So, after five months and three weeks exactly, I have taken delivery of my Octavia vRS.

 

Spec as follows:

Estate

TSI manual

Candy white

Black pack

Columbus

Canton

Cruise

 

So a brief review is in order, I feel.

 

Firstly, the dealer: Westover Skoda Bournemouth. I've documented my experiences on here extensively, but having been handed over to my third, and final, sales person, I've regained some faith in them. He's kept me updated, responded to my emails quickly and precisely, and has returned any calls that I've made very promptly. The first two sales people were poor. The one with whom I've had my most recent dealings I cannot find fault with. 

 

Secondly: The most important bit, the car! 

Having only driven it from the dealership to home, and thus having only put 17 miles on the car (33 in total), I cannot really comment on the engine's performance and suchlike. I intend to run it in reasonably before opening it up fully, but little 75%-throttle squirts have revealed plenty of potential when I've put some miles on, and pop it out of Eco mode. The engine runs quietly and smoothly.

 

The gearbox is lovely, with a pleasantly short shift, and a nice positive engaging action. Nicely weighted, but slick and smooth. The ratios seem good, and it'll happily pootle along at 30mph in 5th. 

 

The ride, in my humble opinion, is beautifully judged. Not too harsh, but plenty of body control when you engage in spirited cornering. It can get a little unsettled over surfaces with a rapid succession of bumps, but at speed, I have no complaints. My view may change when I've covered some more mileage, but for now, I'm happy. 

 

The seats are nicely supportive, and the single-piece nature of the structure means no adjustability in where the head restraint is. Fortunately, for me at least, it's positioned perfectly, and I find it is in exactly the right place to support my head under normal driving conditions. My shoddy back means I often struggle with lumbar support, but I have found the support offered by the seats to be nicely situated, and not too low down in the small of my back. Even with the lumbar support on its most protruding setting, it remains nicely padded and comfortable. 

 

Overall build quality seems very good indeed. Nothing rattles or squeaks, and there is a thoroughly solid feel to the car. It doesn't feel quite as made-from-granite as the very best big German saloons (having sampled an Audi A7 a week ago), however when one remembers that the A7 in question would have been £70k-ish, and a vRS around £25k. With this in mind, it's exceptionally well made, and everything feels decidedly robust. 

 

In terms of equipment, I shall kick off proceedings with the cruise control, with will probably be the most common option. It works. Little more to be said. One nice feature which seems to have been carried over from the new generation of Audi's and probably VW's is that it doesn't disengage cruise control when you change up a gear. So, let's say your trundling along at 30, in 4th gear, and decide 5th is a better option. You change up to 5th, and the cruise re-engages and keeps you at 30, without you having to manually press the RES button. Small change, but quite nice in my opinion. 

 

Columbus. Wonderful large screen, but feels right in the car, and doesn't dominate the centre console, which I was a little afraid it might. The capacitive nature of it means it's responsive and snappy. Some of the touch-and-hold scrolling, like you routinely do on phones, tablets and the like, doesn't work as well as I'd hoped, and I often find myself selecting things instead of scrolling down the list of options, for example. It's easily solved by using the right hand rotary dial thingy though. 

Functionality wise, it works very nicely. The sat nav seems fluid and sharp, not that I've used it to actually navigate anywhere yet, so I can't comment on its route finding skills as yet. 

Bluetooth pairing was easy, and bluetooth audio streaming works just fine for music. I still prefer having the music on the inbuilt Jukebox to avoid any detrimental audio processing or equaliser jiggery pokery by my phone, and in the interests of phone battery life. I've yet to set up station logos for DAB, because I rarely listen to the radio, and generally CBA. I will do, but not yet. Overall ease of use is good, and the speed with which is responds to inputs is refreshing, especially as I often have to deal with Jaguar touchscreen systems, which require a hammer to register inputs, and then take 15 years, seven months and 12 months to deal with the instruction, and then operates at about five frames per second. In contrast, the Columbus is quick and beautifully smooth.

 

The colour maxidot (included with Columbus) is rather swish. It's easy to navigate with the multifunction wheel buttons, which are terrifyingly complicated if you just read the manual. In reality it is intuitive and easy to use, is crystal clear, smooth and silky. The graphical presentation of this, as well as the Columbus, makes it feel a very premium product. 

 

Canton is sounding nice. As good as the Bang and Olufsen system in the aforementioned A7? No. Of course not. Canton was £400. B&O £6,300. BUT, I find the Canton system very pleasing. First impressions were that it was alright, but having then got a lift in a friends MKII vRS I have since realised that the Canton system in the MKIII is leaps and bounds ahead of the standard system in the old Octy, which itself isn't bad at all in the grand scheme of things. I know there are threads on here with people who are underwhelmed with the Canton system, but personally, I'm impressed. I think it accurately reproduces the music, has crisp treble, decent mid range (perhaps a little 'muddy' if I'm being picky) and controlled but powerful bass response. I must say, the quality of reproduction when played off the cars hard drive is vastly superior when compared to bluetooth streaming, and even off the external hard drive plugged in to the USB port, from which the music was subsequently imported. Good source quality is vital to getting the most out of the system. 256kbps would be what I consider the minimum for enjoyable listening. Rear seat passengers have complained about slightly boomy bass, although the Canton was set for 'Front', so it's hardly surprising it didn't sound great in the back. 

 

Exterior-wise, I think the estate is perfectly proportioned, with clean, crisp lines, and a nicely aggressive front end, without being overly aggressive. The rear end could do, for my taste, something extra to make it stand out a little more, but better to be understated than 'yeh boi' big bumpers and spoilers (a-la Subaru WRX STi). The wheels are nice, and I am, for now, happy with the ride height. One day, maybe, I'll consider doing something to lower it very slightly, and maybe pop some different dampers in or something, but I'll have to live with it for some time before embarking on such a route. 

I have also been tempted by the recent trend of having a black wrap on the roof. Although I'm still very tempted, I'm not sure whether it's overkill, and quite like it as it is... for now. Again, after a few months I may feel otherwise. 

 

Overall, I'm thoroughly delighted. For the money, I genuinely don't think there's anything comparable in terms of pace, space and grace. When run in, I've got every confidence it'll keep up with most other stuff on UK roads (yes in a straight line, or on an Alpine road in the right hands, there are many other cars out there that are faster, but for day to day usability the vRS is in a class with very few other cars). The practicality is great, the boot space a usable shape. I'm 6'2", and my 6'+ friend can happily sit behind me with plenty of knee room.


Finally, photos (which is no doubt all anyone's interested in anyway ) 

 

I have been waiting on mine since 5/11/2013

Nice report and they do look excellent in white, and its not just because I have one ordered myself and hope to see it in May...

 

Best of luck with the new motor

nice comments and photos.

I have been waiting on mine since 5/11/2013

Not too much longer to go then, one hopes. Ordered mine 16/10/2013. 

Great stuff, enjoy!

Looking good.  That's a great spec.  Your comment re: the rear end being given something to stand out a bit more, maybe something like diffuser-esque fins on the black part may help it to stand out, as is the rage for some cars, but as you say, it's probably better to be understated.

 

I couldn't help but notice that the leather on your seat squab bolster is already showing signs of creasing. Is that a temporary crease and did it return back to as-new, or has it stayed like that?  

 

Statto 

Nice motor. Looks very similar to mine apart from I couldn't stump up the additional cost for Columbus, and Bolero looks a bit inadequate in comparison. You do however need to remove the dealer sticker in the rear screen and get a Briskoda sticker instead! Enjoy your new wheels. My VRS now has 3.5k on the clock and gets better by the day.

Makes me regret not going vRS TSi if Im honest....exactly how id have spec'd one now even down to colour.

Columbus, really not terrific value for money but does look really great. The Amundsen is v good and functionally not a great deal different but this is the nuts....I suppose you do get the colour maxidot and mitsumi with it too which is quite good. I think if I had my time again this would have now be my "oh why not" option.

Canton....possibly not as good as it could be given the sub and the massively higher amplification and DSP processing but for £400 I am coming round to the fact its value.....i have stuck up for the standard system previously but whilst it sounds good enough theres just not enough volume or punch for my liking. My Mk2 only had 80w of power too but it was possible with careful tone setting and volume control to get it sounding amazing at really quite high volume levels...thats completely impossible with the mk3...in fact for me its the most disappointing thing about the car......read it and weep I am gutted I didnt spec it now.

Silver cloth was a great call, red is a bit lairy, black pack is a necessity but Im not actually that much of a fan of dark glass anymore so refreshing to see a vRS without it for a change.

agree cruise is just satisfactory and not particularly clever (no hill braking etc) but the ability to use the clutch without having to resume is a good touch.

many congrats....rather envious at this point!!

Looking good.  That's a great spec.  Your comment re: the rear end being given something to stand out a bit more, maybe something like diffuser-esque fins on the black part may help it to stand out, as is the rage for some cars, but as you say, it's probably better to be understated.

 

I couldn't help but notice that the leather on your seat squab bolster is already showing signs of creasing. Is that a temporary crease and did it return back to as-new, or has it stayed like that?  

 

Statto 

 

One of my work colleagues seems to agree: Front end is spot on and wouldn't change a thing. Back end needs something, but I'm not sure what. 

The leather is a little creased and seems to be remaining that way. In fairness I'm not the smallest of chaps, and it's always going to get a bit of squishing whenever you get in and out of the car, so I'm not too concerned yet. I hope it doesn't deteriorate much further though...

 

Nice motor. Looks very similar to mine apart from I couldn't stump up the additional cost for Columbus, and Bolero looks a bit inadequate in comparison. You do however need to remove the dealer sticker in the rear screen and get a Briskoda sticker instead! Enjoy your new wheels. My VRS now has 3.5k on the clock and gets better by the day.

 

I definitely need to get the sticker gone and get a couple of Briskoda stickers when the shop comes back online. 

Can't wait to get the mileage up and then be able to open it up a bit without feeling guilty!

 

Makes me regret not going vRS TSi if Im honest....exactly how id have spec'd one now even down to colour.

Columbus, really not terrific value for money but does look really great. The Amundsen is v good and functionally not a great deal different but this is the nuts....I suppose you do get the colour maxidot and mitsumi with it too which is quite good. I think if I had my time again this would have now be my "oh why not" option.

Canton....possibly not as good as it could be given the sub and the massively higher amplification and DSP processing but for £400 I am coming round to the fact its value.....i have stuck up for the standard system previously but whilst it sounds good enough theres just not enough volume or punch for my liking. My Mk2 only had 80w of power too but it was possible with careful tone setting and volume control to get it sounding amazing at really quite high volume levels...thats completely impossible with the mk3...in fact for me its the most disappointing thing about the car......read it and weep I am gutted I didnt spec it now.

Silver cloth was a great call, red is a bit lairy, black pack is a necessity but Im not actually that much of a fan of dark glass anymore so refreshing to see a vRS without it for a change.

agree cruise is just satisfactory and not particularly clever (no hill braking etc) but the ability to use the clutch without having to resume is a good touch.

many congrats....rather envious at this point!!

 

I was of the frame of mind of "I've got no logical reason to order this car, and therefore I'm getting one because I want one. Therefore I shall also go for (within reason) the options I want." 

I agree on all counts though, the Columbus is very expensive, but coupled with the colour maxidot makes the cabin feel extra-special. 

Canton is still sounding good, and if others on here are to be believed it will run in with the rest of the car, and improve as the useage increases, as the drivers become more supple and therefore respond a bit better (perhaps why it sounds slightly 'muddy' in the mid range at the moment). That being said, I find the bass response quite adequate as it's still accurate and controlled, unlike the phat bangin' doofers that you seem to find in pimped out 206's and Saxo's and suchlike. 

Like yourself, I found the MKII system quite alright, and have heard rather negative stuff about the standard system in the MKIII. I must say though, having got out of my car into a MKII vRS, the standard system in the old car sounded terrible in comparison. 

Loving the clinical look of black and white exterior with the black and white interior. It just works nicely, and believe that unless the exterior is a grey or black, white stitching is the way to go. 

Also found that the cruise stays on with a downshift as well, which I liked, as it was a PITA to change down for a hill and then have to re-engage. I agree some auto-braking would be good, but nevertheless it's a decent cruise system and certainly as good as any standard cruise system I've ever used. 

Also found that the cruise stays on with a downshift as well, which I liked, as it was a PITA to change down for a hill and then have to re-engage. I agree some auto-braking would be good, but nevertheless it's a decent cruise system and certainly as good as any standard cruise system I've ever used. 

 

I agree with everything except cruise control. It should be standard on cars of this class and should be more intuitive and less cumbersome. The size of that rocker switch is far too small to mess about finding top and bottom and the slider feels like it's from a child's toy.  It's also not very sophisticated with increases or decreases of just 1mph.

 

To be fair though, the switch is far too sensitive on mine and will be replaced. Maybe then it won't be activated quite so frequently when indicating.

Awesome review mate! Can't wait to see it in the flesh!

I agree with everything except cruise control. It should be standard on cars of this class and should be more intuitive and less cumbersome. The size of that rocker switch is far too small to mess about finding top and bottom and the slider feels like it's from a child's toy.  It's also not very sophisticated with increases or decreases of just 1mph.

 

To be fair though, the switch is far too sensitive on mine and will be replaced. Maybe then it won't be activated quite so frequently when indicating.

 Agree it should definitely be standard. 

Not found myself engaging mine accidentally, but then again if yours is ultra sensitive I guess that explains it. 

Awesome review mate! Can't wait to see it in the flesh!

 

I think you'll be impressed. Might make the wait even worse though 

you didn't take enough pictures of it for my liking............I need to see it from more angles and I need to see more of the interior, in particular the dash.............

 

 

(fab car by the way)

Edited 11 April, 201412 yr by Herschel

 Agree it should definitely be standard. 

Not found myself engaging mine accidentally, but then again if yours is ultra sensitive I guess that explains it. 

 

Mine was indeed a faulty switch. The dealer confirmed this and has ordered a replacement. Hopefully it'll be working again soon.

 

I'm thinking of other things to moan about for when I can no longer grumble about dodgy cruise control. Any ideas would be welcomed...

Thanks for the great review, I am glad you are enjoying the car, I too think the Columbus really adds to the look of the car and of course to the price, when I first saw the brochure, I decided to go for the Columbus as I thought it just looked right.

As it is the first new car I have ever bought, I went for the options I wanted rather than ones with the best resale value.

It is interesting reading your comments regarding the Jaguar touchscreen, my mum has an XF Sportbrake and the sensitivity isn't as good as I would like, so pleased to read the Columbus is better.

It does look good in white, the black pack goes nicely.

Have fun running it in.

Thanks for the great review, I am glad you are enjoying the car, I too think the Columbus really adds to the look of the car and of course to the price, when I first saw the brochure, I decided to go for the Columbus as I thought it just looked right.

As it is the first new car I have ever bought, I went for the options I wanted rather than ones with the best resale value.

It is interesting reading your comments regarding the Jaguar touchscreen, my mum has an XF Sportbrake and the sensitivity isn't as good as I would like, so pleased to read the Columbus is better.

It does look good in white, the black pack goes nicely.

Have fun running it in.

 

XF Sportbrake is a gorgeous car, and I'd have one like a shot if I could afford the Diesel S. But the infotainment system is its biggest letdown. Unresponsive and slow touchscreen, and it's a small screen at that, running an archaic NavTeq system. 

 

 

Still, a vRS TSI will keep up with it in the real world, and with the lovely manual gearbox will always be more engaging to drive. 

You'll enjoy yours when it arrives, I promise!