Ah, another car, another essay on how I got it and what I think of it. Are we sitting comfortably? Yes? Then I'll begin...

The Reason for Changing

I had already bought a brand new Mk2 Superb 1.8TSI Manual in SE trim in April 2009 so I was hardly ready for another car (although I am a sucker for new cars – see my profile for details). However, my other half got an automatic Roomster a couple of weeks after I picked up my Superb and a little seed was sown in my mind. Although the Superb is a lovely car I was enjoying the ease of driving an auto. I always wanted the DSG in the Superb but I simply couldn't afford it. With the release of the Yeti (and the potential for a 1.2TSI with DSG) the seed grew and blossomed and before I knew it I had set the wheels in motion.

By changing cars I was also trying to save money by lowering my monthly payments, lower insurance, better fuel economy and therefore a lower fuel bill and even save a few quid on the road tax. I know that buying a new car to save money sounds like an oxymoron but by what I eventually plumped for will save me money in the short and long term. I've detailed my savings later on so stay tuned...

I had popped into Simpsons Skoda of Great Yarmouth to see if they had a Yeti in SE trim as my local dealer only had a Yeti in Elegance trim. I was interested in seeing what the Yeti was like and Darren, one of the sales guys at Simpsons offered me an all-day test drive. I own a chalet just up the coast from Yarmouth and I knew I was going to be there for the final week of the holiday season so I took him up on the offer.

The Test Drive

The test drive Yeti was a 2.0CR 140 bhp diesel Elegance with a manual gearbox. Had I purchased a Yeti I would have wanted the 1.2TSI with DSG in the SE trim but this car would give me a good indication of the ride, handling and practicality (if not the smoothness of a petrol or the reduced power of the 1.2). On test drive day (26th October) I had my fiancee, brother and mum with us (including my mum's wheelchair to test the size of the Yeti's boot). The boot was about the size of the Roomster's but a little differently shaped. It was a little fiddly to get the wheelchair in but not insurmountable. What really disappointed was how hard it was to get my mum in and out of the back seats. With my drivers seat in the correct position access to the back was poor and legroom was limited. Admittedly, the Superb's rear legroom is fantastic and the Roomster's is not far behind but I was expecting better on something based on the Octavia's wheelbase. Up front was better but didn't seem to be awash with elbow room.

The Yeti handled very nicely and the view for the front occupants was good. However, I had forgotten how noisy diesel engines are and the clutch felt a bit heavier than my Superb. We drove to Southwold, a very picturesque seaside town on the Suffolk coast. The drive took in single and dual carriageway A roads plus a twisty B road. The Yeti was absolutely fine and soaked up the bumps very well despite being on 17†alloys and low profile tyres. The body roll was well controlled considering it's height.

My other half complained of the armrest digging into her leg and side. In the Yeti's defence she is amply dimensioned so this could have been part of the problem. To test it for myself I sat in the rear on the way back to the dealers and I felt cramped and claustrophobic.

The Yeti was a bit of a disappointment as I really liked the look and it and was nice to drive. The boot space was adequate but the rear seating area felt compromised. To check to see if it was a problem common to the Octavia platform I got my mum to get in and out of an Octy in the showroom. She had no problem with this even with my drivers seat being in the right position. I'm still not sure where the space has gone – maybe the chunkiness of the Yeti has impinged on the interior room.

So how did I go from test driving a Yeti to ordering an Octavia? Prior to the test drive I had done my homework. I had been looking at the facelifted Octy brochure and looking to see what I could get for the money. The Octy was much better value than the Yeti and I could have a bigger engine and more toys for the money. The other factor in the equation were the 'VAT free' deals Skoda were offering on the Fabia, Roomster and Octy. I knew what Yeti I wanted if the test drive went well and what Octy I would have if there were any issues. Before the test drive it was a real heart versus head battle. However, the test drive sealed the heart's fate and I ended up ordering the Octy.

Ordering the Octavia

Before I set off on the test drive I had given Darren a sheet listing what Octy I wanted and what extras I was after. I had also pre-warned him that the trade-in needed to be high enough to settle the outstanding finance. To cut a long story short the trade-in value was only a little off the settlement figure and we both knew that by the time I collected the car I would have made further payments bringing the settlement below the trade-in. We were both aware of the variable delivery times so the delivery date was agreed as December/January.

As you can see from my sig I ordered a Candy White 1.4TSI DSG Hatchback in Elegance trim. I specified the sports suspension and 17†Pallas alloy wheel package, small rear spoiler, 3 spoke multi-function steering wheel, flappy paddles and maxidot package, plus some floor mats. My other half had fell in love with the big Yeti soft toy so Darren threw one in for free as part of the deal. It's always best to keep SWMBO happy It was also agreed there wouldn't be any changes to the prices due to the VAT going back up again, nor any change to the trade-in value.

The Delivery Progress

After reading on Briskoda about the long delivery times, recall of DSG boxes, stock shortages of both the 1.4 TSI engine and Bolero radio I wasn't too hopeful of a speedy delivery.

I called Darren every couple of weeks to see how the order was coming along. It went from “no build date yet†two weeks after ordering to “being built this week†two weeks after that. I took my mum up to Yarmouth on the 19th December for a day trip and popped into the dealer for an update. I was expecting a “It's been built but still sitting at the dock waiting for a boatâ€. What I was actually told was “It's on the boat and on it's way!†Even the dealer was surprised at how fast it had gone through the system. I was now hoping it wasn't going to arrive on or before the 14th as I would have to have taken it in 2009 and lost out when I traded it back in again. Thankfully it didn't quite manage it and I ended up collecting it on 2nd January. When I was there on the 19th they had a new demonstrator which was a Candy White Octy Hatch in SE trim. They had got a local firm to tint the rear side windows and rear screen and it looked fantastic. I enquired how much it cost them and when Darren replied “about £200†I got him to add it to the order. The white car and dark tints really look nice – they were also a bit darker than manufacturer sunset glass tinting which further emphasised the effect. However, I did sit inside the car to check the tinting wasn't too dark but it was perfectly fine.

Between the arrival at the dealer and the actual collection day there were a number of hurdles to overcome. Almost immediately after my car was delivered to the dealer we had the heavy snowfall. This was badly delaying deliveries so I was really lucky there. The rear spoiler I wanted was on back order (along with a couple of other customers') and looked like it wasn't going to make it in time for delivery. However, Darren worked his magic and agreed with another customer that I could have the one they already had in stock (his car wasn't close to being delivered so they had time to order a replacement). The window tinting people couldn't do the windows until the Monday after delivery but I can only assume they managed to fit mine in before Christmas or Darren used another company for tinting. As I wanted the car in January and Skoda were changing their insurance company I couldn't get the complementary insurance sorted out until 29th December at the earliest. Once I had got through to them (which was very difficult) they didn't have Simpsons on their system. I finally got it sorted but Darren had to make three further calls before he received the cover note through the e-mail.

The Big Day

Anyway, just like the A-Team the plan came together and I picked up the car on a snowy Saturday. The car was perfectly presented apart from a slight paint fault my brother spotted on the nearside rear wing. Darren apologised and asked me to bring the car back on Monday so their paint man could take a look at it. I always take my new cars somewhere and take pictures but as the weather was poor and roads were filthy I took the piccies in the showroom – all shown (somewhere) below. When the weather improves I'll go somewhere nicer and take a few more. I only got 30 miles in on the first day due to the poor driving conditions but we'd decided to go up to Cromer on the Sunday which was a 100 mile round trip.

Disappointing Times

On the Sunday morning it was -1.5c and the car would barely tick over. Apparently it was belching black smoke from the exhaust which I couldn't see as the car was covered in snow. A helpful taxi driver came up to me and asked if I'd double glow-plugged it. When I told him it was a petrol and not a diesel he was rather taken aback. I finally started the car again and gave it a blip on the throttle. This sorted out the rough running and I was hoping the problem was just due to the mere 38 miles on the clock and things were still a little tight. The rest of the day was uneventful and the car started without further incident.

However, on the Monday the same thing happened again and by blipping the throttle it cleared the problem. As you can imagine I was seriously concerned that the problem was going to continue when I got home (I was going home that day). I was already taking the car to Simpsons for the paint fault and when I told Darren about the starting problem he was genuinely concerned as it hadn't had this problem when it was with them. He immediately got the car into the workshop and the diagnostics showed a sporadic problem. He said they could just clear the fault and it might go away but they much rather do a full fault find which would have take 3 to 4 hours. I wasn't going home immediately anyway so I agreed to it. I also asked them about a rattle that was coming somewhere from the driver's side of the car. They lent me a 1.2 HTP Fabia (feel the power!) which I drove around until 2pm when I returned to the dealers.

Relief All Around

Darren was glad to inform me that they had found a problem with a servo hose which they replaced. On replacing this part all of the fault notices disappeared. They also managed to track down the rattle to the keyfob rattling on the key! They confirmed that the paint fault will be covered by the warranty and will be booked in when the 2010 holiday season starts in March.

As a nation we're often quick to criticise and slow to praise the level of customer service but I have to congratulate Darren and the technical team at Simpsons for the excellent service I have received. I was pleased with the deal I got, their willingness to get the car ready in time by rearranging things with external companies and other customers and their genuine concern when the car wasn't starting. It was immediately taken into the workshop and didn't come out until they found the problem. They even washed and valeted the car again before giving it back to me. They also sorted me out with a spare wheel at very short notice after I looked at the can of tyre weld and compressor and thought, “Do I trust that sad looking combination in an emergency? Er, nope.†They were UK Skoda dealer of the year in 2008 and on the basis of the service I have received I can see why.

The Car Itself – First Impressions

I must be one of the few people on Briskoda who has had the opportunity to compare (and live with) the Mk2 Superb and facelifted Octavia. However, as you can appreciate it's early days for the Octy so I will update this posting at a later date to tell you if my opinion has changed in any way.

By changing cars I've lost in some departments but gained in others. Without further ado, here's a categorical breakdown of those losses and gains:

Lost:

Performance & Handling

• 36 bhp
• Supercharger
• 50 Nm of torque
• 1.1 seconds slower on the 0-62 sprint (according to the brochures)
• 12 mph off the top speed

Practicality

• 5 litres of boot space (wow, I think I can live with that)
• Twinboot trickery

Gadgetry

• Auto lights including coming home and tunnel lights
• No visual display for rear passengers

Comfort & Refinement

• Alcantara and artificial leather seats
• Some quietness in the cabin
• Some suppleness in the ride
• Softly sprung grab handles
• Huge legroom for back seat passengers

Safety

• Cornering fog lights
• Front parking sensors
• Park Assist (fun but never used in anger)

External Styling

• No chrome around windows
• No chrome strips along doors (although this was an optional extra for the SE trim)
• No chrome exhaust trim

Gained:

Performance & Handling

• Better handling due to sports suspension (optional extra)

Practicality

• Clever bendy parcel shelf
• More curry hooks

Gadgetry

• Paddle shift
• Auto dimming rear view and side mirrors
• Automatic windscreen wipers

Comfort & Refinement

• Three spoke multi-function steering wheel (optional extra)
• 7 speed DSG (optional extra)

Safety

• Rear window wiper (thank god - welcome back!)
• Headlight washers
• Handbrake on the correct side of the car

External Styling

• Rear spoiler (optional extra)
• Gangsta glass tinted windows (non-Skoda optional extra)

Financial

• 17% better fuel economy (29.76 mpg vs. 35.84 mpg (my estimations)) – saving nearly £300 per year (at 108.9 p/litre)
• Lower insurance (by shopping around) – saving £50 this year over the Superb
• Lower road tax – saving £50 per year
• £30 more a month in my bank account (£1,230 saving over the complete finance period)
• A big fat discount thanks to the 'VAT free Skodas' offer – total saving of £2,171. It effectively got me an 'Elegance' for the price of an 'S'

Personal Opinions

• Easier to clean alloy wheels (less 'spokey' than the Superb's)
• A colour I like (the Rosso Brunello left me cold)

Things I Like

DSG – absolutely brilliant (worked really well in the snow and ice too). Incredibly smooth going up the gears (whether you're giving it the beans or not) and better at changing down than a torque converter box. Still a bit of a jerk on kickdown but an improvement nevertheless.

I'm really pleased with my choice of additional 'styling' (Candy White, big wheels, lowered suspension, gangsta glass). In my (deluded?) mind it makes it look like a fictional 'vRS Lite' (or the old 'Sport' model from a few years back). I don't think it would have looked as good on the pre-facelift model.

It's going to save me money in the short and long run. I've saved about £50 on the insurance, £50 a year on the road tax and hopefully a fair bit on fuel (approximately £300 per year). The monthly repayments are also £30 a month lower saving me £360 a year.

The Superb handled body roll well but the Octy is better (not surprising considering the sports suspension).

Things I Dislike

The higher frequencies from the speakers seem a little harsh – I don't remember this problem on the Superb. I will have to fiddle with the tone controls but when it's below freezing outside I don't fancy sitting in the car at the moment!

The tailgate is heavy to lift – is this related to the very cold weather or under performing gas struts?

The weather has been too poor to have a good mooch around the car and play with everything!

Wish I could have specified the 17†Zenith alloys as I prefer them to the Pallas rims. If money was no object I could buy a set of Zeniths and sell the Pallas' ones I suppose.

I'm finding reversing a bit jerky with the DSG – maybe I just have to learn to 'feel it' better.

The Octy cost £100 more than Superb to insure with Direct Line despite being over £2,000 less to buy (it was the extras that loaded it). I had to change insurance company to get a sensible renewal quote. I went with Chris Knott insurance and saved £170 in total over Direct Line's offer.

I find the speedo and rev counter are too dark a lot of the time. They could do with being lit all of the time like the Superb. I did ask Simpsons if they could set them to on all of the time but were unable to do so.

The cornering fog lights were a handy feature on the Superb. Can someone with a VCDS work some magic here?

The passenger seat belt buckle seems to clatter against the side of the B pillar a fair bit and it's quite annoying.

I think the headlights are wrapped around the side of the car a little too much but it's a minor thing. They certainly don't look as nice as the Superb ones.

I cannot set daytime running lights even though there are twin bulbs in the fog lights. It's not selectable in the Maxidot nor does the manual method with the indicator stalk work either. I mentioned this to the dealer and they've found the same problem.

In Conclusion

Overall I'm happy with the change. A Superb with DSG would have been lovely but you can't have everything I guess. I'm getting quite frustrated with the weather as I cannot even vaguely test out the handling. Getting it around a corner on untreated roads is a challenge at the moment, although the car generally feels planted.

Oh, just in case anybody is wondering (I know some of you do) Skoda have fitted Bridgestone Potenza RE050 225/45/17 91W tyres on the car. Are they any good? God knows. I do know they cost about £110 a corner to replace though as I've been on t'internet to check. However, when the time comes I'd probably go for the Vredestein Ultrac Sultanas that many people swear by on Briskoda.

The Piccies (and about time too some might say!)

As promised...

Bloody snow! Looked kinda pretty tho'

Good god, that's a post and a half! Interesting reading though, and your new Octavia looks great. I agree that across the range the Octavia still seems to be the best all-round value. Nice to hear another good review of 1.4TSI + DSG too, as I'm considering that combination for my next car.

A brilliant write up

That's the longest post I've seen

I think you have a made a well considered choice with a 1.4 TSi DSG Elegance

Might have gone this way before deciding to keep a slightly sporty side to me going

You mentioned the excellent service you got from Simpsons, perhaps you could add a positive post in the dealer section for future users to look at

Great writeup, and a thoroughly enjoyable read

I feel your frustration too though, I picked up my new Octy just after Christmas and it's still only got 200 miles on the clock. I'm getting a bit sick of looking at it in the driveway covered in snow!

Got mine early Dec and got little over 500 miles on, another dump of snow today :(

Some assessment that is, glad you like the car.

That 1.4TSi DSG combination, as I've been preaching, is :thumbup:

Quality write up, what was the paint defect?? Any pics of it?? I did a similar write up, search out my posts it was something like day 4 of ownership or something.

Cheers!

I like the wheels.... what are they called?

Might have gone this way before deciding to keep a slightly sporty side to me going

I did look at the vRS but it was still out of my price range even with the 'VAT free' offer and I was trying save some money after all! Ironically the insurance on a 'vanilla' vRS might not have been much more than my pimped Elegance.

I'm sure I could find a little more oomph from my 1.4TSI if I look hard enough but that's some time away yet (if ever).

I feel your frustration too though, I picked up my new Octy just after Christmas and it's still only got 200 miles on the clock. I'm getting a bit sick of looking at it in the driveway covered in snow!

Got mine early Dec and got little over 500 miles on, another dump of snow today :(

Started snowing again in Hertfordshire last night and still snowing as I write this. My 10 minute, 2.5 mile journey took nearly half an hour this morning :(

I think most people over a certain age are getting really sick of the winter weather now. I'm getting a real dose of 'cabin fever' as it's just not worth risking it on the roads nor walking about on treacherous pavements.

Quality write up, what was the paint defect?? Any pics of it??

Simpsons took some pictures for warranty purposes but I didn't bother. However, as you've asked I'll whip out my camera tomorrow morning and see if I can take a piccy that shows it up well.

It appears to be a small shard of metal stuck to the wing which has then been painted and lacquered over. I am surprised it wasn't picked up at the factory and Simpsons were unaware of it too.

I like the wheels.... what are they called?

I think if you read my (stupidly long) post you'll find they're called 'Pallas' I'm sure 'Pallas' was a comedy skit combining the British royal family and (obviously) the 80s TV classic Dallas. Wikipedia shows a million other references to Pallas and Google shows nothing obvious either. Maybe it's just me then

Ok on the paint work, I'd be really miffied that it was'nt picked up on PDI. Sounds like it will need repainting, surprised they want you to wait for them the authorize the repair! Have you considered rejecting it? Do check it carefully for poor miss match or orange peel when you do get it back. Good luck! You should at least ask for some sort of compo for the repair.

nice write up. My aunt and uncle are thinking about the 1.4TSi with DSG bound to be ALOT cheaper to run than the 4.0V8 jag!!

Ok on the paint work, I'd be really miffied that it was'nt picked up on PDI. Sounds like it will need repainting, surprised they want you to wait for them the authorize the repair! Have you considered rejecting it? Do check it carefully for poor miss match or orange peel when you do get it back. Good luck! You should at least ask for some sort of compo for the repair.

I didn't actually see it when I looked around the car - it was my brother who spotted it. It is very, very small and I will have fun and games trying to take a picture of it (but I'll give it a go nevertheless). I'm surprised it wasn't picked up in the PDI either but if I can miss it so could the person doing the PDI.

It's my decision to wait until March to have it done as I own a holiday chalet up that way and the holiday season starts in March (and therefore 'free' accommodation). If I wanted it done any sooner I'd be looking at a couple of nights at a Travelodge which will cost me at least £70 plus food. Either that or two 250 mile round trips in crappy weather :(

I will be very careful when I look at the respray to make sure it's a good job. As for rejecting it I think Skoda would just laugh at me so I won't be going down that route, nor do I want to. If the repair fails at a later date it would have been fully documented so if it did need redoing I don't think there would be an issue. I was happy with the deal I got (the trade-in was very good) so I think asking for compensation would be a little unfair.

As Skoda owners I think we get a little complacent on how well our cars are screwed together and when there is something wrong it comes as a shock. When I bought a brand new Focus back in 2001 I had to have the whole bonnet resprayed as it was clearly scratched to buggery under the paint. This is my fifth 'VW' Skoda now and it amazes me how little has been (or gone) wrong with them over that seven year, 118,000 mile period.

I've got the same Pallas wheels & Tyres they're a part of the Sports Suspension setup.

As for the tyres they're a pure fair weather tyre & are bloody awful in the snow, NO worse than awful they're useless in the snow.

That's why I'm looking for some snow (winter) tyres! But I can't find any at a reasonable price.

Some assessment that is, glad you like the car.

That 1.4TSi DSG combination, as I've been preaching, is :thumbup:

The Octavia 1.4tsi DSG is one of those combinations that seems to have really caught the affection of its owners: perhaps because it's a classic more for less offer ie an ostensibly value brand car with an apparently smallish engine for a modest price offers real world quality, space, good ride and handling, refinement, pace and economy.

i waited for the 1.8tsi to become available with DSG in specs below L&K and I'm glad I did, but sometimes I think the 1.4tsi would have been a better purchase: the more or less permanent congestion on British roads means i rarely exploit the 1.8's extra power, while I do experience its worse economy!

As promised (albeit a little later than planned), here's a couple of images of the paint fault on the nearside rear wing:

To give it some scale the fault is 1.5-2mm at its longest point. It's annoying but not enough to lose any sleep over it. As I've said before, I'll get it sorted in March when the holiday season starts.

On a different topic (but related to the PDI) I was rather surprised to find that my tyres were inflated more than they should have been. All of them were about 0.5 Bar over the correct pressures. I know it's warmed up a bit since I picked it up but would the temperature change make that much difference?

When you dig it out of the snow, how do you know which is car and which is snow?