Hi All,

Looking to replace my Focus hatchback 1.6tdci for (most likely) a 2.0 CR Octavia Elegance estate at about 1 - 2 years old and have a couple of questions/ponderables:

Tempted by the 1.8tsi but trying to be sensible and it's hard to face 40mpg official figures when used to my current frugal motor.

- Looking at the Elegance but trying to stipulate ESP - Am I being too fussy or is it that at this age most are ex-fleet and hence cost cut and avoided ESP option? Haven't actually found an ESP 2.0CR 140 (non DSG) on popular car sales website as yet.

- Noticed on the model I tested the other week that there appear to be heated elements in the offside rear window but not the nearside which would actually be of some use. Was this a quirk of the one I saw or is it normal?

- Quite like the 17 " wheels of the L+K. Is the suspension the same should I decide to swap the Elegance's 16" and if so will it make the ride noticeably different?

- Did the 2010+ models benefit from extra soundproofing or is that a myth?

Any other thoughts would be welcome

Rich

Hi All,

Looking to replace my Focus hatchback 1.6tdci for (most likely) a 2.0 CR Octavia Elegance estate at about 1 - 2 years old and have a couple of questions/ponderables:

Tempted by the 1.8tsi but trying to be sensible and it's hard to face 40mpg official figures when used to my current frugal motor.

- Looking at the Elegance but trying to stipulate ESP - Am I being too fussy or is it that at this age most are ex-fleet and hence cost cut and avoided ESP option? Haven't actually found an ESP 2.0CR 140 (non DSG) on popular car sales website as yet.

Quite possibly - I specified ESP on my privately owned one, but I guess fleet are most interested in the residual value.

- Noticed on the model I tested the other week that there appear to be heated elements in the offside rear window but not the nearside which would actually be of some use. Was this a quirk of the one I saw or is it normal?

It's the 'diversity' radio antenna not a heater.

- Quite like the 17 " wheels of the L+K. Is the suspension the same should I decide to swap the Elegance's 16" and if so will it make the ride noticeably different?

Hmmm - I put some 17" Zeniths on my Elegance, which looked great, but it did impact on the ride. I wasn't too worried, but it was a niggle especially on our rubbish potholed roads - it was great in France. I have a Scout now and the ride is much better.

- Did the 2010+ models benefit from extra soundproofing or is that a myth?

I think its a myth - I've never seen any evidence of real changes. The CR is much more refined anyway, so its just the road noise now...

Any other thoughts would be welcome

Rich

Hi All,

Looking to replace my Focus hatchback 1.6tdci for (most likely) a 2.0 CR Octavia Elegance estate at about 1 - 2 years old and have a couple of questions/ponderables:

Tempted by the 1.8tsi but trying to be sensible and it's hard to face 40mpg official figures when used to my current frugal motor.

- Looking at the Elegance but trying to stipulate ESP - Am I being too fussy or is it that at this age most are ex-fleet and hence cost cut and avoided ESP option? Haven't actually found an ESP 2.0CR 140 (non DSG) on popular car sales website as yet.

- Noticed on the model I tested the other week that there appear to be heated elements in the offside rear window but not the nearside which would actually be of some use. Was this a quirk of the one I saw or is it normal?

- Quite like the 17 " wheels of the L+K. Is the suspension the same should I decide to swap the Elegance's 16" and if so will it make the ride noticeably different?

- Did the 2010+ models benefit from extra soundproofing or is that a myth?

Any other thoughts would be welcome

Rich

I think they only started fitting the 2.0 CR 140 engine in the Octavia a few months ago. I'm fairly sure they were still using the 2.0 PD until mid last year.

If you want a 2.0 CR the only way to get a 1-2 year old would be a VRS 170 as they switched to common rail before the rest of the range.

- Looking at the Elegance but trying to stipulate ESP - Am I being too fussy or is it that at this age most are ex-fleet and hence cost cut and avoided ESP option? Haven't actually found an ESP 2.0CR 140 (non DSG) on popular car sales website as yet.

Not having ESP might actually be a bonus - they contain a common fault and currently have a habit of dying just out of warranty, and they are VERY expensive to fix. Search this forum for ESP and Teves to find plenty of discussion (btw, this problem is not unique to either Skoda or VAG). The standard (non-ESP) ABS system is not affected.

- Noticed on the model I tested the other week that there appear to be heated elements in the offside rear window but not the nearside which would actually be of some use. Was this a quirk of the one I saw or is it normal?

That's normal but those aren't heater elements. They might be an antenna for the radio at a guess.

Edited 10 January, 201115 yr by Phil_P

Thanks everyone for your posts.

Nick - you're right about the timing of the introduction of the CR model - June 2010 - annoyingly wrongly thought they introduced it in non-VRS models in 2009. Would have to wait for them to get at least a year old before changing. VRS an attractive option but not keen on the lower mpg/higher insurance etc.

R

What are you looking at spending? You might find a good deal on something, but the 2.0 CR140 units are very new at the moment.

Everything else you asked about has been covered I think.

Steve

Get the ESP. Much better control in adverse weather conditions and it could save your life. I believe Euro ENCAP will only give 5 star rating to a car only if it has ESP - however well it does in the crash test.

Yes there have been some reliablity issues on the VAG ESP unit but there is always means of covering this with a warranty. If you are going for a diesel then the warranty would make sense to cover any possible DMF or DPF issues.

Finally (I am biased!) have a look at the new turbo petrols. Torque almost as good as a diesel, cheaper to buy, cheaper petrol (fuel) v diesel per litre and you should still get 40 plus mpg from a 1.4 without much trouble.

Budget - well it -was- about 14-15k including trade in but that was when I wrongly thought the CR 140's were obtainable at about 1-2 yrs old. I'm used to the fairly quiet/refined tdci and not willing to move to the PD tech.

Might still consider a petrol but although the 1.4 tsi looks impressive I decided if petrol was the way to go then it would be the 160 bhp 1.8.

As Colsay mentions I wouldn't want to consider a model without esp, especially given either model will have more power than my current Focus.

any reason you have discluded the 2.0pd tdi equiped cars, i have a fl one and very happy with mpg and performance.

Budget - well it -was- about 14-15k including trade in but that was when I wrongly thought the CR 140's were obtainable at about 1-2 yrs old. I'm used to the fairly quiet/refined tdci and not willing to move to the PD tech.

I had a Peugeot HDi (which is what the 1.6 TDCi really is ) for 4 years before buying my current PD Octy and I can't say I found the common rail that much more refined than the PD. It has a wider power band than the PD certainly, but in most ways I prefer what I have now. In comparison the HDi felt a bit gutless in some respects, although admittedly the HDi was a 110 remapped to about 130 bhp, compared to 140 bhp as standard.

Edited 11 January, 201115 yr by nick74

Yep the HDi/TDCi are the same. Incidentally mine decided to switch off on the motorway twice over Christmas with no warning.

As for not wanting the PD it's all personal preference, I know it's well respected but personally I think the tdci (own one)/CRs(having tested one) sounds less noisy and are more economical. If it weren't the case I guess they wouldn't be phasing them in. In fact having looked at alternatives I'm surprised how long it's taken VAG - eg Ford have been using them since about 04/05 I think, BMW from at least 05. Anyway I digress.. I'm not saying they're a million miles different or indeed likely to be any more reliable than the PD. I just prefer them.

Budget - well it -was- about 14-15k including trade in but that was when I wrongly thought the CR 140's were obtainable at about 1-2 yrs old. I'm used to the fairly quiet/refined tdci and not willing to move to the PD tech.

Could be worth dropping James at Allams a line with your requirements, and see if anything crops up. They have a section on the forum and the same goes for any other recommended dealers that may be closer to you.

Steve

I would say with you having an open mind around model / budget - Dont underestimate the Octavia 1.4Tsi

My local dealer loaned me one for a day while i was waiting on my current car to arrive, I expected it to be underpowered being in such a big car, and boy was I wrong.

It is surprisingly quick off the mark, and torque from this engine is very good for a petrol, the economy wholy depend on how you drive it, the one I used had maxidot, so i could keep an eye on what it was showing ( Yes i know these are optimistic ) so even allowing for 10% optimism, the car could do 40mpg.

I would seriously recommend you test drive a preferred model, as we all have our own taste in cars so what people say they like , you may not.

Good luck, Hope you find something you like.

Edited 12 January, 201115 yr by lfc958

Budget - well it -was- about 14-15k including trade in but that was when I wrongly thought the CR 140's were obtainable at about 1-2 yrs old. I'm used to the fairly quiet/refined tdci and not willing to move to the PD tech.

I had a 407 2l hdi and moved to the 2l PD140 Octavia. the hdi was lovely and refined, so smooth and quiet and not diesel like at all but it did feel slow, the power delivery is much more aggresive in the PD compared to the HDi when brisk acceleration is needed however the PD for me has a better average mpg than the HDi and I tow trailers/caravan very regulary with the PD and never did with the HDi.

There are 2 PD engines used in the octavia (from memory) 1.9 8v/105bhp & the 2.0 16v/140bhp. They are both remarkably strong and reliable engines and not that unrefined compared to the HDi.

Its all about personal preference but try one before you completely dismiss one (you have nothing to loose).

Octavia 1.6 TDI ? Why not?

Thanks for all input everyone. I note the various engine suggestions but as with everything everyone has different priorities/preferences.

For me, the draw of the 140 CR is being able to come from my current small hatchback 1.6tdci with an (official) 58 mpg and 0-60 10.5 to a large estate which is (slightly) faster but yet has the same (again official) mpg.

That means the 1.6 CR (similar output to my current tdci) would be too slow.

Although I haven't driven one the 1.4 TSI has impressive performance for it's size but if I was to sacrifice the economy of the CR for a petrol I'd probably go for the 1.8 TSI and convince myself the performance made up the economy.

I'll probably wait to see if any 140 CR's make it on to the used car market (or as suggested, contact a dealer) or take a completely contradictory stance and find the best 1.8TSI and possibly save some cash in initial outlay.

Try all the options, then you'll know