What about the things that annoy you?

[Neily03]

The black 'finish' on the outside of the doors which seems to scratch incredibly easily. I hope people here know what I'm on about. Normally it's matte or matched paint on cars but Skoda put on a metallic finish that looks great but scratches when you just look at it.

 

 

Err, they not metallic, just gloss black.

[ednmra]

Wow they still make that marvellous product !

They sure do - best DIY rubbing compound I've found so far (for small things!)

[Gromle]

I do not know what brand Octavia III you are driving, but I have filled in 44L and the light was not yet on.

I filled 48,5 liters today. The warning light had just come on. And it was about halfway on red marking on the fuelgauge.

Considering the estimatet range left, it should have atleast 5 liter left in the tank.

[Rodge]

I filled 48,5 liters today. The warning light had just come on. And it was about halfway on red marking on the fuelgauge.

That's a bit worrying as the tank is only supposed to hold 50 l. My Focus is supposed to hold 55 l and the light comes on after I've used 45 l. I've then sometimes done another 70 miles and put 53 l in.

Considering the estimatet range left, it should have atleast 5 liter left in the tank.

So either the specification or the range estimation is wrong.

[Gromle]

Something is a bit off yes, but the question is what?

[London Les]

You can use the ignition key for that

Thanks Tintin - it's almost as though some thought has gone into the design! I am now a happy man!

[llandai]

Few small little things I've noticed but don't really bother me. Quality of door cards is pretty poor as is the floor carpet. I got carpet floor matts with the car, very poor quality, almost worn through them in a week and a half while waiting for the rubber matts I ordered (which are great)! The Alcantara seats are already showing signs of slight bagging after just 3 weeks but seems to be a common enough occurrence.

The one thing I am finding abit irritating is tyre noise! Has anyone else had Bridgestone Turanza BR300 tyres fitted from the factory and finding them very noisy?

Other than that I'm loving the car.

[Miz]

Does anyone else have any problems with opening the passenger door from the outside, lots of people I give lifts to seem to struggle.

[Rodge]

On the hatchback I test drove, because it was the only car the dealer had with the right engine, I thought the rear visibility was awful and the corners on the rear doors were vicious. I felt that some one or some thing was bound to get hit by them.

[Black_Sheep]

My biggest gripe is my son getting in and out of the car with his football boots on.  Whilst I purchased the rear VRS door sill protectors from superskoda.com (an obvious omission at build and official accessories catalogue), he is now fully aware that death row awaits him in the morning after simultaneously scratching the plastic trim, kick plate and door sill today. 

[Gerrycan]

Does anyone else have any problems with opening the passenger door from the outside, lots of people I give lifts to seem to struggle.

Same here, just the front passenger door has very stiff handle. Edited 23 May, 2015 by Gerrycan

[AllanDJ]

Regarding front passenger door being stiff to open, mine was like that from new, got the dealers to fix it as it was becoming virtually impossible to open it. My car also has the free shoe wash when you open the doors after rain, interesting to hear that there might be a fix for this.

The main issue still has to be the poor rear suspension and noisy cabin, any manufacturer who thinks that it is good enough to produce a new car with such awful suspension will struggle to get customers to buy another car from them as virtually any Ford Focus or Mondeo would be far better plus I am sure most mainstream cars including the new VW Passat and Golf.

[FlyingGecko]

My doors open easily and there's no shoe wash.

And I don't find the cabin noisy unless travelling at seriously illegal speed. Which I never do... cough.

 

IMHO the rear suspension while far perfect is not materially worse than many I've driven in the past ten years costing twice the price including Jaguar XF, Mercs E and S Class, Saabs 9-3 and 9-5, BMW 520.

Driving the Octy like I drove my previous Saab 9-5 with 220 BHP and uprated suspension doesn't give me any cause for concern nor brown trouser moments.

I think the criticism is overly harsh, and wonder how many adverse comments there'd be if there wasn't a "better" option on some models.

 

It's certainly the equal of cars I've recently used in the same price range - Honda Civic, several Korean/East European makes and some current Ford/Pug/Citroens.

It beats the pants off a Vauxhall Insignia - a car where I feel car-sick when actually driving it.

It stacks up well with a number of Peugeots and Citroens I had in the 80s and 90s when both those makes were ahead of everyone for suspensions.

 

 

 

Just my opinion, after 46 years, 720,000 miles, a heavy right foot and more cars than I can remember. Not saying I know better.

[mark999]

The more powerful Scout being Auto only, and no petrol version in the UK

Edited 24 May, 2015 by mark999

[Gerrycan]

I believe those people who criticise and those who laud the Octavia suspension are both correct for THEIR car.

It seems to be a lottery as to whether the original supplied dampers are good or not.

Those who were unhappy and replaced them have been pleased with the improvements.

[stever123]

Is the Amundsen sat nav system slow for everyone else? Seems to take forever to boot up and connect to phones over Bluetooth, and calculating routes.

Does an update of the maps update the software too, or just the maps data?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Oze30]

My passenger front handle is hard to open

[Genoa1893]

Is the Amundsen sat nav system slow for everyone else? Seems to take forever to boot up and connect to phones over Bluetooth, and calculating routes.

Does an update of the maps update the software too, or just the maps data?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Amundsen sat nav is really a mess. Only thing worth - at least to me - is the integration with MFD.

[MorrisOx]

Can't speak for the higher spec IRS versions because I've never tried them, but the torsion beam's average ride is certainly noticeable. I came to it from a middle-aged Volvo V70 2.5T on low profiles, and my wife immediately remarked on how harsh the ride was in the back of the test Octavia, a 1.4 TSi Elegance. And that compared to an old car with weary shocks.

On that basis, we dropped down to an SE with the standard alloys and the taller tyre (putting the saving into a DSG instead!). Result? No complaints about the ride generally, though the way it handles sleeping policemen and lateral ridges is still a bit of a giveaway. So a tall tyre definitely disguises the cheap rear suspension, but doesn't get rid of its inevitable compromises. As a few people have said, though, it isn't really a deal-breaker at this level. So many people who've never looked at an Octavia are surprised by the interior quality, astonished by the space.

Can't see the torsion beam surviving into the Octy MkIV

[ednmra]

The other thing about the ride, obviously, is that it is so dependent on the road surface. We have several areas of the "new" stuff (with the ground-up rubber in it) and as you drive onto it not only does three quarters of the road noise vanish but it feels as if you are driving a Rolls Royce across a ballroom floor!

Then you get onto the neglected "town streets" and it is like driving across a ploughed field. So it is hard to tell what is the car and what is the deferred highway maintenance!!

[andyvee]

Is the Amundsen sat nav system slow for everyone else? Seems to take forever to boot up and connect to phones over Bluetooth, and calculating routes.

Does an update of the maps update the software too, or just the maps data?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Map updates update the maps only.

 

Firmware/software updates have to be performed by a dealer. Even if you manage to get hold of the files from somewhere it will leave a SVM (Software Version Management) fault code logged on the unit afterwards that will need clearing by a dealer (or someone with VCP).

[FlyingGecko]

Can't speak for the higher spec IRS versions because I've never tried them, but the torsion beam's average ride is certainly noticeable....

On that basis, we dropped down to an SE with the standard alloys and the taller tyre (putting the saving into a DSG instead!). Result? No complaints about the ride generally, ...

 

So a tall tyre definitely disguises the cheap rear suspension, but doesn't get rid of its inevitable compromises. As a few people have said, though, it isn't really a deal-breaker at this level....

 

 

 

 

...and that just about sums it up nicely.

 

Possibly many complaints concern 17" wheels and lower profile tyres on the torsion beam suspension. Which is one reason I've avoided changing the 16" wheels on my SE. I remember test driving two Saab 9-3s, one on 16 " wheels, the other 17" with correspondingly different tyre sidewall profiles but the cars were otherwise identical. The handling was different at extreme limits but the ride was seriously poorer at normal speeds on the 17" wheels and tyres.  However the same 17" wheels and tyres on the 9-5 I ended up with gave a better ride than they did on the 9-3. IMHO it's not so much the torsion beam setup in itself that might be the issue, but also the spring rates, dampers, and tyres play a part.

 

And as for tyres, well, where do you start?

[matrix2020]

The small fuel tank is my main gripe...

Ride a bit harsh, brakes a bit soft.....

 

One real annoyance is the two interior front door handles permanently reflect in the side windows across the rear view mirrors... crazy design.  Might be my height / seat settings but i doubt it.

[kalpat]

One real annoyance is the two interior front door handles permanently reflect in the side windows across the rear view mirrors... crazy design.  Might be my height / seat settings but i doubt it.[/size]

This issue has been aired a lot & you will find instances of reflections in most makes,but believe me you just don't notice it after a while. If you do you must be looking for the reflection.

When it's sunny ahead of me I can see the blower vents reflecting in the windscreen if I look for them, but just look through them.

[ednmra]

I complained about this reflection when it was new, but don't notice it any more.