Skoda or VW ?

[The Hat]

Im in the process of trying to find an Octavia estate and am having trouble finding one in a private sale. However i have come across a few VW Passats. Arent these the same as Skodas any way ? If they are why do VW Passats get much worse reviews than a Skoda Octavia ?

Cheers,

Paul

[TriggerFish]

Skoda Octavia's are Golfs underneath and the Suberb is the Passat. (Not sure which Golf/Passat mind you.)

Can't help any more than that as I have driven neither.

[GriffoVRS]

Im in the process of trying to find an Octavia estate and am having trouble finding one in a private sale. However i have come across a few VW Passats. Arent these the same as Skodas any way ? If they are why do VW Passats get much worse reviews than a Skoda Octavia ?

Cheers,

Paul

It is probably because they compare the Passat with cars from the class above the Octavia like the Mondeo.

The Passat also costs more than the Octavia, and also probably commands a price in its class because it is a VW.

[Gizmo]

The MKI Octavia is based on the MK4 Golf

MKII Octavia is based on the MK5 Golf

MKI Superb is based on a LWB Passat B5.5

IMO the Superb is a much better car than the Passat for build quality etc, as is the Octavia over the Golf.

[swil00]

Skoda Octavia's are Golfs underneath and the Suberb is the Passat. (Not sure which Golf/Passat mind you.)

Can't help any more than that as I have driven neither.

I know the MK1 Superb uses a stretched version of the old passat B5/5.5 platform, not sure about the new Superb, but isn't

the latest Passat also based on the MK5 platform ?

If money wasn't an object and I was staying with VAG, I'd go for the new Superb..... Second choice an estate Octavia... The latest

passat isn't all the roomy !

[Hannibal]

IMO the Superb is a much better car than the Passat for build quality etc, as is the Octavia over the Golf.

I'd be interested to hear why you say that. Personal experience? inside knowledge?

[Gizmo]

Purely personal experience of driving a 2003 Passat with less miles on it than my Superb had.

I'm not sure on the trim level of the Passat as it was a company vehicle (1 normal driver, rather than a pool car) but everything trim wise felt it was a lower quality and IMO it didn't drive as nice.

[Evening Star]

I tend to think that you're buying VW/Audi group quality at a cheaper price & that you're paying a premium for the VW/Audi names like Golf, Passat, A3, A4 & Quattro.

[VRS Doug VX]

As an owner of a VW Golf GTI Mk.V & an Octavia VRS I have to say that the Skoda is slightly better built.

I did consider a Passat...I wanted a VW with a bigger boot...but was put off by the fact that it was a saloon as I love the flexibility of a hatchback. The only VW hatch bigger than a Golf was the Golf plus (which is still about half the size of an Octavia!) until you get into the 'Van' (MPV) range.

Do you really need an estate, as the boots on both the Octavia (585,1455 litres) & Superb (565,1670 litres) are vast? As you can see from the figures the Octavia has the slightly bigger boot seats up, but the Superb has more legroom in the back so is bigger when the seats are dropped.

The estate Octavia has 605 litres seats up & 1655 litres seats down, so you can see that seats down can't match a Superb hatch for capacity! I don't have the figures for a Superb Estate...but it must be huge!

If you bring price in to the equation then the VW just doesn't compete...I remember finding things like heated seats are standard on a mid level Passat but you paid extra for dual climate control...the similar spec Skoda had dual cc but you paid extra for heated seats, you can guess which was the cheaper option to have!

Check both cars out...after that it's a pretty easy choice..well it was for me! :yes:

[Gizmo]

As an owner of a VW Golf GTI Mk.V & an Octavia VRS I have to say that the Skoda is slightly better built.

Couldn't agree more, in fact my MKI Octavia was better built than SWMBO's MK5 Golf!

[broere]

I personally owned a passat (1992-2009) and was growing more and more impressed by the build quality, certainly after 17 years and 351.000 kilometers. Since September I own an Octavia O2 FL. The Golf estate wasn't considered, as I knew the new VI estate wouldn't arrive untill ... very recently. Going through the goodies you get on both the Golf and the Octavia, I think the offer is quite similar: what they give here, they take there. Of course, the Golf estate is somewhat smaller, but the VI is very well made and even has an upgrade of the (very good) chassis it shares with the Octavia (and in extension with the Passat and Superb). There's the looks of course, but that's very personal. I am very confident with the Skoda dealer I found, the VW dealer was a big one (in terms of sales, of course) but was very correct. I hope the Skoda will prove to be cheaper to keep than the VW I had, but that remains to be proven. As I tend to keep my cars as long as possible, the price I get selling it is of no importance. There, the VW would win easily, I think. Build quality of the new Octavia leaves no room for suspicion, IMHO.

I think the personal preference to the model should make you decide whether to take a VW or a Skoda.

[vwcabriolet1971]

VW still advertise that the golf body is galvanised ( Zinc coated) . I have asked Skoda sales if the Octavia is also galvanised but couldn't get an authoritive statement either way . Can anyone answer this question ? Thanks

[Gizmo]

VW still advertise that the golf body is galvanised ( Zinc coated) . I have asked Skoda sales if the Octavia is also galvanised but couldn't get an authoritive statement either way . Can anyone answer this question ? Thanks

The MKI Octavia is galvanized (had a snall bit of paint flake off a wing when my daughter borrowed the car and it was damaged 'whist parked' ) 12 months on and there was no rust showing .

However on the MK5 Golf on the edge of a wheel arch is just starting to bubble where they have worn through the paint with a 'mop'.

Not sure about the rest of the VAG range?

[NewbieVRS]

I had a Passat SEL 170, which was as comfy as a sofa :-)

Unfortunately, it drove like a sofa too.

Octy every time for me.

[VRS Doug VX]

The FL Octavia..to quote the brochure..Body type, 5 Door, 5 Seat, Double space steel bodywork, Fully galvanized body.

[dan_the_v8man]

I owned a MkII vRS estate and then went to a Passat saloon Sport 170 DSG. both great cars, I had nothing but trouble with the DSG box but that could have happened with any DSG car

Id have both cars again, ideally id have the Passat in estate form with the vRS engine and while we're at it, haldex on the back axle wouldnt go a miss either

want to know anything specific about either then let me know

Edited 30 January, 2010 by dan_the_v8man

[Hannibal]

Id have both cars again, ideally id have the Passat in estate form with the vRS engine and while we're at it, haldex on the back axle wouldnt go a miss either

Passat estate with 170 and 4x4.............. That'd be the Superb then?!

I've been looking at both the hatch and estate prices on the Octy recently as a possible upgrade for my fabia. I've noticed that an identical estate will typically costs at least a grand more than the hatch. When you think about the space you get it's just that little triangular bit at the top corner. Useful if you maybe have a wardrobe to move but otherwise I'm not sure.

My probelm is that i think the estate is a better looking car. I'm not really sold on the looks of the hatch.

[Phil_P]

I've been looking at both the hatch and estate prices on the Octy recently as a possible upgrade for my fabia. I've noticed that an identical estate will typically costs at least a grand more than the hatch. When you think about the space you get it's just that little triangular bit at the top corner. Useful if you maybe have a wardrobe to move but otherwise I'm not sure.

My probelm is that i think the estate is a better looking car. I'm not really sold on the looks of the hatch.

I agree, and also prefer the look and shape of the estate. I also like the looks/shape of the golf and A4 estates, but not so much the passat

Also, for dog owners the Estate is just more practical due to the sliding privacy screen so you don't need to compromise between parcel shelf in or out as with a hatch. Having come from a hatch, that's something I really appreciate