New Octavia test drive reports

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popped in for a first look today. An Elegance DSG in silver.

Was impressed by the clean looks ;though dont think the colour did it any favours. Really impressed with the space and the all the toys. With such an impressive standard spec I just can't understand why flappy paddles are an option - they are standard on all DSG Golfs and A3's, and these car lack so much other kit.

Interior look and feel is fine but doesn't have the same up-market feel as the A3.

So - space and toys or poser - will boil down to lease costs at the end of the day

[zippysmithy]

Had a drive this afternoon in a 1.6 diesel elegance, impressed with the fit and quality of the interior,boot had a much softer damping than the mkII and its

enormous, bolero touchscreen is very smart with nice graphics for the heating etc, but its still so noisy and boomy coming from the rear as with the mkII,

was hoping this wouldbe sorted but alas not, the dealer reckoned it was the green tyres but its just down to skoda scrimping on sound insulation I guess,

i know its only a small niggle but have gone thru a few tyre choice on my own to try and minimise this and before you say just turn the radio up , that didnt help

[veloplus]

I had a look at a silver 1.6CR SE on Sunday, however, this colour is just so bland it does the car no favours.

My comments/observations are as below:-

1) Increased steering wheel reach is welcome, particularly for those with long legs, but who don't wish to drive with 'alfa' arms.

2) The clocks appear less funcional than in the MkII Octy. It's a shame the speedo is now graduated at 20mph intervals, rather than every 10mph.

3) I noticed the throttle rest has been removed. This was a nice touch on the MkII and great when driving with cruise engaged.

4) The new 'Bolero' stereo no longer has a CD slot. This is instead incorporated into a black box housed in the glovebox.

5) Noticeable increase in wheelbase. It's now possible for a 6'1" passenger to comfortably sit behind a driver of the same height.

6) I think the hatch would look better without a rear wash/wipe, even though, this is a useful feature.

7) The tailgate pull rubber toggle has been re-profiled and is now harder to hold onto.

8) USB slot in centre console will be useful for powering gadgets, such as sat nav.

9) The front door interior hockey stick handles don't feel particularly comfortable when being grasped.

10) Exhaust tailpipe is very well concealed.

My local dealer, Startin of Worcester, also had a Petrol Blue demonstrator in Elegance spec which isn't a colour I'm fond of, however, the interior was far more appealing than that of the SE spec demonstrator.

I left feeling underwhelmed and glad that I'll have my Superb Combi for another 2.5 years. Once I get the Superb remapped, I think it'll be hard to beat for high mileage use.

[dieselV6]

I had a good look at the Octavia 3 at the local dealership today, here is what I have found:

1. It is still the most comfortable car for tall drivers in the Skoda range, as Octy 2 was. Console does not bite the left leg too much and the steering wheel has plenty of adjustment. Accelerator footrest is almost non-existent now, but the side moulding is shaped in a way that you can still rest your leg. Note there was a DSG on display only, I still want to see a manual gearbox one, hopefully similar enough footrest arrangement.

2. Finally, there is enough legroom at rear seats. Perfect. Also more hidden storage space compared to earlier Octavias.

3. Service schedule booklet no longer details what inspection service contains, merely the mileage for oil service and inspection service. Unless this data got moved to another booklet (could not find a "technical data" booklet at all), this opens wide the room for being conned into unneccessary 4 year timing belt changes , too frequent servicing calls and a lot of money wasted as a result. It also discourages DIY.

My advice (for everyone, not just DIYers) is to get service manual from Internet or a detailed breakdown of belt and filter change mileage intervals from the dealer before buying this car, otherwise there will need to be a lot of extra money to be spent at the service dept.

4. External styling in my opinion is much improved, Octavia is again a low key but classy car, just like Mk1/Mk2 pre-FL Octy and Mk1 Superb were.

Would I buy it? Well, the 50l fuel tank will likely stop me from getting this otherwise near perfect touring car, but that's just my opinion, keep flames to minimum please (and by the way, the salesman also thought that the fuel tank size was a bit naff for a car that is clearly intended to be driven for extended periods of time). Might test a vRS when it comes out later, but I think the Mk2 Superb still is (a forced) long range car replacement choice for the moment.

I saw the Rapid in detail too, and while waaay overpriced in the UK, it can offer 90% of the Octavia experience for a lot less money if you import it at a 25%+ discount, and a diesel Rapid will have 30% more range on account of 55l stock/64l vented fuel tank and slightly lower weight than the Octavia. Less expensive to maintain too. Driver position not as comfortable as the Octy, but can be addressed just as with Mk1 Octy/Superb by tilting the front of the seat up (metal plate fabrication needed). Rear legroom is sufficient, I think thinner seats in the Rapid made it posssible to rival the Octavia 3 for legroom. It is narrower than the Octy 3, but I view it as a bonus (motorway roadworks, single lane traffic etc).

The way I look at it, and the way the local friendly Skoda salesman looks at it, Octavia 3 is primarily addressed to fleets and BIK drivers now (or anone cherishing the dodgy CO2 rating in one way or another), and no longer focused on private family purchases and enthusiast drivers (and I guess taxi drivers might be less than happy given the pricing).

I guess I just keep on driving my 2006 Mk1 Superb for a good while longer (2nd DIY TB job is still 2 years away), and until they decide to put 2.0CR diesel in the Rapid, or a 60l fuel tank in the Octavia 3, I will keep my wallet away from Skoda dealerships, with Mk2 FL Superb left as a last resort accident replacement option. With this in mind, I just bought 2 years worth of servicing parts and engine oil for my both Skodas from ECP, they have a 25% discount until end of today, so I am sorted till 2015.

Edited 23 March, 2013 by dieselV6

[Dr Zoidberg]

I've just had a look at an Elegance and compared to the SE it's a bit nicer but still didn't wow me.

My gf said the same - nothing that makes you feel special.

[Matt Pez]

l agree with most of what V6 is saying but for me the potential savings on running costs compared to another Superb have swung me back to the Octy as leasing timings mean I can't wait for the FL Sup. Hoping the 2.0 TDi Octy will get 60mpg in my world compared to the 50 mpg the Superb does. That should be enough to extend my current range by 50+ miles on a cheaper fill up so fingers crossed :wonder: and it's faster than the 170CR in the Superb so that's a bonus and on a warm summer's morning trundling down the M1 i'm looking forward to seeing the over enthusiastic trip computer trying to make me think I'm averaging over 80mpg but I know it will give the slower 1.6CR a good run for my money at the pumps!

[MikeBz]

I had a drive in a 1.6 TDi Elegance today.

Good points: The quality of pretty much everything, really does feel close to VW. It's a 'nice' place to be. Light well-weighted controls. Engine is mostly quiet except when accelerating hard. Lots of space.

Bad points: Ride is hard & poor on non-smooth B-roads, this may be down to the 17" wheels and 45 profile W rated tyres, of course being lighter doesn't help with ride quality. Constant low-frequency background roar which I assume is road noise. I guess they save money on soundproofing vs. VW/Audi. The brake pedal felt way too high compared to the throttle, I guess it's something you get used to.

Other observations: The front doors seem very short and the 'B' pillar a long way forward. This isn't a problem, it should make it easier to get out of the car in a space where door opening is confined - the shorter door will allow a wider opening. The rear doors conversely seem very long. This is all relative to my current steed of course (Mazda 6 hatch).

I'm not sure I could live with the ride/road noise. Will be trying a Golf & Passat for comparison next week I hope.

[dunc69]

You should drive the Octy back to back with the equivalent Golf. They are as noisy / refined as each other. See the What Car test. The Octy also won overall.

Seems some of you are driving the new Octavia, hearing some road / tyre / wind noise, and assuming that the Golf will be quieter.

It isn't.

The same goes for the interior quality. They are as good as each other now. Skoda has caught up. Read the reviews guys!!

[MikeBz]

I have read the reviews. They mention vibration from the engine through the controls - I didn't notice that and I'm quite fussy/sensitive about that sort of thing. What Car said "You feel more of bumps than you do in a VW Golf". A friend of mine has a Mk6 Golf which I've travelled in quite a lot, it's definitely more refined - and it should be given that they're more money for less car.

At this stage they're reviews not thorough road tests - waiting for Autocar to do a proper road test.

[dunc69]

At 30 mph, Golf 63.6 dBs, Octy 63.2. At 70 mph, Golf 68.1, Octy 68.5. I'd call that equal in respect of refinement.

The Octy 2L 150 diesel has the torsion beam rear suspension, rather than the equivalent Golf's multi-link, hence the slightly better handling in the Golf.

Higher spec Octy's will have the multi-link.

It's in the details.

[dunc69]

Agreed Autocar will be interesting!

[Davidsr20]

I have read the reviews. They mention vibration from the engine through the controls - I didn't notice that and I'm quite fussy/sensitive about that sort of thing. What Car said "You feel more of bumps than you do in a VW Golf". A friend of mine has a Mk6 Golf which I've travelled in quite a lot, it's definitely more refined - and it should be given that they're more money for less car.

At this stage they're reviews not thorough road tests - waiting for Autocar to do a proper road test.

Mazda 6 isn't the most friendly for road noise ether!

[MikeBz]

Mazda 6 isn't the most friendly for road noise ether!

Absolutely, hence a major consideration for me on its replacement. The Oct. was noisier than my current 6, albeit a different frequency noise. The new 6 may be worse from what I've read. I suspect the 17" wheels with 45 profile W rated tyres don't do the Elegance any favours in noise or ride, I would seriously look into.downgrading to SE wheels/tyres if I do go the Octavia route. Over-tyring cars makes them look good but doesn't do them any favours dynamically.

[Dr Zoidberg]

I've been out for a second test drive in the Octavia today - this time in a 2.0CR Elegance - and it was definitely more favourable.

The leather and alcantara seats are an improvement, and the extra toys made it feel more like a car I'd want to own. Shallow, but there you go.

The big change is the engine though. It's far more refined than my PD140 MK2 with very little noise. You don't get the big on-off shove in the back that the older cars had, so first impressions are that it's not as powerful until you look at the speedo and see how fast you are going. I got about 45 mpg on my mixed road test drive which isn't stunning but considering it was a brand new engine from cold and I wasn't being too eco-friendly with the throttle looks promising.

It still doesn't feel quite as special as I'd like but was more to my liking.

[IainM1970]

Test drove a 150TDi Elegance today .... very nice ... after 3 170 TDi vRS's and my current 170 Yeti power felt fine, ride was good and handling up to par.

Can't wait for the vRS! Can't decide whether to go for a vRS or a facelifted Yeti next .... going back to the vRS means buying a lighter caravan again so extra £££££££££s to consider. The Octy loosing weight is good for most folks but not us caravanners!

[Ninjoid]

Test drove the 1.6 Elegance diesel this morning. The ride was nice and tight but a little disappointed with the oomph factor...that said I am driving a 2.0 litre petrol Octavia at the moment as was assured by the garage that the 2.0TDI would be very similar.

Thinking of going to order the 2.0 TDI Elegance on Monday via the "solutions" method - anyone any experience of this method of financing? I'm much more of a traditionalist and prefer to pay a larger deposit and finance but I am seriously tempted from what the garage told me.

Also, the front assistant safety feature isn't available until June - are you guys that have already ordered getting this on your Octavias? As it's a standard feature I want the extra gizmo so am going to request on the order that it's part of the build - just the elegance I drove didn't have it given it's availablity date - so this may delay delivery slightly. Going to go for the Canton sound system too...

[Matt Pez]

Test drove the 1.6 Elegance diesel this morning. The ride was nice and tight but a little disappointed with the oomph factor...that said I am driving a 2.0 litre petrol Octavia at the moment as was assured by the garage that the 2.0TDI would be very similar.

Thinking of going to order the 2.0 TDI Elegance on Monday via the "solutions" method - anyone any experience of this method of financing? I'm much more of a traditionalist and prefer to pay a larger deposit and finance but I am seriously tempted from what the garage told me.

Also, the front assistant safety feature isn't available until June - are you guys that have already ordered getting this on your Octavias? As it's a standard feature I want the extra gizmo so am going to request on the order that it's part of the build - just the elegance I drove didn't have it given it's availablity date - so this may delay delivery slightly. Going to go for the Canton sound system too...

No front assist for the early birds! 2.0 TDi is punchy!

Edited 30 March, 2013 by Matt Pez

[Ninjoid]

No front assist for the early birds! 2.0 TDi is punchy!

Good to know Matt, thanks....I'm going to request when I place my order that it's not to be built until the Front Assist is available....I should be able to do that, I hope. Like I say that'll no doubt delay my delivery but I'd rather have it considering it's going to be a standard feature....wouldn't like to test it out mind you