...I popped along to my local dealer to have a look at a MK3 elegance.

It was stunning! Both inside and out represents a significant improvement IMO, and the quality of the interior materials seems a lot better.

Seats were comfortable and looked great too. The crispness of the exterior paint was quite striking. All in all, it felt like a great improvement and certainly surprised me after the apathy expressed on here.

Having said that, the dealer I went to had said that sales were disappointing and they'd not taken many orders thus far.

Shame they offered such a poor trade in estimate for my current motor. I guess it's a case of waiting for the vrs to come out, selling my mk2 privately and waiting for a decent offer like the 0% vat offered on other models atm.

All in all, very impressed and will be test driving asap!

Having said that, the dealer I went to had said that sales were disappointing and they'd not taken many orders thus far.

Exactly what my dealer told me! Maybe the headline increase in list price has put potential customers off. An Octavia may represent good value or money, but cheap, in the traditional Skoda sense, it isn't. But then the Rapid is cheap - and that isn't selling either, judging by the few cars seen on the road.