looking for some advice re vRS estate options

thinking of candy white estate with

 

- black pack

- spare wheel

- sunset glass

- variable boot floor 

- winter pack (heated windscreen, washer nozzles and front seats)

 

 

i want to get a towbar fitted as well at some stage (bike rack) - not sure if i actually need the towbar prep or not - seems to be some confusion about a new connector at the moment

 

anything i'm missing/should avoid??

 

thanks

Hi mate,

 

I got all those things apart from the variable floor which was not available (possibly coz I got the Canton sound system, or maybe just N/A when I ordered).

 

If you are only ever going to put a bike rack on the tow bar you may not need the prep.  It's mainly electrics (plus some adjustment to the parking sensors I am told).  Not sure if a bike rack would block them or not though.  If in doubt, it's a fairly cheap option to play it safe.

 

Cheers

Rick

My elegance has the VBF and canton, so no reason why they can't coexist.

The sunset glass is a very light tint, so you may prefer to get it done after if you want dark.

Winter pack is great, and the spare wheel is a bargain.

Spare wheel and power tailgate.

My elegance has the VBF and canton, so no reason why they can't coexist.

 

Ta - memory's going these days.  I think it must have been not available at the time I ordered, then. I'd have had one if I could have.

Mine is that plus pano roof and electric tailgate. I have colour Maxidot too, but wouldn't miss it.

Don't bother with towbar prep it won't save you £180 over a full fitting.

Ta - memory's going these days.  I think it must have been not available at the time I ordered, then. I'd have had one if I could have.

It might have been one of Skoda's artificial restrictions they have from time to time.

It might have been one of Skoda's artificial restrictions they have from time to time.

Very likely.  I read somewhere that the boot nets are not compatible with the VBF.

 

I did get the reversible floor - glad I did as things don't tend to slide around in the boot (things that don't fit in the side nets or hang on the curry hooks, that is)

is the space under the variable boot floor useful or not?

is the space under the variable boot floor useful or not?

I like it. It's in three parts, so I store stuff like maps, hi-vis and an umbrella under the forward section, then fold the next two into a ridge which gives a nice divider. That way shopping and stuff doesn't slide round too much, but when I need all the load space it drops flat and I can chuck my bike in. I believe the standard boot floor isn't very sturdy either, so this is much more solid if you want to move heavy stuff.

is the space under the variable boot floor useful or not?

Yes I usually have the VBF flat and hide all kinds of stuff underneath, golf umbrellas, rain coats, camera gear, tools. Whatever I might need on any given day leaving the main load area free for the shopping or whatever I'm taking to the tip etc.

The main benefit of the VBF though is it allows a flat load area once the rear seats are folded down, I think it would annoy me if I had to lift items over the folded rear seats while trying to load them in. Another plus is that the standard boot floor underneath seems to be made of cardboard, and although the VBF has a load limit it does seem to made of better stuff than the actual boot floor, so you can just drop it to the lower level and have a better surface to carry heavy items on.

As for other extras, I went for the power tailgate. I'm not sure it was 100% necessary nut it's a cool toy for me and I'm glad I specced it. I was worried about getting tired of waiting for it to open and close but so far seems fine and haven't had any issues with low ceilings in car parks yet! Makes the Octy feel a bit more upmarket for myself anyway, whereas I couldn't justify the cost of Columbus/Leather/panoramic roof to add the same type of premium feel.

Do you use an iPod or iPhone? If so I would opt for the Mitsumi / MDI connection as this cannot be retrofitted (yet) and is not too expensive. Whilst the Bluetooth connectivity is great I prefer devices connected to MDI in the Leon as it gives me greater control and charges the device better than USB port in the Octy.

I also have the rubber boot mat - 20 quid less than the reversible version. If I want the carpet I remove it!

Edited 15 July, 201411 yr by Black_Sheep

Do you use an iPod or iPhone? If so I would opt for the Mitsumi / MDI connection as this cannot be retrofitted (yet) and is not too expensive. Whilst the Bluetooth connectivity is great I prefer devices connected to MDI in the Leon as it gives me greater control and charges the device better than USB port in the Octy.

+1 on this.

Do you use an iPod or iPhone? If so I would opt for the Mitsumi / MDI connection as this cannot be retrofitted (yet) and is not too expensive. Whilst the Bluetooth connectivity is great I prefer devices connected to MDI in the Leon as it gives me greater control and charges the device better than USB port in the Octy.

Can you control an ipod via the standard USB? I'm assuming not, but has anyone tried/does anyone know for definite? I decided against the mdi because it removes the aux-in, which is a shame. I was planning to stream my ipod via Bluetooth or use the aux-in if I can't control via USB.

And since we're taking spec, I decided to go for the full parking toy. Parking is atrocious where I live so I'm sure it'll come in handy from time to time!

I didn't put the VBF in and I wish I had. I realise know it'd have been quite useful and gives you the flat load space.

Canton is a must. And the other two options I'm pleased I went with is the heated seats and the sunroof... Really makes the car in my opinion.

Can you control an ipod via the standard USB? I'm assuming not, but has anyone tried/does anyone know for definite?

 

Nope, unless you buy Columbus you need to spec Mistumi. That 100% definite.

Can you control an ipod via the standard USB? I'm assuming not, but has anyone tried/does anyone know for definite? I decided against the mdi because it removes the aux-in, which is a shame. I was planning to stream my ipod via Bluetooth or use the aux-in if I can't control via USB.

As per other comments - can't control via USB - charge only. If you have a newer iPod you can stream via Bluetooth but this will only allow you to skip forward / back a track and change volume via steering wheel controls. In addition the bolero has frozen every time I have connected the iPod Classic via USB.

I have all of the part numbers for the mitsumi connection and loom but they are factory fit only.

I was incorrectly informed that USB would work with iPod - it doesn't so please learn from my error!

We have an ancient iPod Touch that we can charge via USB and control (skip back / skip forward / pause) via Bluetooth. Works fine and also means that unless you specifically need to charge it when the battery is low, you can leave it in the glove box / armrest and not having an unsightly cable always required. It's smart enough to pause when you turn the car off and carry on where it left off when you return which is nice and as iPod batteries tend to last ages, it doesn't require charging as often as you might expect!

 

P

Edited 16 July, 201411 yr by paulobrien

I've just taken delivery of my car, and the standout options for me are heated seats and Canton. The Canton is great. I had the DynAudio system in my 2011 Golf GTI, and the Canton is far superior. 

Get a Columbus then you can control the iPod via USB without the need for an expensive mitsumi cable

Get a Columbus then you can control the iPod via USB without the need for an expensive mitsumi cable

 

How much is the columbus vs the £10 mitsumi cable?

Thanks Neily, Black sheep and Paul for your replies re the ipod functionality. I think I'll leave the mitsumi based on your comments, as streaming with the ability to flick forwards should do me fine.

I find the MDI on my Fabia a bit rubbish to tell the truth, though I'm sure the new version plus a touch screen are an improvement! In the Fabia, when playing on shuffle, it tends to jump 1 second into each new track, but still preferable to using aux in due to the position of the aux socket in the Fabia!

Edited 16 July, 201411 yr by Redline Greenline ii

P. S. OP sorry for hijacking your thread but it seemed relevant

no problem

better i ask here rather than be bewildered by the salesman into adding things that aren't what i want

How much is the columbus vs the £10 mitsumi cable?

I ment to say cable and interface which will be about 100? Ok yeah the Columbus is actually pretty expensive but its a much nicer system and seems to integrate better than the demo car I tried with the mitsumi, smoother and faster. I feel its better value than the mitsumi which I feel you shouldn't need anyway on a modern car.

I suppose everyone values different things so its all up to what you want out of your car