silkysteve

I've found that maxi-dot (DIS on Audi) over-reads by about 10%. If my average on the display shows 55MPG, then it'll be around 50MPG true. That's been consistent over my last 3 cars (two of which have been Octys). Interestingly, it was a similar story with the Toyota Auris Hybrid I hired for a month a while back (It actually returned a poorer average real MPG figure than my current car, although it was considerably better in city traffic).

It's similar enough for comparison - same engine. I wouldn't get too exited about stop/start, it rarely gets used in practice.

My A3 CR170 has averaged 47MPG over 6,000+ miles since new - that's measured accurately - my last couple of fill-ups have come out at nearly 50MPG. That's compared to 54MPG average that I used to get from my Octy 1.6 CR. A fair compromise, IMO, as the 170 is nicer to drive. The A3 is getting gradually better economy wise, but I think that's more down to the fact that the novelty has worn off a bit and I'm not driving it so hard. ;-) The bad weather also seems to affect the economy, so I'm expecting it to improve in the summer. The engine in the A3 is slightly different to the vRS in that it has stop/start and regenerative something or other, although I think they're just gimmicks in order to get the official emission figures down.

I've heard people say that about Audis and I kind of see what they mean, but I'm not really a "sporty" kind of driver, so the understated conservative solidity of the A3 appeals to me. I'm not sure I like the rest of the range though, or the new A3 for that matter.

It's a kind of mini estate. It's about 6 inches shorter in the boot than the Octy, but still has the width and height. The passenger area, especially the front, does seem to be a lot more spacious. Once I see what the new Octy is like I may be persuaded to come back, or if they do a Rapid vRS...

The boot on the A3, although not as big as the Octavia, is still far bigger than the Golf. I was surprised that the price difference wasn't that great. The problem is, the list prices for Skodas are already pretty close to their best price but there's a lot of room for haggling with Audi, especially if you use a broker and the residuals do make up for the higher initial cost to some degree. The cost on a PCP on the same terms is more expensive for a vRS, and the road tax is higher on the vRS.

I've gone over to the dark side and got myself a nice shiny new MK2 A3 (end of October actually). Anyway, I thought I'd share my thoughts after owning 2 Octys. First of all, there is a price to pay going with Audi. You lose a lot of things that come as standard on the higher spec Octys. But, on the other hand, you get a certain level of fit and finish that you simply don't get with Skoda. It's not night and day, but it is noticeable. The Audi just feels a lot more expensive. it's also quieter and more refined. The model I have is the Sportback in Sport trim with the 170ps diesel, so it's comparable to the vRS diesel performance wise. I've driven both as well as the equivalent Seat - they all performed the same as far as I could tell, just the Audi seemed a cut above for the reasons I've already outlined. I actually wanted to go for the vRS, but it actually worked out cheaper in terms of total cost of ownership over 2 to 3 years to go for the A3 - in part because it's an outgoing model so I got a good discount, partly because of residuals being that much stronger on the Audi and lower emissions (it has start/stop and regenerative braking) meaning it's only in tax band D. As there's a lot of overlap, I think I'll still carry on visiting this site for info - The Audi people are a funny lot. ;-) I'll probably be back with Skoda for my next car, it just depends what the new Octy will be like or whether they decide to make a Rapid vRS.

Although DtD don't officially do part exchange, once you're in touch with the dealer, you can always ask what they will give you for your current car. Don't expect them to give you anything other than the minimum, but the savings on DtD should easily offset this. At least if the dealer turns out to be a long way, you can drive there in your old car and drive the new one home yourself instead of having your new car driven to your house by some car jockey - don't expect trailer delivery through DtD.

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm looking at ordering a new car in the next week or so, but want to make sure I get exactly what I want. Unfortunately, my dealer doesn't seem very helpful and and just wants me to shut up and sign. Perhaps it's time to look elsewhere. :-(

I've noticed there is no option to specify xenons on the SE Plus. I like the spec of the SE Plus but i want to add a few extras to make it more like the Elegance, such as climate and save a bit of money. Has anyone found a way of getting things added that are not officially on the list? TIA Steve.

Does anyone know the best place to buy the radio fascia surround for a FL Octavia with Climate and satnav please? Part no. 1Z0858069DKDF1 It's for fitting an aftermarket radio. I've just taken the Bolero out and replaced it with The Blaupunkt DAB unit I had in my previous Octavia and it now looks a bit of a mess. The dealer wants to charge me 38 quid! I only paid 50 quid for the pre-FL one with the holder and wiring. I think that's a total ripoff considering it's only a bit of plastic. On a similar note, if anyone requires one for the pre-FL Octavia with climate, I have one going free to anyone who wants it. Any help would be appreciated.

Outside: Fantastic! Inside: Yuk, yuk, yuk!

I believe it's something that happens when you don't know how to drive. I could be wrong.

I kept a spreadsheet for the first 20,000 miles in mine and I averaged around 55mpg. This was measured and not using the trip computer. I've now done nearly 60,000 and it's still around the same, although I've not been keeping accurate records just allowing for the trip computer over-reading by about 2mpg. I still love the car. I had a 2.0 PD before and, even though it's not as powerful on paper, the 1.6CR a much nicer car to drive as it's so much smoother and quieter.

You could try growing up? Just a thought.

I must admit, mine does strange things at times. I just put it down to all the clever stuff doing its bit to keep the power up and emissions down. Most of the time it runs perfectly smoothly, but every now and again it'll throw the occasional wobbly. Too clever by half, these modern cars. ;-)

In a word, no. Unless you really need to extra load height, the hatch is much more practical and it looks better - yes really, it does. The reason the hatch is more practical is you can reach further into the back of the car to get to stuff and the lip stops everything falling out as soon as you open the hatch.

I'd like to make a point from another perspective and ask why you would need the extra power when driving on a public road? A more powerful engine will only only improve in two areas: maximum speed and acceleration. All Octavias are easily capable of speeds well in excess of what's safe on a public road, so that only leaves acceleration. Ask yourself, how often do I need to use that acceleration? If the answer is, quite a lot, then might I suggest that you need to look at your driving style. Excessive acceleration is a close relative of excessive braking. Better observation and anticipation will improve both of these to the point they make less of a difference to overall progress - if you don't slow down as much, you don't need to accelarate as hard. In other words: poor drivers need more powerful cars to make up for their shortcomings. If you really want to enjoy your driving more, you need to look at tweaking the most important bit of any car - the driver. Harsh, but true.

I suppose Seat are the Marmite of cars - you either love 'em or hate 'em. If you like them, that's fine as long as you can live with the fact that at least half of the people who see it will think it's a bit of a pig. ;-) On the other hand, being a bit more conservative, the Octavia is going to get a lot more admiring glances or, at the very least, no reaction.

You are joking? :-) I suppose I've never really got this "sporty" thing.

I'm guessing this forum is going to be a bit biased. :-) Even so, I struggle to see a reason why anyone would choose a Seat instead, unless they still have a problem with the badge.

That's an easy one as far as I'm concerned. Seats are ugly. Not only does the Octy look nicer, it's also more practical and simply feels better built. Perhaps I'm a bit biased as I'm in my 40s. Younger people and girls tend to like the look of the Seat for some reason. ;-)

The Exeo is overpriced, cramp and simply doesn't look right with the Seat rebadging. There is nothing about it that's better than an Octavia. I had a look at one before going for my current car and it took all of 5 minutes to dismiss it.

It sounds as if you're just unlucky and probably have a faulty car. I'd never want to buy a new diesel without a DPF. Blowing out big clouds of black smoke every time you give it a bit of stick isn't big or clever in my opinion.

I've had mine about 10 months now and it's done 38,000 miles. MPG still averaging around 55mpg and can easily do over 60mpg on a good run. Still as smooth and quiet as it was when new and no DPF issues than I'm aware of. Good points: great economy; quiet and smooth engine; cheap tax. Bad points: not the fastest car in the world; easy to stall. Overall I'm happy. But if the 2.0CR had been around at the time I bought it, it would have been a more difficult choice.