The Seat Exeo is based on the old A4 which I was never a big fan of. For me its too cramped. Plus its a very dated design.

Its a difficult one on a Skoda forum!

Both the Octavia and A4 are incredibly similar, I dont know whether I would bother spending the extra on the A4 to be honest.

However, I am a big fan of Audis - and if I had had the money when I bought my Vrs (much as I love it) I would have had an Audi.

Without a doubt, due to a fortunate change in job circumstances, my next car will be an A5 - there's just something about them!

Audi, as with BMW, have done great marketing & PR work - if you brandish the word "premium" enough, people will eventually believe it.

if you brandish the word "premium" enough, people will eventually believe it.

Yawn

Insignia 2.0 CDTi 160 bhp?

test drive all the cars you fancy and get the one you prefer :confused:

I was asking the same question a little while ago. I like Audi's (A4 Avant), but also like the Octavia, it's a tough call! I have just lent Mr P the money to buy a bike, so my decision is on hold for now.

As for the dealers being stuck up? Who cares? I'm not going to take them down the pub. As long as they do their job properly, I don't care how deluded they are. It actually entertained me when I went to mine and asked for my Skoda oil. This badge snobbery (including reverse snobbery) is very odd. Who do people choose their cars for? Themselves or others? Just because someone drives a nice car, or what is perceived to be a nice car it doesn't automatically mean they are a ****, as much as it doesn't mean they are not a ****!

sod the badge and even more so those that judge you by it. are Skoda drivers that sneer at Audi drivers for "paying for the badge" any better than the Audi driver who looks down on a Skoda driver? not really

As a new Skoda owner of a week I have to agree that the Vrs tdi is a fantastic buy. We have had A4's and A6's and I have never felt so good about a purchase for a long time.

If it was your own money buying and servicing the car I would say the Vrs all day long. My nearest audi dealer were quoting £75 an hour labour.

Because you are leasing I would suggest trying all the cars you are interested in and go with your gut feeling.

The good thing about the Octavia Vrs is that no one thinks you are a pratt driving it, they let you out of junctions and in at contraflos and its something a little different than the millions of 3 series and A4s on the road.

Good luck with the purchase.

Had a go in a Lexus IS220D. Very disappointed with the amount of noise in 6th @70mph. It really didnt like it, despite the sales guy trying to tell me otherwise. To be honest I wasnt really considering it as its not very practical, small boot opening and no folding rear seats.

Got the A4 S Line to drive tomorrow and hopefully a go in a VRS CR.

I coudn't believe how small the current Lexus IS and GS are inside. Nor could I believe the attitude of their sales staff.

It was very "cosy" inside but I loved the driving position, the classic layout with front engined and rear drive made a welcome change. Not sure its worth what they are asking for it though, I suspect the petrol version would be a bit more refined at cruising speeds than the diesel.

I will consider an Octavia when the time comes to replace my Fabia. I don't think I would go for a VRS or a Diesel next time though. The 1.8 TSI Hatch in Elegance spec at under £16k for the manual sounds like a terrific car for the money. That's what I'll be looking at.

One point to consider is the Audi will cost more per month more in Tax as it list price is substantially more!!

When I ordered my Vrs over 2 years ago now I had to pick options that are now standard, jumbo box pack, 18's, cruise control etc. Now however I can spec another VRS with those items as standard and put stuff like xenons, tinted glass, parking sensors etc. Its also about £20 a month cheaper in tax than the A4 and £30 a month cheaper than my current PD Vrs. Only thing putting me off is the fact that I cannot get Bluetooth/multifunction steering wheel with a manual box, its only available with the DSG. I am not old enough to need an auto yet ;-)

Just taken an A4 S Line TDI out for an hour. Its beautifully made, rides well and looks good, however I missed the mid range of the Octy. Didnt miss all the squeaks and rattles though !!!

Just something to keep in mind..... All the VAG CR Tdi's feel less punchy than their PD equivs. so the A4 will feel the same as the facelift vRS.

How do the CR's compare to the PD for mid range pull ? I love the acceleration of my PD at motorway speeds, say 70 onwards in 6th. No need to change down, just boot it and off it goes !!

From what I understand the CR has a much more linear torque curve... or should I say line. The PD's was nothing .. nothing .. then wallop then a plateu.

In other words the CR is more "petrol" like in it's acceleration... which is a shame as I love the kick I get from my PD.

I find the "kick" very addictive, never fails to bring a grin to my face. The sign of a good car.

I suppose you may be able to get a tuner to "custom" map the CR engine to reproduce the torque curve of a PD ?

I presume so but with it not being my car I dont plan to spend any money on it.

"From what I understand the CR has a much more linear torque curve... or should I say line. The PD's was nothing .. nothing .. then wallop then a plateau."

I agree. So far - and I've only done 600 miles so very much still running-in - the delivery is more linear and there's no 'wallop'. But I'm comparing it with a well-run-in PD demonstrator, so by the time mine is fully loosened-up (at least 5,000 miles if it's like other diesels I've had) there may not be much in it for overall acceleration.

Certainly there is much less turbo lag at the bottom end, and my impression is that the CR is mire tractable in town. On some roundabouts it'll pull away happily in third where the PD needed second to avoid te 'phut' effect, i.e.not a lot happening just when you want it to.

What have you found regarding in gear pull, say for example pulling into lane 3 on a motorway at 70 in 6th ? I found my PD comes into its own here.

What have you found regarding in gear pull, say for example pulling into lane 3 on a motorway at 70 in 6th ? I found my PD comes into its own here.

theres plenty there in 6th at 70mph. on my old pd 140 I'd have to change down to 5th to get any decent acceleration but with the CR it pulls really well.

We have exactly the same car and colour, Sworrall! A bit early to say with mine but there already seems plenty of zing in 6th at 70 mph. Maybe not as spectacular as the PD wallop, but good enough.

Go for the Audi,not because skoda is a bad car far from it,its just my experience with my local garage [Mansfield] has put me off buying another so i'Il probably go back to v.w.or if you can find a dealer that will carry out repair work whilst your car is under guarantee it might be worth a risk.

The only problem I had with my Skoda dealer is their location, the nearest one is 13 miles away !! Whereas the more "mainstream" manufacturers have a dealer in pretty much every town.

When I ordered my Vrs over 2 years ago now I had to pick options that are now standard, jumbo box pack, 18's, cruise control etc. Now however I can spec another VRS with those items as standard and put stuff like xenons, tinted glass, parking sensors etc. Its also about £20 a month cheaper in tax than the A4 and £30 a month cheaper than my current PD Vrs. Only thing putting me off is the fact that I cannot get Bluetooth/multifunction steering wheel with a manual box, its only available with the DSG. I am not old enough to need an auto yet ;-)

Just taken an A4 S Line TDI out for an hour. Its beautifully made, rides well and looks good, however I missed the mid range of the Octy. Didnt miss all the squeaks and rattles though !!!

Old people are the ones that drive manuals because they feel younger.