VRS owners, i'm looking at a VRS at the moment. Brief history is i've had a MK1 VRS which I traded in for a 1.6 CR 105 Tdi Monte last year, had it remapped 4 or so months ago and love it. The problem is the wife drives it all the time and i'm left with the Zafira grrrr. She refuses to drive the Zafira!!! Anyway i'm looking at the VRS as insurance isn't an issue £197 fully comp and running cost i'm happy with. So my main thing with the VRS and the thing that made us go with the Monte is the DSG box. I've driven an Ibiza Cupra with DSG and it was ok but not sure I had enough time to see if it was really for me or not.

So talk to me what are the pro's and cons of the VRS?

Cheers

Burns oil and looks ugly.

Drive one and see.

They do not all burn oil, only faulty ones which are few, and those get fixed.

New ones should not use any oil more than you might expect the type of engine to use for the type of use it gets.

Not pretty right enough, but colour choice does help.

(Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.)

You do not see what it looks like when driving it, and that is where its excels.

Cheaper than the other Twinchargers.

New that is 2-3 grand less than the New Ibiza Cupra, 4-5 than the Polo GTi or A1 (182bhp), and just as fast as each of them regardless of the official VAG figures.

george

Definitely drive one, I bought mine based on the DSG alone, super smooth and quiet, superb gearbox compare to a traditional auto in my opinion.

EDIT: It's also not an ugly car in my opinion, the shape gives a distinct look and also great all round visibility.

Edited 4 March, 201313 yr by MilgeS

I dont think they're ugly at all, I reckon they're better looking than a polo gti

I like the look of the car hence I have a (the wife wont let me use it) white Monte already. Just looking at the pro's and cons list from current owners.

Pro's

DSG is great

Its pretty quick and feels quicker

Its practical can get 4 adults in it easy

Build quality is good in my experience

My dealer has been good

Con's

Is a little thirstier than specs suggest

Its not the prettiest car but i dont mind it

As for the oil thing my early car from 2010 with 35k miles has been fine had to top up now and then but nothing major and not sure the handfull of people on here with oil issues present a case for it being a problem engine.

Edited 4 March, 201313 yr by RikSlaty

show me something new, thats better than a vrs for the same money

yes its not the best looking car but its nice on the inside and thats all i see or care about, its not too bad on juice either for what it is. As for oil, im on another engine so ive suffered as much as any1 but it still doesnt put me off the car, put it in S mode and it really does fly, honestly, wings and everything :p

but looks etc you know all about with the monti so no point dwelling there

as for the DSG box, this is where it simply wins hands down against other small warm hatch's, its just sooooooooooooooooooooo easy to live with i hate driving the misses car or any other for that matter and its giving me a problem thinking about my next car. Thats what would put me off these, where do you go next lol. i'm spoiled with it but i know i cant keep it forever and i never go for the same car twice, roll on the mk3

Wolf in sheep's clothing, Jekyll and Hyde... both terms suit this car. Get a subtle colour, take the badges off it, and then you may prey on the unsuspecting public...

once you have lived with DSG for a while, you'll never want to drive a manual again... I like mine so much I have just ordered another! lol....

46k and no oil issues in mine, I don't put a drop in it, and if you are after a new one they will all have the new CTHE engine anyway.... and like the mad monk said, you really cant get more bang for bucks, when I ordered mine, I got an estate with black wheels and metallic paint for £15200, which almost matched the drive the deal price... bloody cheap that, thats how much a 1.0 litre ecoboost fiesta costs......

thats how much a 1.0 litre ecoboost fiesta costs......

You can't say anymore than that really, bargain!!

Wolf in sheep's clothing, Jekyll and Hyde... both terms suit this car. Get a subtle colour, take the badges off it, and then you may prey on the unsuspecting public...

Subtle colour eh? Yeah i'm stuck between green with black roof/alloys or blue with white roof/alloys? Anyway thanks for the comments so far, getting more convinced to buy one by the minute!

Subtle colour eh? Yeah i'm stuck between green with black roof/alloys or blue with white roof/alloys? Anyway thanks for the comments so far, getting more convinced to buy one by the minute!

Blue with white roof/alloys is definitely the best colour combination in my opinion. However, if I were to get another I would consider all black (our Monte looks really good in this) or blue with the black roof/alloy combination.

Green with black roof/alloys best IMO. I echo all the positive comments about the DSG (my biggest surprise when I originally test drove a vRS). Not much out there that beats it for the price and I think it looks OK (the contrasting roof helps).

I must say I don't like the looks either and am somewhat concerned by the oil issue and fuel consumption but I would probably still have one if I knew the history of it. I agree that the all black ones look the best. In my opinion the two-tone roof option doesn't do the looks any favours and smacks of copying from the Mini.

I would go for it. It is a cracking engine and gearbox combo and the esate is a real practical Q car. My only reservation would be long term reliability and expense with the complicated mechanicals: DGG, Twin Charge etc. Also they really need Super Plus Unleaded which can get a bit expensive.

Seen 2 green ones, both the same age mileage etc. There is a price difference of a grand, the more expensive one has bluetooth, cruise control, parking sensors (not that you should need them in a car that size!) are the extra's worth it?

I really wish I hac bought one when they were doing the VAT free offer: £12K for a car like this was legalised theft IMHO. The estate I want now is nearly £18K once you have put nice wheels on it :(

Matt, have you read this.

http://www.briskoda....ought-a-new-car

I expect plenty of more offers or bargains will become available from Skoda/VAG after March-April when the various other manufacturers launch new models.

george

I liked the look of this when i first spotted, a bit tippy toe tho,

looking forward to seeing 'sharkriders'. (car) Black wheels and lower.

I really wish I hac bought one when they were doing the VAT free offer: £12K for a car like this was legalised theft IMHO. The estate I want now is nearly £18K once you have put nice wheels on it :(

Thought that they've always had the vat free offer on them since launch ?

Ta George should I get my personal circumstances in order I will definately consider one with offers like that. I agree with what people say about the DSG. I hear that Porsche are only going to offer DSG on the new 911 GT3. Once you get used to one, it makes a manual seem ponderous.

Edited 4 March, 201313 yr by Matt Bodycombe

I would go for it. It is a cracking engine and gearbox combo and the esate is a real practical Q car. My only reservation would be long term reliability and expense with the complicated mechanicals: DGG, Twin Charge etc. Also they really need Super Plus Unleaded which can get a bit expensive.

Super Unleaded is only a few quid extra per fill so shouldn't be a dealbreaker, it does make a noticeable difference in performance and also economy for me, just my opinion :-)

I would go for it. It is a cracking engine and gearbox combo and the esate is a real practical Q car. My only reservation would be long term reliability and expense with the complicated mechanicals: DGG, Twin Charge etc. Also they really need Super Plus Unleaded which can get a bit expensive.

Agree on the long term reliability, a hell of a lot of fairly new tech under the bonnet.

I found the extra fuel economy using super unleaded marginally outweighed the extra expense. Add to that the manufacturers recommendation, extra performance and cleaning properties and using it is a no-brainer for me.

Also you're 90% guaranteed it will use some oil, it's just a case of how much. It's not a fill and forget engine that's for sure. If you're the type who ignores everything about car maintenance between the annual service it might not be a wise choice.

Only downsides is it's thirsty in stop start traffic which I do everyday and I'm also convinced it uses more oil when I drive in that rather than taking it for longer runs. I'll be taking mine in to Skoda once I get a week off. If it gets a new engine by the sounds of it there's no problems. DSG isn't for everyone so drive a good way in it to decide. I accept it's faster and far more efficient but is it fun? Only you can decide that