Forthcoming baby decisions..

I have a dilema.. new baby and dog need to be transported reguarly. At the grand old age of 27, I dont really want an estate. Is there any octavia owners who have there boots full regular with similar items i.e buggy/pram and dog (boxer)??

Wots the space like? Parcel shelf off? etc etc..:confused::confused::confused:

Im looking at a blue, vrs estate but if I could get away with it, the saloon!

I'd normally suggest changing your pram not your car, but under the circumstances, I'm not sure about having a wet / dirty post-walkies dog anywhere near anything a baby will come into close contact with, like a pram...

Forthcoming baby decisions..

I have a dilema.. new baby and dog need to be transported reguarly. At the grand old age of 27, I dont really want an estate. Is there any octavia owners who have there boots full regular with similar items i.e buggy/pram and dog (boxer)??

Wots the space like? Parcel shelf off? etc etc..:confused::confused::confused:

Im looking at a blue, vrs estate but if I could get away with it, the saloon!

Firstly the 'saloon' is a hatchback so parcel shelf off there loads a space. same floor space as the estate.

I have 2 kids and have gone from a leon to a hatch vrs for the increased boot space (Im 25 so dont want estate either!)

The octy boot is HUGE compared to pretty much everything else on the market. I bought my VRS because SWMBO keeps mentioning "impregnation" so I figured "bugger, best get something fast AND big quickly"!

I doubt very much you'd have any trouble fitting everything in and to be honest, I think the hatch is a much more usable proposition that the estate anyway.

Also believe you can get a dog guard from Skoda for the hatch. Check out Skoda Auto main website and go to Octavia\accessories.

If you are feeling particularly old and fat get a Superb - one of the guys at work is getting one and he reckons his little girl can lay out across the boot and not touch the sides. Also his boy can sit in his car seat and can't reach the drivers seat - the little bugger keeps kicking it in his current Volkswagon Touran.

BTW,If its any help I chucked the missus in the boot when we first got our and she said it was very large and quite comfortable

My view - you're only going to get older, not younger, so you may as well get the estate now than regret it 5 years down the line

BTW,If its any help I chucked the missus in the boot when we first got our and she said it was very large and quite comfortable

Now there's a recommendation :eek: :eek: :eek:

I have the hatchback, and I have 3 kids, take a pram everywhere and still room in the boot for shopping etc.

Plenty big enough IMHO

Absolutely no need for an estate, unless you really want one

Cheers

Damo

The hatch boot is big, but I don't think there is owt wrong with the estate. I'd have had one without a problem.

I don't carry a pram but did actively consider the estate for ease of loading up purposes. Doesn't matter what you get really as long as it's the vRS then whether you go for the estate or the hatch, you can drive both like your a*** is on fire and act like a 21 year old.

I'd prefer the estate - I think they look better, as the saloon design is a bit uninspired around the C pillar, the estate is less so... Couldn't get one second hand when I was looking though, so have a hatchback. Storage below the parcel shelf level is the same on both cars.

My view - you're only going to get older, not younger, so you may as well get the estate now than regret it 5 years down the line

Dont generally keep my cars that long anyway. LOL:D

Going to have a look tomorrow at both versions. VRS is the only option though. The only problem is the other half want a volvo v50 sport!:eek:

DO NOT BUY A VOLVO. REPEAT AFTER ME DO NOT BUY A VOLVO............

There is no such thing as a "sporty" volvo. The only time there has ever been one was Jan Lammers getting that estate airborne over the kerbs at Brands.

Buy a VRS.

Oh and you're starting badly with the Boxer mate - clown of the dog world. Watch it eat your house. A friend of ours had their steering wheel and dash (complete with airbag) eaten by one called Murphy.

I too had this dilemma and had my heart set on the v50. But after putting our car seat in the demo we found it cramped and not easy to get in the back (doors have a narrow opening angle) Now have a VRS hatch with plenty of room. Currently 1 double buggie and a pram!! With still room for half a dozen bags of shopping.

I have a dilema.. new baby and dog need to be transported reguarly. At the grand old age of 27, I dont really want an estate. Is there any octavia owners who have there boots full regular with similar items i.e buggy/pram and dog (boxer)??

I think you'd need a grille vertically behind the rear seat for the dog, with the parcel shelf off. There'd be enough room for a buggy beside the dog, but it may be better with a second grille dividing the back so the dog and buggy are separate.

With the estate you get a lower loading lip, variable floor (varies to shallower than hatchback) and more height over the back half of the boot but no extra length. Why not take your brood down to a showroom and try them out for size.

My view - you're only going to get older, not younger, so you may as well get the estate now than regret it 5 years down the line

Why accelerate the process - plenty of time to get old mate - live a little NOW

Actually I do think the estate looks cool - especially lowered with nice alloys - OEM Zeniths suit it really well but...........it's a bit noisier than the hatch (sits back and waits for hail of abuse). Mind you the sprog and the mutt will probably drown the additonal noise out!

How's the hatch a 'more usable proposition' than the estate?

I've got an estate but then my kids are oldler and the roof rails are handy for things like bikes, it's also easier to get things like bikes in the boot of the estate too due to the higher roof line.

The estate does have a lsightly larger boot as well, 580 litres instead of 560. That makes all the difference you know!

I too had this dilemma and had my heart set on the v50. But after putting our car seat in the demo we found it cramped and not easy to get in the back (doors have a narrow opening angle) Now have a VRS hatch with plenty of room. Currently 1 double buggie and a pram!! With still room for half a dozen bags of shopping.

Thanks will look out for that!

Got the pram in the car the now, going on the 'car hunt' after work to look at all the possibles!

At the grand old age of 27, I dont really want an estate

I'm amazed that the marketing world still manages to make Estate cars suggest "settling down and family" in way that the hatch/saloon model of what is onstensibly exactly the same car somehow doesn't. I'm also amazed that anyone listens to marketing BS anyway. I guess the other end of the spectrum is words like "Shooting Brake, Avant and Sport Tourer," it's still what we in the UK call an Estate car......

I'm at the grand old age of 30 and we have a 6 month old daughter. I've had Estate cars since I was 19 at Uni and not for shuttling little ones. Why not have a fractionally bigger boot with more useable height? As a general outdoor bod they cannot be beaten as a vehicle form factor.

Bikes inside or out - check

Kayaks on roof - check

You and three mates away for a weekend or longer with any of the above and all your luggage/camping kit - check

Somewhere to sleep if you're solo and can't be bothered to camp - check

It's the MPVs you really need to be wary of! Unless you have a need to transport more than 5 people fairly regularly why compromise with something which dynamically is likely (but not always) to drive worse than an Estate/Hatch due to it's taller height; and have a less useful, tall but not very deep boot. Oh, that's right, because the marketing people tell you that if you have kids you should have an MPV.....

I'm not saying you should get an Estate, I'm just saying don't dismiss them out of hand because of some fear about how your peers will view you. Get which ever one actually works better for what you want the car to do.

Niall

Edited 9 October, 200916 yr by Niall
Spelling!

At 31 Ive gone for the estate over the hatch as I prefered the looks! Dont think they have the old man image they used to anymore.

The real trouble here is practicality. SWMBO goes for practical, I think s*ddit I want my toys. That's why I'm getting Maxidot fitted in a couple of weeks, that's why I had cruise control fitted a week or so back.

Couldn't get these when I bought the car as it wasn't new.

Car's out of warranty now dear, we really need these.

I am a little biased ( I prefer the looks of the estate over the hatch), but one thing I will mention that no one else has - rear visibility out of the vRS estate is MUCH better than from the vRS Hatch. Try them both out and you'll see what I mean. Also if you are putting a dog in the "boot" the estate has a lot more headroom than the hatch and gets less sun shining in as it has more roof. Mind you our 3 mutts prefer the back seat to the boot anyway

I'd also say that the shape of the rear door opening is really important.

I'm only a couple of years older than you and have a baby. Really glad I went for the estate as I reckon i'd be constantly banging my head on the sloping C-pillar in the hatch.

Baby car seats aren't the easiest things to handle (particularly with a baby wriggling/screaming), so I'd have a think about that.

Also I think the estate looks better. Actually for what it's worth I think an Octavia hatch says "old man" more than an estate. Just my opinion.

im 22 with a mk2 octy and boot space is unreal. i cud put my mrs and the pram in the boot and nobody would know lol, jokes. but its massive

Thanks for all the comments and opinions people.

Had a good look over the both models today! After much humming and discussions about all our possible situations that we will be in..etc etc. We are 95% sure that the Octy VRS HATCH would suit our needs best.

Main reasons being that on the occasions that the dog and pram will be in the car together, there will be ample room as the boot is huge! (Also a dog guard is available for it), and it will only be for a few miles at a time anyway.

Both versions were unbelievably spacious in comparison to our two current cars (Mazda 3 Sport & Honda Civic Type S). The rear doors have plenty of access for getting the car seat in/out.(took this with us!). The seats are very comfortable and hugging. Slightly stiff ride but no worse than expected and for the car appreciated. Punchy but rather noisy diesel, but in saying that quite quiet when in and driving.

Now the hunt begins as the dealer I visited today only had one and wouldnt budge on price!

Blue, red or black in that order of preference. Has to be diesel.

Edited 10 October, 200916 yr by fatty5000
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why not try the skoda sport, cheaper insurance and can be mapped to 170 if needed. also comes with the lil body kit and stuff. and cheaper to buy. but if ur hearts set on a vrs then go for it

Surprise , Surprise- try fitting dog and baby seat into rear of car . You might just find that dog gets that protective/loving of baby that he sits still on rear seat and becomes a better behaved dog .