Four weeks on, a quick review.

[boff180]

Hi guys,

 

Well I've owned my 2.0TDI 150 Elegance Hatch now for four weeks and 1000 miles, this is the first "new" car I've owned. Some people might be interested generally or it may help some that are looking to buy if I posted my thoughts on the good and bad of this car. I came from a 2008 Citroen C4 1.6HDI110 VTR+ (slow) and before that a 2005 Fiat Stilo 3Dr 1.9JTD115 Dynamic (much better than the press thought).

 

The Great

• Acceleration, the engine is brilliant and can spank most things into the dirt being effectively as fast as the Mk2 VRS diesel.
• Economy, considering the power and size of the engine the fuel consumption is very good.
• Steering, it's very precise and perfectly weighted for normal driving. Sport mode is heavier but it stops you from twitching when pushing it.
• Handling, I would would describe this as "fun". She slightly over steers which is really good fun!
• Arm Rest, it is in the perfect position to rest your arm on long drives.
• Gadgets, gadgets galore! The voice control is accurate (for the most part) and the Front Assist is very handy and has reacted quicker than me on one occasion when a driver turned very late off the road in front of me aggressively.
• Denom Alloys, these are really easy to keep clean and look great.
• Power Fold Heated Mirrors, this is something every car should have!
• Mainbeam Assistant. This is great and very handy when driving at night, you can concentrate more on the road rather than watching for other cars in the distance.

The Bad

 

• Fuel Tank Capacity, yes the car is very economical (more than the Citroen) however the fuel tank is so small I am filling up much more often. The word I would use to describe the range of the car is "pitiful". I'm getting less than 400 miles from 3/4 of a tank! The Citroen (which averaged 42mpg) would often do 500 miles to 3/4 of a tank. I understand why to keep weight down, but to me this is the biggest negative point with the car.
• Rear Suspension, ok the only person that has been in the back of the car is my father however he has described the rear ride quality to be quieter but on par with the Fiat. The Fiat's rear ride quality was quite poor. Dad has said he can feel "everything" the rear wheels do. Not what you would expect from a refined car!
• Rear Parking Display on Startup, I think this is an issue with the Amundsen system being slow (see below) however, if I start the engine and immediately go into reverse, it can be a good 30 seconds before the display turns on to show the radar display!
• Amundsen System, yes the system is good but it is painfully slow, especially in Sat Nav and DAB (changing station). In Sat Nav mode I am forever having to wait for "Please Wait" to clear. Also, why the hell can you not select a road or house number from the Postcode mode? I'm GIS trained and if the database is correctly designed this should be no problem.
• Water in the Boot! If you open the boot after it has rained, any water that on the hatch immediately runs off, the majority of which is caught in channels however a good amount runs straight into the boot which is a pain in the ass!

Would I change my decision to buy this car? No way, despite it's little downsides, I love it!

 

Andy

Edited 20 October, 2013 by boff180

[JuanCarr]

Thank you for the review but "water in the boot" was the deal-breaker for me.

[LadyVienna]

Great review. Im surprised about your dads comments on the feel in the back though - the elegance estate (according to my parents) is a very refined and comfortable ride in the back. 

 

Shame about the water going into the boot though

[Defenderben]

Water in the boot??

This is a problem on my 2012, fl mk2, exactly as you describe and it is a total design failure IMO.

I never suffered this with a vectra or cavalier years ago and the back end is of a similar design/style.

It is such a pain, my neighbours must wet themselves watching me trying to put my tools/gear in the boot on a wet day or after a really wet night it is rediculous so much water just pours in!

Sorry to jump on my soapbox; Thought they would have sorted that for the mk3...poor!

Other than that, sounds as though you are enjoying it

Oh and I have a Kenwood DAB system and that is no better, takes about 30seconds to boot up too, I just use my ears with the acoustic beeps

Edited 20 October, 2013 by Defenderben

[boff180]

Thanks guys,

The water seems to come from the area where the hatch meets the bottom of the rear window.

It happens as the boot is opened, running off the edge. Once the boot is fully open the water drains into the channels.

Andy

[PekoSI]

Good review but how in the world did Skoda let this water problem unresolved with the new Octavia. That really is a major design flaw. Does anyone have the same problems with Estate version as well? If so how bad is it? 

[Dr Zoidberg]

Thank you for the review but "water in the boot" was the deal-breaker for me.

 

That's been carried over from the Mk1 and Mk2

There are some DIY solutions that would probably apply, or buy the estate.

[Juniperz]

Estate seems fine to me.  I think I noticed the other day that the rear passenger door dumped water on the back seat though.

[LadyVienna]

No water has gone into mine (estate) and its been pouring this weekend lol

[Dr Zoidberg]

Thanks guys,

The water seems to come from the area where the hatch meets the bottom of the rear window.

It happens as the boot is opened, running off the edge. Once the boot is fully open the water drains into the channels.

Andy

 

The way to avoid the problem with the Mk1 and Mk2 was to open the boot but only lift it by less than a foot at first, pause for a couple of seconds to allow it to drain, and then open it fully.

[boff180]

That would probably work, I am quite ham fisted and don't usually wait for the pistons to raise the boot!

[TheWanderer]

The water in the boot solution is to use some clear door bump strip along the edge of the rear windscreen if I remember correctly. 

[RowdyAudi]

Hi guys,

 

In reference to the water issue, my estate seems to channel the water quite effectively although I was surprised how much had collected. No water entered the boot area though   

[kalpat]

Like others my Mk2 Octy was a pain dumping water into the boot. My new Octy Hatch still drips a bit into the boot but nothing like the old one. I agree Skoda should have resolved this issue but lifting the boot a bit slower seems to stop it.

[Partist]

No water has gone into mine (estate) and its been pouring this weekend lol

Same here.

[LadyVienna]

Must be a hatch only issue? Tho at least it seems less bad on the 3 than the 2

[DavidF3911]

Mine seems to be OK - I've noticed that water runs into the channels and down towards the rear bumper, but none has gone into to the boot. I reverse park onto my sloped drive so it doesn't always drain out. That plus the way the doors drain when I open them are disconcerting, but guess will get used to it.

[stomper]

Good to hear some feedback

 

What sort of economy are you getting out of interest? Urban/Motorway/Average?

[dunc69]

Good review.

I'd be very surprised if your car oversteers though!

[DavidF3911]

Good to hear some feedback

What sort of economy are you getting out of interest? Urban/Motorway/Average?

58mpg with 90% of my time a steady 70mph on cruise

[Sheldon.Cooper]

Hi guys,

 

Well I've owned my 2.0TDI 150 Elegance Hatch now for four weeks and 1000 miles, this is the first "new" car I've owned. Some people might be interested generally or it may help some that are looking to buy if I posted my thoughts on the good and bad of this car. I came from a 2008 Citroen C4 1.6HDI110 VTR+ (slow) and before that a 2005 Fiat Stilo 3Dr 1.9JTD115 Dynamic (much better than the press thought).

 

The Great

• Steering, it's very precise and perfectly weighted for normal driving. Sport mode is heavier but it stops you from twitching when pushing it.
• Handling, I would would describe this as "fun". She slightly over steers which is really good fun!

The Bad

 

• Rear Parking Display on Startup, I think this is an issue with the Amundsen system being slow (see below) however, if I start the engine and immediately go into reverse, it can be a good 30 seconds before the display turns on to show the radar display!
• Amundsen System, yes the system is good but it is painfully slow, especially in Sat Nav and DAB (changing station). In Sat Nav mode I am forever having to wait for "Please Wait" to clear. Also, why the hell can you not select a road or house number from the Postcode mode? I'm GIS trained and if the database is correctly designed this should be no problem.
• Water in the Boot! If you open the boot after it has rained, any water that on the hatch immediately runs off, the majority of which is caught in channels however a good amount runs straight into the boot which is a pain in the ass!

Would I change my decision to buy this car? No way, despite it's little downsides, I love it!

 

Andy

Steering is incredibly numb, I don't know what car you are comparing it to if you think it's well weighted and precise.   Go try almost any Ford made in the last 10 years, especially a sporty Focus or Mondeo, they are really great handling cars.

 

My rear parking display comes on immediately when I select reverse, which is normally within 5 seconds of starting the engine in a morning. 

 

SatNav is not slow either.  Not quite in the same league as a new TomTom or Garmin but not too bad.

 

Dab radio stations change quickly,

 

Same soddin' issue with water in the boot though.

Edited 22 October, 2013 by Sheldon.Cooper

[boff180]

I don't know what car you are comparing it to if you think it's well weighted and precise. .

Did you read the first paragraph of my post? The Citroen was so numb I couldn't eve feel a puncture on a front wheel once... First I knew was the unmistakable noise of a flat tyre!

My screen doesn't come on at all that quickly with the sensors on engine start and can take up to 5s to change stations in DAB, almost instant in FM.

With the Sat Nav mode, pressing the back button in the sat nav address menus results in 10s of "please wait". With current basic processor power and the "cost" of the Amundsen unit, it is slow. It strikes of a very limited memory and preloading of the next menu.etc so when you do something unexpected it has to clear the memory and think about it. Mobile phone apps, even those that fetch the nav data from the internet are significantly faster (I use CoPilot on my iPhone).

Edited 22 October, 2013 by boff180