Has anyone come from the Mk II 1.6 TDi Octavia Hatch, especially higher end ones like the Elegance? I ask because after two years I am wondering what if any benefits I would get other than the looks. My biggest bugbear with the current one is horrendous road noise on the majority of UK Tarmac surfaces - you really notice it goes almost silent on the rare smooth type so I know it's that. An annoying kind of background buzzing noise (not that obvious but once you spot it...... ) which seems to be coming from possibly upper left side trim but could be anywhere . Mainly then, has the new version improved the sound proofing, I can't tell from reviews as the MKii doesn't seem to have the problem highlighted.

Edited 1 February, 201412 yr by dcweather

Our Mk II Scout 2.0TDi (57 Reg) is still a great car (we still have it), but the new Mk III 2.0TDi Estate 4x4 really is a big step forward. It is an improvement in so many ways whilst still retaining all the qualities of the Mk II. Some of the differences are as follows:

 

1. Definitely quieter, even though the old car wasn't noisy as such.

2. Engine is much more responsive, and feels much more powerful than a nominal increase of only 10PS (from 140PS to 150PS) would suggest.

3. Economy seems to be about 5mpg better so far, but it is admittedly hard to resist using the increased performance.

4. Very much more sporty to drive - the old car is very stable and nice to drive, but the new one feels much lighter on its feet. Turn-in is much better and grip is quite phenomenal, even though the tyres are 20mm narrower (205 in place of 225). The old car would understeer although the engine didn't really have the grunt to expose this character unless you really worked at it! The new model is so grippy that it is essentially neutral in character, and can even tend towards oversteer if you want (although the traction control coupled with the 4wd tames that very quickly). The chassis is really amazing to be honest.

5. Ride is better than the old car although still firm and can be a little bit jiggly on bumpy roads. This is definitely not a problem for me as I prefer a firm-ish ride.

6. The car is bigger inside and the main beneficiary of this is passengers in the back set, who definitely have a few inches more legroom. The boot doesn't really seem any bigger to be perfectly honest, even though the spec says it is. Still vast, whichever way you look at it and as much as I will ever want in a car - to get a bigger boot a car would have to be way too big for my taste.

7. Sound system is OK although not much better than the old car in sound. But much better in functionality - DAB radio, SD card music, bluetooth and so on are all big advances. It is still a little bit clunky and not that elegant - more Nokia feature phone than iPhone if you get my drift - but it works OK and sounds OK.

 

Some of the things which aren't quite as good (although no really big issues):

 

1. Car is a  bit more inclined to mist up inside and so I find that I use the "maximum screen clearing" button more often along with the heated screen which is obviously not a standard fitment - but useable much more of the time than I had expected because of the increased propensity to mist up. When you use maximum boost it does clear quickly but I feel that shouldn't be as necessary as it has been. Of course the weather has not helped with this recently and it may be that when it becomes a little bit less wet I find this is not a big deal after all.

2. Gearbox is definitely a bit more notchy. Not that it is a problem - it is fast enough, but you feel like you're more in touch with the cogs than in the previous model. Surprising as I would have expected the gearboxes to feel very similar. It may be that this is because the car is new and it will loosen up with use, but i do not recall the previous car's gearbox being as notchy when it was new.

 

I can't think of anything more to mention at present but as I said at the beginning, the new car is a big advance on the old one. ALthough I have always loved driving the old Scout, every time I get back into it now after driving the new one I am amazed at the difference.

Thanks for taking the time to write this review - I'm moving from a 60 plate Scout to a VRS so expecting/hoping to be amazed. I spent 30 mins on a test drive and it was enough to make me want one ASAP. I agree about the road holding of the new chassis - feels very much improved over the old one, even taking into account the change in ride height.

Regarding your question about the road noise - tyres also play their role here so you should account them when comparing.

 

My previous car was a mk II 1.9 TDI hatch (same power output as the 1.6 TDI). Generally the new model is an improvement in all areas. There are also some other little things that you will notice - for example the smaller fuel tank, lesser interior practicality, the reflections of the interior over your windscreen and side mirrors, the higher price, side support of the back seats etc, overall interior quality is still an issue for earlier models etc. But nothing really to put you off,compared to what you get

 

The new car is a very good machine, so welcome to the club

The Mk3 is without question a big improvement on the Mk2 in most respects.

Currently drive a vRS Blackline DSG estate (so a 2.0 CR 170ps). Test drove a 150 TDi SE estate and found the following:-

Much quieter

Ride quality on another planet (but then my Mk2 is a vRS)

Power delivery way better on the latest gen CR units and without doubt quicker than the MK2 vRS TDi, the better engine and considerably lower kerb weight the likely cause. Its frankly not alot slower than the new vRS TDi i wouldnt have thought.

Despite its lack of sports suspension and modest 205 section tyres drove remarkably well and despite the obvious reduction in grip wouldnt be shamed by a Mk2 vRS in the handling dept.

MK3 really has moved the game on, just like the Golf Mk7 has. Cracking car