I collected my almost 1 year old Greenline Estate yesterday and drove it home 190 miles. I managed 73mpg which is not bad for a first try, cruising at 70 whenever on motorway. Initial impressions:

• Very comfortable
• Good in cross winds (compared to a Berlingo and a 2CV!)
• So many buttons (and the manual is not the easiest read with contradicting advice)
• Disappointed that it only takes one CD at a time and that has to be loaded in glove box (Amundsen). I guess I'll have to get a large SD card to carry music, though not sure how it will cope if I load albums on in sub folders
• Quieter than expected
• Stereo is really good -  I probably won't bother with a minisub under driver's seat as in previous vehicle 
• Impressed that Sat Nav changes to night screen once lights are on. How many people do you see at night with aftermarkets set at eve level on windscreen in daytime colours which must must be almost impossible to see past? There must be many accidents because of this.
• Correct size spare wheel with exactly the same size of tyre!
• Need to work out best way of securing stuff in boot

Rob

That's great mpg. Wish I could achieve such like.

73.....Not bad for a first try at all  Display can be a little, er, optimistic so check from full to full and work it out accurately over a longer period.

 

My Bolero handles albums in folders just fine (although I have only tested to 3 levels deep) so you should be OK if you stick to artist/album/tracks.  You'll need to number the tracks if you like them played in order as it will pick them alphabetically otherwise.  Amundsen is an upgrade so should be at least as good.  USB port works OK too for music.  There should be a manual for the Amundsen in the wallet with the rest of the paperwork.

 

Stuff in boot - depends how big.  Curry hooks are good, cargo nets are useful too. It just depends what you cart around with you.

 

2CV...... hmmm. I'm a Beetle man myself although I'd like to drive a Deux Chevaux, one day just for fun.

Nice MPGs, If you van achieve that with the spare wheel in place I don't get why they don't offer it as an option on the basis of weight saving (or at least they didn't when I was looking (august - november brochure))

Nice MPGs, If you van achieve that with the spare wheel in place I don't get why they don't offer it as an option on the basis of weight saving (or at least they didn't when I was looking (august - november brochure))

Being cynical I think the real reason for no spare is cost cutting.

Thanks for the info on SD cards. The Amundsen manual says what types of file it will handle but not if you can file stuff with subfolders. Both manuals appear to have be written and laid out by Google Translate! I had planned to buy an iPod Classic but they were discontinued and are now silly prices. Basic cargo nets should suffice - aiming to try not carry to much crap around (famous last words!!)

 

Also had a Beetle once - an unmodified 60s one in Australia which was quite scary to drive! If you get the chance to drive a 2CV, take it - they are great fun, but I'm biased - I'm on my 6th 2CV/Dyane in 30 years!!

Being cynical I think the real reason for no spare is cost cutting.

Wheel with toolkit is over £100, can must be more like a tenner - you may have something there! Today's consumer doesn't seem to care about being prepared and is quite happy to be fleeced by dealers & tyre salesmen! 

Wheel with toolkit is over £100, can must be more like a tenner - you may have something there! Today's consumer doesn't seem to care about being prepared and is quite happy to be fleeced by dealers & tyre salesmen! 

 

Certainly this, but when I ordered my Elegance in November I looked at the Greenline, spare wheel wasn't a choice in the options list for the car. There's no option for it on the configurator either!

Certainly this, but when I ordered my Elegance in November I looked at the Greenline, spare wheel wasn't a choice in the options list for the car. There's no option for it on the configurator either!

I was buying secondhand, but there is nothing to stop you purchasing wheel and toolkit "separately". Fitting amounts to no more than putting the wheel in the well.

I was buying secondhand, but there is nothing to stop you purchasing wheel and toolkit "separately". Fitting amounts to no more than putting the wheel in the well.

 

That explains why it's a full sized wheel.... try getting a space-saver after the initial order goes in and you'd be shocked at SUK's response!

Dim dip switch was a bit of a surprise: push away for high, pull for dip. Makes sense as there is less chance of accidentally going to high beam by mistake (and is not dissimilar to 2CV!). 

Greenline gearbox indicator in Maxidot display encourages changing up too early as it doesn't seem to take into account the engine load (e.g up a hill). Also doesn't seem to take into account whether engine is warm. I'm all for saving on fuel costs but labouring the engine isn't going to help matters. At present I'm trying to keep revs above 1500 unless no load (pootling mode). 

Ride is more unsettled and boomy than I was expecting (suffolk roads not great) but I guess I'll get used to it.

Love the windscreen parking ticket clip! I know it's sad but I had one of these on a Volvo 850 and thought it was such a simple idea that must have cost pennies per car. I could never understand why all cars didn't have them as standard.

If it has a half decent sound system must have Canton upgrade then as the standard 8 speaker system is quite poor IMHO.

Impressed that Sat Nav changes to night screen once lights are on. How many people do you see at night with aftermarkets set at eve level on windscreen in daytime colours which must must be almost impossible to see past? There must be many accidents because of this.

 

That'll be me then

 

Can't say it bothers me at night. My TomTom has night mode but I rarely use the feature.

If it has a half decent sound system must have Canton upgrade then as the standard 8 speaker system is quite poor IMHO.

Well compared to previous car a belong which I had upgraded the head speakers and mini sub under driver's seat it sound pretty good. it's not Canton which I would have liked not a a realistic option when buying secondhand.

Note to self: check for typos before hitting post! Still better than predictive text.

If it has a half decent sound system must have Canton upgrade then as the standard 8 speaker system is quite poor IMHO.

 

Sorry don't agree with that - the standard sound system in my Oct 3 is really very decent. Maybe it just comes down to how you set it up.

It does seem to suit some recordings more than others. GIGO!

Sorry don't agree with that - the standard sound system in my Oct 3 is really very decent. Maybe it just comes down to how you set it up.

Ok Nickcoll my statment was a little generic and perhaps a little unfair. As to sound quality with the bass/treble controls suitably jacked up and at moderate volume it does sound fine.....however as a consequence of jacking up said settings due to some very bizarre (and IMHO completely unnecessary) artificial sound levelling carried out by the head unit it just does not go loud at all. If you put on a track that is v bass heavy as soo as the bass cuts in it tends to drop the output level significantly. Half the time the majority of the mid/upper volume level does nothing.

Personally Id rather take the level up to my own tastes rather than have the car actively change it (to prevent door trim rattles and blown drivers I do suspect)...v into my music and have a relatively keen ear for sound and can say categorically the v similar sound system in my Mk2 (as in the base 8 speaker system, not upgraded in any way) absolutelg knocked spots off the Mk3 system....sure it wasnt particularly subtle in the way it produced sound (treble v bass imaging was a little off as it is in the Mk3 and was noticeable with some badly produced music) but boy dis it go loud and pack a punch in comparison.

Something I never got to the bottom of (admittedly never really looked) but convinced the Mk2 had 8" front door drivers as standard and they made a huge difference (they might have just been 6.5's but if they were either they were pretty capable for a stock speaker or their positioning in the rear of the front door went along way to producing the v deep bass the system produced).

The stock system in the O3 is one of my biggest disappointments....v nearly ticked Canton and chose not to and now rather kicking myself.....if I ever purchased another O3 Canton would be mandatory.

• First fill up yesterday: 521 miles from 36 litres which equates to 65mpg, which is not bad as most of this has been around town. I wonder how Skoda managed to come up their mpg figures!  Empty flat road with a truck as a windbreak?

Hill hold was an unexpected bonus at junctions!

Start Stop is good and the restart is almost imperceptible - so quiet! 

Also impressed with the heating function of single button for max demist when starting on a frosty morning. On previous cars I had to fiddle with all of the settings to achieve this.

Steering wheel controls with bluetooth were so easy to set up and have taken several calls with no problems. There are still lots of things for which I need to read the manual!

Edited 18 January, 201511 yr by 2cvhound

Not So Good:

 

The level of grip is not brilliant. I haven't checked the depth of tread, but drive to work this morning plus Sat evening showed a serious lack of grip compared with 10yr old Berlingo running Michelin Energy Tyres. Higher than normal tyre pressures may help rolling resistance but I suspect probably also reduce the grip somewhat.

 

Any other greenline owners experienced this?

 

Or could it be Lane Assist ( I had assumed that was an optional extra). I will have  play with the settings to see if it is there!

Edited 19 January, 201511 yr by 2cvhound