Hi all,

 

I'm a newbie here but I thought i'd see if anyone could offer me any advice.

 

I'm on the cusp of buying either a VRS 2.0TDI estate or an Elegance 2.0TDI estate.  My heart says get the VRS but with a little one potentially on the way budget might have the final say (and via Carwow the Elegance is about £3K cheaper).

 

However, my question is, excluding fuel, will it be more expensive to run a VRS compared to an Elegance?  i.e. in terms of tyres, servicing, parts etc etc?  I plan to keep whatever I buy for 4-5 years.

 

Many thanks!  

My thoughts would be:-

 

Tyres - vRS more due to size.

Servicing - Same price I would expect for engine or look at a service plan. Brakes though expect to cost more.

MPG - lower BHP unit tends to give better return depending on driving style.

 

Parts - depends what is required I guess. - Think extended warranty.

 

The vRS may return more when you come to sell.

Edited 7 April, 201511 yr by RickTT

Unless budget is the priority I would go vRS.

I went from a very late Mk2 vRS Blackline to a Mk3 Elegance....in the main as I was asked by the wife to get a car with a softer ride for the kids but also that it stood to be a good £40-50/month cheaper spec for spec. I wanted the vRS but went Elegance on that basis.

I regret the decision now...the Elegance is a very good car and the 150 TDI motor really is excellent (its little if at all slower than the Mk2 vRS in a straight line) but whilst competent its just very ordinary and no fun to drive...it has no character. Its literally a car I drive for drivings sake and nothing more.....so much so I am looking for any excuse to move it on currently for something more interesting.

I am almost doing it a disservice as it really is a very good car, comfortable, well equipped, nigh on faultless in 13 months/22k miles and it was very good value really considering the package....but I know if I had the vRS TDI id be enjoying it and would be speaking differently about the experience.

One thing I can impart....the O3 is proving to be rather a depreciation disaster....almost a victim of its own popularity. There are now so many cars in the used market that values are very low...my car is valued at 14k so its done 9k in 13 months.....just glad its a PCP and that I havent just burnt that amount of hard earned money in a year or so.

The vRS perhaps fairs slightly better but then its typically that bit more expensive too so wont be fabulous either.

I've recently had this argument with the wife. You could possibly if going pcp pay similar monthly between the two models depending on extras/initial deposit. I went with what I wanted which will be a vrs estate which we will be collecting on Friday. We have also recently have a little one and it's all within budget which I've worked out in advance.

Not a lot in it, the elegance will be pretty nippy but obviously not quite as much as the vRS.

Similar running costs although the elegance will be more frugal.

Assuming the vRS is still fitted with the same Conti tyres as mine was, you will knock them out pretty sharpish, somewhere between 10 and 14k

It's a close call either way, as you plan to hang onto it for a fair while, go with your heart...

Just got rid of my Octy mk3 VRS, 15 months old 19.5k miles part ex value £15,500. It cost me from new £16,200 ( forces so got it tax free) good job as pipsyp said its a depreciation disaster.

Have you thought about getting an out going Superb estate cracking deals to be had but what a car (even if it is getting on abit 7 years old now). It feels and looks aswell as drives much nicer than a mk3 Octy including the VRS I was glad to see the back of it it left me under whelmed, build quality and ride I feel is/was particularly poor along with fuel consumption.

I would go for the VRS If I was you but I'm going to say that as I have one.

In terms of running costs it's not a lot more I've gested had my one serviced that was £170 ( variable & pollen filter)

I had to get a tyre for my vRS that was £135 ( 225/35R19 continental fitted )

The vRS is a very good car you got the performance when you need it it's comfortable to drive it very well equipped and I think the vRS is the best looking octy

As a VRS owner who had the same debate 16 months or 20k miles ago, I'd say go elegance. The performance of a VRS is very underwhelming and unless you throw your car around corners, the difference in performance is minimal. Don't kid yourself that it's anything more than a reasonably quick family car because it's not, despite what some folks would have you believe.

 

As a dad, I know that my lad would be much more comfortable in an elegance as the ride in a VRS is quite firm which seemed ok on an extended test drive but after real life ownership, it grates, especially on poor roads which, let's be honest, is most of them. Fuel consumption is poor, on motorway drives from Birmingham to Cornwall at around 70 mph using cruise,  I generally get below 50 mpg with clear roads although last time I did get 52. With a service plan though, the only other costs are tyres. As has been said, the stock continentals, if you get them are rubbish and will need replacing at around 10 - 15k at a cost of around £100 each.

 

In terms of residuals, don't expect much. I just had mine valued at 16k which was absolute top of what the dealer could offer as it was against a Superb he was trying desperately to shift. This is not far off an elegance.

 

Although it may not seem that way, I do like the car but given my chance again, I'd buy a Superb (I went to buy one in the first place!) as they are screwed together much better, perform similarly and are loads more comfortable. For me, an elegance is certainly an improvement on a VRS though.

As a VRS owner who had the same debate 16 months or 20k miles ago, I'd say go elegance. The performance of a VRS is very underwhelming and unless you throw your car around corners, the difference in performance is minimal. Don't kid yourself that it's anything more than a reasonably quick family car because it's not, despite what some folks would have you believe.

As a dad, I know that my lad would be much more comfortable in an elegance as the ride in a VRS is quite firm which seemed ok on an extended test drive but after real life ownership, it grates, especially on poor roads which, let's be honest, is most of them. Fuel consumption is poor, on motorway drives from Birmingham to Cornwall at around 70 mph using cruise, I generally get below 50 mpg with clear roads although last time I did get 52. With a service plan though, the only other costs are tyres. As has been said, the stock continentals, if you get them are rubbish and will need replacing at around 10 - 15k at a cost of around £100 each.

In terms of residuals, don't expect much. I just had mine valued at 16k which was absolute top of what the dealer could offer as it was against a Superb he was trying desperately to shift. This is not far off an elegance.

Although it may not seem that way, I do like the car but given my chance again, I'd buy a Superb (I went to buy one in the first place!) as they are screwed together much better, perform similarly and are loads more comfortable. For me, an elegance is certainly an improvement on a VRS though.

We could swap skovirg? :-)

I'm thinking of a mildly spec'd 120d M sport facelift or MY16 Golf GTD next time with less focus on load space.

I really like the new Passat....190 SCR in GT spec looks very compelling but its just lacking any kudos and wont be fun to drive.

Edited 7 April, 201511 yr by pipsyp

We could swap skovirg? :-)

 

Ha ha. Good idea. Is tomorrow ok?

 

Seriously, pat yourself on the back as you made the right decision 13 months ago by buying an honest car rather than one trying be something it isn't! 

I had the very same dilemma back in January, vRS was an extra €5k and the dealer reckoned after 3 years it would only be worth €1k more than the Elegance so that pretty much decided it for me in favour of the Elegance.

I had this decision to make too and went for the Elegance. The tangible reasons were the difference in emissions meaning more tax (as it's a company car) and I thought the equipment specification of the vRS was poor. I went for the Elegance because for a list price of £25,450 (ish) I got Sat Nav, cruise, heated front seats/windscreen, spare wheel, sunset glass, panorama roof, extra airbags and crew protection and some other stuff I checked off and can't remember. 

I also found the vRS ride too hard for the knackered roads where I live, and purely on a subjective level I don't like the look of the seats, and.. the elegance with 150ps works for me, to have a vRS badge and paraphernalia it needs to have more than 180 to pull it off. I do like the vRS steering wheel and carbon fibre effect trims though.

As a VRS owner who had the same debate 16 months or 20k miles ago, I'd say go elegance. The performance of a VRS is very underwhelming and unless you throw your car around corners, the difference in performance is minimal. Don't kid yourself that it's anything more than a reasonably quick family car because it's not, despite what some folks would have you believe.

As a dad, I know that my lad would be much more comfortable in an elegance as the ride in a VRS is quite firm which seemed ok on an extended test drive but after real life ownership, it grates, especially on poor roads which, let's be honest, is most of them. Fuel consumption is poor, on motorway drives from Birmingham to Cornwall at around 70 mph using cruise, I generally get below 50 mpg with clear roads although last time I did get 52. With a service plan though, the only other costs are tyres. As has been said, the stock continentals, if you get them are rubbish and will need replacing at around 10 - 15k at a cost of around £100 each.

In terms of residuals, don't expect much. I just had mine valued at 16k which was absolute top of what the dealer could offer as it was against a Superb he was trying desperately to shift. This is not far off an elegance.

Although it may not seem that way, I do like the car but given my chance again, I'd buy a Superb (I went to buy one in the first place!) as they are screwed together much better, perform similarly and are loads more comfortable. For me, an elegance is certainly an improvement on a VRS though.

Thats more or less is my summing up of the tdi vrs, similar mpg, but front tyres only made 9k, the car is 14 months now, waiting to see how much of an upgrade my16 brings, thinking of l&k or elegance, or may even go for a fabia estate

Edited 8 April, 201511 yr by cortina63

Thanks all for your thoughts; i'm slightly swayed towards the Elegance on value alone or even a Seat Leon ST FR 2.0TDI as the styling is a little sportier than the Elegance for a similar spec.  Time for a few test drives I feel!   :clap:

Depending upon how much punch you really want, don't be afraid to test drive the Elegance in 1.6TDi guise, if nothing else just so you can discount it, but I think you might be surprised by the performance (all round). I was. I bought one.

Thanks all for your thoughts; i'm slightly swayed towards the Elegance on value alone or even a Seat Leon ST FR 2.0TDI as the styling is a little sportier than the Elegance for a similar spec.  Time for a few test drives I feel!   :clap:

I test drove a Leon ST FR as well as the Octavia vRS and an Elegance Octavia. The vRS seemed to go a lot better than the Leon, even though they both had the same engine and while the exterior of the Leon is nice, in my opinion the interior of the Octavia is way nicer than the Leon, it just looks and feels really cheap. On balance for me the Elegance just suited better all round. Only a small thing as well but when talking to the Seat salesman we couldn't find a heated windscreen listed anywhere for the Leon mind you that could've just been because he'd only been in the job about a week and I knew more about the specs of the car than he did!!

Leon doesn't have heated screen or kessy as options.... It's one of the reasons i got the Octavia

Snet with speeling mistkaes from my phoen

If you are not doing loads of miles and choose Elegance spec, I would test drive the 1.4TSI alongside the 2.0TDI.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've owned both combi versions. 2013 Elegance 2.0tdi (with lots of extras) - fully agree with Pipsyp above - perfectly fine car but dull over the 19k km I had it for. Swapped for a 2015 VRS tdi (~4k km to date) - this is the car I should have purchased first time around. 

 

IMHO, the main differences I've noticed between the VRS and the Elegance are:

 

1. VRS is noticeably quieter (independent of road surface). VRS is on Bridgestone Potenza, Elegance came with Michelin Primacy

2. VRS brakes sharper and stops in less distance

3. VRS steering feel is much, much more precise - night and day to the Elegance

4. VRS suspension is tauter than Elegance (as you would expect) - you do feel the road more. Depends on your driving preferences if that is a positive or a negative (positive in my case). For what it is worth, neither of my kids have complained of car sickness in the VRS (both are prone to complaining if bounced around too much in any car).

5. VRS acceleration from standing is not particularly faster than the Elegance. However I do notice the extra torque when overtaking.

 

Above, of course, is my subjective opinion, John 

Edited 8 April, 201511 yr by jrbeire

Neither. Get the TSI vRS 

All very interesting opinions. My preference would either be a diesel VRS or go completely the other way and get a 1.6 Elegance.

Neither. Get the TSI vRS 

If you feel that you have to buy an Octy 3 wagon, then the petrol motor is the one to have, much more fun with reasonable economy.

 

It's what we were intending to buy, but we haven't.... Why, well the Mk 3 isn't as much fun as SWMBO's mk 2 FL (her opinion, but I have to agree with it)

& compared with the better "quality feel" of my Superb, it's just not in the same league.

 

As has already been suggested, if you are going to test drive a few cars, try a FL Superb wagon. It will almost certainly be a diesel, but you just might find

a decent, & well equipped estate car at an interesting price.

 

Just my thoughts, enjoy whatever you decide to buy.

 

DC 

Hmm decisions, decisions.....

Elegance probably has a little bit more ground clearance. That might just be important to some people?