Nothing too serious but I've had my Octy for nearly a year now and been pretty pleased with it generally (apart from some interior squeak noises that have appeared recently!) Anyway, on a whim I went into one of the car supermarket places to have a look at cars as I had a spare 30mins. Saw a Golf Match and since this was one of the cars I was considering at the time I bought the Octy, had a sit in it again to compare the quality. I was shocked at how poor some of the interior trim was! It seems to be some of the small things.

For example, the Octy headlights knob has a rubberised soft touch coating, the Golf's was hard plastic! Same for the armrest tops where the electric window switches are. Octy's - soft touch, Golf's - harder plastic feel. When I looked at the back seat, I also noticed that adjacent to the door, whereas the Octy has a trimmed bolster piece, the Golf has a big piece of plastic!! I know that the Golf probably beats the Octy on some other areas like rear map reading lights (notice that new Octy will have this feature) and vanity lights at front but all in all I feel I've made the right choice with my Octy. No wonder the Golf VI is being rushed through. I felt pretty good when I got back into my car! Now, if I can just sort out where those squeaks and rattles are coming from..........

i was using the companies passat the other day and noticed how some of the things could easily fit my car, then noticed how poor the parts were to mine too. certainly didnt like the parking brake in the passat.

Don't feel too bad about the squeeks and rattles - I went out in a brand new Scirocco the other day and it had them. And the interior door handles on it were SO creaky. I've fixed my major rattles and tuned remaining minor ones out.

To be fair ,the Golf Match is fairly low down the VW trim hierarchy...

Even so, they sell themselves on being a better car. Evidence points to the fact they are poor value for money. :thumbdwn:

I wasn't impressed with the Golf MkV either, kmc.

Another thing I noticed was the wobbly air vent controls.

On the whole, I think the Octy has better 'perceived' quality. Whether it's there under the skin or not is another matter. I would like the damped grab handles and the cup holders are better though!

As for your squeaks and rattles, have you seen this thread?:

http://briskoda.net/octavia-ii/judders-rattles-squeaks/124043/

There are a few hints as to where they might be coming from in there.

Cheers,

RDX

I was reading the other day about a year old Audi that had trim creaks, and odd wear patches. Give my 6yo, 81_000 miles Octy a vacumn and dust inside and keep off the stretch of road around here that makes the B-pillar trim creak, and it would be like new inside. The closest I come to "taking care of it" is not kicking bits!

I hate to disagree and stir things up but I think that my wife's Mk V Golf Match 105bhp pdi DSG is a far more refined and comfortable car than my L&K Octavia Estate 140bhp pdi DSG. OK the Golf is only 4 months old, but there are no squeaks or rattles and everything seems very solid. The Octavia has rattles galore, especially from the rear. Slightly off the point but the Golf is far quieter than the Octavia; this may be down to engine and tyre differences. Certainly the 15" wheels on the Golf provide a far more comfortable ride than the 17" on the Octavia. TBH apart from the leather seats in the L&K I can see very little difference in the trim levels and I'm quite disappointed that such an expensive car as the L&K is, IMO, so unrefined.

No creaky rattly bits in mine.All is quiet and no road noise either

Even the Golf GT TDI and GTI have a really cheap feeling centre console.

I couldn't believe it and stayed away from the golf for that reason along with the price. It just wasn't better built and didn't feel like it was anything special.

There are bits of the A3 interior that don't feel as good as the Octavias too.

I for sure noticed the flimsier Golf 3 piece center armrest, vs the Octi's more stiffer 2 piece.

And I also appreciate that there's a place in each door for a large bottle of juice/water, which I had nowhere to put in a friend's Golf.

I do like his mood lighting and the vanity lights, but those are features I could retrofit (dome light from the Superb) or live without.

Thanks for the comments everybody! Regarding the comment about the refinement, I think I've read that there is a bit of a step up in tyre noise from 15" to 16" wheels. I haven't driven a Golf V so I couldn't comment about engine noise but I would say that the engine noise is rather rough at low speeds in my Octy. My point was more that from an interior point of view, the Golf has always been perceived as being superior to it's peers and hence the premium in price. However, as per my origianl post, I don't think it's necessarily the case. I truly was shocked at some of the differences as I thought the two cars shared parts. I was in a Roomster and noticed the difference in feel of the light knob but could expect it. I didn't expect it in the Golf tho! I even sat in a Jetta and it was the same! BTW, am I wrong but are the air vent controls on the Octy the same as on the previous A4?? They look similar thats for sure! : )

Anyway, I guess for the money I paid for my humble Octy, it's really good value for money! (Well, as good as cars get!)

Apart from the materials used and the way it's screwed together, I always thought the design of the GolfV's interior looked cheaper than the Octy 2's.

my wife's 2004 Golf mk5 GT TDi 2.0 140PD DSG has all the quality feel of my 2005 Octavia Ambiente (same engine/box) and then some although it probably helps that it has full leather and sports seats etc but it definitely has a lot less squeaks and rattles

oh, and the Golf on 16"s and sports suspension handles a lot better than mine on steel 15"s

What about refinement Peterg1955?

How does the Golf compare on road/engine noise?

Cheers,

RDX

I drove both our cars during the course of yesterday and to be honest there's very little in it, I've got a new set of Continental Premium Contact2 195/65x15 tyres on the Octy whereas the Golf is on a set of soon to be replaced 205/55x16 Michelins (Primacy HP on front, Energy E3A on rear)...

My Octy has developed a really annoying squeak from somewhere near the glovebox which I must sort out soon as it's driving me mad unless I have the radio turned up. In the Golf the loudest noise is all the junk my wife carries around sliding from side to side on the back seat or in the boot

OK, thanks peterg1955, that's interesting.

The Golf with 16" wheels is as quiet as the Octy on 15". Hmmm...

Why do women carry so much junk around with them, I wonder? (Ooops! That was a bit sexist, wasn't it)

Cheers,

RDX

I hate to disagree and stir things up but I think that my wife's Mk V Golf Match 105bhp pdi DSG is a far more refined and comfortable car than my L&K Octavia Estate 140bhp pdi DSG. OK the Golf is only 4 months old, but there are no squeaks or rattles and everything seems very solid. The Octavia has rattles galore, especially from the rear. Slightly off the point but the Golf is far quieter than the Octavia; this may be down to engine and tyre differences. Certainly the 15" wheels on the Golf provide a far more comfortable ride than the 17" on the Octavia. TBH apart from the leather seats in the L&K I can see very little difference in the trim levels and I'm quite disappointed that such an expensive car as the L&K is, IMO, so unrefined.

So the Octy has an inch less sidewall height, and you wonder why it has a stiffer ride and more road roar. :confused:

Even the Golf GT TDI and GTI have a really cheap feeling centre console.

I couldn't believe it and stayed away from the golf for that reason along with the price. It just wasn't better built and didn't feel like it was anything special.

^ Was my thinking before I got the Octy.

I tested a Golf GT TDI but I just thought the interior was so lacking in anything to justify the inflated price tag. I didn't think the quality was bad (but I was coming from a Renault at the time) just very ordinary.