v0n, Carfile are offering the vRS 2.0TSI Hatch at £19k. Against the options you've given:

 

- Seat Leon FR 1.8T for £17k - Octavia is more expensive, but a noticeably larger car. I wouldn't expect anyone to get comfortable behind me in a Leon (I'm tall), but they will in an Octavia and that's the point of the car, a larger car for your money. To me, this is the most direct rival, Leon - smaller and cheaper, Octavia - larger and more expensive. I forgot to mention that the Octavia is a 2.0TSI against the 1.8TSI in the Leon, so not exactly like-for-like. I suspect that if there was a 2.0TSI Leon it would be a very similar price.

 

- Audi A5 Sportback 1.8T for £21k - Octavia is £2K cheaper, based on a more modern chassis and I suspect (knowing Audi's normal specs) better equipped. Again, the Octavia is a 2.0TSI against a 1.8TSI in the Audi, so not quite like-for-like.

 

- Audi A4 Avant 1.8T FSI S Line is £22k - Octavia vRS estate is £20.5k (on Carfile), so £1.5k cheaper with more space, based on a more modern chassis and I suspect (knowing Audi's normal specs) better equipped. Also, the Octavia is a 2.0TSI against a 1.8TSI in the Audi, so not quite like-for-like.

 

- Scirocco 2.0 TSI 210 R Line is £23k  - Octavia is £4k cheaper, has much more space, has 5 doors and is based on a more modern chassis.

 

- Golf 2.0 TSI GTI is £23.5k - Octavia is £4.5k cheaper and has much more space.

 

Whilst I agree with the general opinion that the Octavia is not as good value as the previous model, it does stack up well with its rivals if you compare like with like. Also, if you wait a couple of years, you'll probably find similar offers on the new Octavia as on the old, brand new models are never, ever as good value as the model they replace.

Edited 10 September, 201312 yr by spacenase

But most of all, it's all because O2FL vRS for £15-16k for the past three years. They called it VAT free, but it wasn't. It was just a name. Perpetual offer. Those prices never shifted back.

- Seat Leon FR 1.8T for £17k

- Audi A5 Sportback 1.8T for £21k

- Audi A4 Avant 1.8T FSI S Line is £22k

- Scirocco 2.0 TSI 210 R Line is £23k

- Golf 2.0 TSI GTI is £23.5k

 

 

I must say I do not agree with this, i never has a Skoda before, so I can not be biased on this matter, but after really a lot of testing and thinking about this, I really think new octavia is a very good value for money. I dont know about prices in the UK, but where I live, Pasat 2.0 TDI (140 HP engine) Highline is around 10 000 Euro more expensive then Octavia 2.0 TDI Elegance. I just dont thing the differance is worth the money. Same goes for Golf 7 2.0 TDi Estate which is around 4 000 Euro more expensive. I really like new octavia, it has its flaws, but still quality of interior is comparable to the rest of the VAG group. 

 

I should be home in two weeks, and will order vRS TDI DSG with some options for around 30 000 Euros, no car of that size can offer what vRS offeres in that price range.

Currently Volkwagen GTD working out the cheapest at £327 a month against the vRS at £372 and Volvo at £360, Volkswagen iis for a two year lease, so maybe the vRS hatch would look a better proposition then. (these are work related prices not available to to public, but the differences are relative)

Beefy; don't forget all the brand loyalty on here who can't possibly here a negative review of their beloved.

Fair play to you for raising your opinion on a forum where there is lots of love for the MkIII VRS.

 

Thanks Nicky boy ,I was expecting to get totally flamed by all the mk3 fanbois, but credit to all,, a healthy debate has materialised indicating quite a split over the mk3. Maybe skoda will address some of the concerns at the next facelift. I for one hope so being a skoda fanboi myself.

Currently Volkwagen GTD working out the cheapest at £327 a month against the vRS at £372 and Volvo at £360, Volkswagen iis for a two year lease, so maybe the vRS hatch would look a better proposition then. (these are work related prices not available to to public, but the differences are relative)

 

Then obviously you have got to go with what you can afford among your work related prices. You're the only one who can make your mind up on that.

But it's smaller than the VRS?

 

Good point, Gadget, It is, though as the octavia has grown over the years its put itself almost into another segment outgrowing the golf/focus segment, The volvo is a hatch and the vRS an estate so not a direct comparison. I would have prfered the hatch vRS but need to order now and take delivery soonish. It is comparable in other ways price performance and equipment, which are the most factors to me along with looks.

 

Isn't it a tad inconsistent to complain about the inflated cost of a mk3 vrs, compared to a mk2, and then suggest you'll buy a Swedish Ford Focus at £6,000 more than the oval badged version?

 

The point is for the money, it isn't quite the full step up or a step in the right direction from the mk2 or indeed the vRS moniker, the analogy would probably be more accurate if you were comparing the vRS with the Seat. against the Volvo and Ford

 

And considering market options that's the only price point for vRS to be. £16k tops.

 

 

You want a new RS for £500 less than a base spec 3 door Golf 1.2?

 

Well so do I, let me know where I can get one (or anything comparable).

I'm so glad the op posted this, I'm of the opinion that late VAG cars are so bland inside you'd need a dildo on full vibe to keep you awake, they've gone from almost nice to Trabant quality imo.

I think my biggest issue with the MK3 and why i've not stuck with the brand is it's just more of the same and didn't really wow me but that i feel is true of all the cars in the VAG group at present they are all very similar sharing the parts bins etc, i feel they're playing it safe with the Mk3 VRS. Don't get me wrong is a fine car but i wouldn't say its an exceptional car with anything that makes it a must have for me im afraid. 

For info I've ordered a mk3 vrs.

I spend a lot of time in hire cars through my work which although at the low end of the price scale (insignias, jettas, toledos, Hyundai ix35, Nissan kumquats etc not Audi merc or BMW unfortunately) gave me a pretty good handle on what to expect.

Personally I can see why folk with a mk2 vrs, especially a blackline aren't keen on the pricing. However for myself the mk3 represents really good value, just the right size with good performance for the "right" price.

I spec'd an insignia to the vrs I wanted and even with a massive discount through a partner deal with my employer I couldn't get anywhere near. Especially on finance.

Personally after spending 300miles with 3 people and a weeks worth of luggage along with equipment in a 1.6 diesel jetta down south and the same journey on the way up in a Toledo, I'm convinced we chose well with vag and especially with the octavia.

Although coming from the mk1 fabia the octavia is a hell of an upgrade, but I'd say the octavia is head and shoulders above the insignia. Infact I've not driven a vag car which wasn't significantly better than its vauxhall equivalent and don't get me started on the kumquat.  I have also had Volvos before and loved them (Used to drive a 850 T5) however the dealer round here is totally useless even when it comes to servicing and the cost of running them was in my experience really high.

Edited 11 September, 201312 yr by gullyg

nice perspective. we Blackline owners were sooooo spoilt! I would fully support your views on the octy vs insignia as I spent 600 uninspired miles in the passenger seat of one who's owner thought it was the dogs.... I hope you enjoy your mkIII. as a stand alone current model it's certainly got its virtues when compared to the competition

I think littleade summed it up really nicely regarding the blackline mk2. Who managed to get one of those was basically spoiled financially by Skoda. There's no other way to put it better than that. It was a great deal, but it probably brought such headaches for Skoda's accounting department that I doubt it's going to happen again any time soon. You try and run a profit for a business on that sort of a perpetual deal and come back and tell us how much you lasted...

I think littleade summed it up really nicely regarding the blackline mk2. Who managed to get one of those was basically spoiled financially by Skoda. There's no other way to put it better than that. It was a great deal, but it probably brought such headaches for Skoda's accounting department that I doubt it's going to happen again any time soon. You try and run a profit for a business on that sort of a perpetual deal and come back and tell us how much you lasted...

+1 Was primarily an exercise I think to push out the last or the MK2 shells and parts they had hanging about in supply chain and dont think Skoda UK expected them to be as popular as they were. People who bought one benefited from SUKs generosity which is a rare thing.

its also guaranteed a number of high spec CR cars in all flavours will hit used market at some point; those that have already are generally fetching quite a premium over a regular spec equivalent.

For us Belgian shoppers. I think it is a totaly different story.  I just ordered my VRS. It is the first skoda for me. I come from a peugeot 5008. Interior there is also a bit so an so. (Hard plastics).

We have a totaly different car culture I think. Most people here drive diesels. (I hate diesel).  In a country so small as Belgium, diesel is just not the right choice. Most of the drivers don't drive more then 15k  a year with their car. 

Not too long ago you had to pay a serious amount of taxes to get a VRS on to the road (2500€). Now they have changed the taxes (CO2), and I only have to pay 200€ to get it onto the road.

 

We did not get any Black edition's like the UK, and on the VRS's you just don't get that much discount. No option packs like in the Elegance version.  

 

If you compare apples to apples, and then I mean a car that performs as the VRS petrol does, I think it is hard to find a car for that price here.  I mean a volvo V60 T5 (not even as fast), is more then 10000€ more expensive. Even more for an Audi A4 (15k), VW GTI (too small, 4k more expensive).  The only valid option I was considering was the Focus ST estate.  But that is also a smaller car, and the booth is too small. And I think a more personal taste but I like to more boring interiour from the Skoda/VAG group then the screaming interiour of the Ford. 

 

The same goes for the upcoming leon ST. It will be cheaper, but a smaller car, and no 2.0 TSI engine comfirmed. 

 

I have to say, I did not check leasing prices, because I always buy a car. And my plans are to keep this one pretty long. 

 

And one other thing. Our base price for the Octavia RS petrol hatch is 29000€,in Pounds:  almost 25000.

What you have to remember that this is hermetically closed market. The cars do not go anywhere outside of this island. We don't trade second hand cars with Ireland on any noticeable scale. We don't sell used cars to Cyprus. We never export them to Australia. And none of our used cars would pass shakken to enter Japan. It's a sealed market. The same way prices in Norway are insanely high, the prices in UK are dictated by the internal rules. And the first rule is that cars in UK have no second hand value. Residuals practically do not exist. Most mid range £20-30k cars will drop 2/3rd in value across 3 years. It's not unheard of for a mid range large car to be worth about £500 by the time it's 10 years old. And that's if it doesn't exceed certain mileage. A typical, round the mill, eurobox car with over 100k on the clock is hard to sell. Car with over 150k on the clock you would practically have to give away. 

 

I'm not sure where you get the idea that secondhand cars have no value. In May we sold our Yeti Elegance at just over 3 years old and 44K on the clock for £14,800, it's new cost was £20,008.09 - so it retained 74% of it's original value.

 

Also in May this year (May was an exciting month for us!) my just under three year old MK2 FL vRS CR estate was nicked and the insurance company offered me £14K in settlement against a car that had cost just a shade under £20K. The car turned up (thankfully undamaged) so I wasn't able to take advantage of their generous offer.

 

I concede that if you buy the "wrong" car or pay list, you're going to feel shafted come resale time, but choose wisely (and Skoda's have been quite a wise choice over the (VAG) years) and the financial pain of ownership can be kept to a minimum.

 

And as for the Mk3 vRS - I like it and I still think it offers fair value compared to other cars on the market. Though if Seat have chosen to make springs and dampers standard fitment on a Leon FR, I might (only might) poke my noise in through the door of the local Seat garage and have a look (those blinging LED headlamps are standard fit at the moment!!).

I'm so glad the op posted this, I'm of the opinion that late VAG cars are so bland inside you'd need a dildo on full vibe to keep you awake, they've gone from almost nice to Trabant quality imo.

I think that's an option only available on Audi's, though with ever more women choosing which car to drive, it's sure to catch on across the VAG range 

Special editions like the blackline which are what they are and can't have factory options are often sold at a loss or with very little profit if any.

Various reasons for this. To get you in and up sell you a factory order, model phase out so using up parts, or to fill factory slack and give workers something to do.

 don't get me started on the kumquat.

 

I've just got a Nissan CashCow as a hire car for a couple of days and the driver's seat is really uncomfortable! I can't find the right position at all. And why haven't Japanese manufacturers caught on to the fact that the best and easiest way to adjust a backrest is with a rotating knob, not a lever?

I think that's an option only available on Audi's, though with ever more women choosing which car to drive, it's sure to catch on across the VAG range 

 

maybe that option is why i like my audi as much lol

 

Nothing wrong with not liking the new vRS, but let's have some facts to help other people who might have taken your post at face value

 

Missing on MK3 vRS

• Air con into Jumbo box
• Cruise control

On MK3 but not MK2 vRS

• DAB
• Bluetooth
• Rear Sensors
• Xenons
• MFSW
• USB
• Lane assist
• Auto wipers / lights
• Rear backrest 'spring' release
• Auto dim rear view mirror
• LED rear lights
• Maxidot (monochrome)
• Driving mode selection
• Auto stop start
• Post collision braking system
• Driver's knee airbag
• Energy recovery
• Driver fatigue sensor
• Lower VED rates (across all models, not just vRS)
• Power increases (to 184ps for TDi & 220ps for petrol)
• Cars lighter across the range by approximately 100KG
• Cars bigger across the range with increased leg room in rear and larger boots

 

 

I have a MKII and I have those highlighted in bold... 

I have a MKII and I have those highlighted in bold... 

But they werent all factory standard no cost options were they?

the best and easiest way to adjust a backrest is with a rotating knob, not a lever?

 

Rotating knobs, dildos...Christ, this thread degenerated quickly!

But they werent all factory standard no cost options were they?

Standard yes.

VAG cars have been dull for years, Audi/Volkswagen are the standard middle class boring vehicle, its hardly a new phenomenon. 

I think that's an option only available on Audi's, though with ever more women choosing which car to drive, it's sure to catch on across the VAG range 

Indeed Audi only. It's located around the "back passage" so you can indeed fell like you're being "screwed from behind" whilst you see just how much you paid to have those 4 circles on your steering wheel.