I'm a car enthusiastic with petrol running through my veins, and currently drive an Alfa Romeo MiTo Cloverleaf.  The Alfa is a fantastic car, but it has had a few reliability issues, despite being only two years old, and is no longer suitable owing to the fact that I now have a daily round commute of 80 miles, albeit shared with two others.

 

I am looking for a lease/PCP car for a minimal deposit and under £300/month, but am looking for a car which offers a bit of performance but is practical for three adults to travel longish distances in and looks nice.  The new Skoda VRS TDi looks quite striking, and the deals offered by online companies seem very competitive - 3 + 35 for around £270 incl. VAT plus £12 for metallic paint (lease).

 

Has anyone taken ownership of the new VRS TDi, or had one of the previous incarnations?  Does it bridge the gap of comfortable motorway cruiser and fun back road basher?  What are running costs like?  Are the boasted 50mpg combined accurate?  Does the standard car come with xenon lights?

 

I have a test drive booked for the VRS in a couple of weeks.  I am assuming the dealer won't be able to get near the figures listed above, but if anyone has any examples to prove me wrong, please share!

The good thing with the Octavia vRS is that it is a great crossover car, its great at weekends with the family as it can take the wife, kids plus everything they need with ease in the huge boot, but during the week it is just as good at being a comfortable motorway cruiser for business (if thats your thing) then take it off the motorway onto some nice A and B roads and enjoy the sporty side of it, its never going to be a 'sports' car but it does make a damn good job at providing a family car, a work car and then fun time when you are out and about and fancy playing with teh gears etc!  So, in my opinion, yes it would do what you want, and the mk3 being slightly bigger than the older mk2 should make it comfortable for adults in the back too.

 

The current one comes with a good level of kit and yes Xenon's are now standard, parking sensors, some new gadgets as well i.e. lane assist and fatigue sensor, then light and rain sensors, sports 'bucket' style seats, touch screen DAB radio, upgraded brakes,suspension etc as well I believe, the only thing it lacks and for me is the first tick on the options list is cruise control, tick that box and you have a great all rounder.

 

I currently have a mk2 hatch, but have ordered the mk3 estate as I liked the look of the estate over the hatch, so dont dismiss that option as well, tick the box for black pack which gives gloss black grill trim and mirror caps and you are set to go!!

 

And at the price you are saying, it seems a great price, enjoy the test drive!

Thank you for the reply.  The black pack seems to be an obvious choice if you're buying the car in blue.

 

The only thing that holds me back is the family aspect - I'm 27.  I'd be just as happy with a 2 seater, if it wasn't for the commuting aspect.  The car is well priced, even alongside 2 seater coupes and smaller hot hatches.

 

If that price is as it seems, I expect to be going ahead (the delays to delivery are not an issue - if anything, are a positive for me as happy to wait for a '14 plate). 

You wouldn't be the only young vRS driver, there seem to be lot's of "kids" on here who drive them & enjoy the versatility.

 

As for age related issues in general, how do you think we feel, I bought my Octy vRS back in '11, just before I became a pensioner...

.

(No family to carry around, just wanted a fun little car for everyday driving, with the ability to annoy those who thought that a Taxi lookalike (it was black) couldn't keep with the traffic....)

 

I've now bought a "sensible Skoda", but SWMBO has bought a race blue vRS as her daily runabout, (rather than a proper "Granny" car such as a Micra or Citigo.....) 'cos she enjoys driving a nippy little car too. I even get to drive it when she's in a generous mood!

 

We're thinking of buying an Octy3 vRS next year, but still not sure which one to trade in for it. Won't be a diesel though, don't need the economy over the petrol, our total annual mileages aren't that high, & we want to treat ourselves to cars that we like to drive before we get  too old to enjoy them!

 

DC

"Kids"?!  I'm 27, not 17!!  I don't like the taxi-lookalike, but hopefully the VRS in blue won't be too Euroboxy or like a taxi.  It doesn't have the styling flair of my Alfa, but hopefully it won't have the reliability issues either!!

 

Petrol would be nice, but the petrol version is much more expensive on PCP deals (lower residules perhaps?) than the diesel and coupled with the inflated running costs, I can't justify it.  I have heard that the Octavia III does play engine noise via the stereo, alhough as a purist I'm not sure I support this feature.

You wouldn't be the only young vRS driver, there seem to be lot's of "kids" on here who drive them & enjoy the versatility.

 

 

I ordered my VRS at 23 (since moved on to the grand old age of 24)..no doubt that puts me in the category of being a kid :giggle:

I ordered my VRS at 23 (since moved on to the grand old age of 24)..no doubt that puts me in the category of being a kid :giggle:

 

If the Fabia wasn't so hideously ugly, I'd probably consider that instead.  Have you taken delivery of your VRS yet, or are you one of the hundreds waiting?

Yep same here! I currently drive a Vectra tho so wanted something as big. Nope not delivered yet, ordered mid-August, hoping to get it before Christmas. I haven't ordered any of the problem items (ACC, Front Assist) etc so fingers crossed.

 

It does have Lane Assist as standard though so I'm hoping that won't delay it.

Wouldn't worry about age, 21 with a vRS Hatch on order. Main bonus for me, is I can sit comfortably in it with someone sitting behind me (I'm not a small lad). Useful when heading to the ice hockey with a car full of people! Whilst still having a speedy edge!

Gone for the diesel as I do 2000+ miles a month, which has made PCP painful, but it's worth it!

My dealership let me have it on my own for an hours test drive on Sunday and I couldn't believe how comfortable it was for something that's got a firmer suspension.

 

Dunc do you play or just watch? I used to play hockey years ago for Telford only at U12, U14, U16 and U19 level.

 

How has the 20k affected the PCP? Monthly cost or GFV?

That lease price sounds a bit low to me; might be business lease only. Does look like the ex VAT price.

I can advise on PCP with approx £500 down I was looking at 370 to 390/month. To get it down to the 300 mark you'll likely need to put down 2k at least.

Age is a non issue on a vRS I think, thats the beauty of the car, it appeals to so many in the market, yet, its not taken up by everybody as I presume there is still the badge snobbery with it, also a lot of oCtavia buyers want a 'versatile' car so by an S or SE, then the boy racers want a Golf or something, so the vRS stays quite exclusive, yet is a great car to own, the best bit is the slight 'sleeper' image of it, people see you in it and think of it as being 'A Skoda....' blah, blah, blah but then when you wave at the them as you pas them they soon double take, personally I would recommend them, but, its down to you what you decide, but if it's within your budget then its a worthy candidate.

That lease price sounds a bit low to me; might be business lease only. Does look like the ex VAT price.

I can advise on PCP with approx £500 down I was looking at 370 to 390/month. To get it down to the 300 mark you'll likely need to put down 2k at least.

 

I put £1,500 down (£500 cash and £1,000 PX) and my payments are £308. Think it was only £300-ish before I added gap insurance

Definitely personal lease including VAT. If it doesn't break forum rules, I can post links to the two companies who have offered that rate?

It is lease though, so no equity in car at end of 3 years.

I put £1,500 down (£500 cash and £1,000 PX) and my payments are £308. Think it was only £300-ish before I added gap insurance

thats better than I thought. Is that solutions over 42 months?

Yes mate.

Some cracking deals on the Merc C class at the moment as the new one comes out soon.

One that caught my eye.

C250cdi AMG sport plus auto estate. 6 payments down and £259 +vat a month. 10k a year mileage allowance.

Good price for a 200bhp diesel estate with loads of gadgets and great spec.

I have a mkII CR vRS and from what you've said the mkIII should do everything you ask and commuting that distance circa 50 mpg depending on how you drive/your route is readily achievable. The mkII petrol has relatively poor residuals compared to the diesel so the difference in the lease costs is probably a continuation of that theme. The petrol will ultimately be the better 'drivers' car but it comes at a cost as you've discovered and for many people the diesel is a very good all round motor. Enjoy your test drive and let us know how you get on.

You're right about Merc deals, and in particular the C class. I was minutes away from ordering a new A Class, but it was just too dull to drive.

The VRS appeals to the boy racer in me but keeps the bank manager and my passengers happy on the commute. I have been searching for around 2 months and the VRS seems to offer the best value for money, and the only necessary add ons seem to be metallic paint (definitely blue) and the black pack.

I'll let you know after the test drive if the boy racer is still keen.

On a side note, and I'm not expecting much sympathy on here, my Alfa MiTo Cloverleaf was over £21k to buy outright two years ago. Part ex trade in is around £9k and it's only done 28k miles. I could never have imagined Alfa Romeo residues would be so poor.............

I could never have imagined Alfa Romeo residues would be so poor.............

How could you think they'd be anything but poor?!