A review of my new FL vRS

[prolfe]

Here is a big old review with some pictures towards the bottom. Thanks for looking.

My Skoda Octavia 2.0 CR vRS Hatchback – Candy White

Previous car: Audi A3 2.0 TDi 170 PD Sportback Sport in Black

7-1000 Miles in just eight days. (It’s been a bitch of a week)

Exterior

Firstly I know all I need is either some blue lights (police) or some great big yellow go fast stripes and a ‘For Hire’ sign on the roof (Taxi). The biggest change is at the front where the facelift (FL) Octavia gets a whole new look. Gone are the naughty’s square lights and incoming are the wrap around projector style headlights. Accompanying this are some great looking DRL’s that act as sidelights as well, albeit at half brightness in this mode. A new more aggressive front bumper and grille complete the new look. From the rear and the side there’s not much to tell it apart from the pre-FL vRS. 18” alloys are standard now, as are red callipers. I’ve not been blessed with a spoiler before so the change is a nice one, the car looks great from whichever side you stand on. Especially in white.

Interior

Look closely and you’ll see the differences, a new driver pod with a very basic Rev counter to the left and a simple Tacho to the right. So simple in fact that it has no Kilometers below or above the Miles per Hour!! This for when we need to travel over the water is displayed on the central DIS. I was worried that I would miss the extra speakers in my A3 (10) compared to the vRS (8) but TBH it’s just as good. Louder but with not so much of a deep bass, don’t get me wrong it is punchy and makes the seat move but it doesn’t have the same depth as the dedicated bass of the A3. The touch screen Bolero as seen in the golf too is great. Responsive in an LG Viewty way, rather than an iPod Touch kind of way. The seats are on the firmer side of comfy but are huggy enough and have ample movement and support through a lumber knob (stop it!!). The black headlining is a welcome treat (lacking in my A3), it has a very chunky perforated leather three spoke steering wheel. It has both an independently cooled glovebox and storage area under the armrest. The armrest also has the Aux-in socket for an iPod etc. It has 8 different cubby holes in and around the cockpit which is a lot, but does mean that I’ll not have things rattling around on the passenger’s seat!

Overall the quality is just as I expected it to be.

Economy, Performance and Ride

Prior to delivery I had a look around at any remap ‘before’ figures I could find as I knew my outgoing A3 probably had a power output of between 180 and 190bhp. Although the A3 was the PD version and the new vRS is the CR version. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it too had the same kind of figures as standard. It’s just as quick but is much quieter with a different kind of exhaust and turbo note. There is soundproofing on the underside of the bonnet which must aid in this. You can read a lot of material on the pro’s and con’s of running a car in and like my Audi I decided to do just that. So for now I have been running at no more than ¾ throttle and no more than 3000 revs. Trouble is I can feel the car just wanting to plant its feet and go. I am quite liking this new relaxed ‘I could have you if I wanted to’ kind of driving style.

So far I’ve averaged 55mpg over these 1000 miles. I think my A3 averaged 46mpg on the same routes, style and distance. They changed the specification of the vRS late in the year and tricked it out with the Golf GTi’s XDS system which is a fancy electronic LSD. I’ve yet to see it in action because of the way I’ve been driving so will reserve judgment till then. Ooh, also note that the any new Golf GTD will also be built with it too.

In the pootling about I’ve been doing the ride seems great, the 18” wheels and sports suspension are not as harsh as they were on the S-Line A3 (Test driven).

Summary

I loved it when I saw it online, I then spent the 15 weeks till delivery pining after it. I am glad I chose white as it seems every other vRS is Race Blue although I’m sure that will change in a few months looking at the forums. On top of everything else it’s costing me £50 less per month than my A3!

One thing that was annoying was the dealer just washed it. No wax, no polish, just a wash. So after a week in the wet motorways it looked quite dirty close up. I decided a while ago that I would detail it properly to help protect the paint and I’m glad I did.

Detailing

I first rinsed it as best i could with a pressure washer including wheel arches. It then had two washes (2 bucket method) with a microfibre wash mitt, a rinse in between with the pressure washer again. I then spent a long while claying it with AutoGlym’s Detailing Kit (100g clay bar, fast detailing spray, cloth). After that I used AutoGlym’s Super Resin Polish to polish the car twice. Then finally I used AutoGlym’s Extra Gloss Protection which I left to cure for about an hour before being buffed off. The glass received a clean and a rain repellent from Halfords. On the wheels I used their cleaner and a sealant. On the inside I used their rubber and vinyl product along with some leather cleaner and conditioner. This was a very long process but means that the car paintwork is protected and makes future cleaning easier. I plan to go through the same process again in six months time, maybe sooner if it looks like it needs it. Detailing before and after at end of post

I’ve attached a few photies for you all to have a look at, let me know what you think.

Now the detail:

first a piccie of a dirty badge area:

then a nice clean one:

[ChrisRs]

Great review mate

I nearly went for white too but SWMBO insisted on Grey

BTW...Autoglym products are good but there are better out there>

[Harlequin]

Great review mate

I nearly went for white too but SWMBO insisted on Grey

BTW...Autoglym products are good but there are better out there>

Such as?

Nice review, seems white is making a comeback

[prolfe]

Great review mate

I nearly went for white too but SWMBO insisted on Grey

BTW...Autoglym products are good but there are better out there>

I know, i was desperate to get it clayed and there is only a couple of products available off the shelf. Next time i'll order from tinternet. The other AutoGlym stuff was part of as a big old kit free on the wife's car as she had her's protected.(2010 Ibiza Sport 1.4 in Red.)

[theandywaite]

Such as?

Nice review, seems white is making a comeback

AutoGlym SRP is an excellent all-in-one product - it's a compound polish (it removes deep scratches), filler polish (hides the scratches that are left) and synthetic sealant in one. If you are lazy and only want to do one thing, it's one of the best ones out there.

If you want to polish more than once (like you did ,prolfe) you're wasting your time with SRP on the second go, you're just stripping off the fillers and sealants and then putting them back on. For seperate polishing steps, you really want a range of pure polishes, going from a medium-harsh compound to remove scratches, down to a fine scratch-filling glaze.

I'd recommend:

Poorboys or Chemical Guys Shampoo

Bilt Hamber AutoClay

Poorboys SSR polishes

Poorboys Black Hole Glaze

Dodo, Victoria or Collinite wax.

Also essential detailing products:

Meguiars Last Touch Detail Spray - Use as clay lube, drying aid etc

Meguiars APC - All purpose cleaner for interior/stubborn grime - but WARNING, it will oxidise your paint and strip off wax, so be careful how you use it outside

[ChrisRs]

I will be doing this after delivery:

After a big wash with a Bilt Hamber Snow Foam

and 2 bucket wash with Meguiars NXT Car Shampoo

1. AGSRP

2. Poorboys Black Hole Glaze

3. Bilt Hamber Autobalm

4. AG High Def Wax

[Harlequin]

I will be doing this after delivery:

After a big wash with a Bilt Hamber Snow Foam

and 2 bucket wash with Meguiars NXT Car Shampoo

1. AGSRP

2. Poorboys Black Hole Glaze

3. Bilt Hamber Autobalm

4. AG High Def Wax

Can you guys recommend good alloy cleaner and sealant? While alloys look great they are much more of a faf than my old steelies Ive looked at the likes on wonderwheels, but apparently you cant put it on chrome wheels etc as the acid attacks them, erm so why doesnt it go for laquered, painted wheels?!

[auditek]

great review, and i think white is really taking off now..enjoy

[Deepjoy]

Excellent report. Thanks - very interesting.

One question re XDS. I know that the October brochure had XDS as a standard feature on vRS. There has been debate in other posts that it was fitted to cars built from week 45 onwards - but maybe not if you ordered before October 1st. But do you know for a fact (regardless of order / build dates) that it is on yours; is there some coding that says this?

[theandywaite]

Can you guys recommend good alloy cleaner and sealant? While alloys look great they are much more of a faf than my old steelies Ive looked at the likes on wonderwheels, but apparently you cant put it on chrome wheels etc as the acid attacks them, erm so why doesnt it go for laquered, painted wheels?!

Cleaner: ValetPRO Bilberry Safe Wheel Cleaner

Sealant: Poorboys Wheel Sealant

[Zdenek Fibich]

How fashions change. I was told many years ago that you shouldn't polish a new car till it was about 6 months old. I still follow that advice - less effort!

Glad you're enjoying your new car - clearly white is the new black.....

[menacer]

Wow now thats nice! I've always loved candy white, beautiful! BTW you have better mpg than my 1.9 TDi PD!

[theandywaite]

How fashions change. I was told many years ago that you shouldn't polish a new car till it was about 6 months old. I still follow that advice - less effort!

Glad you're enjoying your new car - clearly white is the new black.....

New paint by a bodyshop shouldn't be polished for a while, as it takes a long time to fully dry.

Modern paint from the factory should be pretty solid when you get it though...

[Finlay Harp]

Can you guys recommend good alloy cleaner and sealant? While alloys look great they are much more of a faf than my old steelies Ive looked at the likes on wonderwheels, but apparently you cant put it on chrome wheels etc as the acid attacks them, erm so why doesnt it go for laquered, painted wheels?!

Planet Polish Wheel Seal and Shine. Best on the market.

[andy2407]

Can you guys recommend good alloy cleaner and sealant?

I'd recommend Autobrite Verry Cherry Acid Free Wheel Cleaner and Jetseal 109

Edited 26 January, 2010 by andy2407

[Brimma]

Looks good, but NEEDS black wheels :yes:

[prolfe]

New paint by a bodyshop shouldn't be polished for a while, as it takes a long time to fully dry.

Modern paint from the factory should be pretty solid when you get it though...

It was also still dirty despite being new. I feel better now that its portected to some degree, even if some of the pollishing was a waste of time.

Still live and learn, cheers.

[rsbspt]

Great review. I still think it's a disgrace that Skoda can put a car with allegedly sporting pretentions on the market with gaps between tyre and wheelarch bigger than some 4x4s. Looking at your pics, you could get your fist under that front arch!

[rob_e]

nice review , car looks great.

need more "low-ness"!

[willskoda]

WOW! White FL looks great! I love my pre FL in white but seeing yours just makes me so jealous! I'm not one for derv mind you but I can let you off! Once again, great looking motor, enjoy it!

[jlwah]

That's a good review.

Interesting the comments about the ride coming from your old A3.

Does anyone know if the FL vRS has anyy spring/damper changes over the previous model?

[SlimAdy]

Very nice!

But there is a problem with threads like this.....makes me even more eager/impatient to get mine!

White certainly seems really popular at the moment. Never thought I'd like a white car, but it looks great - though I'm still too much of a chicken to buy one in white!

[prolfe]

Nah, just go for it.

Cheers for the comments. I've only seen 1 FL vRS so far and I do 3000-4000 miles a month !!