I picked up my Octavia Estate (SE Business Greenline III with loads of options) last Thursday.  

 

Summary: I'm loving it so far.  

 

The general quality feels in the next league to my outgoing SEAT Leon mk2 and I'm enjoying the smoother ride and amazing economy.

 

I'm still exploring the zillion different screens on the Columbus system, but I'm really impressed with the Columbus/Canton combination - sounds better than any of my previous cars have (I'm no audiophile though).

The Park Assist is fun, too. It got me into a parallel space that I don't think I would have attempted myself - really clever.

 

The MaxiDOT tells me I'm doing late-60s mpg average for most journeys.  I made 74.1mpg average on my commute last Friday morning, although only got 69mpg today - most likely the colder weather explains the difference, although I know it can take a while for the computer to sort itself out for new-ish cars.

 

I spent a couple of hours applying Gtechniq G1 to all the exterior glass yesterday. I've used it on my last couple of cars and really like it.

 

I've signed up to Fuelly, so will get an accurate idea of real mpg (to put in my signature) from my next fill-up onwards.

 

Oh, and I've ordered some Osram H8 bulbs which claim to be both a bit whiter than standard and brighter, while still being road legal. I don't like the yellowish look of the cornering fogs in combination with the bi-xenons... we'll see if I can fit them without taking the skin off my hands when they arrive.

Welcome to the O3 club!

Just out of interest, any reason you chose SE Business spec and added a mountain of options? Would it not have made more financial sense to go up to L&K spec instead, as the options you've chosen are all standard on it (apart from Columbus).

Welcome to the O3 club!

Just out of interest, any reason you chose SE Business spec and added a mountain of options? Would it not have made more financial sense to go up to L&K spec instead, as the options you've chosen are all standard on it (apart from Columbus).

 

Ta muchly.

 

I was looking for a used car and wanted to sort something quickly, as my outgoing car was at that "shall I change it now or run it into the ground?" stage. It was due an MOT very soon - this week, in fact - and required four new tyres I think, on top of whatever else the MOT might discover needing fixing...

My instinct was to go for another SEAT, but they seem to have slashed the included toys for every trim level, to the extent that even climate control is only standard for the FR or Cupra Leons.  I view climate control as a basic human right for those who do quite a bit of driving, so I started looking at Skoda Octavias.

 

I soon realised that an L&K Octavia would fit the bill perfectly in terms of bells and whistles, but I couldn't quite stretch to the price (all the ones I could find were a good few £k more than I paid).

Also, you can't get L&K with the 1.6 and I'm all about the mpg. And if I found some L&K 2.0 TDIs within budget, I knew I'd be tempted to go for a DSG one (I loved the DSG in my old Leon FR until it started malfunctioning), which would have further hurt economy a bit.  Both L&K and vRS trims are higher insurance and tax bands than the Greenline, as well.

 

So although my heart said "diesel DSG", my head said "Greenline manual".  When I found a Greenline with a shedload of options included, I knew I had to go for it as it seems top specs on tree-hugging eco models are very rare, in my experience...

 

Sorry for the long winded answer, but I spent quite a while debating with myself on this one while I was hunting for suitable cars!