harrylime

Is the "kangarooing" issue widespread, and is it serious? It sounds incredibly annoying at the very least , in a newish car?

I'm thinking of changing my 1.9 mk 2 Octavia for a mk 3 petrol model. At my price range (for nearly new cars), both 1.4 and 1.5 engines are possible. Are there any owners who have had both and can you advise which is the better engine, and which is likely to be more reliable long term? Thanks in advance for any information / opinions

To answer the original question, Kia may well be the new Skoda, based on the number I see driving around my area. They are everywhere and must be taking market share from someone. I think many are drawn by their relative cheapness and the 7 year warranty although, from what I have read, it is not worth the paper it's written on

I've never driven the Seat so cannot make a comparison, but every Octavia I've driven, including a new Scout TSI I had a few year ago. have had so much road noise, refined was not the first adjective that would spring to mind. Definite cost savings on sound insulation that spoiled the cars, in my opinion.

Well, I won't be buying a 1.5 Octavia. What the hell are Skoda thinking? Diesel engines have been ruined by every car maker,with failed attempts to solve emissions problems, and Skoda are now coming up with unnecessary complexity in petrol engines. Many owners are complaining about this, talking about rejecting cars etc. Was there a problem? Were our roads blocked with Skoda drivers constantly stalling their cars?. I may seek a late 1.4 Octy, but this constant need to babysit drivers, spoiling their cars in the process, is really annoying

I went out in my mk 2 1.9 tdi today, some pretty ropy conditions. I have conti winter tyres on, or I would not have attempted it. It managed fine most of the time, but I had a little slide at the end of my street on some ice., and a little slide on my sloping drive, nothing dramatic, as I was driving to the conditions. These are the first issues I've had with the winter tyres, and my confidence in them has dropped a bit

It wasn't a series 3, but I once sold my brand new Skoda scout 1.8 tsi because of the dreadful noise, especially road noise. I fitted thick, good quality carpet underlay but the noise levels were still unacceptable. Skoda cut corners to save a few pounds on proper insulation, so refinement suffers. I now drive a Mk 2 1.9pd Octavia, but my expectations are lower. It's just a cheap, used workhorse for local trips so it's fine. I value refinement very highly, so my other caris a 1999 Lexus LS 4 litre V8, which on good roads is literally silent.

Now we know you are exaggerating. Polar bears and penguins are poles apart, so to speak

The battery on my 2007 1.9 tdi Octavia was showing 12.1 volts fully charged, so I bought a Lion 096 battery, £63 with 3 year warranty from ECP. The previous battery was smaller, with far fewer cold cranking amps and had been on since I bought the car 6.5 years ago. I can't believe the difference the new battery makes. I believe the original battery was under powered, and that it has been deteriorating for a long time. My car has never started as quickly as it does now, it is instant. Hopefully, with my winter tyres on, I am now ready for anything, touch wood, and have greater peace of mind. The battery fitted straight in btw

I don't understand the previous posts about the battery jacket. The battery on my 2007 Octavia 1.9 tdi was down to 12.1 volts fully charged so I bought a Lion 096 battery, to replace the existing, smaller battery.. It fits straight in with the existing jacket, no problem and an easy job.

Are Skoda running an extended test drive scheme? I can find no reference to it?

Isn't this the same bloke who posted a bizarre thread about the Octavia roof being so low he couldn't see through the windscreen?

That's not an SE Sport, it does not have sat nav and I think, the wrong wheels. I contacted the seller a while back to enquire, then to inform him that he is misrepresenting the car. He has persisted in advertising it as a Sport

If you test drive a potential purchase, reset the mpg trip meter and try to replicate your type of driving/route for the test drive. Request that you be allowed to drive the car from cold, and obviously the longer the route , the better idea you will have about your likely returns

I meant to add, I had also looked on carwow and it does not seem to be an option on their site

Yes, I made an assumption, as there are so few for sale. I may look into what discounts are available, although I wanted nearly new if possible

I misread the original post, I thought you were looking at a V60. As for the XC60 it was on my shortlist and I like a lot about it. However, I took one for a test drive and hated the steering. It seemed to become heavier the quicker you drove and around bends felt distinctively unpleasant. I had almost made my mind up so was very disappointed

not sure on the figures. Bit concerned about turbo lag etc, so will be depending on a thorough road test before making up my mind

The 1.4 tsi is around 150 bhp, and is good for 0 to 60 in around 8 secs, the audi tfsi has the same power, 0 to 60 in around 9.5 secs. I'm not really bothered, as I have no plans to go around the Nurburgring. I do want enough power to make quick progress if I need to, I have had a couple of under powered cars and they can be frustrating at times. The Golf 1.4 is around 120 bhp, which does not sound like enough for me. Space wise, the A4 Avant is at least fairly versatile, although I may occasionally miss the space in the Octavia, which is spot on. In terms of legroom in the rear, I was under the impression that later models of A4 were improved

Hasn't the golf gt estate been discontinued ?

I would look at 3 year old examples of both and see which holds its value better. Other than that, it's all about the drive and which you prefer surely?

Definitely useful to hear that perspective, thank you for that. I was tempted this week by an octavia sport 66 reg reduced from 17.5 to 15K, a more realistic price I think, but when I recall my petrol scout, sold very quickly because of the noise, I had second thoughts. I drove a basic 1.6 golf 300 miles to pick up my new 1.8 scout , and the golf trounced it. I was gutted. I still have a feeling the issue has not been resolved in the mk 3 due to cost cutting, such a shame to spoil a great car like the octavia with lack of insulation etc. It's not a problem with my 1.9, because it's mainly local knocking about, but my new car is likely to be used for holidays etc as well. There are some decent a5 avants about at the moment, I'm awaiting a test drive. The big question now is 1.4 or 2.o tfsi? Devouring as many road test reports as I can at the moment. No doubt the a4 1.4 engine will be replaced b y a 1.5 as well, which must be a good thing as it is likely to be a bit less stressed

I have driven a TSI, but the tst route was useless, so still not convinced. The comparison quote was with a vrs petrol

I was hoping to negotiate via the online chat, preferably without leaving my contact details to avoid the inevitable, transparent, predictable sales patter and endless subsequent harassment calls you get with some salespeople. Why would I need to arrange a telephone conversation via a third party? I may as well make a call myself

Does anyone else find the popups for instant chat facility on car dealers' websites intrusive and irritating. Out of interest i tried a couple today and they are a complete waste of time. The person you are connected with is not a salesperson and has no ability to negotiate. It's just a way to get your contact details so it's quicker just to make a phone call and speak to someone in sales. Pointless intrusion when browsing