Hi,

I did my first long trip in the VRS this weekend & thought I'd write on my findings & how my impressions are having owned the car for 10 days now. As I mentioned in my other post my other cars are a Mk5 Golf GTI & a VX220 & it's very interesting to compare the VRS with the GTI as they share the same platform.

So far I'm still very impressed with the VRS, as I mentioned it beats the GTI for build quality & the engine is very smooth for a diesel. I really am only aware it's an oil burner when it's cold & ticking over, once it's up & running it's just creamy.

The interior is also larger than the Golf (I thought it would be about the same) & the clarity of the instruments is superb. My only gripe is that the drivers seat doesn't go low enough. I know I'm used to nearly sitting on the floor in the VX, but the Golf does a much better job of getting you into the action than the VRS. The seats are quite comfy though if not as heavily bolstered as the Golfs.

The Bolero unit is much better sounding than the Sat nav unit in the Golf (a very expensive option that isn't a patch on a TomTom Go!) & the inclusion of the SD card slot is great. What a shame you can't do playlists though, it makes me think that having a load of small cards is a much better option than 1 big card....I've still not filled my 8gig card yet!

The heating & vent. system works well & doesn't seem as keen on automatically turning the AC on as the Golf is which I like. I do however miss the ability to adjust the temp in .5 increments. I find 19C a little too cold 20C a little too hot...19.5C in the Golf & I'm just right.

The main reason we went for the Skoda was the increased boot size over the Golf. Every month or so we go to see my mother in Lytham St.Annes on the North West coast (about 230 miles away from where we live in Hertfordshire) we take our 2 boys, one of whom is just 1 year old & thus needs a pushchair & a travel cot. In the Golf we used to have the boot packed tightly & still had stuff in the rear footwells & between the 2 kids seats....in the Skoda, easy peasy & could have taken much more!

We set off on Friday night at about 7.30. I was soon on the lower Luton road which gets gradually twistier & darker, those Xenons were a great choice. They give such a good spread of light & watching the beams swivel into the corners is entertaining & helpful.

Later, on the M6 Toll they saved a Fox's life with their extra reach giving me more time to react.

I still wish the car was a little more 'sporty', to me it's more like a GT but I have to admit that it does have a slightly more supple ride than the Golf. The steering though still needs more weight/feel. I'm going to have to find a nice man with a VAGCOM & get this adjusted to give less assistance. It just feels a little too glassy & doesn't give me confidence to attack the road as I would in the Golf.

On the motorway the car was very stable & very quiet, 2500rpm at nearly 80mph felt so easy & slow it made me wish for 100mph speed limits. :yes: 49mpg on the way out, 53mpg on the way back was quite impressive for a new engine, I was told that they improve by upto 5mpg once the get past 15,000 miles. In the Golf on the same journey it was 30-32mpg.

Overall, we're still very impressed with the VRS. I'm still tempted to fit eibach's & see if it turns into a proper GTI rival...but, we've still got the Golf & a VX if I really want to go for a 'fun' drive. The VRS is such a nice compromise & for the longer journey's we bought it for is probably just about right.

One interesting observation, at an indicated 80mph the steering wheel made my hands tingle. I wouldn't describe this as a vibration, more as a resonance. Has anybody else noticed this?

Oh, also re. the mpg. The outbound journey was done on regular diesel, the return V power diesel (which my dealer advised). I'd love to know peoples thoughts on regular diesel Vrs performance diesel?

P.S. I have pictures but can't attach them without going out to a picture hosting site...is there another way?...Freedom member etc?

What a shame you can't do playlists though, it makes me think that having a load of small cards is a much better option than 1 big card....I've still not filled my 8gig card yet!

P.S. I have pictures but can't attach them without going out to a picture hosting site...is there another way?...Freedom member etc?

Check out this post as you can do playlists and consider doing what the OP says. When your card gets more loaded the Bolero gets a LOT slower reading the songs in or changing folders.

Freedom members can attach pics but I prefer using Gmail which gives lots of free online storage.

Check out this post as you can do playlists and consider doing what the OP says. When your card gets more loaded the Bolero gets a LOT slower reading the songs in or changing folders.

Freedom members can attach pics but I prefer using Gmail which gives lots of free online storage.

Cheers for the link John999boy

I think I'm going to become a Freedom member re. the photo's.

I do however miss the ability to adjust the temp in .5 increments. I find 19C a little too cold 20C a little too hot...19.5C in the Golf & I'm just right.

Has this really changed from the pre FL models? I can select .5 increments with a turn of the dial, every notch is .5. Why on earth would they do away with this option?! Weird.

Edited 8 February, 201016 yr by Ciderspace

I do however miss the ability to adjust the temp in .5 increments. I find 19C a little too cold 20C a little too hot...19.5C in the Golf & I'm just right.

Ah ha! One advantage of a pre FL Octavia then, as you can set the climatronic in .5 increments

Has this really changed from the pre FL models? I can select .5 increments with a turn of the dial, every notch is .5. Why on earth would they do away with this option?! Weird.

I'm guessing it has something to do with the design of the graphics, as the temp lights up green round the outside of the dial (doubled up larger in the Bolero display), as opposed to the Golfs' (& I presume pre fl Octy) simple LCD readout in the centre of each adjuster dial. I do think the new layout looks better, but they should have had 2 clicks for every degree & showed .5 for the second click in the Bolero display.

So far I'm still very impressed with the VRS, as I mentioned it beats the GTI for build quality & the engine is very smooth for a diesel. I really am only aware it's an oil burner when it's cold & ticking over, once it's up & running it's just creamy.

The build is as good as my Audi was, the design is a bit behind and the top part of the dash material is not as good though.

The interior is also larger than the Golf (I thought it would be about the same) & the clarity of the instruments is superb. My only gripe is that the drivers seat doesn't go low enough. I know I'm used to nearly sitting on the floor in the VX, but the Golf does a much better job of getting you into the action than the VRS. The seats are quite comfy though if not as heavily bolstered as the Golfs.

The A3 is also very very good at putting you what felt like under the floor, was a great driving position.

The heating & vent. system works well & doesn't seem as keen on automatically turning the AC on as the Golf is which I like. I do however miss the ability to adjust the temp in .5 increments. I find 19C a little too cold 20C a little too hot...19.5C in the Golf & I'm just right.

There is the option to have a High and Low Automatic fan speed, maybe this will help compensate for too hot at 20c

The main reason we went for the Skoda was the increased boot size over the Golf. Every month or so we go to see my mother in Lytham St.Annes on the North West coast (about 230 miles away from where we live in Hertfordshire) we take our 2 boys, one of whom is just 1 year old & thus needs a pushchair & a travel cot. In the Golf we used to have the boot packed tightly & still had stuff in the rear footwells & between the 2 kids seats....in the Skoda, easy peasy & could have taken much more!

Almost the same reason I changed cars, the Golf boot is slightly bigger than the A3's, to get the space that we now have in the vRS is just amazing.

On the motorway the car was very stable & very quiet, 2500rpm at nearly 80mph felt so easy & slow it made me wish for 100mph speed limits. :yes: 49mpg on the way out, 53mpg on the way back was quite impressive for a new engine, I was told that they improve by upto 5mpg once the get past 15,000 miles. In the Golf on the same journey it was 30-32mpg.

Oh, also re. the mpg. The outbound journey was done on regular diesel, the return V power diesel (which my dealer advised). I'd love to know peoples thoughts on regular diesel Vrs performance diesel?

I've averaged 55mpg in 2.5k and am really pleased. As for V-Power, IMO I don't think it's made any difference to performance or mpg. Perhaps the difference in money is better spent on a Remap which would give you a hike in performance that you'd notice AND better mpg. this initial cost could be offset over the 3 years you have the car and would work out cheaper !

Based on 30k a year, the current cost differences between regular diesel and v-power and the cost of a remap.

BTW: splitting the OP up like that takes a lot bloomin longer.

Edited 8 February, 201016 yr by prolfe

Good write-up!

I'm going to have to find a nice man with a VAGCOM & get this adjusted to give less assistance. It just feels a little too glassy & doesn't give me confidence to attack the road as I would in the Golf.

Is it really that simple? My only gripe with my vRS is the electronic power steering (having come from a Focus ST170 with hydraulic), it really doesn't give any feedback - exactly like you say, I don't have any confidence to chuck it into a corner at speed like I did in the Focus.

Is it really that simple? My only gripe with my vRS is the electronic power steering (having come from a Focus ST170 with hydraulic), it really doesn't give any feedback - exactly like you say, I don't have any confidence to chuck it into a corner at speed like I did in the Focus.

Hi naxtek,

From what I understand it's the same electro-hydraulic set up used in the Golf GTI just calibrated with more assistance. I'm glad to hear I'm not alone in my thoughts about it's lack of feedback. To put it crudely it's like trying to make love wearing 2 condoms!

Someone posted a reply to an earlier topic of mine that VAGCOM could be used to back off the assistance a little...if I get this done I'll post my findings.

I've now become a Freedom member which gives me the 'freedom' to post pictures....these were taken post Carlack pre wax (cos I knew I'd be short of light by the time I'd done the waxing!).

Cheers

Looks fantastic..I'm getting very impatient now!! :'(

We must start an 'Anthracite' club!!

I made the right choice!

Stonking car in a stonking colour!

I really like the look of the FL vRS in Anthracite.

That would be my colour choice if I was changing mine...

... I've said on here that I'm keeping it but VAT free, 0% finance etc is tempting me to think again.

It looks great in this colour, nice choice !!

Thanks for the nice comments....It's just turned Candy White this morning...Snow...again!

In terms of feel, its something lacking in all modern hatchbacks. The new Mazda 3 is supposed to be the best chassis in its class (testbed for the next Focus), but still lacks feedback in a big way. Ho hum.

Also, note the GTI has a smaller steering wheel than the vRS, which makes a massive difference.

The tingling may be down to the bedding in of the tyres to the car's geo?

That looks truly lovely. My favourite colour for any VRS - what made me buy the LE. One day I will have those 18" Neptunes on my LE.

I've now become a Freedom member which gives me the 'freedom' to post pictures....these were taken post Carlack pre wax (cos I knew I'd be short of light by the time I'd done the waxing!).

Cheers

I need to stop looking at these.... Anthracite wasn't an option when I ordered, but when I realised soon after it was available I asked for the colour to be changed I was told it couldn't... Happy with the Race Blue, but would still prefer the Anthracite :S

http://new.skoda-auto.com/SiteCollectionImages/model/Yeti/colours1/_180x135/780x585_9J9J-YETI.jpg

Can't wait to see an image of the Yeti in Anthracite (bigger than the one above).

In terms of feel, its something lacking in all modern hatchbacks. The new Mazda 3 is supposed to be the best chassis in its class (testbed for the next Focus), but still lacks feedback in a big way. Ho hum.

Also, note the GTI has a smaller steering wheel than the vRS, which makes a massive difference.

The tingling may be down to the bedding in of the tyres to the car's geo?

Good point about the vibration being down to the tyres bedding in...I'll keep an eye on it.

I have to say that the steering wheel for the Golf is a bit nicer to hold (nice cut outs for your thumbs) & to look at than the Skoda (Audi?) steering wheel...but I still think the light steering is down to the assistance being racked up (!) for the VRS compared to the GTI.

I read that electric power steering is the main cause for loss of steering feel on most modern cars...the Golf (and Octy) gets round this with an electro-hydraulic system which cuts the constant drain issues of old hydraulic systems but retains the better feel that they give.