I intended to post a review after six months but it is now seven months since I collected my car and I have driven almost 5000 miles.

I am very happy with the car particularly having traded down from an Audi A4, from inside I don't feel I am in a significantly cheaper car.

I can not fault the build quality as everything works, is properly aligned and there are no rattles or buzzes. Only time will tell how durable the car is.

While on paper the 1.6CR and 1.9PD are similar power and performance they are quite different to drive. When I first had the car the combination of higher gearing and less power below about 2000rpm caught me out a few times having to suddenly change down when with the 1.9PD I could just put my foot down, also if not in a rush I could keep in 5th from just over 30mph up to 70mph. As well as me adapting to the CR it now gives more from about 1500rpm but at times I do miss the urge of PD.

The oil level is still at the top of the dipstick so just like the 1.9PD that had reached nearly 120,000 miles in my Audi this engine uses little oil.

I opted for the ivory interior. My only comment is the difference in colour between the plastic of the dash and that of the door trim panels. I would have expected a closer match.

So far I have avoided getting any car park dings but as others have commented the paint seems rather soft as stone chips are deep. Just the waft of what looks like grey primer only on the visible surface of the brake drums is stingy. I recently removed and painted mine with silver brake paint so they should still look decent in a few years time.

My biggest criticism is the ride and particularly jolts from joints and trenches across roads. Since the Elegance is not marked as a sports model I really don't understand why it gets 16" wheels with 205/45/16 tyres rather than 15" wheels with the same 195/55/15 tyres as the base and SE but a different wheel design, say similar to the Elba, to stand out. Having the Bridgestone ER300 tyres only makes the ride even harsher.

I have posted numerous times about my variation in mpg and particularly the 10% plus drop following a DPF regen. The regen interval seems to be about 300miles. I can only assume this a characteristic of car and ECU program for my basic journey pattern. On a good day the displayed single journey mpg is typically 56 - 57 mpg. Putting aside odd journeys with very heavy traffic and/or longer queues on a bad day it is just over 50mpg and occasionally just under. On a long motorway run at a steady 70mph I get 60mpg and for 30 - 50 mile cross-country runs anything from a little over 50 up to almost 60mpg. The onboard computer seems surprisingly accurate since within 1mpg of my calculated average over a few fill-ups. In comparison for the Audi my calculations were typically 7 - 8% lower.

The only real fault I have is clutch judder that has been present from new. It is noticeable when setting off particularly on a hill and sometimes between first and second gear. However the dealer says it is not bad enough to warrant a replacement. Admittedly it would have to be significantly worse before I would pay out for replacement but really should not be there.

Good write up - perhaps a pic of the car?

yes Delta pics please.

i don't think the 16" wheels affect ride comfort too much, perhaps when you do your first tyre change, move to something you prefwer and see if that helps.

Nice write up, glad overall your enjoying it.

Pleased that your enjoying the skoda