Depends very much on the tyres you're running, in the same way as most SUV's are rubbish off road unless you fit off road tyres on them. My Octy II was fine on the icy roads here with the tyres it came with and I drove the Octy I 20 miles on sheet ice a few years ago and it was about as fine as a car can be with standard tyres on that surface - if the road camber changed the back of the car started sliding out and correcting it was easily the most delicate driving I've ever done. I've been really impressed with the smoothness of the ABS on the Octy II compared to the Octy I too - I stomped on the brake for fun last night just to enjoy it bringing me to a controlled and uneventful stop. On the previous car I'd have done better without ABS at all on that surface...

The really weird thing is that my mountain bike has almost as much grip on compacted snow as it was on wet concrete, so my bike commute this morning was almost disappointingly uneventful...

Edited 21 December, 200916 yr by psycholist

Just outside Southampton - it's cold, but no snow here. They might have had a little in the city, but from what I saw it wasn't much.

Take it you've not been near the M27 in the last two days. A bit of snow,. a lot of moisture then ice all over the place in the centre.

As you move down towards pompy there has been plenty of snow.

The Mk2 octy is a terrible car in the snow, Its even worse than the mk1! Show it a slight incline and your fooked.

I thought my Mk2 2.0TDI worked just fine in the snow last winter.

I had Uniroyal Rainsport tyres on the standard 16" wheels and it coped pretty well

I thought my Mk2 2.0TDI worked just fine in the snow last winter.

I had Uniroyal Rainsport tyres on the standard 16" wheels and it coped pretty well

You obviously don't live on the Yorkshire wolds

Jeremy Clarkson has been very praiseworthy of the Scout recently. Over the last few weeks he's been saying that he'd rather have one than an A4 Allroad or similar. My diesel vRS has coped very well over the weekend and it snowed most of Saturday but didn't stop us....mind you we're a hardy bunch up north.

JC said it agin in this weeks:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article6961706.ece?&EMC-Bltn=FCKDT1F

When he was talking about the Saab 9-3X, "Skoda is better!"

....mind you we're a hardy bunch up north.

Ecky thump, it be true. Coats are for the old and infirm.

Tried SWMBO Getz (narrowish tyres) in the snow,after deliberately stopping on a car park hill, but wheels spun -even letting the clutch in slowly at tickover. If it was my car I'd have then sawed from lock to lock.

This morning tried the same in my FL Octavia diesel with 17" wheels. Got away with a bit of wheel spin and no TCS lights. Had to press on accelerator harder before it lit up.So still something in reserve then if I drive gently.

This is my first winter driving the octy 2 and had no major problems with traction so far using the same tyres the car came with(Michelin Pilot Exalto)ESP light came on a few times but a bit of sensible driving and not being too heavy footed on the accelerator and the car has coped well so far...What's ticking me off is the news headlines/reports..The Big Freeze is set to continue etc..Can understand it may be a bit of an ass in some parts of the UK.But same typical media reporting as if it's some kind of National disaster that we got a bit of snow /ice...

But same typical media reporting as if it's some kind of National disaster that we got a bit of snow /ice...

Amen. There is a news clip on the BBC Website showing a reporter stood in the middle of a roundabout with abandoned cars around it and half a dozen people stood under a tree in the middle. Some Police are on site organising the removal of cars and an abandoned bus is being moved off.

He finishes up with "To say the scene is chaotic is really a bit of an understatement".

Idiot.

Amen. There is a news clip on the BBC Website showing a reporter stood in the middle of a roundabout with abandoned cars around it and half a dozen people stood under a tree in the middle. Some Police are on site organising the removal of cars and an abandoned bus is being moved off.

He finishes up with "To say the scene is chaotic is really a bit of an understatement".

Idiot.

All the other countries in western/central Europe are suffering too, albeit to a lesser extent. The Russians are ok though

Just hope nobody's trying to use Eurostar. I don't know what is the matter with these rail companies - they ought to check out videos of the Southern Pacific battling its way over Donner Pass in the 1930s and 40s, using STEAM!

Makes our "snow" look like somebody spilled talc on the pavement. Talk about progress backwards.

Bring back Steam Trains, lets start a campain............. :beer: :love:

Just hope nobody's trying to use Eurostar. I don't know what is the matter with these rail companies - they ought to check out videos of the Southern Pacific battling its way over Donner Pass in the 1930s and 40s, using STEAM!

Makes our "snow" look like somebody spilled talc on the pavement. Talk about progress backwards.

If it is any consolation, a stream train would have got through the Chunnel. Unless it was an electric steam hybrid thing.

If it is any consolation, a stream train would have got through the Chunnel. Unless it was an electric steam hybrid thing.

Would it just trickle through?

Would it just trickle through?

Its a new water park ride.

Would it just trickle through?

He might mean a "Stream-liner", in which case it could have crossed on the water above!!!!

(H'mmm.....unless it is one of those freights carrying garbage containers to landfill........no, in that case it would be a Bin-Liner.)

I think I'll go lie down for a while...............

Update on bump I had -

Broke bottom bar assembly on offside front; £238

Offside bearing assembly - £212

20k Service - £200

Diagnostic charge and labour - £200

Hopefully picking up this afternoon... Big thanks to DM Keith Leeds for squeezing this repair in before crimbo.... Ho ho ho....!

£850! Ouch.

Did you do it on the insurance or just take the hit on the bank account?

Well living in Cumbria (so few slight inclines) I can offically confirm that a MKII Ovtavia VRS TDI is **** in the snow if you have to get up a hill to get home :|

4x4 required for 2010, just need to decide if it's a Scout to replace the VRS, or keep the VRS and get a sub £1k Land Rover or Scooby to run as a second car :wonder:

4x4 required for 2010, just need to decide if it's a Scout to replace the VRS, or keep the VRS and get a sub £1k Land Rover or Scooby to run as a second car :wonder:

Well I have an opinion on that, but it is not without bias.

I have 225x40 18" wheels on my octy 2.0TDi PD140, and successfully climbed some very steep icy inclines without incident, even though several vehicles tried and failed on the same hill. To climb hills just requires the correct driving technique and you should be able to get up anything. Slow and steady is the order of the day, I used first gear and just over idle RPM and the car just went up the hill with no drama whatsover, no wheelspin at all. If you use to much throttle, or try to apply throttle you will break traction and come to a stop and not be able to get going again without reversing to the bottom and starting all over again.

If you use to much throttle, or try to apply throttle you will break traction and come to a stop and not be able to get going again without reversing to the bottom and starting all over again.

That really sounds like fun - - - not.

When it was really icy here, I found starting off in second worked better in some locations. Worst spots, believe it or not, were when you had parked up close to the kerb - that was where the real thick rutted ice was. Getting away was like a fairground ride.

I've been pleasantly surprised with my new Octy. I've had no problems at all getting out and about, even up hills (famous last words!!)

Unlike my bosses' Celica and 5 Series Beemer. Neither could get up the slope to work. I'm very glad they couldn't hear me laughing for the wheelspin!

keeping it in a low gear and letting the engine tick can do a world of difference to trying to use the accelorator. many hi performance cars love the dry but cant cope with the icy weather.