia has/had the Sportline variant, which never came here, for instance. Skoda NZ made the decision on the vRS to bundle all options except the pano roof together when the chip shortage struck and has not revised this since. So you either get a "standard" vRS or one with all the trimmings with the free-to-order pano roof.

The following info is on the Skoda NZ configurator: The Style starts at $52,990, with the vRS coming in at $61,990. Both are promo prices as word of the facelift is out and the units left in stock and on the water will need to be cleared by year end. The facelifted examples are expected in late 2024, with a release projected for early 2025. If HenryNZ opts for the Style, he needs to select a unit with the Style Plus pack ($5,450 extra) to get the HUD, triple zone climate control, ventilated F seats and heated F & R seats. What Skoda deems as leather seating adds $1,650. 17" rims come with the Style, with more stylish alloys coming in at $600 and an 18" upgrade costing from $1,450 (two styles are available). DCC is unavailable for Style trim level. The vRS Plus pack is $6,450 to include the 19" wheels, HUD, DCC, heated F & R seats (and steering wheel - sorry, missed that one out previously), leather seating and massaging F sports seats. The pano roof costs $2.900 for either trim level.

Like you, I considered the Octavia as my final car in my retirement years as it seemed to offer what I wanted w/o breaking the bank. 19" rims are not standard on the vRS unless you opt for the Plus Pack at extra cost. This also brings the HUD (head up display), DCC adaptive suspension and heated F & R seats. The 19" wheels add to the appearance but spoil the ride as they make the car a shade jiggly whenever pot holes or wavy roads are encountered, making me request a wheel downgrade to the 18" items on mine. I am still a little miffed that the dealer did not offer me a credit for this swap. The DCC is a good option to have as you can adjust the settings for urban cruising or back road blasts. It still won't let you forget the presence of the 19" rims, though. You may also like to consider the pano roof if you go for the vRS as the all black cabin (even the headliner is black) is lightened up by this feature. Good luck with your choice and enjoy your ride.

Don't let the cops get you. They're much stricter on speeding nowadays than five years ago.

Welcome on board! Which part of NZ are you located in? Dealer service in Christchurch has been alright so far - I've had mine in for a rattly driver's door trim apart from the first service. I've had my vRS for slightly over a year now with about 11,000 km on it - I don't drive as much as I used to as I am in my so called golden years and not working full-time any more. Service intervals for the vRS are 12 months/15,000 km, whichever occurs first - I don't think the Style will be different. I have bought the service plan for five years - at the time of purchase, it was advised that it is transferable, should I decide to walk away from the car before then. The vRS gets me between 11 - 13.3 km/l in mixed driving. Regardless of your model choice, enjoy your ride. The facelift models are expected to hit the country toward the end of this year for release early in 2025.

I've got DCC, electric adjust sports seats in faux leather/cloth, the pano sunroof and winter pack on mine in NZ - there was a chip shortage when I was looking around, so it was all or nothing. After living with the car for just over a year now, I would take the DCC and winter pack if it's going to be a family hauler. Does the UK winter pack have heated front and rear seats and steering wheel? If so, go for it. The faux leather/cloth trim IMO is just so-so as the leather doesn't feel as rich as on some rivals. If you can forgo this and power seat adjustment, perhaps you could lessen the tax burden? As for the pano roof, it really brightens up the all black cabin heaps, especially in winter.

Unsure about UK spec cars but in NZ, the chance for free standing options disappeared when the chip crisis bit, being replaced by one option pack where buyers got the 19" wheels, HUD, pano roof, massage front seats, winter pack (heated front and rear seats and steering wheel) and a few other goodies bundled together. So, buyers had the choice of a base car or a fully optioned one with nothing in between. The comments others made on the software edition and tow bar prep are also relevant.

If your budget can stretch to it, get the newest available model you can. It seems that the introductry models had lots of software issues (check the forums here out) and although these should be fully sorted out in theory, you never know.

I've seen 6.1 l /100 km on a long motorway run. I've kept a log over the 9.000 + kms since taking delivery and overall consumption (mixed driving) ranges around 8.2 l /100 km to 8.5 l/100 km. Overall, it's quite an economical drivetrain - and I came from an F41 BMW 320d that regularly gave 6.1 l / 100 km.

This is a fashion hue taken on board for a model year or two before being replaced by another in vogue shade or a more stable colour. The likes of BMW (Valencia Orange), Ford (for their previous Ranger pick up) and Nissan (350Z) have all had it in their colour palettes at one time or another recently. As said by a previous poster, if it floats your boat, go for it! Resale will not be impacted much as with the majority of cars being finished in white, black, silver or grey these days, those looking for something different will pick your car up if it has been properly maintained.

The ride on 19" rims can be jittery - this was the reason I downgraded my vRS 2.0TSi to 18" items before delivery - and the dealer didn't even offer a credit! I've got my DCC set past the midway point to allow the car to track into corners well at the expense of a slightly firmer ride even on these rims. Having come from an F31 BMW 320d Touring, the vRS does what it's asked to do but with slightly less panache. Guess that's the difference between BMW xDrive and a pure front drive layout. Biggest complaint about the rolling refinement is pronounced tyre roar on rough tarmac.

It's entirely your call, but the way things are going, the spec could change with the facelift. It should improve seeing as to how the model's in the mid stage of its life but it could be that certain features are made optional or even deleted. The styling will certainly be tweaked and refreshed and as this is a very subjective area, it may not meet with your approval.

The adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist have tried to kill me a few times on my 10 month old unit but I've learned to adapt to these foibles. If anything, they've both made me more alert when I drive. Apart from the above, so far so good (fingers crossed, bottle of holy water at the ready and piece of wood at hand to knock on). Agree with TheWanderer's other observations and comments. The car's a great cruiser (tyre noise on rough tarmac aside) and quite economical - and I came from a BMW 320d.

Thanks to all who replied with their advice!

Hi, all! I am travelling soon and will be leaving the car parked up for close to three weeks. The dealer service dept has advised me to disconnect the battery with only the clock and radio pre-sets needing to be re-done when the battery is re-hooked up. Knowing how temperamental the Infotainment system is, has any Octavia Mk4 owners experienced issues doing the above? Answers really appreciated.