SteveTheElder

@Mark Hiscock @Darkness22 thank you, encouraging to hear that my 1.5 is likely to return good figures too.

Absolutely - and stunning scenery alongside the M74 & northern end of the M6. It was the M42 east of Birmingham that slowed me down - anything from 40mph to a standstill. Not what I wanted in the midst of a 6+ hour journey. Plus side is the Octavia Mk4 is a nice place to be; and another nice surprise for me, & a plus point for the 1.0 e-Tec, is that it doesn’t sound stressed or laboured even on long climbs such as Shap or Beattock even though its a small three cylinder motor.

Whilst I enjoy trying to get a good return from fuel i try not to be a bore and bang on about it - but today I have driven from Lanarkshire to Hampshire, a distance of 392 miles, at an average speed of 60mph and average fuel consumption of 61.4mpg. The last tankful, 590miles at an average of 59.9mpg (that was filling up in Lancaster on the way north on Monday). I was gob-smacked! A tidily 1.0 engine / mild-hybrid DSG in a big-ish estate car at the legal limit wherever UK motorway traffic permitted, impressed! This is a loan car whilst mine is ‘in dock’ so I am hoping that when I get my 1.5TSI (manual) back it will be somewhere in the mid-50s mpg at least.

That's really helpful - but a qick question. CarPlay or Android Auto or both?

Ah OK. As @inspectorman mentioned, the ignition needs to be on, or engine running for power to the USB ports. Only the 12V socket in the boot is live all the time - but no use for a dash cam!

I also found that the plug (plastic moulding, not the actual metal connectors) on some mini-USB cables were too thick for the NextBase mount bracket and wouldn’t push fully in. In the end I used the cable supplied with the DashCam with a USB-C to USB-A 90degree adapter off Amazon. Mine is a NextBase 522GW I bought in March this year; don’t know if the mount bracket has changed much over time or different models.

AIUI wireless Android Auto needs a 5GHz WiFi link to work, earlier builds of the Octavia Mk4 and Android phones had on 2.4GHz hence they need a cable in some cases. Later cars and phones should work wirelessly. After a year I think we can use mobile data for the online services and the app - haven’t got that far yet! Bluetooth is Bluetooth so should be impacted by the 1 year. Note though, that if you connect with Android Auto you probably can’t connect the phone in the ‘tradional’ Bluetooth manner as well (certainly the case the CarPlay). Instead, use the phone though AA or CarPlay, including the voice control. I use mobile data for streaming music though Spotify and Apple/Google Maps or Waze via CarPlay. Data usage for me is about 3GB a month with about 1500-1800 miles in that time. Your 4GB may be enough depending on your mileage etc. The two USB-C ports in teh from are both power and data. So either can be used for a memory stick or a phone connection/charging. The ports in teh back are power only, as is the open near the rear view mirror. I’m yet to work out the data connection services, whether they are worthwhile or wither to use my mobile contract. Having the car as a hot spot has a certain appeal - but at what cost? Hope that helps….

I’m currently driving an SE First Edition which doesn’t have Drive Mode selection; so, to my knowledge Drive Mode is not on the SE nor SE First Edition but is on the SE L, SE L First Edition & VRS. Not sure about the SE Technology

Yep, that's it. Sorry, I could have been clearer in my earlier post.

I was thinking of a folder duster or something like that. With the phone at an angle the inductive charging would work even though it is on. Phone shouldn’t slide around and a dark cloth wouldn’t be noticeable.

Welcome to the forums. Whilst I have not experienced those particular faults others here have. There are [too] many s/ware faults with the Octavia mk4 which are slowly being addressed. Im sure Škoda know about those you mention but keep pressing the dealer and perhaps Škoda UK direct. Hopefully you’ll get a resolution soon - but don’t hold your breath! My car has been at the dealer since mid-April as it doesn’t really know the difference between mph & kph, amongst other things 🙄

The space is indeed useful for a phone. Rather than disable it, perhaps add a dark cloth and place the phone at an angle so it doesn’t charge. That way, if you do need to charge your phone it’s there ready. When I use mine (a third party charging pad I got from Amazon), it shows in CarPlay, not noticed it in the native Infotainment screens.

similar story to me. Mine is at the dealer since April, loan car is a 1.0e-etc estate. Fault free over 7500 miles and average consumption is 56mpg. there is hope…

In the UK generally, not just motorists, the approach seems to be “if I can get away with I’ll do it” - so the bigger the deterant the better. It’s notable how many high power cars on the road don’t have a front number plate. No, I wonder why that is… 🤔

On my previous car, a Superb, I got over 30k miles on the OEM Contis with about 25k on the Goodyears I replaced them with - but it was hardly a tyre shredder with the adequate, but leisurely, 1.4TSI (125) motor up front. Oddly, the rears wore quicker than the fronts; I suspect alignment issues. Guess my driving style is a lot less spirited than it was 10 years ago and most of my mileage is relatively easy on the tyres - last trip to see family in Lanarkshire had about 10 miles of urban/minor roads and 390 miles motorways and dual carriageways! I stick with premium tyre brands, Goodyear being my current choice, and change them at around 2.5 - 3mm (my nipper had a 720 spin on tyres with 2.5mm, thankfully missed everything but it focuses the mind!). Given the recent summer downpours, like @MiniNinjaRob, I’m considering Michelin Cross Climates or similar next time round.

It’s not beyond the realms of possibility. The manufacturer knows what each vehicle has on board, and it’s unique VIN is a key identifier. With some half decent coding the content management system for the manuals could pull out the relevant chapters &/or paragraphs to create a bespoke online/downloadable manual for each car. Through the MyŠKODA app perhaps? Oh wait… Škoda (VAG) and half decent coding… Hmmm 🤔

‘tis a funny old world. I had a Ford once and the dealer was that bad I haven’t so much as considered one since… Sadly history may be repeating itself with Škoda; though to be fair, it’s not the dealer this time.

I’m currently driving a 70-plate SE First Edition Estate DSG (loan car) and am trying to recall/compare it to the features I had in the 12-plate Mk2 Elegance Estate I sold a few years ago. I can only think of one thing this does NOT have that the earlier model did have - and that is the variable boot floor. This current car has in ADDITION… speed limiter Auto lights when it’s raining (as in when the auto wipers come on) as well as when it gets dark LED lights all round USB-C socket near the rear view mirror for a dash cam CarPlay/AndroidAuto DAB radio To answer your specific question about closing windows and locking doors from the key fob, yes, a press and hold. Also can open the windows in a similar manner.

That's interesting and shows how the running cost of an iV can be much lower than those of a petrol car. However, I've just done some sums... I've been returning 56.6 mpg from the loan 1.0 e-Tec estate over the 7000 miles Ive had it, and using your figures scaled up to my usual annual mileage of 15,000, I'd save £232.98 a year. Given the higher initial purchase price of an iV (about £7200) I'd have to run it for nigh on 30 years to get my money back. For the few weeks I was running it, my own 1.5Tsi manual estate was returning similar (55+) mpg; though for long motorway runs I doubt an iV would return 55mpg. That is, of course, using my driving pattern which is very few miles in short journeys whilst most is on trips of 300+ miles each way - in other words, relatively few miles on electric power. So, for me, the rationale for buying a hybrid (and maybe electric?) would not be economics. There are perhaps more important reasons to choose a car with lower fuel consumption and are more 'green' but that opens a whole new 'can of worms'.

Thats really interesting, thanks. My dealer has mentioned they have a replacement part for my car and are awaiting the software. The car has been with the dealer since mid-April while Skoda UK/VAG perform diagnostics etc. Hopefully I will get it be back and on the road soon…

12V socket in the boot is live all the time on the Octavia Mk4 SE FE I’m driving; and I use the USB-C socket near the mirror for the dashcam (which is NOT live with the ignition off).

I am told there is a fix being worked on at VAG/Skoda - my car went to the dealers back in April and been there since whilst SkodaUK requested diagnostics etc. I’m now at the point of the dealer having some of what they need to apply to my vehicle. My understanding is that there is both software as well as a replacement hardware component. In due course I will post an update in one of the several appropriate threads in this forum.

Thanks. That’s useful to know the difference.

As far as I know all Octavia Mk4 models come with the Lane Assist (warning if departing from the lane and will nudge the steering to take a shallow curve - as well as vibrate the wheel and bleep if need be).

I think it does have a collision avoidance in reverse. A week or two back I was reversing into a parking bay in the countryside up to bushes/nettles; as you describe the stopped abruptly as though I’d hit a kerb or rock - but not by there except aforementioned bushes. I recall reading something about the system designed to protect pedestrians when reversing but can’t remember what it was called or where I read it 🙄