Octy 3 comprehensive review after 600km (1.8TSI 4x4 DSG)

[PUFPAF]

Hello dear forum members,

 

After having my Octy 3 for a while and being asked several times about this and that on the forum, I'd like to share my general first impression of the car with more focus on details. Details that I haven't or couldn't notice during my test drives  I hope it will help some people considering what to tick on their order's list, or those still driving their old Octy's and thinking to switch for Octy 3.

 

I would be comparing it mainly to the old one, having driven one for 7 years and +100k km. Here is the old TDI Elegance manual FWD hatch, a truthful companion, sold for approx EUR 6k, which comes to about 1/3 of the price that I bought it for, so I think it's not a bad residual. Less depreciation than Ford, Opel (Vauxhall), Renault, Citroen etc.

 

 

Now I have gone for a completely different animal with the TSI 4x4 DSG estate It is in Elegance trim with a couple of options added:

- Pano roof

- KESSY

- Winter pack

- Bi-xenon adaptive headlights with black fog lights

- Electric boot opening

- Half-leather package (I like it!)

- Rough-road package

- Chrome pack

- Bolero

- Cruise control, maxi-dot etc.

 

I have tried to draw the line at this point, as the price was starting to get comparable to the Passat. It should be noted that here the base list-price for 1.8 TSI 4x4 DSG Elegance IS higher than the vRS. So here it is, denim blue color, which my wife chose but it started to grow on me a lot First - it is rare and Second - I think it looks quite cool on the estate.

 

 

I will start with the annoying stuff, just to finish positively

1) The new model has lost on some of the interior practicality, compared to the old one. Yes, it is longer and wider inside, making i more comfortable. However, we are losing the box on top of the dashboard, the box to the side of the steering wheel IS smaller, the in-door bottle holder are noticably smaller AND face the opposite direction! So while previously my water bottle was facing to the driver, now it is facing to the bonner, which makes it very annoying and risky to take it out while driving.

2) There are a lot of reflections. More than on any other car I have driven. The most annoying is of course the huge dashboard vent line, which reflects a bit too high on the windscreen. Also the chromed side vents are clearly visible on your driver's window every time you look at your mirror.

3) My right foot is not really comfortable resting on the centre console. There is just not enough space there and most of the times when it is not on the gas pedal, it hits the console. I think this is a problem only one left-hand drive cars though

4) Water below the front door. Oh yeah, this is far from resolved. See the attached picture with dried water drops on it (and the steel door sill covers

5) The ride. I expected it to be more forgiving, but it's not. Especially with the rough-road package. On a positive note however the multi-link suspension on my new car is noticably less wobbly than the torsion-beam axle on my old Octy. So that is a plus

6) It doesn't feel lighter that the previous model, despite this being a key point in Skoda's advertising. Actually the doors on this one feel a lot heavier than my old Octy 2

7) When connecting my Galaxy S3 with USB, my CD music stops. It starts playing music from the phone, but when I switch the source to CD, the bolero says that there is no disc. Probably I am doing something wrong, please somebody advise ? BTW the Galaxy S3 does not fit in the simply clever phone holder, it's too wide. My wife's iPhone 4s fits though.

8) Fuel consumption. This goes withouth saying, so far it is bad. I am not used to such figures, but this is the spec I have chosen. The quoted official figures are nowhere near the ones I can report so far. Should improve.

 

OK now the good stuff. That is one damn good car

1) The boot is even bigger than before and more practical than ever. It has a lot more hooks, sticky pads for luggage separation and is deeper. I kept my old netting system from Octy 2 and good news - it fits here!Here is a photo with our Uppababy Vista stroller, which is a big one. Put this in a VW Golf and you are out of boot  Our first out-of-town driving we were 4 adults and a baby (middle-back), full of luggage and the cat on top of it an it was easily comfortable.

2) The 4x4 is so sweet. Many people have asked why do I need it, why pay for it etc. I hated the oversteer in my previous car, so now cornering happens quicker and safer. Especially in the wet. It works very good for climbing, especially if you've been stationary. And finally trying to engage into traffic is a lot easier. I just can't stand my front wheels burning rubber:)

3) I am happy with my rough-road package, especially after making the pictures and seeing how much dirt goes below our cars. This just keeps corrosion at the bottom of the car away, among other things. As some people requested pics, enjoy The left and right sides are separated by the exhaust system and the other protection is under the engine. I still don't understand why you can't fit bigger wheels though..

4) The pano roof is awesome. I expect it to become more awesome as the weather gets better. As there is a small net which rises after you open it, probably for soundproofing and the protect from flying objects, I am not sure how fast can you drive with it...please somebody advise. Here are two pics, it really does make the interior noticeably lighter:

5) Performance is very strong. At 7.5s 0-100 (0-62) time it is on par with mk1 vRS and quicker than mk2 and mk3 vRS TDI. Plus the 4WD. Sweet, smooth, refined. BTW refinement is a significant improvement compared to the previous model.

6) DSG is good of course, but even better is the space around it. The stick is very compact and because you don't have to shift it there is so much space to have your wallet, mobile ,cards etc. at hand

7) KESSY is totally worth it, I promise you won't regret getting it. On a side note, my car key still includes a key (you know, the metal part), but so far I haven't found why - i.e. where it is supposed to be put if you wanted to?

8) Electric boot-lid - unneccessary, but my wife and her parents like it very much, so I'm cool having it

9) Adaptive bi-xenons are awesome. Huge improvement from my old car. Like I have been blind until now. The washers on the headlapms on mine retract normally, unlike I have read some people here have experienced...

10 ) Other overall improvements that I find, compared to the Octy 2: comfortable seats, interior quality, design

 

So generally this concludes my overview of the car, as the most noticeable points. I am happy with it, it is definitely worth it and at those prices it is more or less unrivalled. Let's just hope that it is fairly reliable in the long-run and all of us have thousands of Octy 3 miles with happy and accident-free driving!

 

Please feel free to correct or ask me if you feel my comments are wrong.

 

[Mence]

Very interesting review, thank you for sharing.

[J8mbo]

Nice review.

 

Without looking in the manual - I think you use the key to turn off/ on the passenger airbag and to turn the child locks on for the rear doors.

 

The key is also used to unlock the drivers door in an emergency by removing the cover on the door handle, where you will find a keyhole.

 

The emergency start doesn't use the key blade - you place the closed key against the START button and press it with the remote.

[TudorM]

How did you mount the child seat in that position? There's no ISOFIX there and it doesn't seem like you used the seatbelt to secure it...

[ssfan]

Great write up. Thank you.

Re no isofix in the rear middle seat, I find it such a shame because it is a great position for the child seat if you only have one child.

[PUFPAF]

How did you mount the child seat in that position? There's no ISOFIX there and it doesn't seem like you used the seatbelt to secure it...

 

Yes, unfortunately there is no ISOFIX in the middle, but I really wanted to use this space so I bought a child seat secured only with the belt. It is a Maxi-cosi Priori XP, which requires the seatbelt to go behind it - this is why you can't see it.

 

As we are waiting for a second baby now, I wanted to mount 2 child seats at the back in such a way, that there is also space for an adult. So I plan using the Maxi-Cosi Priori in the middle, the Maxi-Cosi Pearl with ISOFIX base (which we currently use on my wife's Toyota) to the side...and there should be enough space for somebody to sit with the children at the back if necessary TBH I wanted to have ISOFIX at the passenger seat, but it was incompatible with any piece of leather on the seat :/ By the way the car has also a Top-Tether hook in the boot for maximum protection, if you have such a child seat.

 

Just wanted to add a couple of  points that I forgot last night to the topic: 

 

I am very fond of the 4-spoke steering wheel, as it provides more options to rest your hands on the highway and personally I think it looks much better than the 3-spoke. The layout of the buttons is nicely thought of and comfortable for your thumbs. The bluetooth is very responsive and using the phone is a joy.

 

From the official accessories I highly recommend the Octavia rubber foot mats 5E1 061 550. In my old car I was using some rubber mats bought from a local store and they required constant adjusting. These stay on place and I will be using them for the winter. The car also came standard with textile mats, which will wait for now I am also very happy with the Rubber/Textile boot mat 5E9 061 163A, because you use the rubber when carrying dirty stuff and then you can flip it to the textile side and it doesn't look like you have a mat at all. The sticky luggage separators work on its textile part, so it is really practical

[Genoa1893]

Well,

first of all congrat for your second baby!

 

Great review, and thanks for your recommendations on foot and boot mats.

 

Anyway I miss you when you write that your previous car oversteered. Wasn't it a FWD octy?

 

In my experience that car (pretty much as any FWD) exhibits an understeering behavior. I'm evaluating 4x4 right to correct that understeer and to improve traction in corners and on wet.

 

Did I miss something?

 

Thank you,

 

Stefano

[PUFPAF]

Of course, you are correct. I mean understeer, obviously. My bad :/

The difference in traction is so big between the two cars. For small hot hatches FWD works most of the time, but the Octy is longer and heavier (as a TDI especially) and it didn't feel very safe in corners

[pipsyp]

Good review and nice car. Sadly the 1.8 TSI isnt available in the UK, biggest regular engines we get are the 1.4 TSI 140 and the 2.0 TDI 150.

Personally not a big fan of the four spoke wheel, three spoke IMHO looks better and feels nicer in the hands having a bit more of a sporty profile (is basically the same as the vRS wheel without the perforated leather).

Sadly in the UK its not an option on manual cars, only on DSGs if you want paddle shifts. Strangely some UK SE spec cars seem to have been delivered with three spoke MFSW's as standard when normally a four spoke non MF wheel is fitted to these from the factory. Would love it if the same thing happened with my Elegance!

Edited 24 January, 2014 by pipsyp

[johh]

Personally not a big fan of the four spoke wheel, three spoke IMHO looks better and feels nicer in the hands having a bit more of a sporty profile (is basically the same as the vRS wheel without the perforated leather).

 

I am very fond of the 4-spoke steering wheel, as it provides more options to rest your hands on the highway and personally I think it looks much better than the 3-spoke. The layout of the buttons is nicely thought of and comfortable for your thumbs. The bluetooth is very responsive and using the phone is a joy.

 

I agree that the 3-spoke looks a lot nicer and I also agree that the 4-spoke is noticably more comfortable and versatile for the driver.

It was function over form for me and I opted for the 4-spoke multi-function.

[Genoa1893]

Of course, you are correct. I mean understeer, obviously. My bad :/

The difference in traction is so big between the two cars. For small hot hatches FWD works most of the time, but the Octy is longer and heavier (as a TDI especially) and it didn't feel very safe in corners

 

Thank you for motivating me even more towards the 4x4 for the very same reasons

 

Ciao,

 

Stefano

 

P.S.: ...dreaming of a VRS 4x4...

Edited 24 January, 2014 by Genoa1893

[reverse]

6) It doesn't feel lighter that the previous model, despite this being a key point in Skoda's advertising. Actually the doors on this one feel a lot heavier than my old Octy 2

 

Well, you can't really compare a FWD hatch, manual to a 4WD Combi DSG when it comes to weight. DSG, 4WD system and Combi bodytype all add to the weight. Also check your equipment list and you will see why your cars "doesn't feel lighter"

[PUFPAF]

Nice review.

 

Without looking in the manual - I think you use the key to turn off/ on the passenger airbag and to turn the child locks on for the rear doors.

 

The key is also used to unlock the drivers door in an emergency by removing the cover on the door handle, where you will find a keyhole.

 

The emergency start doesn't use the key blade - you place the closed key against the START button and press it with the remote.

 

Ah, yes. It does have its uses, thanks mate. I read about the emergency uses in the manual, but I forgot about the airbags

 

By the way, to correct myself after driving some more. The ride now is really not as harsh as i have described above in the beginning. I think that for the first 500km it was due to the brand new Conti winter tyres and the brakes needing some time to settle.

 

We have tested today a few potholes and speedbumps that we know of, and it is actually gliding compared to the previous model. Especially for passengers at the back, who also benefit from the longer wheel base, i.e. when feeding the toddler