I did pretty much everything to mine and I can see what the OP means - its a souless car. Really functional and 'useful' for day to day life but just inert, uninvolving and seemed to be a chore to drive rather than pleasurable. Its probably the only car Ive ever been happy to move on from also thinking about it!

I warned someone away from a GTI for similar reasons. I said the VAG 2.0T cars are brilliantly capable but they won't get you very excited. He was coming from having had Sierra Cosworths, and 'proper' hot hatches like 205 GTI etc. The VAG fast family cars won't give you a buzz like those cars.

 

He got an R32 in the end.

 

I've driven quite a few BMWs and Audis and I've never thought the build quality was that much better than the VRS. But if we all liked the same cars there wouldn't be so many types.

I warned someone away from a GTI for similar reasons. I said the VAG 2.0T cars are brilliantly capable but they won't get you very excited. He was coming from having had Sierra Cosworths, and 'proper' hot hatches like 205 GTI etc. The VAG fast family cars won't give you a buzz like those cars.

 

He got an R32 in the end.

 

I've driven quite a few BMWs and Audis and I've never thought the build quality was that much better than the VRS. But if we all liked the same cars there wouldn't be so many types.

I had absolutely no quibble with how it was built and with the quality of material for what it cost me - it was more than adequate in all of those areas tbh. It was just a car that I never looked forward to having to do a journey in... But everyone is different.

R32 would be a good replacement.

 

smaller boot etc. but so much more to love.

You should have taken the badges off, stick some rings on and thought, Mmmmmmmm Audi, now I do like this

Same thing different badge

Not long after getting my vrs I was thinking a similar thing. Although since i've fitted my Audio and personalised it Im much happier.

 

I had a Civic VTI-S before and I loved driving it. Revving it up to 8.5k etc made it feel much more involving than the vrs BUT as with most big diesels its effortless power. I'd be shocked if you can find a involved, drivers car which has an effortless engine like the PD or CR170. 

I had a Civic Type R before my vRS.

I much prefer the vRS- with a stage 1 map and supporting mods it is effortless.

I also think it drives better and looks better.

I had a Civic Type R before my vRS.

I much prefer the vRS- with a stage 1 map and supporting mods it is effortless.

I also think it drives better and looks better.

 

 

I have had ep3 and fn2 ctr's previously and in no way does a VRS look better than either of them.

Not long after getting my vrs I was thinking a similar thing. Although since i've fitted my Audio and personalised it Im much happier.

 

I had a Civic VTI-S before and I loved driving it. Revving it up to 8.5k etc made it feel much more involving than the vrs BUT as with most big diesels its effortless power. I'd be shocked if you can find a involved, drivers car which has an effortless engine like the PD or CR170. 

There you go, found one for you

 

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/bmw/m5/mark-webber-bmw-m5-e39-5l-v8-fsh-mint/1330305

Disagree about Audis (or VWs) being different league. I went from a 3.2TT to a vRS and then bought another two vRSs as I liked it so much.. I then changed to a Golf R and yes it's a better car, quicker and more focussed, but it's not different league in terms of build quality and engineering.

There you go, found one for you

 

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/bmw/m5/mark-webber-bmw-m5-e39-5l-v8-fsh-mint/1330305

 

5L V8......bit different to a 2.0 diesel isnt it?

I have a 2012 Octavia VRS diesel DSG and my friend has an 2010 A4 Avant 2.0TDi(140) manual.  He sat in my car the other day and had a good look around.  He then said, "that switch is Audi...and that's Audi...and that's Audi", etc.  The same when he looked under the bonnet.

 

We then spec'd up an Octavia SE 2.0TDi Estate and an A4 Avant SE; both with the 2.0TDi and as near as possible with the same level of equipment.  When he saw the difference in price he immediately said, "Well, the Audi is just not worth that much more".

 

Before I bought the vRS I also looked at the A3 Sport Sportsback - both with the 2.0TDi 170 engine - both 12-18 months old.  With the same spec and equipment level the A3 would have cost me more than £6K more.  The quality of the interior on the A3 was better and the ride quality was also better, but not worth that amount extra. 

 

If you feel strongly enough that you want an Audi rather than a Skoda, and are prepared to pay the high (to me) extra cost, then the Audi is the car for you.

Disagree about Audis (or VWs) being different league. I went from a 3.2TT to a vRS and then bought another two vRSs as I liked it so much.. I then changed to a Golf R and yes it's a better car, quicker and more focussed, but it's not different league in terms of build quality and engineering.

What was the TT 3.2 like? Fuel and Performance, practicality wise?

I have had ep3 and fn2 ctr's previously and in no way does a VRS look better than either of them.

That's fair enough

I just prefer the 4 door saloon look of the vRS. I found the Civic looked a bit too much like a mini MPV.

Good luck with your next car. Guess some of how the driver feels depends on what they've driven before and what you want/expect from your new car. TBF bearing in mind how much extra the Audi costs over the vRS it's natural the build quality will be better otherwise they'd have to put the price of the Skoda up and we don't want that LOL!

One of the main reasons Iike my vrs estate is that most people think it's ****. Ironically given the high level of common tier 1 and BIW parts content between all VAG brands (talk about fooling the majority and all that) a significant number of them, though by no means all, drive an audi or VW. Hilarious.

I have same affair with alfas for pretty much the same reaction. Hope it continues as it keeps the prices down. A car is for driving in after all, not rearranging your make up in the mirror.

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Tapatalk 2

 

TBH there are cars that make you feel like depression has hit and cars that don't. I had the Vauxhall Vectra C SRI for 4 years.....in the first 1 months i thought i had a nice car....but after a year i hated the dam thing...so much so that i started hating driving....being someone who has traveled alot over 7 years of driving with my average mileage yearly being 20,000 to 35,000....even when my mileage dropped i hated being in it and hated just the thought of driving it.....but i actually could never put my finger on it at all.....wanted to get rid of it but divorce and bla bla bla made finances terrible.....so stuck with it....eventually got rid of it and got the passion for driving back with the skoda....though it will still never beat my mondeo lx....basic but such a good car.....In the end you will buy the car you like and enjoy the road again...

The car which we sold before buying the Octavia, is consistently rated very highly by the motoring press, the Mazda 3.

We had a 58 plate 1.6 petrol Mazda 3, and I can honestly say that it is one of the worst cars I have ever had. It was bought from a main dealer with low miles - 29K - and looked really smart, until you had it for a week and looked closer. The paintwork was awful, fuel economy dire, handling very nervous, clutch and gearbox not very smooth, very hard, thin steering wheel, alloy wheels starting to corrode badly, various warning lights coming on for no reason, and the worst thing - an engine which vibrated at 3500RPM at 70MPH.

Funny that you should mention Mondeos though, because we have a 2000 Mk2 Verona 1.8 as a second car (purchased from auction in 2005 for £2350) which has 130K miles on it, and is one of the smoothest/quitest cars I have ever had.

 

 

I could never put my finger on why it was so good. It only ever had one major fault....the thermostat broke.....£180 to replace the car just went on.....Part Ex'ed it for the diesel vec c....oh how i regretted that..... The mondeo was so simple.....aircon was cold.....mpg was really good....(managed to drive from west side of germany to oxford - 500 miles - without needing to fill up)...seats were comfy......ride was smooth.....was fast enough......drove like a dream.....the car would of just kept on going.....only reason i sold it was for me to get a diesel as the mileage i was doing was becoming crazy......The skoda does what it say on the tin......vRS is slightly noisier and the ride is firm....the gears and clutch are different and a little fun to change....mpg is good when you dont hoof it....managed too get 420 to the tank with mixed driving....mway and single....

Disagree about Audis (or VWs) being different league. I went from a 3.2TT to a vRS and then bought another two vRSs as I liked it so much.. I then changed to a Golf R and yes it's a better car, quicker and more focussed, but it's not different league in terms of build quality and engineering.

Not so sure, i just bought a new VW Passat and the quality is definately a step up from any Octavia, I felt like i was sitting in a merc after my vRS. More attention to detail, more money spent in design.The materials in the VW especially the cabin are a higher quality.

Not so sure, i just bought a new VW Passat and the quality is definately a step up from any Octavia, I felt like i was sitting in a merc after my vRS. More attention to detail, more money spent in design.The materials in the VW especially the cabin are a higher quality.

If that's true then VW would have to fit much better equipment than Audi - my Audi tech mate helped me choose my LE and whilst I thought there were a lot of similarities I assumed there be a mug greater difference in quality than there was. He even commented on stuff like the jumbo box having carpet down the sides as he says an official Audi fix to rattles in some models is to attach a bit of cloth tape to the seatbelt buckle to prevent rattling against the plastic of the centre console.

I think a well specked VRS or L&K compares favourably given the price differential. I have had some pretty poor courtesy Skodas a in poverty spec, although I also had a fairly base model Octavia FL for several weeks when I suffered from TFSi induced carbon deposits and found that very good for a fairly cheap model.

There are a lot of shared parts but I'm not going to pretend that I wouldn't like an A5 if I had the cash. Wouldn't go near an A3, A4 or A6 as I find them incredibly dull.

5L V8......bit different to a 2.0 diesel isnt it?

 

 

5L V8......bit different to a 2.0 diesel isnt it?

 

 

Its a drivers car with an effortless engine though.

No sympathy here, I'm afraid

Why would you pay good money for a car, which you presumably test drove, only to then hate it from day one? What changed?

I've only been in that siltation once and that was with a Polo. Stupidly thought VW was the way to go and was from a "mate" I thought I could trust. After a week I hated lots of things with it and after a year I got my first vRS. Loved from day one but as with most things after 3 years I wanted a change so got my vRS estate. Again I loved it on test drive and still like it now. Sure there are things I don't like and things I want different in my next car but up until now it's been pretty good. I'll be looking to change sometime next year if all goes well.

This thread reminds me of the first time I sat in an R8 at Goodwood, I had an 05 8P A3 at the time - don't get me wrong the R8 is a lovely car - but my first thought when I sat in it was - that switch-gear is exactly the same as in my A3.

In some respects I agree and disagree with you  but hey each to there own.

 

I've owned 33 cars now and I love my octavia the most bar one car - my old 99T 200sx, bloody loved that car!

 

the octavia is well built and i cant fault it for practicality over my previous cars, for just over 4k I would have had to spend 9k to buy an audi with same spec and mileage.

 

dont get me wrong, i love the audi's but it seams these days they are mostly rep mobiles and driven worse than your local McDonald's hero!

 

Having an Audi with DRL's is not a rite of passage past me on a dual carriageway! (Rant over lol)

Damn, I really wanted to buy this!! I was the one who text you today Ali...

Sorry to hear you didn't like it, hopefully better feelings towards the next motor!

Back to the drawing board for me... :(