IRS?    Independent Rear Suspension?

 

Interesting comment.

21 minutes ago, R1100 said:

IRS?    Independent Rear Suspension?

 

Interesting comment.

 

Yep, only the vRS, Scout, 4x4 and 1.8TSi models get the IRS.

 

All others have to suffer the backwards step of the torsion beam.

 

Don't know if that is still the case for the Face Lift O3 though, haven't really been following the specs of the FL.

My 1.6TDI Octavia hatch was fine. Even with the parcel shelf out. I didn't consider it any noisier than my previous Golfs. Again, one man's noise is another man's......................insert your own description, I can't think of one.

41 minutes ago, andyvee said:

Having had both a hatch and an estate, it is not body shape that causes the issue.

 

Tyres are the biggest factor in the noise.

 

There is a huge difference between low profile 18's and standard profile 16's as well.

 

There is also the confusing issue of the 'booming' that some experience on rough road services - attributed to a resonance of the boot floor and/or lid - and some have experienced cabin pressure issues that have affected their ears.

 

I would say test drive a Scout, it has higher profile narrower tyres than a vRS or L&K, and it has the IRS that the standard models don't get. Most people reporting issues seem to have the torsion beam rear suspension.

 

As I said in an earlier post we have tested 4 Octavias since 2010, 3 have been estates and one a hatch.

 

The first 2 were both 1.4 TSi Mk 2 estates with the independent rear suspension. Neither were acceptable but one was truly awful. That had 15" wheels.

 

The second 2 were 1.4 TSi Mk 3's, one was a hatch the other an estate. They were obviously fitted with torsion beam rear suspension the estate was on 17" wheels and was noisy, the hatch was on 16" wheels and quite acceptable.

 

We tried the estates with the luggage tonneau both on and off and the hatch had the parcel shelf in place.

 

So based on my experience (all drives of about 30 miles on various road types and surfaces but the same for each car) was that I could not conclude anything other than the hatch was the best but that was only one car. The estates were all on different sized wheels and what surprised me was the one on narrow 15's was definitely the worst and the one on 17's was probably the best. The IRS cars were definitely noisier than the torsion beam cars but that may be simply that the Mk3 is a quieter car.

 

I have had 4 years experience with an MQB chassied car with a torsion beam, the Leon 1.4 TSi and it was fine, never felt it was noisy or boomy. That was on 16" wheels, Michelins and Kleber winter. The Superb hatch we bought earlier this year is absolutely fine.

 

All I would suggest to any prospective purchaser is to get an extended test drive in exactly the car you want to buy, preferably the one you are buying. The Octavia is a fine car but despite wanting to buy one on two occasions the noise issue has stopped us from doing so. But it has not stopped us from buying a Skoda.

 

Our Vet recently bought a 13 plate Mk3 diesel estate (torsion beam) which he says is whisper quiet compared to his old Vectra and is delighted with it.

 

We would possibly have a Mk3 1.4 TSI hatch now if we could have ordered one back on November but Skoda had stopped dealers taking orders on new cars at the time so it was not an option. We would have needed to drive an updated car (still needed fully convinced about the noise) which would have put us well behind our intended change date and with VED rates and price rises the Octavia would have actually cost us about the same as we paid for the Superb which had 0% finance and £30 annual VED and has a lovely quiet interior.

I've covered 75k miles in O3's with Torsion beam in the last 4 years, 20k in a hatch and 55k in an estate.

 

I did 60k+ in 3 years in a O2 Estate with IRS.

 

The O2 was quieter than the O3, and it had 18" rims with the same profile tyres.

 

In all of the cars, switching to 16" winter rubber was quieter still.

so many variations and options - looks like I will have to be careful and drive my preferred option on all surfaces and speeds then, before I make a decision.

 

anyone fitted aftermarket noise insulation?

Couple of things I should add.

 

Back in 2010 when we drove the Octavias for the first time I was totally unaware of the noise issue since I had never been on a web forum and rarely read motoring mags. We were not looking (listening) for the noise but it did not need any listening for. Since then I have read about the noise issue on this forum and on Honest John plus several road tests of Octavias have mentioned the noise issue but it has never stopped the Octavia winning a group test.

 

For many it will not be an issue but since both myself and the wife felt exactly the same about the noise it was not imagined.

 

From 1986 to 2003 we had Golfs all of which had torsion beam rear ends and we never had an issue with those.

 

We like (love) VAG cars but could not have lived with any of the 3 Octavia estates we drove.

1 hour ago, skidpan said:

 but it has never stopped the Octavia winning a group test.

 

Because all of the cars given to the press are at minimum specially selected & most of the time built with special components or other non-production Equipment.

 

Its hard to believe Skoda dont know about the booming issue but they still dont appear to acknowlege it as a fault or have a clear solution which dealers can apply.

Edited 7 July, 20178 yr by Gabbo

I have owned several Land Rover Defenders and insulated all of them, sounds like a few pads of Silent Coat or Dynamat strategically placed will stop the rear panel vibrations and the booming.  Can't answer that for certain as I have not studied the cars beneath the carpets, but the principal is sound [no pun intended]

The Octavia is a car built to a tight budget. Things have to be left out or reduced to keep its price point, below VW and Audi and other more expensive brands.

 

Sound proofing and refinement are one of the things left our or reduced.

 

The problem is, as we say in English, people want to 'have their cake and eat it'. This means the 2 things are incompatible, a budget car and good refinement/soundproofing.

 

A lot of Skoda buyers buy one to save money, but still have VW engines and techy toys, but then get annoyed when the refinement isn't good enough.

 

I think if you've had a more expensive car, you take it a bit for granted, that its quiet and smooth, then moving to a Skoda is a shock, or any cheaper brand for that matter.

 

Noise and vibration suppression is really important, as this is what makes you tired on a long journey.

 

I agree.

 

Just spent the afternoon tootling round in a Q7 S-Line - it is so quiet compared to the O3, no wind noise, tyre noise or engine noise.

20 hours ago, ahenners said:

 

An Octavia VRS TDI estate is about 23k with discounts. A new 320D M Sport estate is about 6-7k more expensive, and still has a smaller boot.

 

I like BMWs, and agree the 3 series is a better car than the Octavia overall, but it still isn't perfect. It's around 25% more expensive and has a smaller boot. There's a reason the Octavia is popular, and that is because it offers things such as value, space, low running costs etc. and to some these are far more important than elements than a 3 series does better.

I agree however, the 3 series is a far better drivers car and its better quality on the whole.

 

My biggest gripe with the octavia is it could have been the best car in its class if not for stupid design oversights, booming, road noise, gearbox. Its not as much even that, its the idea that skodas parent company has reigned in skodas design teem to produce a deliberately inferior car. Personaly i want a car to be as good as it can be, and in part i would put up with small niggles however there is a list if issues that are totaly unnecessary with the skoda that cant be overlooked. And to be honest its not that cheep, predelivary bmw with delivary milage, ie new, there are some fantastic deals.

Do the indicators still not work on BMWs or is that just Audis nowadays?

I think you'd need a 5 series to match the space  of an Octavia. L J K Setright said, of a 3 series, that the rear legroom was designed for a bicrural amputee.

My 3 series owning friends also said they were undrivable in any snow. I drove a V8 M3 at Oulton Park. If I'd  £55,000 in my pocket I'd have bought it.

You lot are making me feel all depressed with your comments about Skoda in general.  Perhaps I should just keep my Freelander 2 auto with 190bhp and no real road noise, booming or any current issues.

 

But - it does 32mpg on average at best, tax is £230 and services cost the thick end of £4 - 500

 

We are really enjoying the Yeti but we need another vehicle with ground clearance, soft off road ability and a decent size load bay.

 

What to get, doing my head in at the moment.

 

On 6 July 2017 at 13:12, juan27 said:

How goes noise compare with the Mk2 Octavia? I've always found my Mk2 VRS to be very refined and quiet. 

 

10 hours ago, andyvee said:

Having had both a hatch and an estate, it is not body shape that causes the issue.

 

Tyres are the biggest factor in the noise.

 

There is a huge difference between low profile 18's and standard profile 16's as well.

 

There is also the confusing issue of the 'booming' that some experience on rough road services - attributed to a resonance of the boot floor and/or lid - and some have experienced cabin pressure issues that have affected their ears.

 

I would say test drive a Scout, it has higher profile narrower tyres than a vRS or L&K, and it has the IRS that the standard models don't get. Most people reporting issues seem to have the torsion beam rear suspension.

 

MkIII quieter and more comfortable than my old MkII VRSTFSI. No exhaust waffle or rasp to speak of. Tyres are key and Goodyear F1 have made a real difference in lowering road noise from the OEM Bridgestone Potenza. 

3 hours ago, andyvee said:

I agree.

 

Just spent the afternoon tootling round in a Q7 S-Line - it is so quiet compared to the O3, no wind noise, tyre noise or engine noise.

 

Yes it's a completely fair comparison......not

18 minutes ago, Redboy said:

 

Yes it's a completely fair comparison......not

I never said it was!

21 minutes ago, Redboy said:

 

 

MkIII quieter and more comfortable than my old MkII VRSTFSI. No exhaust waffle or rasp to speak of. Tyres are key and Goodyear F1 have made a real difference in lowering road noise from the OEM Bridgestone Potenza. 

Interesting, because my O2 L&K was quieter than either of my O3s

 

It did have Continental Sport tyres on though, or Continental winters, plus it was IRS.

The Conti Sports were quite a soft tyre compared to either of the OEM on the O3.

I've always found the rear suspension on the O3 a bit stiff, which doesn't help with noise being transmitted to the body shell. Then again, I had Bilsteins on the O2!

2 hours ago, gregoir said:

Do the indicators still not work on BMWs or is that just Audis nowadays?

I think you'd need a 5 series to match the space  of an Octavia. L J K Setright said, of a 3 series, that the rear legroom was designed for a bicrural amputee.

My 3 series owning friends also said they were undrivable in any snow. I drove a V8 M3 at Oulton Park. If I'd  £55,000 in my pocket I'd have bought it.

 

My e90 BMW 320i was useless in snow. You could get about sometimes but you had to be careful and your tyres brand new. Even then not as good as a beat-up 20 year old Fiesta.

Also they aquaplane very easily, which is very scary. 80+ and no steering isn't a joke. I think it's the 50-50 weight distribution. The front goes light very easily and then in snow when you need a bit of weight to improve grip, of course 50% of the car's weight is over the front wheels.

The runflat tyres tramline badly (you get used to it) and go bald in the middle because the sidewalls are so stiff.

 

The boot is barely adequate and of course the backseats don't fold so you're snookered if you need to carry anything bigger than a set of golf clubs. I always used to borrow a friend's Honda Jazz to carry flat pack furniture and alike.

 

BMW maintenance get's expensive as the miles roll on. Mine was a petrol but I've tried a diesel and they lack torque from tickover and sound like a metal dustbin rolling down a hill filled with ball bearings.

 

But the build quality was superb. The interior looked like new not 143K miles old. All the gadgets worked (mine was fully loaded). And it was very nice to drive, smooth, quiet, refined and the roadholding was very confidence inspiring (in the dry!). I miss the hush of the Beemer at 80+ on cruise control on the motorway, it was like being in the first class cabin of an airliner crossing the Atlantic. I did a lot of motorway miles on my own late at night and the car was a delight.

However I love my Octavia and performance is superb. No regrets at all.

 

For what it's worth my indicators worked fine on the Beemer unlike the many poorly driven Range Rovers with blacked out windows and aggressive driving styles, that I see often these days.

 

LJK Setright worshipped Hondas, the Honda Prelude was the greatest sports car ever as far as he was concerned. A very intelligent and very entertaining writer but I take his car reviews with a pinch of salt.  

Edited 7 July, 20178 yr by Lingnoi

34 minutes ago, Lingnoi said:

The boot is barely adequate and of course the backseats don't fold so you're snookered if you need to carry anything bigger than a set of golf clubs. I always used to borrow a friend's Honda Jazz to carry flat pack furniture and alike.

 

I managed to get a flat pack dining table and 4 chairs into my E92 330D! I was practically sat on top of the wheel and the seat didn't fully fold back mind, but managed it all the same! Will remember next time to double check the delivery address when ordering...

Try adding mass to where the torsion bar meets the bodywork.

I cant comment on previous octavias to compare as I've driven subaru's for the last 10 years but I've recently purchased a MY18 VRS245 Wagon (Combi /Estate) and i'm very happy with the build quality and find the ride to be very smooth with minimal road noise. The car has 19" wheels running Pirelli P Zero tyres and the suspension has the DCC, some comments above mention the cavity in the boot area being a boom box and that would make a lot of sense but i have the space saver wheel in a poly mold that cover that cavity so maybe that helps a lot? the only time i notice any road noise is on very course road/tarmac and then yes it is apparent but not overly so and theirs not much of that where i live so maybe i'm just lucky in that regard.

The noise level in my 245 is high on all but the smoothest of surfaces. It doesn't spoil the car - I wanted the vRS model and have had to make sacrifices with the lower profile tyre, slightly firmer suspension etc. It's leased (obviously) and I am still considering a buy back if possible, but do I go for something more refined/quiet and less sporty. Probably... 

 

What about insulation though. Seems Skoda have been a bit tight in this area and is backed up by the Octavia's very low weight for what is a relatively large car. Suppose Audi and VW wouldn't like the Octavia to be as refined as the A3 / A4. 

my 60 year old beetle has torsion bars, thats how longs its been around. seems like a backward/cheap step to install it on a modern car...

 

all of my road noise is down to tyres, change to a quieter set which is better but still no where near the Kia or Golf, i guess they skimped on noise insulation.

Edited 10 June, 20187 yr by JohnnyType2

My used Oct 2 had horrific tyre noise at first, turned out the inner edges were worn.  Fitted new Contis all round and it was much much better.