whippersnapper

XDS and XDS+ are poor mans versions of a lsd just a software trick to brake wheels to try and minimise wheel spin on corner exit. The VAQ is an electronically controlled mechanical clutch system allowing up to 100% of the drive to go to the outside wheel. It’s based on the Haldex system used for 4WD in most other VAG products.

If you are used to driving an Octavia RS, even a diesel one, you are unlikely to enjoy the Elroq RS as much. Best to think of the ev RS (or vRS since you are in the UK) as a spec level rather than any sporting capability. The Elroq is something like 700kg heavier and combined with the higher height and subsequent cog is never going to handle like a 1500kg sports sedan or wagon. Yes it’s faster 0-60 but once rolling the current Octavia will be faster especially at higher speeds. Yes you’ll save on charging as long as you can charge almost exclusively at home but you’ll have much higher depreciation. The new price difference of £5k is going to give you the first 30k miles of petrol already paid for. I wouldn’t be worried about battery degradation. In the end assuming the driving dynamic differences don’t bother you, you need to work out with the actual range of the Elroq (including in winter when the range will be much less) maps to your trips because if it means you’d be using public chargers a reasonable amount you’ll be paying handsomely for it and of course have the additional down time to take into account.

There isn’t a button for this in the centre console like Octavia’s have?

Deleted

I’m sure others will chime in with specific diesel experience but if the car is older and high mileage you could have leaking injectors or high pressure fuel pump putting diesel into the oil. Not good.

The video shows the original mark 4 (NX) Octavia virtual cockpit. The current 4.5 is similar but not identical.

No chance of a Fabia RS (or vRS for UK readers) now that the 130 is out. Personally I’d just get a Montecarlo. With the gearbox limiting the torque to 250NM the 130 isn’t really going to feel quicker unless you really rag it and her Montecarlo has enough of a sporting feel for what is really a city car.

You are stuck with it. I thought the same thing when I had a kamiq montecarlo (built on the Fabia platform) as a loaner while my Octavia RS was being serviced. I think it’s an artefact of the Fabia being quite an old platform now and also being the cheapest model. Virtual cockpit in say the Octavia is a lot more sophisticated and stylish. I’m sure the Fabia will improve when it’s upgraded next which I guess can’t be too far away.

If you have it you push the light stalk away from you one time and a white light icon with an A will appear in the dash if you have it and go blue when it engages the high beam.

It’s hardly a big deal I’m losing sleep over but repeating what I said, given the infotainment differences alone, a new sub section would be valuable. It would have a sticky for those who don’t know what car they are driving to help them work it out.

It’s a pity because with the infotainment hardware and software change it’s practically a whole new model. It has been quite confusing when people post especially when they don’t even know what model they have.

I think you just need to hold your finger near it from memory

The phantom front assist issues is about the only thing that really annoys me about my car. Okay they aren’t exactly phantom but a massive unnecessary overreaction.

For clarity when you say new mark 4 you mean the facelifted car or the pre facelift one?

There are two buttons. The right hand one changes the style of layout and the l ft hand one cycles through the level of detail from full, medium to low. My guess is you are on medium or low which means the traditional rev counter and Speedo won’t display until you cycle to it with the left hand of the two buttons

DCC is great I use it a lot. Great to be able to soften it off just burbling around town and then tighten it up when having a fang. Best of both worlds.

Not while it's under warranty (5 years here) and then more likely just to buy another car. The prospect of some more torque and hp is attractive but the reality is there is only so much you can put through the front wheels and the car is quick anyway. How often do you run at full throttle? Me not very often and when I take the car for a backroads blast it's still mostly using the stout midrange through twisty turns rather than max throttle acceleration in a straight line. I've come from a 4WD car so still getting used to the wheel scrabble and the wait, wait ,wait to apply maximum power on corner exit. And just in case you think I'm some old plodder, I'm an ex motorcycle racer who still rides powerful street bikes and doesn't hang about in the turns but how quick something accelerates 0-60 doesn't really mean much to me as long as its brisk enough. The Octavia is case in point as although its slower 0-60 than the Superb its quicker once the wheels are turning (less driveline drag, less weight). There does seem to be a lad culture in the UK though that favours chipping everything innit.

Happy new year and best wishes for your wife’s mobility. Something I forgot to mention earlier was whether your wife would find it easier getting into an SUV than a car because they are taller?

Here’s the deal. You do very low mileage (45,000 in 14 years). That in of itself is likely to insulate you from any issue. Dry clutches are used because they have less drag and better fuel economy but the clutches will wear faster and the shifts are not as smooth etc.. If, as it seems, you are the type of person to worry about all this I’d suggest you take your own advice and buy a Japanese car that will almost certainly be more ‘reliable’. VAG and European cars in general are simply not as reliable as Japanese ones. However you are far more likely to suffer from plastic water pump leaks, EGR piping and things like that than a gearbox issue. I bought a new Octavia RS about a year ago. It has a DQ381 and shifts and operates beautifully far better than my wife’s DQ200 in her 2012 Polo GTI. I plan to change my car shortly after the standard 5 year warranty expires. It’s already been to the dealer twice. Once for a new battery and once for a detached wire on the DCC system. The Polo has been terrible but she loves it. The twin charger engine was plagued with issues but so far the gearbox has been fine. Over the same time period I had a turbocharged Subaru which had a gearbox sensor fail at 60,000 miles but was otherwise faultless. If you are not choosing a car for an enthusiast reason, you can’t go wrong with a Toyota for mainstream or Lexus for more upmarket.

I think you’re worried about something not worth worrying about. Buy a new Octavia and enjoy it.

Interesting. Here in NZ for about the same spec the RS and GTI are essentially the same price

The EA888 isn't a very sonorous engine in any spec but the Octavia RS sports exhaust is pretty good. It has a decent bass but noise regs mean nothing is that great anymore. The GTI won't be any better instead it has artificial sound piped into the cabin like the old Mark 4 Octavia. I prefer the natural sound. There are some pops in the engine map in Sport mode. As for size, it is built on a lengthened platform with a longer wheelbase. I find it fine but if you don't need the size then maybe a Cupra Leon hatch would be a better choice.

How did you manage that isn’t that 25% off in the UK?

Petrolped on YouTube reviewed an RS in this colour some time ago

Yes I don’t know how you are supposed to clean the wheels with the covers still on