2014 Skoda Octavia vRS

 

An off the cuff visit to Benfield Skoda in December resulted in me ordering an Octavia vRS meaning I benefited from the 0% deal. I found myself in a strange position as I'd always said I would never buy a brand new car and yet here I was signing away my life to a lifetime of finance misery. To cheer myself up I scanned down the option list and ticked the box for a full size spare (a bare necessity), cruise control, heated front seats, canton sound system and the panaramic sunroof. 

Then followed and extending period of anticipation ahead of the arrival of the car. That car finally came round on 9th May and Sophie and I collected the new Octavia. I have to say at this point that Benfield Skoda have been magnificent with a real attention to detail and customer service. We have both been thoroughly impressed. 

 

Black_Magic by skodanorman, on Flickr

 

Black_Magic by skodanorman, on Flickr

 

Black_Magic by skodanorman, on Flickr

 

 

The joyous feeling of driving the car away will stay with me for a long while and no amount of depreciation scaremongering will dampen that crisp memory. Already the car has covered some 500 miles and is now completely filthy owing to the downpours experienced over the weekend. 

On our return journey to Wales we met up with another Skoda Owners' Club member who had a 2 week old Rapid Sport. We couldn't resist grabbing some photos. 

 

RN111521_edit by skodanorman, on Flickr

 

RN111513_edit by skodanorman, on Flickr

 

RN111515_edit by skodanorman, on Flickr

 

RN111526_edit by skodanorman, on Flickr

 

Full set here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/skodanorman/sets/72157644672993635

 

 

As time wears on and the miles are accumulated I will be better able to assess the competence of the vRS but so far I have been thoroughly impressed. Okay, so it can't match my previous tfsi for outright performance but then nor could my tfsi return 45mpg without trying. What I have found most astounding is the way the car grips with a complete lack of understeer. For a car of this size and girth it can be hustled along with surprising ease and accuracy.

The boot is massive too and coming from the Felicia a very pleasant change. No longer is the dog stuffed in the back with little space; it is positively palatial now. It isn't all rosy though as I've noticed a few areas where cost cutting has taken place over the previous generation Octavia. There are three main points as far as I can see;

1/ The handbrake is on the "other side" of the cupholders which means you have to reach over and across. This was reversed for RHD cars on the mk2. 

2/ The door cards on the mk2 were a lovely leather material. This has been replaced by very cheap black plastic on the mk3. 

3/ All of the inner door handles are made from the same mould too. Unfortunately only the driver gets the mirrors adjustment controls and 4 electric window buttons. Others therefore suffer hideous blanking plates. 

It is a shame because in many areas the car is a level above the older model and the general fit and finish is very good but now I've spotted these deficiencies I'm struggling to ignore them every time I get in and pull the door closed. 

I take it that it's a diesel(looking at the rev counter), how does the performance compare to the mk2 VRS petrol as on the face of it the bhp difference isn't significant and I'm guessing the torque may be in the diesels favour?

Yeah it is a diesel. It is the 2.0 TDi mated to a 6 speed manual gearbox. The engine is quoted as being 184bhp and 380nm of torque. As the engine isn't run in yet I haven't been able to fully get to grips with the engine but I did have one quick blast of flat out acceleration. Frankly, I wasn't impressed. The car simply didn't pin you back to your seat like the tfsi and nor did it race round to the top of the rev counter with glee whilst accompanied by the wondrous soundtrack. But it requires a different driving style; less dependant on revs and using that massive amount of torque to good effect. I think it'll take a bit of getting used to but, bearing in mind I have only been using upto 3/4 throttle; I've found it quite the competent overtaker down country lanes (ideal around here). 

It is hard to draw any firm conclusions at this point and I am looking forward to getting to know it more but I am expecting to find this a more practical, if less exciting, proposition. Having said that, I am still besotted with pre-FL mk2 Octavias and really can't wait to own one again. I still regret selling it. 

 

Skoda_Octavia_vRS_Aug by skodanorman, on Flickr

Vrs does look nice in Black, enjoy

 

 

 

Now that's what I call a happy Trio  :cocktail:

 

Love the whole story

Thanks! That is very kind.

 

I've had a few things going on in life recently so haven't been able to keep this as updated as I would have liked but I shall try and get some updates when I can. 

1997 Skoda Felicia L 

 

The Felicia has come to be the reliable car in the fleet during the last year of up's and down's (and Land Rover ownership) so when the MOT was due last month I wasn't expecting anything untoward. I dropped the car off at my recently opened local garage and waited to get my clean bill of health. My optimism wasn't rewarded though and I was handed a fail sheet stating that the car had failed on;

 

- Emissions

- Front shock absorber leaking too much fluid

- And an advisory that some of my brake pipes were due for replacement within the next 12 months

 

 

Annoying though this is, there was some good news. A few months ago I had bought some Gaz shocks for the car which are supposed to firm up the ride without loosing any ride height. I duly left these to be fitted by the garage and asked them to order a new catalytic converter and lambda sensor. Within two days the car was ready and had 12 months MOT. Some might say that spending £300 on a P reg Felicia is madness but on the other hand, in the last year we have covered 14,000 trouble free miles in the car and there isn't anything fundamentally wrong with it. Moreover, if we did part company with it I can imagine that it's life would be very short lived so I don't think it is as silly as it sounds. Besides which, I've grown attached to the Flying Pea. 

 

 

The Gaz shocks have transformed the car. They've actually raised the ride height which is a great plus on the lanes and farm tracks round here. The car grips so well now and the limit of adhesion is dictated by the tyres rather than the suspension - so I'm on the look out for some G60 steels. 

 

Over in the Classics section of the forum they asked for some photos of the modifications carried out so I've put them up here too. They show the switchable bootlight (a small point but greatly improves the practicality of the car), a boot mounted fire extinguisher and my budget I.C.E. installation. And perhaps most noticeable, the bright blue interior from a Pacific limited edition which was a 99p eBay bargain. 

 

 

 

 

As can be seen, there is some rot creeping so I am hoping to tackle that this Summer. 

I'm not entirely sure how five months have passed (?) but I'll do my best to fill you in on that time. 

 

1997 Skoda Felicia L

 

Following the MOT, the Felicia continued on as a daily car. I finished installing the Pacific interior and I taxed it. Aside from that it was business as usual with the Flying Pea. I took it along to the Lymm Historic Transport Day too and parked it next to my pal's 126. I normally consider the Felicia to be a small car but the 126 redefined that! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In August it started to misbehave with the occasional hesitation; particularly when under load. This continued to grow to the point wouldn't climb the smallest of inclines - not ideal for Wales! Time and funds were in short supply so it gradually found its way to the back of the drive. Then I bought an MZ which needed collected. The Felicia being the only car in the fleet with a tow bar it was duly dusted off and sent to the garage to be fixed. Ten days later and they still haven't even looked at it so I took it home - still running terribly. I had diagnosed enough to know the fault lay either with the coil pack or crank sensor. A coil pack was sourced on eBay (£20) and the wiring loom from a Felicia I broke was raided for the crank sensor. I swapped the crank sensor first as its quicker and easier; and what do you know? Problem solved! 

With PMOL now fighting fit again, I borrows a friend's trailer and set to collecting the MZ. 

 

 

 

Admittedly it isn't the best towing vehicle. The 54bhp at times struggling to provide sufficient forward motion; particularly uphill, but as ever PMOL plodded on and got the job done. 

 

Now with winter upon us it becomes a question of preventive maintenance to keep the rust at bay. And I need to find a new CD player for it; the current one won't go above Vol 9! 

2014 Skoda Octavia vRS

 

 

Six months down the line and PGK has fitted well into the fleet. 

 

 

 

10,000 mile and counting. What can I say about the vRS? Well this is the an eminently practical and usable car. It is just as happy pottering into town as it munching intercontinental cruises with ease. I miss having a petrol engine which ultimately offers more performance and character but the diesel is far from slow and obviously noticeably more economical. 

 

Back in the Summer my wife and I loaded up PGK and headed to Europe. This is where the vRS comes into it's own with a huge range (500 miles) comfortable seats, decent sound system and of course the massive boot. Our journey took us East through Holland and Germany and into Czech. We stopped off in Mlada Boselav and effectively took the new car home already - I thought it was a cool thing to do. From there we headed to Slovakia and SW Poland. 

 

Pre-departure wash

 

 

At the ferry terminal

 

Money shot

 

 

Due to a personal emergency we had to cut the holiday short and drove from Poland to Dorset in one go. Once passed several traffic jams in Poland the boot was stocked up with vodka and Germany despatched with ease. Belgium happened briefly and we were soon in France and queuing for a ferry out of Calais. A full fry up and nap on the ferry provided enough sustenance to reach the M25 before I bailed into the services for another sleep. 1.5 hours later and we were away and in Dorset without a single moan from the car. 

 

Some flies killed

 

The best thing about Germany

 

Belgium

 

Calais

 

Final stats

 

Cross Continental Bruiser

 

Other memorable trips with the car include a 24 journey to Goodwood FoS and back in one day. It's also driven from our home in Wales to Dorset several times and upto the North East regularly too. Truthfully we've done more miles than anticipated when we purchased the car but that is just the way of life sometimes isn't it? I'm grateful the car has been there to take up the baton and run with it. 

 

At Goodwood

Ace thread Skodanorman, particularly like hearing about the vRS. Agreed for outright go you cant really beat a 2.0 TSFi/TSi but the 150/184 TDi's do go exceedingly well and are a very good compromise

A great thread Skodanorman

 

the only car i have regretted selling was my J reg Rapid 136RIC i sold it a guy and within a week i was trying to buy it back, over the next few years i kept asking and he continued to say no, he never actually put it on the road he just had it in a council garage, on stands, i lost touch with the guy so thought i would never get her back, then out  the blue bumped into him in a shop, we exchanged pleasantry's then i asked the most important question, can i buy my car back.... the answer he gave my brought a tear to my eyes, the council where knocking the garages down and asked him what he was going to do with the car, he just told them to scrap it, as long as he didn't need to pay for it, the most annoying part of all of this was him smirking as he was telling me, i was so upset .... i have been looking for a good example for years but the just come up for sale i would have a 136 or an Estelle it wouldn't bother me i just want a proper Skoda again, i have a Superb now which is well Superb,but it just aint a real Skoda