nickcoll

Each paving slab could weigh about 70-80kg. That is more than the weight of an average adult person. So just think what the car would be like with seven people in it as well as you - I wouldn't want to do it!

Does your model have the Drive Mode Select function? If so, what is the steering like if you change it to Sport mode?

Unsurprisingly (at least to me) Skoda UK have not replied to my enquiry asking them about what form of LSD is fitted to which car. I assume that maybe they don't know?

That is obviously one way of doing it. Personally I prefer to do my homework and get the right car for me and then keep it for a decent length of time. Swapping cars continually has never appealed to me, but I can see that others do use that approach.

It's at least as much about torque as it is about power, arguably more so, and the TDis have quite a bit more torque... 400 plays 370 for the VRS, and 360 plays 250 for the 150PS models.

That's really helpful although we still don't know which models are fitted with what. And if the TSi VRS gets the VAQ, why don't Skoda publicise the fact? And I still wonder why they sacrificed the TDi VRS FWD-only in that way!

Would any VAG company dare to risk that now? If it is true, then it is even more stupid to do it to a FWD car which would just increase the traction problems.

For interest, here is the only text from the owners manual which talks about the diff locks: Electronic Differential Lock (EDL) EDL helps to stabilize the vehicle when driving on road surfaces with different grip under the individual wheels. EDL brakes a spinning wheel and transmits power to a different drive wheel. Electronic Differential Lock (XDL+) XDL+ helps to stabilize the vehicle during fast cornering by braking the inside wheel of the driven axle. So much clearer now! That is all, no indication of which models either option is fitted to. Both seem to be electronic in nature, no mention of a mechanical diff lock. As before I haven't found any references anywhere else at all (not on the website, not in the brochure, and not by Googling) to diff locks on any Octavia models. I have emailed Skoda UK and it will be interesting to see if they come back with anything.

Quite! Thanks!

Yes, it is obvious that without 4x4 the electronic systems are inadequate for a torquey FWD-engined car.

Yes, I suppose I could do, although my experience with dealer salespeople is that they know very little to nothing about the technical aspects of the vehicles. Their eyes glaze over if I ask a question like this and they want to move on quickly to the next customer who doesn't ask what they consider to be difficult questions for which they don't know the answer! Skoda UK - although I don't really know why it should be necessary to ask them about information that should be readily available, how would I go about contacting them about this?

That could be the case. If so, once again I do wonder why Skoda submitted the FWD model for review rather than the 4x4. They should have known that it would be criticised for lack of traction given the level of torque the engine produces. There is no clarity about what the two forms of LSD consist of that I have found anywhere. Presumably EDL = Electronic Diff Lock and XDL+ is the VAQ mechanical diff lock. Why not say it then, and be more explicit about which is used in which model?

I don't know why you are getting so worked up about this - it is pretty clear from my posts that I am entirely happy with the electronic LSD that my 4x4 has fitted. It doesn't need any more than that, but it definitely does improve its handling a lot. What I am frustrated about is the lack of information and what the Autocar article says is that the model they tested is not fitted with any form of LSD, which is why it comes over so badly with very poor traction off the line. If Skoda can do that with the VRS FWD, and omit any mention of it from their literature, it is surely valid to ask the question whether it has been deleted from the 4x4? Your faith that the new model will be better in every respect is admirable, but before buying one I would like some evidence. What's wrong with that?

Certainly the 'pseudo' one works very effectively with my 4x4 to reduce understeer so that it practically doesn't exist, with the car sliding sideways if it gets to that point (very wet or icy weather). I am reluctant to buy a new Octavia if it doesn't have that feature. Why fit it in the ECU and not enable it? Andy why, for that matter, did Skoda submit a car for a road test that was so inadequate in this respect? Why not submit the 4x4 model which doesn't suffer from such embarrassing behaviour? What a missed opportunity - I can only assume that the people in their PR department don't know anything about their cars. And finally, all of this speculation on what is fitted and to which models is very interesting, but why is there no way of knowing exactly what is fitted and to which models? The information seems to have been dumbed-down below an acceptable level.

My current 2013 Octavia SE 4x4 estate is a great handling car, and one of the things which makes it so is the combination of 4 wheel drive and the XDS (as it was called at the time) electronic diff lock. You can actively feel the way in which it reduces understeer and as a result you can drive the car enthusiastically (but always within the law!) and it grips, in combination with the 4x4, fantastically well. I am sure it is also part of what has made other models handle well - I know that with the Mk 3 models it was fitted to many models at various times. I have assumed that it was always a standard fitment on the Mk 3 VRS, but also to some other models. I was however REALLY shocked to read the new Autocar review of the VRS TDi with its 197bhp engine which says multiple times through the review that this model was almost ruined by its lack of "any form of limited-slip differential". This is surely craziness on Skoda's part - how can a car with a highly torquey front-wheel-drive engine ever hope to be sporty without some form of LSD? The article also says that the 4x4 model doesn't need a LSD - well, maybe it doesn't need it, but from my experience with my car it definitely benefits from it by very effectively reducing understeer. This may be a total showstopper for me in getting a Mk4 - this would be a very big backward step in driving enjoyment for me. As a result I have carefully examined the brochure and there is no mention at all of whether any models get the current version of LSD - called either EDL or XDL+ (two different levels of effectiveness?) according to the Octavia Mk4 owners manual - which also gives nothing away about which cars get it fitted. I have also gone through the "Build Your Own" system and in there I have not seen any mention of it either. I have tried Googling EDL and XDL+ and nothing comes up apart from links to the owners manual. Does anyone know what the situation is with regard to this? The MQB platform obviously still has an electronic LSD available, since it's mentioned in the manual. Has it been de-selected for all UK models by Skoda UK, or do some models get it but not others, and, if so, which models get it and which don't? Does anyone who has a Mk 4 VRS know if their car has XDL+ fitted?

In my case it is a much greater divergence than yours. I will try to take a photo of it next time it is foggy and it is playing up. Last night the beam was absolutely fine, though. I have tried to locate in the infotainment system how to turn off the AFS as suggested elsewhere but despite a thorough search I cannot locate that function. All that I am able to do is change the mode of the AFS at three levels of responsiveness in the drive mode function

The terms lamps and bulbs are interchangeable, but lights generally means the whole assembly. A terminological misunderstanding - easily done, easily fixed! Yes, all that was replaced was the bulbs. It is quite common to have to re-align the lights when a Xenon bulb is changed. I will try switching off the AFS function and see what happens.

That is not a bad suggestion, but because they never move back at higher speeds to the correct position I doubt it is the cause of the problem. It is certainly possible that there could be two faults combined - EU mode along with the motor to move the lamp within the assembly being sticky, but I am more inclined to believe that it is the motor sticking by itself. Also the left hand light definitely has the correct pattern and aim for RHD. I doubt it is possible for the two lights to be in different modes.

As I said, the bulbs/lamps were changed, not the lights. As you suggest, it is possible that the colour temperature changed with the new bulbs and that made it seem like they were brighter.

One of them failed after about six or so years of use and I replaced both because that seemed sensible in the circumstances. The new ones seemed slightly brighter than the old ones, but it is very hard to say for certain.

I am sure the engine is fine, but personally the one thing that would count against it for me is the beam axle rear suspension rather than the IRS which you get with more powerful variants. The handling is just nowhere near as good and whilst fine as a "family car" the IRS does make for a much more sporting drive if you are that way inclined. The difference when driven at all enthusiastically is like chalk and cheese. But everyone's requirements are different and all the other strengths of the Octavia are still there.

Sorry, I was basing my 50kg on your suggestion that it was a couple of bags. I didn't check - my bad! Amazed that the kerb weight of the Octavia 4x4 estate is now 2141kg - the brochure kerb weight of mine when new was only 1380kg. Either way it is a lot of metal to be moving around for one human being...

The handling of the 4x4 is excellent in both dry and wet conditions and as discussed throughout the post above it doesn't suffer from the compromise of trying to get all the power down through the tyres that are also doing the steering. Also well known is the better stability through standing water of 4x4 as opposed to FWD. All of that means the car is great to drive and very safe in all weather conditions. And it will still do 55mpg and even close to 60mpg when I want to be economical or am on a long run. To put it in perspective two bags of cement or 50kg is about half a person and only 3.4% of the car's weight. The whole concept of driving around in a car weighing well over a ton to transport a person weighing 80kg is anti-environmental and illogical but that's what we all do. I am prepared to suffer that 3.4% penalty for the benefits of 4x4 which are valuable and important to me. Not necessarily to you though, and that is absolutely fine.

Thanks for the above. The light is not moving around on bumps. I have checked for faults being flagged up via the infotainment system but nothing shows there. I will get it hooked up to a diagnostic system and see if a fault is shown there. I will also try the main dealer to see if they can update the AFS master.

Mine came from new with Continental PremiumContact 2s and I have kept with the PremiumContacts although upgrading as each new generation came through. Grip has always been excellent but feel has varied - the 5s were in my view the best and the 6s I have now are fine grip-wise but aren't quite as precise in feel as the 5s were. The other tyre I have fitted on a Golf and our Scout is the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance which is also OK. But i have not fitted them on the SE 4x4 as I am very happy with the Contis. I will probably see if the PC5 is available next time I change the tyres.