whippersnapper

2 Brollies are standard again in the RS I think. I got the phone holder, the rear tablet holder and nets and reversible mats and stuff I haven’t even looked at yet

I’ll probably end up doing the same. My 2012 Subaru did that so I’ve been enjoying trying out features my old car didn’t have. also have driven a few EVs and it is great to just get in and get out and not worry about locking and I unlocking the car

As someone who has just bought their first ever Skoda (mark 4.5 Octavia RS Combi in race blue) I can share what I almost bought instead and what else I drove. Interestingly everything I considered was a VAG product. I so nearly bought a facelifted Formentor VZ. The facelift model is not yet released in New Zealand but I drove the older 228PS model a few times. On paper it was perfect. My old car was a 2012 Subaru Legacy GT Premium wagon. I wanted something a little smaller but still a 4WD vehicle with sporty dynamics. Apart from feeling the Cupra was a bit gauche in places with its overuse of the signature copper colour it was the one. The fact that the facelift added a 333PS engine and torque splitting rear diff from the Golf R should have sealed the deal. Probably if the new car was available right away I would have one but I’ve never had an suv before and don’t really like them despite how handsome the Cupra is. I looked at the Leon Sportstourer but didn’t really like the styling. I wrote off the Golf R, too much black plastic inside. I drove the Audi RS3 (my wife patted it after the test drive) but despite assuming I’d love the in-line 5 it seemed to have a soggy power delivery and didn’t sound as good as the older ones I’ve been in. Next an Audi S3. It drove great, noticeably quicker than the Cupra despite the same engine (it’s a bit lighter) but S3 seemed a bit boring. My wife got us back on the SUV option and we test drove an RSQ3 Sportback. That could have been the one. Still the same faintly disappointing 5 cylinder engine but it would have been a very pleasant place to be but alas the new Q3 was on its way with no indication of an RS model and no stock of the run out one. I had earlier considered an Octavia RS. I’d been following the range since the Mark 3 and thought the Mark 4 looked great but discounted it thinking 245hp was not enough power. Once I learnt the facelift was on the way I tried a 245 model. I was blown away by how it felt to drive. It just felt right. The seats were supremely comfy, sitting low reinforced the superior dynamics of a proper car chassis. I didn’t think it was that quick and thought there was too much torque steer. Back to the Cupra and trying to order one but the niggling was there. Despite the Cupra being so much quicker on paper, the Skoda felt like a sports sedan whereas the Cupra still felt like a sporty suv. When the Octavia 4.5 arrived I drove it and fell in love. The changes to the media system were a big step. The new wheels were nicer (with the aero inserts removed). The car felt noticeably quicker in part because the model is making more power from 4,300rpm now so has more of a top end zing but the DSG box retuning really makes it snap through the gears. Getting rid of the sound actuator and having an actual exhaust with a bit of sound and a few overrun pops sealed the deal. Sorry for the long winded post. What would I consider next? Well wouldn’t it be great if they offered a 4WD 333PS version in the future, I’d snap that up. I also learnt I quite like having something a bit off axis. I live in a wealthy area and most people have fancy euro cars. I really prefer the drive of the Skoda to the other cars I drove (RS3 excluded but I didn’t like it enough to pay almost twice as much as the Skoda).

I would guess it may well differ by market. Here in NZ mine came with Goodyear Eagle F1s. They seem okay but I always run Michelin Pilot Sports on my cars so will switch to them when the OEM tyres wear out.

didn't make any difference using another key. I tried just firing the system to reboot and then the animation stuff was turned off. Turned it back on and now it works fine.

My car is 3 weeks old. I’m having the same problem. It hasn’t locked a few times when I’ve walked away. Now I sort of have to look back and make sure I see the mirrors fold back t9 know it’s working. The car will chirp once and then lock. Occasionally I’ve heard it chirp twice which seems to indicate a problem. I’ve had the car parked at the airport for a week and now it seems the wake-up animation isn’t working either. I tried turning it off and back on but didn’t seem to do much. I’ll also try another key tomorrow to see if that is something t9 do with it.

I wonder if it’s a choice of market thing. My car was delivered a few weeks ago in NZ, hard to imagine they are still making it with a Skoda logo after all this time. The 4.5 has been available in other markets for quite awhile

Thanks for whoever mentioned that some cars still have a Skoda badge on the steering wheel instead of SKODA spelt out. Hadn’t noticed before but mine has the old badge. Hardly that big of a deal but I prefer a logo to the words

Congrats buddy. I’ve had my race blue combi for 3 weeks and I’m loving it.

Depends on which country you are in. Here in New Zealand the tablet holder is standard.

Nice. I got a race blue wagon. They are quite well specced as standard but have Canton and the electric alcantara / leather seats. if I’d ordered I would have added the extra sound insulation glass and sunroof although admittedly the sunroof is just heavier and a potential source of problems but it looks cool 😎

I got told the same thing in NZ pretty much six months from order to delivery. As a result I took a car out of inventory rather than ordered it

Yes you can’t go off the brochure which showcases the range and have to look at the spec sheet for your market. For example in NZ KESSY is on all doors, the fancy rear headrests are part of an optional package.

There is definitely no sound actuator as others have said and confirmed by the chief engineer. I am on the fence as to whether some of the pops on the overrun in sport mode are fake coming through the stereo. I’m not 100% sure but I’m pretty certain you get them in sport mode and in no other modes (even with dsg in sport settings). Either way it hardly matters, it sounds much better than the mark 4.

Yes it goes from meh to pretty nice rims!

Sounds like DSG mechatronic issues.

My car (4.5) came standard with it. It was one of the reasons we liked the car so much as so many models don’t have any spare these days.

Not that I know of but I’m new to Skoda. Maybe as a work around you could try putting the car in neutral N and applying the parking brake and you won’t get the same warning?

a

I would think so, but I do think you are unnecessarily worrying. Its not going to hurt the car for it to be revved even to the fuel cut out as long as its not done when the engine is completely cold.

I mean not running

Agreed. I do like how fast the DSG it goes from D to R too. My last car was an auto and there is always quite a delay between selecting R from D and being able to move.

The Octavia is my first car with the tiny shifter thing. To be honest I've found it quick and very intuitive to use and don't have any issues with it. The P being at the top is just where you'd shift an old style lever to.

If the car is left for an hour the engine will still be warm

You would think it would cost more to have the option or not and out the light in or not than the minor saving of not making the Qi charger standard.