Picked up the car yesterday with 15 miles on the clock. Double checked with the dealers to see how to best to run it in and was to told to drive normally once the oil temp is right. The dealers loved the car. It was the first white and black they'd seen and all said it's easily the best colour scheme. Even when I was looking over it other customers were talking to me about it which is all good signs. I'd been awake since 4am in excitement. That was a very long morning! Got the car home, gave it a wash and set about sealing and waxing. I did have to clay all the back end but overall it had been prepped pretty well. Handover was all straightforward, no fuss and enjoyable so top marks to Sinclair Skoda I'll put my thoughts in separate sections just to make it easier for people to scan through.

The Box

In full Auto it's pretty good. It's quite happy to potter about or really go for it. I haven't really caught it out yet. Sometimes it's in too low a gear but I just override with the paddles. I guess it's still learning. There's no lag, no jerkiness and I really like the hill-hold. At first I didn't trust it but it seems to know what it's doing I haven't really tried S mode but to be honest I don't see the point. If I'm just going to work or shopping I'll be in D but if I want fun it's all paddles! The kickdown seems fine. Sill learning how much throttle means how much kick down and there is a definite switch you press just past full throttle. Full kickdown is like being kicked in the back of the head it's awesome! My driving style has changed as many others have said. It hasn't made me lazy being in auto mode most of the time but it's made me a lot smoother. You don't need to attack the car just work with it and you can cover ground pretty quickly with it.

The big question is do I miss a manual. At the moment I'm nearer No rather than Yes. The box is the best of both worlds really. Couple of times I've gone to change gear or stick the clutch in when I've had to brake hard but it's not a big problem. I do miss heel and toeing but I can still do that in my parents car and the changes are so smooth I couldn't do them any better.

The Engine

When I picked it up it had half a tank of 95ron in it and the dealer said it's fine. Drove it most of day and there were no problems and even had to put some 95ron in again thanks to Tesco. (See below) Done 110 miles so far and based on my last £10 of 95ron I'm doing 33mpg. Granted it's miles off a diesel but over that tenners worth of fuel I took my mechanic for a late night blast, came home then this morning tried to go to the DVLA but got stuck in traffic on the M4 so went for another blast until the light came on again and I've just put a full tank of Vpower in. It hasn't even run in yet so that's pretty good imo. There's plenty of power and I'm already noticing I'm quicker in certain spots than I was in my old vRS. Wierdly in some cases it doesn't feel as fast as the Mk1 but it definitely is. I'm still getting used to it, after all I've only had it 24 hours. I can understand why people are remapping but don't get the impression it's a slow car, it's far from that. It's quick off the lights, fast pretty much everywhere and is definately a hot hatch/estate, regardless what anyone says. I have noticed a bit of torque steer but it's manageable. A remap is something for me to look forward to in 3 years time

Handling and Driving

Haven't pushed hard yet as I want to build myself up to it but initial impressions are very good. Steering has a good weight without feeling to lazy, front end definitely feels a lot lighter. I have had traction control flash a few times even in the dry on a bend. It's running on Conti SportContact 2's as I think most peoples are. I'll be rotating them and getting them off the car ASAP and go for a Pirelli or a Bridgestone. No doubt you'll see a tyre thread in a few months

Driving is good. It's a nice place to be, everything is within easy reach. The MDI is fantastic and found my flash drive instantly and always picks up where it left off. The sound system is very good and I can't see a need to upgrade it. My only niggle is the seat is giving my hamstrings a workout. I think the seat base is tilted slightly up which means it makes my leg muscles work a bit harder. Not a bad thing and something I'll get used to. Still haven't gone through all the features yet. I'll sit down tonight and RTFM. Have turned the DRL's on though.

Looks and other people's impressions

Everything had been pretty positive and everyone seems to like it. Most have said an estate isn't meant to look that good and plenty have taken pictures. I've filled up twice and on both occasions the person at the till has asked me about the car. Best compliment so far was off one of my cousins customers when she asked him was it a BMW. That's good enough for me! Look wise I love it!. Has really good proportions and looks purposeful from the front and I do like the black pack. Loads of room in the back which everyone is impressed with. Next door neighbour was pig sick when I told him I had a £60 refund on the insurance. I've had plenty of admiring glances so I'm happy. I'm bound to get a few saying the usual "you shouldn't buy a new car" and "you'll lose loads of money on that". I'm not that bothered. The people who say this normally don't care about cars, skip services and don't look after them in anyway. Nothing beats having a brand new car that no one else has really driven and you can look after it from day 1 how you want too. Hopefully going to keep it for at least 5 years and since it's practical, fast, fun and reliable it ticks all my boxes.

Any Problems?

Not many and most are easy fixes. I don't like the yellow headlights. They look awful with the white DRL's so I'll be changing them soon. The aerial does unscrew so I can stick a kayak on the roof but has to come completely off unlike the old ones which you could unscrew, tilt flat and screw back in and still have signal. I'll probably get round to changing the number plates to Dubmeister ones once I get a chance. Waxing a white car is hard going in the sun. Need more shade next time.

So to sum up I love it and really glad I bought it. With the VAT offer it's a lot of car for the money. It does everything I want it to do and more. I do have a few niggles but these are marginal.

a few more pics would be lovely mate... and i'm so so glad you didn't go for a black roof, it really spoils the look of a white car..

With Black pack and a white roof this white estate has to be my favourite colour scheme so far...

Until i see a Black vRS estate, with the black pack, black alloys and some super black window tints!!! that would look stealth

a few more pics would be lovely mate... and i'm so so glad you didn't go for a black roof, it really spoils the look of a white car..

With Black pack and a white roof this white estate has to be my favourite colour scheme so far...

Until i see a Black vRS estate, with the black pack, black alloys and some super black window tints!!! that would look stealth

Don't think you get black roof on estates anyways....

Theres a black one heads out my way when i'm on my way to work some mornings and in all honesty, if it wasn't for the DRL's I wouldn't have even noticed it. Black is very under the radar!!

Nice little review, glad you like the car and pickup went great from the dealer.

Keep us posted and as others said, more pictures please.

I'm liking the review! I've hit 700 miles in my white with black alloys estate, and i'm loving it. got the same feedback from the dealer with regards to running it in. Haven't redlined it yet though!

My 1st impressions are much the same, will be changing the bulbs soon.

Drls are causing me a little issue, been flashed, waved down and pulled by the police for them in the last 3-4days.

...pulled by the police for them in the last 3-4days.

And how did that encounter go?

I've never been pulled in the nearly 6 years I've been driving and I'll look forward to it. I'll stick a few more pics up once I'm home.

lol i wish i could say the same.. i'e paid over £1500 worth of fines in 5 years of driving

A few more pics would be great... Good review I enjoyed reading it

Enjoy your car

And how did that encounter go?

Well, quite well actually. Officers were quite amicable, realised there error after I showed them the manual explaining the drls etc and they apologised, my 1st time in 7yrs driving ive ever been pulled.

As promised here's some pics. Sorry it seems to live in the drive but when I take it out I'm too busy driving to stop and take pics . I will try and take better ones soon.

Here it is next to my old one

Also about Tesco and basically their lack of momentum. I had to put 95 in last night as it was on fumes. Llanelli didn't have it so I risked driving to Fforestfach and they were out too. On the Forecourt was me a Civic Type-R, Corsa VXR and a Golf GTI all who needed Momentum. Asked when does it come in and it's once in a blue moon and no one know when, could be today or next week. This morning I tried finding V Power and the nearest was about 12 miles away and isn't really on my route anywhere. I have 3 Shells within 6 miles of my house and all were out. What's going on with these premium fuels?

Very nice photos & review the car looks very very nice the white work well with the black :p have fun with it

all BP near me, mine lives on BP ultimate...

Looks good mate

Nice to see you are enjoying it!

I agree with you about the lights, they need changing to match the DRL's more than being rubbish.

A real stunner great colour combination v power is the way to go, get the ultra H7 of the bay they are cheap but nicer White

Nice looking vRS mate.

davy

I'm confident you'll enjoy the car - the 10,500 miles I've done in my vRS Estate have been enjoyable whether pottering about or 'making progress'. :yes: I still think the estate is better looking than the hatch and the white and black combo looks mighty fine.

Sadly my vRS adventure comes to an end tomorrow when I pick up my new 105 CR Monte from the dealers. I needed to save money and the diesel Monty meant I didn't have to give up all of the handling, comfort and looks of the vRS, just a huge wodge of oomph and the DSG (which I'll really miss).

A real stunner great colour combination v power is the way to go, get the ultra H7 of the bay they are cheap but nicer White

Do you have a link to the ones you bought? They easy enough to fit?

Do you have a link to the ones you bought? They easy enough to fit?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/H7-477-Ultra-Power-Bulbs-Xenon-White-Headlights-Car-/160496785935?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item255e5a9a0f#ht_4512wt_982

I'm sure these are the bulbs Seboni121 fitted, i have got a set to, but not fitted yet..copied the link from the other headlight post

I picked a friend up in Birchgrove, headed to Brecon via Penderyn up to Rhayader, Devils Bridge to Aberystwyth then came back via the A4069. Did 40mpg on the way up and 36mpg on the way back which I still think is good bearing in mind its still running in. Just over 400 miles on the clock over 3 days.

Getting more confident with the car now and handles pretty well. Big improvement over the Mk1. The only problem I've got is with my right leg. My leg is aching especially the hamstring. Don't think my seat is quite perfect which is probably why. Being slightly picky the wheel could be a little smaller. Going round right hand bends its a bit of a stretch.

That's about it so far. Bit hard to get used to a fuel gauge dropping so quickly but that I expected.

...Bit hard to get used to a fuel gauge dropping so quickly but that I expected.

Lol, that was one of the things I also noted during the first days! The distance from Empty to Full is longer than in my previous car so the gauge looks scarier now! It also takes around 80-100 KM before it starts moving from Full position, so that makes some difference too.

Oh, and a strange one, yesterday I was near empty (3rd red line before Empty), range was around 30KM (based on a 33 mpg calculated consumption) so I went to fill up. I left the pump filling until its full and to my surprise, when the pump stopped, it read 45,70 litres! WTF? isn't the fuel tank 45L?

Either the pump is "modified" and it reads more than it gives, (I doubt it since its a very popular gas station) or the tank is slightly larger than 45 Litres, OR, I somehow managed to overflow it?? Don't have a clue...

*Checks VPower Receipt*

I filled up at the same point as you until one click. I had 38.94 litres

Looks good, will keep an eye out

More pics