HELP: Kiwi considering the Octavia Mark III as an option

Hi,

I test drove a Mark III Skoda Octavia liftback last weekend and must admit to be pretty impressed.  I am looking at the 1.8ltr TSI Elegance model, it is pretty well optioned in NZ for the most part such that overall there is little to want (extra) for.  Loads of space!

My personal situation is that we keep cars in our family for a long time; so yeah we want something reliable.  We currently own a 2006 Honda Civic sedan and a grey import 2002 Japanese Nissan Skyline 300GT (a little thirsty around town).  Both these cars have just ticked on nicely.

So, existing Mark III owners, the car's been out for a year or so now and I'd like some opinions about your experience and ownership experience so far.

• What are your experiences with the reliability of the 7-speed DSG in the current model Octavia (yeah I know this seems to be polarising), mechanically this is what concerns me the most about the potential purchase.  I've read that the 6-speed DSG is apparently more reliable but I don't think I have much choice here in NZ; the 6-speed manual/DSG are only options on the estate and VR models I think.  Can you access (and check) the DSG's transmission fluid or is the transmission one of those sealed units?
• From the Octavia owner manual it states that oil consumption at the rate of 0.5ltr/1000km.  Why is this?  I believe I've read this in my father-in-law's C-class which also highlights this.  I haven't noticed this level of consumption with our current vehicles.
• I was also informed by the dealer that the service interval was 30,000km (or two years) while under warranty.  This seems like an awfully long period for things to fester away and go wrong.  Is this correct?  A 15,000km interval sounds more reasonable.  I'm used to getting our present vehicles serviced every six to twelve months at our local mechanic.  And what about the costs of parts and servicing?

I'm interested to read what anyone in the UK and Europe has to say as you seem to do a lot of kilometres and should be able to give a good idea of initial reliability.  But any Kiwis and Aussies I'd like to know about your current ownership and dealer experience too.

Thanks a heap folks for any advice or links to info.

Regards,

Derek.