Impressions so far

[181ce]

So 2000km up on the new bus (1.0 octavia manual).

Impressions thus far

Engine is still frankly amazing for what it is ,if my lawnmower had a third cylinder it would be bigger !!

Economy is good c.40 mpg not even trying mixed commuting 55 mpg on a run with a bit of attention

Don't like the tyre noise (bridgestones)

Bit of wind noise around pillars at speed

Overall very quiet/refined

Don't mind the torsion beam one bit,although over all the car is a tad firm

Entertaining enough to drive

The entire system of interacting with the infotainment systems/minor controls ergonomics in general is a masterclass in logic and how it should be done

There's no fecking lights in the vanity mirrors

The "media holder" dodad is useless who has a tiny phone anymore?

The halogen headlights ain't that great

I hate stop/start ,but that's not the car's fault 

The boot lights a bit feeble

Interior/boot space is still vast considering the class it belongs in

It's very easy to wash

Skoda connect/apps seem a bit hit and miss probably more down to my Chinese smartphone (doesn't do the buisness profile)poor cell coverage than the car to be fair

It's fairly impressive in ice/slush/snow

Clutch has extremely progressive action

Gearchange can be a bit obstructive occasionally when one is being dozy

Seats are fair comfy

Voice command is a total waste of time,could be my dulcit tones (or thick Cork accent)

So overall there's a lot to like,the niggles are minor,so still pretty chuffed with it.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 12 February, 2018 by 181ce

[SkodaAsh]

Voice command isn't totally useless, it's just too assuming when you give a command that is not part of the script.

Like, you can't expect it to understand "Take me home" when it expects you to say "Navigate to home" but when it thinks you've said "call David Smith" then it is annoying.

 

The boot lights are indeed too dull, and should have been quality bright LEDs but most other cars older than them don't have anything different.

 

Just make a habit of witching off start/stop, especially when driving in places with minimal traffic (or even in crawling traffic).

[threadbear]

The gear box will loosen up with use.....I purchased mine with 11 miles on the clock and is now well on the way to 13000miles after 12 months. The gearbox is much smoother overall now and feels more positive. You feel that this Octavia much like the mk1 and 2 will last almost forever. I think the ride is comfortable and I think that the climate control is fantastic. Living in a narrow road, front sensors would have been useful do I am extra careful! I enjoy having the autolights and wipers which were an added extra. 

 

Sometimes I feel I should have bought an estate but I have never filled the boot up on my hatch so not entirely necessary! I have tried small cars in the past, despite there only being two of us, small cars are okay unless you go away a lot or like visiting the local civic amenity recycling centre. 

[SashaGrace]

No lights in the vanity mirrors really annoy me! My media holder from both cars live in the house, they are pointless as I have a big phone. Otherwise I love mine.

[OliR]

10 minutes ago, SashaGrace said:

No lights in the vanity mirrors really annoy me! My media holder from both cars live in the house, they are pointless as I have a big phone. Otherwise I love mine.

 

Chucked my media holder in the house too, pointless when you have a phone box which boosts the signal plus you don't have to have the cable getting in the way between USB port & the holder.

 

Also agree on the boot lights as well, not very bright or well positioned considering the size of the boot!

[MorrisOx]

Media holder? I’ve had the car 3 years and from the start used it as a repository for old car park tickets.

[SashaGrace]

Nooooo, you need a bin for that  I used to use the one in the Citigo occasionally for pens and my work ID but I had found other places for those in the Octy. It surprises me they haven't considered the notion that people have bigger phones!

[fergiet]

Boot lights, get these

http://www.superskoda.com/Skoda/OCTAVIA-III/Octavia-III-MEGA-POWER-LED-cargo-trunk-light-KI-R

 

Straight swap from original.

[themanwithnoaim]

7 minutes ago, fergiet said:

Boot lights, get these

http://www.superskoda.com/Skoda/OCTAVIA-III/Octavia-III-MEGA-POWER-LED-cargo-trunk-light-KI-R

 

Straight swap from original.

I've got those & they're very good.

[MorrisOx]

57 minutes ago, SashaGrace said:

Nooooo, you need a bin for that  I used to use the one in the Citigo occasionally for pens and my work ID but I had found other places for those in the Octy. It surprises me they haven't considered the notion that people have bigger phones!

 

Bit of an anomaly really, especially when you consider the best infotainment system across the entire Skoda range is the smartphone clip on top of the Citigo’s dash

[PerArdua]

I recognise much of what the OP says above. Mine is a 2.0 Tdi SE.

 

I Dont Use voice recognition either but siri works fairly well with Carplay.

 

Might have to get some of those LEDs for the boot and i Plan to install Osram Nightbreakers to replace Halogens before too long - But the OEM halogens are Still way better than other cars i have owned in the past.

 

And what of torsion beam? Not bothered one bit - Ive changed from a Rapid and this is way more refined - Its like a proper grown up car!

 

[Gerrycan]

6 hours ago, PerArdua said:

I recognise much of what the OP says above. Mine is a 2.0 Tdi SE.

 

I Dont Use voice recognition either but siri works fairly well with Carplay.

 

Might have to get some of those LEDs for the boot and i Plan to install Osram Nightbreakers to replace Halogens before too long - But the OEM halogens are Still way better than other cars i have owned in the past.

 

And what of torsion beam? Not bothered one bit - Ive changed from a Rapid and this is way more refined - Its like a proper grown up car!

 

The OP has an FL with different headlight arrangement and there is a consensus that it offers superior halogen lighting projection than pre FL versions (presumably on the same bulbs).

I have only experienced halogen headlights and the lighting performance on previous cars has been determined by optical qualities rather than the light output. Some have been truly woeful and others impressive. Our previous Mk2 (pre-FL) Octavia was below average and our current mk3 (pre-FL) Octavia slightly above average in dry conditions. I live in South Australia (the driest state of the driest continent) so wet weather road country driving is relatively rare but wet roads really suck up light. I always intended to upgrade to Osram Nightbreakers when one of the current ones failed, which has not yet happened.

Like you I find the torsion beam rear suspension more than adequate for normal driving on tarmac roads. Huge variation of opinion on that though depending on PPP (Princess & Pea Potential), driving requirements and local road conditions, and perhaps issues with individual cars?

When I was a kid (in UK) the wallowing suspension of then current luxury cars (Jags and Rolls Royce in particular) instantly made me car sick, although I found Rovers were much better. I had no problem in small, firm suspension cars, I loved the original Mini.

The OP's reported consumption tallies with a theory I've formed that the 1.0tsi engine is very efficient in its normal rev operating range but you can't dribble it along on in a really low rev/high-ish gear situation (on the flat) on a tiny throttle like you can on a 1.2/1.4tsi and it is probably counter productive to try that.

@brettikivi gets noticeably better consumption with his 1.0tsi in Finland (than my 1.4tsi) at higher motorway speeds but when he tried (forced by road conditions) lower cruising speeds the improvements were not as marked as they would be on my 1.4tsi. 

 

Edited 14 February, 2018 by Gerrycan

[Guest]

With a face as ugly as mine, it's a bonus to finally have a car without vanity lights.

 

Agreed, the media holder is simply not clever.

 

Boot lights. I must say those in the SE-L fl estate are great - best I've ever seen to be honest. Two lights at each side of the rear panel plus the one that doubles as a removable torch. Never seen a boot with three lights b4. My biggest gripe tho with internal lighting is the lack of footwell lamps - not that they're of any use of course, but does makes the car look more inviting / more upmarket when you open the doors.  

[brettikivi]

I'll have to do an economy run soon because I'd expect I'm now the correct side of 5l/100. If we take the Octy up north at the weekend, I'll do one. Should only be -5 or so and so it's a decent comparison.

 

 - Bret

[OliR]

21 hours ago, fergiet said:

Boot lights, get these

http://www.superskoda.com/Skoda/OCTAVIA-III/Octavia-III-MEGA-POWER-LED-cargo-trunk-light-KI-R

 

Straight swap from original.

think I shall order myself a set of those, better then the cheap bulbs you find on ebay

[brettikivi]

pump to pump this weekend: 600kms, average of 5.1l/100. Ambient was -7.5 to -10C, lots of Aux heater use. Average speed I didn't check, will have been 75km/h or so. 55mpg ain't too shabby. 

 

three-up, full boot on the way home. 

 

 - Bret