Hi,

 

I didn't think anything of the steering when test driving a pretty much new Octavia (dealer demo model) hatchback, which sported a 1.5 engine.

 

For comparison, as we are still weighing up options, I test drove a 2013 (Mk III) with a 1.4 TSi engine today.  It had about 30k on the clock so not driven to death.  The steering felt noticeably heavier to me.  It reminded me of when I had borrowed the sister-in-law's BMW X1 for a day.  So, all very sturdy and it didn't do anything untoward, but certainly not what I would call nippy when, say, turning to go round a roundabout, and certainly not in the same league as my Fiesta (!)

 

Is this my imagination, or is this expected for the Octavia?  Or could it be that this one is awry in some way?  (Clean bill of health in terms of service history etc, but obviously that doesn't guarantee anything!!!)

Was it in sport or individual?

I played with that button a bit.  It started off in Sport.  I changed it to 'Normal' later on...

the 2015 Fi and 2016 1.0TSI Octavia are very similar in our house. The Fi is slightly lighter, but I prefer the plantedness of the Octavia.

 

The Fi is well known for being actually really damned good on the twisties and it's mildly unfair to compare the two. I drive an Ecoboost Fiesta and an Octavia on a regular basis and the Octy is the car I would choose every time for a reliable, boring, solid and calm ride. My complaints involve a little too much squidge, roll and dive. The Fi is a completely different kettle of fish; it's incredibly hard to run a smooth corner from half a turn of lock and the roll is like Bill Haley's about to turn up with his Comets. But the compliancy on a bumpy B-road is another planet. Especially when the Octavia is laden, it tries to batter the road into submission and the Fi just floats over the top. If I want a fun drive, this is the one of the two I pick. 

For town I actually prefer the accuracy of the PDC sensors on the Octy to the terrible rear view mirror on the Fi. Pushing the Octavia to get ESP to react even in Winter requires seriously poor conditions (at least with the correct tyres). It's got reasonable amounts of grip and feels all-of-a-package - that nonlinear steering on the Fi means, along with a really wierd clutch action, that I have it far more difficult to acheive a smooth drive, which is something I pride myself on. 

 

Any car with 50kkms really ought to have its steering angles looked at as a matter of course; it's also possible there are wierd tyres, pressure issues, who knows. It's an opportunity to bargain with the dealer...

 

 - Bret

1 hour ago, Mewcenary said:

I played with that button a bit.  It started off in Sport.  I changed it to 'Normal' later on...

 

The steering is considerably heavier in Sport.