Hi guys

My first post on the site today, and I don't even have a Skoda yet. I do however have firm plans to do so, most likely in the New Year. Depending on what is available second hand at the time, I may be able to pick something up 2 or 3 years old, but if nothing looks good, I may have to bite the bullet and haggle over a factory fresh one...

I have driven a Petrol vRS before and thought it was amazing fun, and nice and big for practical family duties (big part of any decision these days). Petrol vRS models are thin on the ground here in Ireland due to road tax and VRT charges, so it will most likely be a diesel one. No issues there providing it is quick enough (still to test, but heard good things).

There are a few things on the price list that I fancy, but don't know if they are worth paying for or not. If any of you guys can give me your opinion or experience it would be appreciated, as I will be saving like mad for the next few months and don't want to waste the cash.

Leather seats. Look great in the pics but are they as comfortable as the half leather, or a bit slidey? Looking at the standard seats they look like magnets for chocolate fingers and dirty runners, so leather would be better there.

Xenons. Obviously great for driving on bad roads, but cost over a grand. Are the Halogen ones good enough in your opinion? I usually change the bulbs for good aftermarket ones, and that has given really great results over standard.

12 speaker upgrade. How good is the standard kit, for general use and when turning it up on the move? Partial to a wee bit of AC/DC or Dance stuff (throwback to my single clubbing days, can't shift it, sorry).

18 inch wheel upgrade. Irish roads are occasionally a little bit bumpy ( especially the good ones) and this doesn't always compliment big wheels. The car looks better with the bigger ones! But they are of course less compliant. If not great ride wise, might look at lighter 17s and keep the standard ones as winter wheels maybe.

Colour choices at the moment are either blue, or anthracite to be a bit different. Combi is the shape of choice, and manual box to round it off.

So anyway, if you can give me your feelings on the above choices it would help me make my choice as well.

Cheers!

Ady

Edited 2 September, 201114 yr by AdyP

18s are standard over here and we don't get an option for a 12 speaker upgrade!

I would try for 18s if Irish roads are only occasionally bumpy, they are permanently bumpy in England!

I have xenons and love them, don't forget they have the cornering function built in. Don't bother with heated seats as they are useless compared vw the bora. Leather is a personal choice but I prefer the standard ones as I think they look more sporty.

Maxidot is a good to have solely for the fact the display looks a lot better.

Rear parking sensors are great as you can't really tell where the back of the car is on the hatch.

Got mine with just the spare as an option, didnt even bother with the maxidot. Its quiet, fast, good looking and brings a smile to my face everytime. Never had xenons, so wouldnt miss them, i hate leather seats, especially in summer, and the estate looks so much classier than the hatch......

You wont be disappointed

The Octi is my first car with xenons.....I would not go back to normal lights by choice, in my eyes they are worth the money.

If you go for full leather get the heated seats as in the winter they are really cold, tbh I like my heated seats and have been so nice to have in the winter months (again its an option I would want again). I went for full leather and they look great but I would agree with jwr that the standard seat "look" more sporty!

18's or 17's that to me is personally down to choice, I've drive an L&K with 17's and mine is on 18's. I feel the ride is better on the 18's.

Colour like above comes down to you, the car is a big purchase and it should make you feel special everytime you get into it and look at it so whatever floats your boat IS the right choice.

+ 1 for the xenons - they are terrific in winter. You can put aftermarket bulbs in the main beam.

I like the look of the Maxidot - makes the instrument cluster much more classy and you have more options to play with.

Get curtain airbags if you can - and the sunset glass looks good.

I have a Scout with Alcantara and there is no need for heated seats - they are always snug.

Edited 2 September, 201114 yr by London Les

and the estate looks so much classier than the hatch......

In YOUR opinion

If you go for full leather get the heated seats as in the winter they are really cold, tbh I like my heated seats and have been so nice to have in the winter months (again its an option I would want again). I went for full leather and they look great but I would agree with jwr that the standard seat "look" more sporty!

Perhaps my heated seats are faulty then - still keep trying to find a VRS with Cloth and heated seats to compare bu so far TNA!

The full leather certainly is not slidey so no need to worry there and they are much easier to keep clean. I had the preFL VRS with standard seats and after nearly 4 years the light coloured fronts were looking a little tired to be honest. The leather is easy to keep clean and I was very happy to have it when my 5 year old was sick in the back the other week (cleaned up very easily with no residual smell). I have the heated front seats and for the small amount extra they are I feel they are worth it.

I have upgraded the standad halogen bulbs to some nightbreakers and find they are more than adequate on all the roads (including lanes) I drive on. To me the Xenons are just not worth the huge price tag, especially since the full beam is not Xenon anyway as far as I am aware (they are not bi-xenon lights). If you can get a secondhand car with them on for no real premium then get them but I would not pay nearly £1k for them.

I find the standard stereo reasonable (much better than the Mk1 stereo) although I am sure the 12 speaker system will be better still. Not sure on the price of the stereo upgrade as not an option in the UK but if it is not too much and you like your music it could be worth it.

I have the sunset glass, autolights/wipers (for the small cost they are great and include the photochromatic rear view mirror which is great to prevent dazzle from behind at night) and maxidot and all these are low cost options that are well worth it. Just remember to order a spare wheel as well as these are not standard.

I have xenons, bluetooth, Columbus, maxi-dot, multi-function steering wheel and the raised boot floor.

Out of these I would say the raised boot floor is the most useful especially if you are lifting Heavey objects in and out of the boot. It's also good for hiding the laptop.

Tha maxi-dot certainly adds a bit of class to the dash and provides access to some handy extra features that would otherwise require vcds to change.

The xenons are great for unlit roads but IMO not necessary if most of your driving is around town with street lights.

Columbus is good if you like music as you can load everything onto the hard drive but probably not worth the money they ask although the mdi might be useful.

Oh and bluetooth is obviously a personal thing if you use the cat for work.

Wheels IMO are just a looks thing, go for the ones you like the look of best and 12 speakers? Really in a 6 foot square box? Is this really necessary?

As mentioned above, if you only order one thing make sure its a spare wheel, unless you prefer a can of tyre foam and a compressor.

I'm ordering mine tomorrow.. (estate 1.4tsi elegance) with:

metallic paint- either anthracite or steel grey

multi function steering wheel with bluetooth/maxidot

sunset glass

light assist

spare wheel.

C.

Parking sensor, is a long car and hard to park ( also it display on radio very cool )

Spare Wheel sods law you have blow out in the middle of no wear pouring with rain

auto lights wiper works great and no forgetting to switch lights on or off when you park,

maxidot makes the dash look so much nicer

cruise control cheap enough

I disagree with a lot on here,

Leather = no, had it, burning in summer! you sit in seat and press the 'heat' button in winter....erm you sitting in seat it's cold !

Maxi dot= good, but do I use it? Not really, standard mpg readout would do me.

Xenon= 1k, no way, however after having a Mazda6 with xenon I do know they do make a massive diff, so if night driving is your thing then spec it.

Spare wheel = controversial now, how many have had blowouts, massive failures ? In 25 years I have had 2 punctures ! 1 was in a Focus which I couldn't get the bolts off the alloy as the alloy was 'solid' = no copper grease etc.. Tube of foam sorted it, both our cars both have one in boot as it is easiest option for the mrs with kids.

Catastrophic failure, yes spare wheel, and I expect the usual lot to come on telling us horror stories, but think about yourself...........I bet it's rare?

I disagree with a lot on here,

Leather = no, had it, burning in summer! you sit in seat and press the 'heat' button in winter....erm you sitting in seat it's cold !

Maxi dot= good, but do I use it? Not really, standard mpg readout would do me.

Xenon= 1k, no way, however after having a Mazda6 with xenon I do know they do make a massive diff, so if night driving is your thing then spec it.

Spare wheel = controversial now, how many have had blowouts, massive failures ? In 25 years I have had 2 punctures ! 1 was in a Focus which I couldn't get the bolts off the alloy as the alloy was 'solid' = no copper grease etc.. Tube of foam sorted it, both our cars both have one in boot as it is easiest option for the mrs with kids.

Catastrophic failure, yes spare wheel, and I expect the usual lot to come on telling us horror stories, but think about yourself...........I bet it's rare?

I wouldn't be without a spare wheel. I get a puncture a year on average I reckon, plus spare wheel and the jack are needed to swap wheels around, I.e fronts to back, backs to front.

I disagree with a lot on here,

Leather = no, had it, burning in summer! you sit in seat and press the 'heat' button in winter....erm you sitting in seat it's cold !

Maxi dot= good, but do I use it? Not really, standard mpg readout would do me.

Xenon= 1k, no way, however after having a Mazda6 with xenon I do know they do make a massive diff, so if night driving is your thing then spec it.

Spare wheel = controversial now, how many have had blowouts, massive failures ? In 25 years I have had 2 punctures ! 1 was in a Focus which I couldn't get the bolts off the alloy as the alloy was 'solid' = no copper grease etc.. Tube of foam sorted it, both our cars both have one in boot as it is easiest option for the mrs with kids.

Catastrophic failure, yes spare wheel, and I expect the usual lot to come on telling us horror stories, but think about yourself...........I bet it's rare?

Wouldn't be without a spare. Twice in 3k I have had sidewall go at £150 a pop due to `dangerous street furniture`. With the spare I was on my way within 10 mins. With a useless can of foam I would have needed to be towed home or to the tyre shop which would have meant at least half a day off work. In the twice I have had it now I have more than made up the £50 outlay in time alone.

A lot of good sense above! Leather seats, because they look good, stay clean and help when it's resale time. The spare wheel because I've had it often enough to know you need one, especially if you live anywhere in the country.

Are parking sensors an option in the UK? On the continental version, they rear ones at least ate standard. Useful at the back, because visibility could be better, and we've all had our moments, especially with obstacles that are hidden by the rear pillars... At the front, forget them, although I admit they are sometimes handy when you get those blasted low concrete bollard things at the supermarket! My wife likes the heated seats, but I'd leave them off if it was just me.

18 inch wheels look nice but are very heavy and twitchy on bumpy roads, fine on perfect surfaces of course.

17 inch wheels are probably the best balance between roadholding and handling on reasonable tarmac (A-roads say).

16 inch wheels are probably both fastest and most comfortable on rough country roads but don't look nice

My own heated leather seats take for ever to heat up which kind of defeats the logic behind having them. Leather seats are great though.

Xenons are brilliant - especially at night (who would have thought) - wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

I regret not having got the bluetooth kit.

Standard speakers are ok but not fabulous but you might be better off going aftermarket for decent speakers of your own choice?

Spare wheel is a definite for me. I was going to rely on tyreweld which I still carry but having had three punctures now with large foreign objects stuck in the tyres I realised that being able to quickly switch to a spare and carry on is well worth the £50 it cost me for the spare and jack.

I like the raised boot floor makes all the stuff in the boot look tidy (for me this means variously some golf clubs, folding seats, block of wood, tarpaulin, rain gear, camping light, etc etc and a Cisco 3XXX router fits nicely too!) and I can still swing a suitcase in on top of it all without having to remove everything.

Sun-roof I like but is an expensive foible. Parking sensors well worthwhile on the basis that a single bit of grief might cost more than the front and backs.

Anthracite combi looks real classy

Hi again guys.

Listen, thanks a lot to all you guys posting up your suggestions, it is really appreciated for a Skoda newbie. Still indecided about the whole wheel thing yet. Ireland is easily as bad as the UK I think in terms of road quality, although in fairness there have a been a lot of new major roads and bypasses built that have improved things immensely. A friend has an A4 Avant S-line on Audi 18s, and he hates the ride the thing has, bouncing all over the place losing traction and understeering everywhere. He has just ordered a set of 17in Team Dynamics 1.2s, so will wait to see how they look and handle before making any further decisions on that. The right set of 17s will look great I think, but there is a risk of losing them in the arches with the size of the car.

I had to laugh at PSM's comment on the seat incident. The weekend I borrowed the petrol vRS, I had a good spin in it, came back to pick up the family for a drive, and two minutes down the road, my baby daughter managed to lose her lunch. Nothing to do with my driving, didn't get the chance to make her car-sick! Luckily the baby seat captured the result (thanks Britax). A couple of hours of airing out and there was no trace of our crime, just as well, wouldn't want to have had to hand the car back to the salesman with a pizza in the back

Kids being kids, leather could be the choice, especially as I will likely keep it for 5-6 years so will hopefully keep its looks during that time.

Spare wheel (full size) is a definite yes. Not sure of cost, but I think the ability to throw it on and drive several hours back home at full speed is much better than a space saver or foam. Cheaper to get it now, rather than try to get one later I would imagine.

Xenons are a luxury at over a thousand Euros, so that is probably on the back burner for now.

Anyway, I'm going to hang around the site for the next few months until I buy my car, so may be bugging you nice folks for some more details in between now and then.

Cheers

Ady

The S-line usually has a harsher suspension on it as it was i think at the time a no cost option to have an even lower and sportier /harder set up. I know someone with an A3 Sline with 18's and the ride is a lot more bumpy than the VRS so don't dismiss them just yet!

Spare wheel is £50 or £60 in the UK.

xenons are fantastic really good and look great unless you ever try to use them in fog from there was even a thread about that within the last week active in here research that before considering blowing a grand and when you come to sell in the future it wont add 1cent to the value of car in ROI.

Check out the VRS Ireland thread pinned at top of the Octavia II section might be someone local to you that could give you some advice ref the car on the local roads etc. Get diesel remapped and you will be very happy id think.

I've got xenons, maxidot, auto ligts/wipers and front and rear parking sensors, all of which I don't think I'd be happy if I didn't have! The xenons are simply superb, but I'd be MUCH happier if they were bi-xenon. Ah well, can't be too picky! I'd certainly recommend you get all the options that I've got, as there's been times that I've had to use every one of those options in the short time (a month) of owning my car. Oh yeah, I also have a spare wheel. Not had to use that yet and I hope I never do, but I suppose it's nice to have just in case!

I will also say that my car is missing 3 options IMO, all of which I'll be getting fitted in the next few months; bluetooth, cruise control and Columbus sat nav. But that's simply because I would use all of those things! It's all down to personal preference really.

I've got the 170 TDi and I have to say that you won't be disappointed with the speed. Both me and jrw have proven that they do 0-60 in about 7 seconds (mine was 7.24 seconds in the wet) but yet I'm still averaging 45mpg round town! So even if you don't have it remapped it'll probably be quick enough for you.

Ash, I take it you bought yours secondhand and it is a pre FL model PD since the FL version has cruise as standard on the VRS.

I live in the emerald isle down in cork and I have a new 170diesel burner since march. Here's the spec

race blue hatch

maxidot, standard

rear sensors, standard

leather seats, heated, extra

18 wheels, georgeous, horrible ride on irish country roads/tracks, much noisier in the cabin than my last octy with 15's standard

cruise control, standard

xenons too costly

Bolero stereo, easy to use, standard

Spare wheel, 16inch, standard

2 year warranty

Very happy with the car so far but boy racers give me a lot of attention at times!! Averaging 45mpg at the mo.

A question for all the tekkies out there. Is it possible to successfully remap the new 170cr without any issues? Is the dpf removed in the remapping process and if so does this complicate the emmissions test during future testing?

You can remap the CR without removing the DPF and without any issues. The only issue is that the new CR have an encoded computer which needs to be removed from the car to remap. this makes the process a little more complicated and can not be done with one of those handheld units.

Are rear parking sensors and Maxidot standard on the VRS now ?

Edited 3 September, 201114 yr by Ultima

Not in the UK.