We managed to test-drive one of each yesterday & were surprised that we preferred the Ocy.

 

FWIW we are both Ford People, both as pensioners & vehicle owners, & we really wanted to life the Focus, but that was not to be.

 

The Focus should have at least "felt" quicker with 250PS against "only" 220PS in the bigger / heavier Octavia but it just seem to have the punch that we expected. 

 

Both cars were clean & tidy, with 9/10K miles, so not too tight, only the Octavia felt eager enough to match / better our current octy 2 vRS or even my big silver barge! (Both 2.0 TSi / DSG).

 

As for interior space, comfort & control layout the Octy is far easier to live with, the controls have a similar logic to any other VAG car, but, if we were more used to current Fords, then their scatter-gun approach to buttons might be easier to understand.........

 

(Makes my MK 3 Mondeo seem an advance over todays Fords....)

 

So, ignoring OTR prices for now, ('cos we do get Ford Privilege discounts which might make the Octy an expensive option, the possibly boring & slightly sensible Skoda might just be where we go next.

 

It's quite possible that the 2015 facelift Focus will address some of the issues we have with the car, but it will still be smaller inside, & that just might still keep us in the Skoda camp.

 

Then again, I just might decide to keep my Super B for another year & persuade SWMBO that she "needs" a newer vRS!

 

Comments & opinions always welcome....

 

 

DC   

 

  

 

Its very interesting to read comparisons others have done, its amazing how different people's views can be, especially when youve done the same two car comparison. I had a slightly different take on these two when I compared them though 

 

 

 

You say the Octavia is heavier? Thats a surprise to me but I dont have the figures but id have strongly assumed the new MQB Octy VRS would be lighter than the old school Ford.

 

 

 

The Ford for me was by far the more driver orientated car, I thought turn in was sharper, body control was superior and felt the engine gave more throughout the rev range - iirc it revved over 1000 more rpm than the Octavia did whilst still pulling strongly. Lower gearing on the ST made it feel nippy and Im pretty convinced it was quicker (due to this), certainly at moving off from higher cruising speeds. Overall I just thought the ST felt keener and more responsive. Thats also sans the Mountune map which would turn it into something far quicker whilst keeping the warranty fully in tact and giving no additional cost on the insurance front. Feedback through the chassis and wheel were greater in the ST also imo.

 

 

 

The VRS is a great all round package though and it trumped the ST in terms of practicality - rear legroom and boot are uncomparable given the fact they are supposed to be in the same class and the quality of the interior materials was better on the Octy imo although I think the ST was good enough in this respect. I liked the fact the VRS wasnt as in your face as the ST estate. Given the bargain prices that you can pick up a brand new ST for currently (a base ST comes in at just over £16,900), I'd shove the Mountune kit on there (for around 275bhp and 400nm torque) and be pretty happy.

Read this:

 

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/skoda/octavia/84930/skoda-octavia-vrs-estate-vs-ford-focus-st-estate

Edited 8 May, 201412 yr by cnc

Read this:

 

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/skoda/octavia/84930/skoda-octavia-vrs-estate-vs-ford-focus-st-estate

Interesting comparison and pretty much comes to the same conclusion that I did.

Edit - according to that article, the VRS is also lighter than the ST as expected too.

Read this:

 

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/skoda/octavia/84930/skoda-octavia-vrs-estate-vs-ford-focus-st-estate

 

Did I read that correctly - they like the ST over the VRS?  When pretty much every aspect of the VRS outperforms the ST?

 

 

And the editor didn't pick up on this before it was released?   Ahh well - just goes to show AutoExpress will hire anyone, even if they are paid by Ford ;o)

Did I read that correctly - they like the ST over the VRS?  When pretty much every aspect of the VRS outperforms the ST?

 

 

And the editor didn't pick up on this before it was released?   Ahh well - just goes to show AutoExpress will hire anyone, even if they are paid by Ford ;o)

I sort of agree with your view, in particular in the text it says the "Ford blitzed the Skoda during our in-gear acceleration tests" and yet the figures they publish seem to suggest it was a lot closer than that:

 

0-60/30-70mph         ST: 6.7/5.7 secs vRS: 6.4/5.0 secs

30-50mph in 3rd/4th ST: 2.8/3.3 secs vRS: 2.6/3.9 secs

50-70mph in 5th/6th ST: 4.3/5.5 secs vRS: 5.6/7.6 secs

 

Did I read that correctly - they like the ST over the VRS?  When pretty much every aspect of the VRS outperforms the ST?

 

 

And the editor didn't pick up on this before it was released?   Ahh well - just goes to show AutoExpress will hire anyone, even if they are paid by Ford ;o)

 

You pay the organist you name the tunes.  It's rare that AutoExpress have anything negative to say about Skoda though.  I wonder how many copies Skoda buy as each time I enter a dealer there are copies along with dozens of professionaly produced glossy road tests completed by them and I assume purchased from them.  AutoExpress and Skoda certainly are comfortable bed partners.

Thanks for all your comments & useful info.

 

Perhaps SWMBO & I are no longer "proper drivers" but we just didn't like the Focus enough to buy it.

We did have a young salesman in the rear seat, so we were not going thrash the car just to prove that it's quite quick, but we did a few miles on the A2, keeping up with the 80 mph traffic.

 

The test drive in the Octy was later in the day, unaccompanied but tied-up in East London traffic, so we appreciated that the car was comfortable & easy to place on very busy roads. We did manage to get a few miles on the M11& was quite impressed by the performance, it's a shame that the digital speed display is quite visible to the front-seat passenger.....

 

Since we both prefer engines that don't need to be taken up to redline to make good progress, then maybe we were in the wrong cars, (& no we don't like 4-cylinder diesels........) but the Octy felt much livelier at 60 mph in top than the Ford. 

I appreciate that down-shiitng isn't a terrible hardship, but we do prefer "grunt / torque" for everyday driving, with the option to stretch a car out to red-line when-ever it's possible / appropriate.

 

In fact out of our current mini-fleet, my 3.0 litre V6 Mondeo is the best Jekyll / Hyde car, 'cos it's very quiet & docile at low revs but acquires a very different character from 4K up to 6.5K. The other two TSi's are more powerful & much more efficient, but there's no real character to them, & we'd say the same about the current Octy & the EcoBoost Ford.

 

As for the cars themselves, it's no just the bigger boot on the the Octy, it's much more spacious / comfortable allround. with much clearer controls / instrumentation & would be better suited to our needs. 

(Leisure / domestic driving, zero commuting, & long continental holidays, but as little "B" road driving as possible!)

 

Possibly also relevant,  Madam felt that we were too cramped in the Focus, & she felt queasy both whilst being driven & when driving. 

Reverted to her normal happy self in my Mondeo & the Octy, so it's not my driving but something about the Focus's ride that upset her. 

 

We live about 19 miles apart & that's a 24/25 minute journey at legal speeds, we don't often go anywhere in rush-hour traffic so a great back-road car such as a Fiesta ST is wasted on us. Refinement + peace & quiet on an Autobahn / Motorway is more important, & perhaps not too surprising  

given that we are retired & want to relax a little whilst enjoying our travelling.      

 

So, that leaves us with a quandary, should we wait for the "right" Octy vRS wagon to appear on the 2/hand market, go raving mad & buy a brand new 2015 model car but suffer the 1st year's depreciation, or keep the Superb & the Mondeo for another year or so, but keep an eye on what's around & inside budget?

 

Watch this space!

 

 

DC

It's almost always cheaper to buy secondhand but if you are fussy/particular about the spec then you want to be buying new.

I appreciate that down-shiitng isn't a terrible hardship, 

Only if you've got leather seats 

My keyboard can't spell.............., but I do SIT on leather!

 

 

DC