CKO

Originally from SIN myself and have friends with pano sunroofs on their cars, They report no issues on theirs, oldest being five years old now. The advice is to use the roof on at least the tilt/vent position most days and open/close both the roof and sunshade from time to time to ensure that the motors and seals are kept functioning.

Not trying to jinx your holiday and I am happy for you finally getting your new car, but hopefully, it won't give you any issues when it's overseas.

Here in NZ, it seems that there is a Stop Order notice for all Octavias. Unsure if this extends to other markets in the region as we must be a rounding error in the overall scheme of things to VAG/Skoda. Wonder how they are going to appease the local constabulary as Skoda won the tender for the fleet.

I am in complete agreement with your comments and observations. My choice is rather limited as there are few proper estate car options now offered in NZ - the market has gone ute/pickup, crossover and SUV crazy! I almost signed on the dotted line in mid 2021 for a vRS petrol Estate (would have preferred a Diesel but these are not offered here) but cooled upon reading about the multitude of software glitches and decided to wait. Currently, delivery times for this model are best guesses with estimates running from 1 year upwards. Like you, I also find the touchscreen HVAC controls off-putting, along with the hard rear door trims and the absence of sill kick plates for the rear door openings. I am hoping that these issues will be resolved by the facelift, which should come about for MY24 but don't seem possible as re-engineering for proper buttons for the HVAC functions will cost mega-bucks. The rear door sill plates can be retro-fitted, so that leaves me with whether I can live with the hard material used for the rear door trims. If you value interior room and space, the Hyundai and BMW options you are considering do not come close to the Octavia. Styling is subjective but I also think the BMW is Fugly (and this coming from a long-time and current BMW owner).

Hopefully the early teething troubles will not impact the resale value too badly. It would be interesting to see how Skoda fares in the next J D Powers or other consumer satisfaction surveys.

2022 Toyota Yaris in their version of Mamba

I am waiting for the supply issues to be sorted out before I place my order so have been coming to this forum site repeatedly for updates as well as to see if there are any other developments I should be aware of - software, ACC issues, etc. I would like to have a diesel vRS Estate but Skoda NZ does not offer this option, so petrol is the only way to go. The iV hybrid costs more and from what I've been reading in many media reviews is not as much fun to pilot owing to the increased weight. I am concerned about how the petrol vRS does on consumption as petrol prices are tipped to spike more in the short to mid term future. I am coming from a BMW 320d Touring which gets me 6.2l/100km (around 42 mpg). So, thanks to all posters so far for their input.

It's a polarising hue for sure. Probably a fashion colour that will be ditched come facelift time. There are some Toyota models that also offer a similar shade.

Looks good in the showroom but will be difficult to clean properly, especially if you are in a hurry.

Test drove both an 18" and a 19" equipped vRS Wagon on urban and rural roads and the road noise from the 19" car is more noticeable. As to whether this is worse than your Mk3 Octy is a guess as I have no experience with that model. Compared to my current ride, road noise on the 18" wheel/tyre combo is more pronounced but not significant enough to be a deal breaker. However, the software glitches and prolonged build time both are, so no dhoby mark on the dotted line from me just yet.

Good for you! You seem to have had a great dealer to deal with and managed to grab the attention of Skoda GB when all the planets aligned. Like you, I find the Octavia (in 2.0 TSi vRS form) a joy to drive but have held back making my order owing to all the bad owner experiences of the software/infotainment and also now because cars are being built with no set delivery time and may even be kept in storage awaiting chips. I am just hoping that the mid-life revisions that should come for MY23 will sort the software/infotainment out and maybe see a return to more logical HVAC control buttons. Enjoy your ride and I do hope that it remains issue-free for the rest of your ownership.

Hit a possum in my F21 320d Touring at night. No damage to the bumper but the unlucky beast managed to get past the lower mid bumper grille slat and knocked out the turbo unit!

The 19" wheel and tyre combo does result in a stiffer ride around town and more pronounced road hum/roar on the open road as compared to the 18" set up based on my test drive of both on a vRS Estate. The 19" equipped test drive unit was DCC equipped but I did not have the chance to fiddle with it that much to see if it would make a noticeable difference. In NZ, the 18" rims are standard for the vRS. In the Autocar UK test of the vRS Diesel, one of their testers commented that if it were his personal car, he would go for the 18" rims although they were not even listed as an option for the UK.

Given the massive software issues currently plaguing all VAG products running the new style infotainment, you will be at a big risk for smaller, independent workshops having access to the supposed "fixes". However, IIRC, VAG warranty is worldwide regardless of source of supply of the vehicle, so in theory, the authorised dealer in SIN should be able to update you as and when needed. Whether or not they do it for free is another story - you could run this by VW Asia Pacific, if they still have their offices in SIN. Also, I can't imagine the official dealer turning down your request for a special order unit. Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi entertain such orders. It will be up to you to make the decision as to whether the grey market source offers a considerable enough saving to offset the risk.

Greetings from New Zealand and an ex-Singaporean. I had the opportunity to test drive the vRS Estate on both the 18" and 19" rim set ups and found that the road roar is pronounced and round town ride on the more aggressive rubber is firm but not uncomfortable if you are into performance cars. However, the 18" set up is more liveable on a day to day basis as it is quieter or coarse tarmac and has a more pliant ride. The handling is not greatly affected (if at all) by this option either, unless you are a real gung ho driver (and with kids in the car, I don't think you would be). I did not have the chance to fiddle with the DCC equipped on the car with the 19" wheels, so can't comment on whether this would make a noticeable difference. Of more concern would be the numerous infotainment and smart safety system glitches and the long delivery time frame.

I share your thoughts as well. I am still contemplating whether to book a vRS Estate/Combi but these ongoing software issues are a major concern as the last thing anyone needs is aggro from a new car. Coupled to the above, delivery times quoted are about six months down the road, with no guarantee of a firmed up date. I am coming from a '14 F21 320d Touring that has so far been good to me but I just can't stomach BMW's new design language outside and for their dial layout and the vRS ticks most of the boxes. The drive experience was much better than expected - so much for many reviews stating that it is not that engaging.

Blame the bureaucrats for that - lane keep assistance, speed limiters and so on have all been written into legislation requiring carmakers to include them as standard equipment. I too share your view about too many LCD (that's lowest common denominator not light crystal diode) drivers depending on these electronic nanny aids to save them when what it really takes is skill and attention when behind the wheel.

The standard vRS seats seemed fine enough for me on an hour long test drive that took in city/urban streets as well as a motorway and a short blast down a country road. We get power seats as standard with a tilt facility in New Zealand. If comfort is paramount, you may wish to consider an upgrade to the massaging seats, which come with bolsters in leather and are electrically adjusted. It is quite a pricey option, though worth it as the added support given by the extendable under thigh cushion adds to the comfort level.

Thanks to e-Roottoot and TheUltraRunner. The 360 camera would be great but being in a RHD market, our changes will be largely driven by what the UK gets. We already have the false boot floor as standard. Hopefully, the infotainment issues will be fully sorted by then or Skoda will be Cleverly Simple in addressing customer care.

Hi! I've been quoted around six months delivery time if I were to sign for a vRS Estate now, making it a MY22 spec car. The info may still be unknown or confidential, but does anyone have an inkling of what changes the new model year will bring?

Col 46 - thanks for your advice on trading the current car in now but it will be impractical as I do not have another car to fall back on to use. The only good thing about the ETA is that it'll be a MY22, though what changes will be made is still an unknown. Jim2015 - The 18" wheel and tyre set up does calm the ride noticeably and generated lower roar than the more aggressive 19" combo. Voice control may handle the HVAC and navigation functions but can also be accidentally triggered as I found out on my two drives. Thanks again to all who have provided their opinion and input.

Hi again! Still considering whether to take the plunge and order the vRS Estate. The hurdles in the way are: - No firm delivery time (6 months or thereabouts was quoted) - Owing to the above, the dealer can't or won't commit to a firm trade price on my current ride, which makes my step up cost indeterminate - I was also gently dissuaded from ordering DCC with the opinion that it makes the car either too firm in Sport mode or wallow too much in Comfort mode. I must admit that I had not much chance to experiment with the DCC on the highly optioned media car I test drove and would really love to hear from owners with this option why they either love or hate it. Thanks in advance!

Scored a test drive of a well optioned press test car and found the drive to be sufficiently pleasing despite massive rumble from the 19" wheel and tyre combo (optional rather than standard in NZ) and the associated firmness of ride brought on by the lower profile tyres. Hopefully, I can get to sample an 18" wheel equipped unit soon, which the sales person said is slightly more pliant in the ride and not as pronounced in road noise. However, the thing that threw me off is the need to attack the screen at least twice to get the HVAC to function the way you want it to. This is seriously inconvenient at best and potentially dangerous at worst. Why did Skoda adopt this impractical way to engage the HVAC interface, which is not an on/off function, I shall never know. Still undecided on whether to proceed with the purchase owing to this attribute, though I now know the options I want should I go for it.

Thanks, Ajdude. A new G21 320d Touring with my desired options comes in at 10,000 GBP higher than the Octavia vRS, which is getting too rich for me. Also, I think the way the infotainment controls are laid out in the G31 is not as good or logical as in my F30, with the buttons sited with the engine start/stop button. Most of all, I still don't fancy the look of the G21 and it's instrument cluster is messy compared to the Octavia's.

Thanks for all your views. The dealer claims to have a high spec demo car available for test drives soon equipped with the sunroof, HUD and massaging sports seats with under thigh extensions. They have yet to confirm if it has adaptive suspension. In NZ, the vRS comes with 18" rather than 19" rims as standard so hopefully the tyre roar some reviewers have noted will be less pronounced. The winter pack comprising heated electric adjustable front seats and steering wheel is also included in the asking price. Still unsure about the hard plastic rear door trims and concerned about the touchscreen infotainment after coming from BMW's superb rotary controller and buttons on the console layout. The Skoda HUD seems to echo the one I've got in the BMW display-wise with a similar option price to the Bimmer seven years back when I bought it. Still love the BMW but it's getting on in years and I just don't like the goofy looking new 3 series.