Follow this link:

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/5B3B715B6EF2FBD9CA2577230005BFAE

Follow this link:

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/5B3B715B6EF2FBD9CA2577230005BFAE

You really do live "down under", we in the real world have seen that launch ages ago....

You really do live "down under", we in the real world have seen that launch ages ago....

They waited until cars were in the country although it's no doubt a result of shipping cars over, rather than just trucking them to the ferry. On the up side I imagine the panoramic roof will be far more popular here as we can actually have it open 90% of the year

They waited until cars were in the country although it's no doubt a result of shipping cars over, rather than just trucking them to the ferry. On the up side I imagine the panoramic roof will be far more popular here as we can actually have it open 90% of the year

I ordered a V6 wagon 4 weeks ago with the panoramic roof plus a few extras. The dealer told me that the bulk of orders so far across Australia have included the panoramic sunroof. The same dealer also told me before the launch and before I ordered my car that the first wagons and for the first few months would not have the sunroof option. When I heard that, I advised the dealer that I would NOT be placing an order until that option became available. I am guessing that a few other potential customers may have said the same thing.....so, the sunroof is now available, and the spec has changed by including leather on all Elegance cars, Columbus satnav on Elegance, and park assist. Leather was always standard on the V6. I am sure that this move was prompted by the recent re-fresh of the Passat range that includes leather as standard on the HiLine. At face value, the Passat looks like better value than an Elegance but the Skoda dealer prepared a comparative analysis clearly demonstrating that the Skoda has around $7,500 extra value as standard than a VW equivalent. The other reason why I think Skoda improved the spec is that just about every other car (except Merc Benz) in the same class as the Skoda has leather and satnav as standard. The Japanese (Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Subaru expecially) are very well specced for the money. As a new re-entrant to Australia, the marque really needs to compete against these brands. To top that off, the Koreans are making big headway here (eh Hyundai) with high quality and reliable cars. We are about to experience a wave of cheap Chinese cars starting this year.

I ordered a V6 wagon 4 weeks ago with the panoramic roof plus a few extras. The dealer told me that the bulk of orders so far across Australia have included the panoramic sunroof. The same dealer also told me before the launch and before I ordered my car that the first wagons and for the first few months would not have the sunroof option. When I heard that, I advised the dealer that I would NOT be placing an order until that option became available. I am guessing that a few other potential customers may have said the same thing.....so, the sunroof is now available, and the spec has changed by including leather on all Elegance cars, Columbus satnav on Elegance, and park assist. Leather was always standard on the V6. I am sure that this move was prompted by the recent re-fresh of the Passat range that includes leather as standard on the HiLine. At face value, the Passat looks like better value than an Elegance but the Skoda dealer prepared a comparative analysis clearly demonstrating that the Skoda has around $7,500 extra value as standard than a VW equivalent. The other reason why I think Skoda improved the spec is that just about every other car (except Merc Benz) in the same class as the Skoda has leather and satnav as standard. The Japanese (Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Subaru expecially) are very well specced for the money. As a new re-entrant to Australia, the marque really needs to compete against these brands. To top that off, the Koreans are making big headway here (eh Hyundai) with high quality and reliable cars. We are about to experience a wave of cheap Chinese cars starting this year.

I must admit, I love the look of the sunroof, but I do wonder how it will go through the middle of an australian summer. At least it's priced right at $2,190. I was expecting to see it as a $3k option. Certainly tempting to spec in along with the power tailgate. Metallic/pearl paint at a grand is a bit steep though. Hope the dealers are willing to negotiate to help with market penetration.

I must admit, I love the look of the sunroof, but I do wonder how it will go through the middle of an australian summer. At least it's priced right at $2,190. I was expecting to see it as a $3k option. Certainly tempting to spec in along with the power tailgate. Metallic/pearl paint at a grand is a bit steep though. Hope the dealers are willing to negotiate to help with market penetration.

I certainly did negotiate - in effect, the extras ordered were offset by a discount. I've ended up with a heavily optioned vehicle for the cost of an unoptioned one. I have had to shell out for a phone kit (Fiscon Plus) as the Columbus unit shipped to Oz does not include any bluetooth connectivity (presumably because of the relatively small number of phones that support rSAP)

I certainly did negotiate - in effect, the extras ordered were offset by a discount. I've ended up with a heavily optioned vehicle for the cost of an unoptioned one. I have had to shell out for a phone kit (Fiscon Plus) as the Columbus unit shipped to Oz does not include any bluetooth connectivity (presumably because of the relatively small number of phones that support rSAP)

Mind if I ask what you've optioned in I'm pondering the elegance TDI (bank manager willing).

What I would like to know is how does the pricing fit in Australia with other brands. I see the entry level 1.8 is priced at just over 40,000 AUS$, which is about £23,000, the same equivalent model here is £21,000 including all taxes.

Mind if I ask what you've optioned in I'm pondering the elegance TDI (bank manager willing).

I have a very short wife so I optioned the power tailgate (which comes with the auto retract boot cover). The Elegance that I examined last week in Adelaide had this option. It is quite clever - if you raise the door, you can then move the tailgate (manually) to the most comfortable height, then if if you press the close button and hold it for about 5 secs, the door will thereafter only open to the chosen height. It can also be done via the central options on the console (although I haven't seen that). The other options were metallic paint (you really have no choice here - a marketing trick used by the VW and Citroen/Peugeot groups in general to extract teeth in this country), the false floor (we have dogs so it is a good idea to select this as the floor can be dragged out over the bumper so as to avoid scratches etc), the panoramic sunroof, plus a Fiscon Plus phone connectivity kit (about $1500 in Oz $$). I ordered even at this price because the car is a replacement for a Lexus IS250 (way too tiny inside) and my wife does use her mobile a bit in the care. I would hate for her to declare that the weird Skoda is not up to the mark. I will be ordering UV window treatments closer to the delivery date (I opted for this in view of the Aussie sun rather than the "privacy" glass Euro option - the prices are about the same). I also plan after market rear view camera and a towbar.

What I would like to know is how does the pricing fit in Australia with other brands. I see the entry level 1.8 is priced at just over 40,000 AUS$, which is about £23,000, the same equivalent model here is £21,000 including all taxes.

Yes, the pricing in my view is about right for a "new" brand here. The last Skodas sold here were the truly dreadful rear engined jobs from the communist era. The 1.8 engine (in my view) will not sell with Aussies as we associate small engines with "girlie" runabouts but not family cars. The average Aussie family car is a V6 (eg your big Vauxhall or its Euro equivalent). I drove the 1.8ltr Superb and although it goes pretty well on the flat, it works hard on hills (I live in a very hilly part near Adelaide). The 7 speed DSG box is a gem with that engine, but I can't say the same for the 125KW diesel mated to the 6 speed DSG - it was very jerky and hesitant in my view but was OK in "sport mode". The 7speed DSG can only handle 250 NM of torque which explains why it does not appear on the diesel or V6 offerings. The best compromise for me was the V6 as the DSG box seems well suited. Manual boxes are not on offer here. I did read yesterday that the 2.0 TSI may be offered here (155 kw) but it may be more of a rumor than fact.

In short, to answer your question, the pricing is about right now that the satnav and leather is standard on Elegance models, but Skoda (like most other Euro newbies) have a big fight in front of them. This country is addicted to local crap, Jap and Korean stuff. Wannabe's buy low end BMW, Audi and Mercs and pay a big premium once they've optioned them up a bit (Like leather seats!)

Edited 23 May, 201016 yr by gwundu

What I would like to know is how does the pricing fit in Australia with other brands. I see the entry level 1.8 is priced at just over 40,000 AUS$, which is about £23,000, the same equivalent model here is £21,000 including all taxes.

For comparison, I've found a new TDI passat wagon being advertised for basically the same drive away price ($54,990) as the skoda ($54, 127) just today, also with sat nav, leather & bi-xenons. Frankly this can only be good for skoda buyers to get more optioned in for the same or lower price, assuming people are still willing to take the dive given you can have a brand established here for the same price.

The power boot (after frankly not quite getting it at first) would quite likely be a boon for my missus who is also on the shorter side gwundu. I thought I'd look into local window tinting for something with UV protection after delivery. I can see the shade being drawn on the roof for most of summer though (at least, before dark) given the aussie sun even in Melbourne, but lets be honest I'd still like it

Out of curiosity, what colour interior have you gone with? I love the look of the ivory, but know we'll have to be dedicated to keep it clean.

For comparison, I've found a new TDI passat wagon being advertised for basically the same drive away price ($54,990) as the skoda ($54, 127) just today, also with sat nav, leather & bi-xenons. Frankly this can only be good for skoda buyers to get more optioned in for the same or lower price, assuming people are still willing to take the dive given you can have a brand established here for the same price.

The power boot (after frankly not quite getting it at first) would quite likely be a boon for my missus who is also on the shorter side gwundu. I thought I'd look into local window tinting for something with UV protection after delivery. I can see the shade being drawn on the roof for most of summer though (at least, before dark) given the aussie sun even in Melbourne, but lets be honest I'd still like it

Out of curiosity, what colour interior have you gone with? I love the look of the ivory, but know we'll have to be dedicated to keep it clean.

Ivory !

Ivory !

No younger kids then? We're just trying to start a family so a young one is hopefully not far away. The idea of kids & light carpet is a concern, but it just opens the car right up & makes it a more pleasant place to be. At least from sitting in them.