My 2009 FL Octavia Elegance has a button to switch off the ASR. From the paper brochure it came with MBA, MSR and ASR (without EDL). Only the L&K had EDL.

The latest on-line manual now only refers to switching off the ESP and no mention of MBA, MSR or ASR.

So what does my car have/not have compared to the latest version?

My old 2001 Passat B5.5 had ESP.

ASR is the Bosch term for traction control. ESP is electronic stability programme. ASR and ABS stop the wheels locking under acceleration and braking, respectively; i.e. the deal with longitudinal dynamics. ESP is a bit more sophisticated and can also recognise loss of grip in a corner - i.e. it deals with lateral traction as well.

ESP is also Bosch

ASR just kills the power, ESP uses sensors to actively apply an individual brake to in effect "steer" a car out of danger

ESP is also Bosch

ASR just kills the power, ESP uses sensors to actively apply an individual brake to in effect "steer" a car out of danger

ASR is a Bosch term for traction control. The term ESP is used much more generically and the first ESP systems were demonstrated by Continental-Teves in Hannover. Subsequently many other manufacturers have produced them including Bosch, Siemens, Denso etc.

ESP is a Bosch trade-mark:

Robert Bosch GmbH - ESP

Worldwide accident studies prove that skidding and the often resulting lateral impact is one of the main causes of severe and fatal road accidents. The Electronic Stability Program ESP® counteracts skidding: it stabilises your vehicle and reduces the risk of skidding. ESP® makes a significant contribution towards road safety. International studies by well-known automobile manufacturers and safety authorities that have assessed its effectiveness confirm the great life-saving potential of ESP®. The world's first ESP® was introduced in 1995 by Bosch.

So has the hardware really changed in the past few months , or just the terminology?

I accept that I do not have ESP!

It all depends! ASR is normally part of ESP, if you've got ESP. If you've just got an ASR button it's likely that you only have ASR and not ESP!

It all depends! ASR is normally part of ESP, if you've got ESP. If you've just got an ASR button it's likely that you only have ASR and not ESP!

I would be 99.999% sure that if you have an ASR button they you don't have ESP. Cars with ESP have an ESP button instead.

ASR is the Bosch term for traction control.

Maybe, but be careful because the term "traction control" can mean different things on different cars. There is no industry standard for this term!

E.g. ASR reduces engine power if the wheels slip, but it doesn't lock a spinning wheel, which is what EDL does. However, on Hondas and Mazdas, their TCS (for Mazda I think) "traction control" performs the function of both ASR + EDL combined.

As I said in original message, I do not have EDL (only was on L&K). Full ESP on my old Passat proved useful when gaining traction up long snowy hills. Would not go beyond 25mph or so with foot to the boards but both wheels were driving. Cut out after 10 mins or so- with a flashing of the panel lights-I guess to prevent the brakes from overheating.Disappointed if the Octavia has a lesser system ,after all these years.

But as to my original question- has the FL's ESP or whatever spec. changed this year?

When you have a ASR button in your car, you don't have ESP. And ESP comes with EDL (electronic differential lock) , TCS (traction control system or ASR), DSR (active driver-steering recommendation), Brake Assist and Uphill-start off-assist.

This 'enlarged' ESP came with the FL.

See the manual starting from page 195.