Taught the dash was the same too? My brother and parents have 2 2011 1.6 cr ones and I didn't notice the differance.

By new dash I mean a different radio, climate controls and a different font on the dials!

The big advantage the FL has is those LED DRL's - they look ace

I think they look chavvy,if i ever get a facelift model i will be turning them off,they look like a after thought to me,look much better in the headlights. (just my opinion)

If they were aftermarket ones I would tend to agree but so many cars have them fitted now, and not many of them are in the headlight.

I've approached quite a few new shape Mondeo's recently thinking it was a vRS as its LED DRL's are in the same position.

I got one for it's understated looks.............and then went slightly mad

I love my M2 ( it is not a pre FL it is a M2) as with all facelifts they do not look right, that is why I have not changed mine, better interiour maybe, bu the exteriour is a no no .

I love my M2 ( it is not a pre FL it is a M2).

I'm not sure I understand, the pre-FL is the MkII.

The MkI was the original (UK) Octavia.

MkI - 1996 to 2004

MkII - 2004 to 2009

MkII Facelift - 2009 to present

MkIII - Coming soon (we hope)!

I bought my first one because it was the best value for money I could find and every review was positive. I never really liked the headlights on the PreFL and ended up putting eyebrows on in an attempt to butch it up at bit. I really don'y get why people think the PreFL looks more agressive - it's the other way round - the FL is WAY more agressive IMHO!

I think the proportions of the car are spot-on and the rear three quarter view is way better than the competition.

I have done an awful lot of convering of friends and collegues who now approach the vehicle with considerably more respect than they did when I first bought one and one of the 3 Series owners at work reckons its way better than his!

Does it look good - oh yeah!

Is it a pig - not a chanmce. A pig is a Merc B series or Honda Jazz or a Skoda Fabia MKII - just don't know where they went wrong with that one!

I'm not sure I understand, the pre-FL is the MkII.

The MkI was the original (UK) Octavia.

MkI - 1996 to 2004

MkII - 2004 to 2009

MkII Facelift - 2009 to present

MkIII - Coming soon (we hope)!

Aren`t you just saying the same, I hate it when people say it is a pre FL it is a mark two!

In my opinion pre face lift looks better, a bit dopey in the headlight area but with a set of brows it looks really menacing.

How odd...everyone who owns an octy that is 2008 or earlier thinks pre fl looks more aggressive while those of us who own 2009 or newer cars think fl looks more aggressive. weird.

How odd...everyone who owns an octy that is 2008 or earlier thinks pre fl looks more aggressive while those of us who own 2009 or newer cars think fl looks more aggressive. weird.

Having owned both and been more than happy with my PreFL until some plonker in a van totalled it, I reckon I'm reasonably neutral with preferences however I had to add eyebrows to get rid of that "dopey" look and if you compare the two, the FL is defo much more agressive purely from the angle of the headlights. Personally I think the greater changes have come from improved suspension - I have no odea what they've done to the later models but it defo handles better than my previous one. The interior is just that little bit better and er, thats it.

I have no allegance either way and would have been more than happy to keep my PreFL!

^{I do get where the OP is coming from. You do get a lot of bang for your bucks, but they're best enjoyed from inside the car, rather than the outside. As a previous poster has said, the basic design is 8 years old, and it shows. The car looks dated. For example, what self-respecting car in the 21st century has a rear spoiler like the hatchback does? Only the GT-R and the Evo springs to mind, and they're out and out performance cars. The Octy isn't, which makes it look pretty pretentious. I've got the estate, and hate the extra panel around the rearmost side windows. What's the point in them? If you have a look at old versions of the Merc C- and E-class estates, they had them too, but not the latest versions, so why does the Octy still have them? On both versions, I dislike the extra panels below the rear lights - what's the point? Surely, it'd have been easy to integrate this into the bumper?}

^{The biggest design faux pas, however, are the side rubbing strips. Look at modern car design now and barely any new cars nowadays have these less-than-useless features. Instead, manufacturers use all sorts of clever design to break up the large expanse of metal on the doors - rising/falling creases, scalloping, for example. Side rubbing strips should be consigned to history!}

If side strips are to be removed then all cars should come with "Supermarket Dings" as standard then they wouldn't look out of place

Off topic............don't you just hate it when people say 'defo'?

On topic............eyebrows on a Mk2 are a serious fail IMHO, and it still looks better than the facelift

If side strips are to be removed then all cars should come with "Supermarket Dings" as standard then they wouldn't look out of place

Does your Fabia VRS, which doesn't have side rubbing strips, have dings down the side of it? Side rubbing strips are only useful if the neighbouring car's door's trailing edge is at the same height as it. If not, you're going to end up with a ding either above or below it. Side rubbing strips aren't going to prevent a ding if you've got an X6 parked next to you car. As I said earlier, less-than-useless.

Does your Fabia VRS, which doesn't have side rubbing strips, have dings down the side of it?

The Passenger side front is peppered with dings, we do our best to park away from those who couldn't give a toss

ie:- P reg two door sheds driven by some ****** who has kids in the back and quite frankly couldn't give a Toss.

There is one which is down to the metal and who ever did it knew they had as they rubbed it to see.

It's going to cost me to get them repaired, not worth an insurance claim as the premiums will just go up.

Anything to try and stop these dings must be a big Yes

The Passenger side front is peppered with dings, we do our best to park away from those who couldn't give a toss

ie:- P reg two door sheds driven by some ****** who has kids in the back and quite frankly couldn't give a Toss.

There is one which is down to the metal and who ever did it knew they had as they rubbed it to see.

It's going to cost me to get them repaired, not worth an insurance claim as the premiums will just go up.

Anything to try and stop these dings must be a big Yes

Okay, but I would hazard a guess that these dings are all at different heights, and no side rubbing strip running horizontally would have been able to prevent all. You wouldn't fit a bonnet bra to prevent stone chips would you? Or lenses protectors to reduce the risk of a stone cracking the front lights? Or alloygators to prevent kerbing to your alloys? All add ons that would no doubt prevent damage to your car, but would spoil the aesthetics of the car, which is one of the points of this topic.

To my eyes, and doubtless many others, side rubbing strips look naff. Would a Ferrari or Lamborghini or Alfa 8c still look beautiful if they had an inch wide rubbing strip running down their sides? Not that my mk1 Fabia vRS is in the same league but one of the first things I did when I bought it was to remove the nasty bit of black strip from the sides. Looks all the better without it, too.

Off topic............don't you just hate it when people say 'defo'?

Defo, I hate that

On topic............eyebrows on a Mk2 are a serious fail IMHO, and it still looks better than the facelift

My personal impression of both is the Mk11 has a Sulky look while the FL has a Smiley look

I like both the Pre and Facelift Mk11 but lets get real here the best looking Octy is still the Mk1.

Off topic............don't you just hate it when people say 'defo'?

Definitely

On topic............eyebrows on a Mk2 are a serious fail IMHO, and it still looks better than the facelift

Depends on the type. The ones I used were actually quite small but I get the point - not everybodys cup of tea (a bit like gold wheels and coachlining )

I actually hate eyebrows WAY too NovaBoy but I hated the dopey look of the headlights even more!

To be perfectly honest I don't even particularly like the FL lights and think they missed a good opportunity there but I still think the angle of the dangle makes them more agressive even if it is in a slightly surpised way

All of this is a bit of a moot point though for me since I will always be sat in the drivers seat where it is a hoot and everything is good, and if anyone else outside doesnt like the look I couldnt give a ****. Beside which, like it or loath it, at least it doesnt just blend in with all the mondeo/insignia/A4 bland mobiles...its Skoda Marmite rather than Audi/Ford/Vauxhall/BMW margerine.

I like both the Pre and Facelift Mk11 but lets get real here the best looking Octy is still the Mk1.

Oh please the mk1 looks like a farmers car or worse, Skoda really took off with the mk2

Oh please the mk1 looks like a farmers car or worse, Skoda really took off with the mk2

Hoping the MkIII comes with better alloys, MkII ones are the only part of the car that lets it down. Those special edition ones are better.