VRS vs Elegance

[Sparksuk71]

Finally after a few years of wanting one I have changed my Mk3 1.6 Elegance for another Diesel but VRS

 

Very happy as I knew I would be with the performance and drive etc

 

just a little disappointed with the Spec comparisons in the UK

My Elegance was well spec'd and with added options - So full leather, Winter pack, Sat Nav and also came with Folding Mirrors

 

took me a age to find a VRS with Satnav, Heated Seats, Heated Screen, settled with Half leather which I didn't mind

but could not find one with Folding mirrors which is crazy given our parking spaces....yes I know and will fold manually

 

also didn't realise Graphically the Centre dash display has less resolution then that of my Elegance, especially noticeable when using Nav it is pixilated and only Black/White where as I was impressed with the Elegance.

 

I still would of thought a VRS would of been spec'd similar and I do know its not a L&K either but still

 

apart from these minors I can't wait to see what it can do....within reason :)

[ahenners]

Elegance are nicely kitted out and while the VRS standard spec isn't terrible, there were still plenty of things that were must haves for me:

 

Columbus - larger nav screen, better resolution and guarantees colour Maxidot in instrument cluster.

 

Canton - Massively improves sound quality, especially on earlier MIB1 cars.

 

Winter pack - heated screen and front seats are a god send in winter.

 

Other stuff was nice to haves rather than deal-breakers and I was lucky enough to find a used one with all the above and more. Just had to make a 9 hour round trip to get it! 

 

Enjoy the VRS! 

[logiclee]

Yep, well specced vRS's are hard to find and the standard spec is limited.

 

I changed preference between vRS and Elegance several times before buying our last Octavia.

 

For me Elegance was better specced and had a better ride around town. vRS offered performance and handling.

 

90% of my driving is my 60 mile commute at busy times and with average speed cameras so I was edging towards Elegance.

 

Then came across an Elegance with Xenon's, Columbus, Winter Pack, Self Park, Met Paint and Spare Wheel with just 20k miles so quickly snapped it up.

 

It will all depend on your priorities and what is available if not buying new.

 

I did also look at an L&K but the leather colour and ride on the 18" wheels put me off.

 

Lee

[courty]

To be honest, at times I wish I purchased the L&K with the same 184 Diesel engine.

 

Happy with all the kit on my VRS though, mine is standard bar the Amundsen Sat Nav which we added - a step up from my 2011 Ibiza 

[SashaGrace]

The vRS spec has some annoying oversights but the biggest one is the colour Maxidot. That was a £75 extra and should have been standard. I am very glad my car has that. Folding mirrors are not a complex retrofit and are on my list to install on my car as I miss having them tbh. Otherwise mine has the full leather and winter pack fortunately. The introduction of alcantara seats as an option is very worthwhile IMO.

[logiclee]

50 minutes ago, courty said:

To be honest, at times I wish I purchased the L&K with the same 184 Diesel engine.

 

Happy with all the kit on my VRS though, mine is standard bar the Amundsen Sat Nav which we added - a step up from my 2011 Ibiza 

 

L&K had the 150PS 2.0TDi.

 

The 18" wheels and torsion beam suspension is not a happy combination.

[Sparksuk71]

7 minutes ago, SashaGrace said:

The vRS spec has some annoying oversights but the biggest one is the colour Maxidot. That was a £75 extra and should have been standard. I am very glad my car has that. Folding mirrors are not a complex retrofit and are on my list to install on my car as I miss having them tbh. Otherwise mine has the full leather and winter pack fortunately. The introduction of alcantara seats as an option is very worthwhile IMO.

Let us know when you do the retrofit or the info you have on it already... Thanks for your help 

[SC03OTT]

I believe the vRS is an SE (non-mechanical spec wise) with a couple of bits added. 

[Tim1631]

16 minutes ago, SC03OTT said:

I believe the vRS is an SE (non-mechanical spec wise) with a couple of bits added. 

 

Yes it’s exactly that. A SE with added bits. 

 

What else do you believe 

[SC03OTT]

Ohh, loads and loads of stuff. Too much to note right now. 

[Liam0205]

I recently started a similar thread regarding my frustrations trying to find a well spec’d VRs 

 

ive now turned my attentions to an Audi A4/A6 s line or black edition, prices are fairly similar and the spec of these trims are very good

[courty]

1 hour ago, logiclee said:

 

L&K had the 150PS 2.0TDi.

 

The 18" wheels and torsion beam suspension is not a happy combination.

 

Yeah, a right pain in the ass I imagine. 

 

VRS looks decent too though which is the reason why I bought it, there’s just something about the estate shape in an empty car park; looks the nuts...even when it’s craving a wash before the hosepipe ban kicks in next week 

[SashaGrace]

1 hour ago, Sparksuk71 said:

Let us know when you do the retrofit or the info you have on it already... Thanks for your help 

Will do. All you need is a pair of mirrors, a switch and OBDEleven/VCDS to code them in. I’ve seen a few YouTube videos showing fitting to a Golf 7 and it’s pretty much the same process

[Octy0GG]

1 hour ago, logiclee said:

 

L&K had the 150PS 2.0TDi.

 

The 18" wheels and torsion beam suspension is not a happy combination.

Agreed, always thought it odd that the range topping luxury model had the harshest wheel / suspension combination of them all.

 

My ideal Octavia (They don't make it and I couldn't afford it if they did):  L&K Hatch with 245 drive train, manual gearbox, IRS, 17" wheels and steel roof in double brown

[wyx087]

12 hours ago, logiclee said:

The 18" wheels and torsion beam suspension is not a happy combination.

I can attest to that. My well spec'd Elegance (Xenon, Canton, heated seats, ACC etc) has 18" wheels and I'm looking to downsize, right down to 16inches.

 

Because of that rear suspension, I think its worth seeking out a well spec'd VRS. Nothing matters when the pothole hits your spine.

[ahenners]

13 hours ago, SashaGrace said:

Will do. All you need is a pair of mirrors, a switch and OBDEleven/VCDS to code them in. I’ve seen a few YouTube videos showing fitting to a Golf 7 and it’s pretty much the same process

 

Folding mirror retrofit would be awesome! Look forward to the "How to" thread! 

[logiclee]

2 hours ago, wyx087 said:

I can attest to that. My well spec'd Elegance (Xenon, Canton, heated seats, ACC etc) has 18" wheels and I'm looking to downsize, right down to 16inches.

 

Because of that rear suspension, I think its worth seeking out a well spec'd VRS. Nothing matters when the pothole hits your spine.

 

If going for an 18" or 19" wheel option then yes the IRS on the VRS helps.

 

But for ride quality alone on poor roads I'd say an Elegance/SEL on 17's is less crashy than a VRS with Independent Sports suspension and 18's

[PSM]

On the Mk2 (and I assume still the same on the Mk3) I always saw the range splitting at the SE level and you either went more luxury with the Elegance spec or sporty with the VRS with the ranging coming together again at the top with the L&K. so you either spent your money on more luxury bits (like folding mirrors and colour maxidot screen) and went the Elegance or it went on more sporty bits and so you did not get the luxury items. If the VRS had all the luxury bits of the Elegance at the same cost then the Elegance would be a bit of a non model and harder to sell I suspect. Or you you would need to put the price of the VRS up which would not be popular either.

[Dave77]

Now that i've fitted a Columbus i'm a bit happier with my low spec VRS. I do miss the CC, reverse camera, folding mirrors, dipping mirrors and heated seats though, my fault for rushing into the purchase. 

 

One thing I cannot stand is the cloth seat material though, it's so tacky!

[SashaGrace]

1 hour ago, PSM said:

On the Mk2 (and I assume still the same on the Mk3) I always saw the range splitting at the SE level and you either went more luxury with the Elegance spec or sporty with the VRS with the ranging coming together again at the top with the L&K. so you either spent your money on more luxury bits (like folding mirrors and colour maxidot screen) and went the Elegance or it went on more sporty bits and so you did not get the luxury items. If the VRS had all the luxury bits of the Elegance at the same cost then the Elegance would be a bit of a non model and harder to sell I suspect. Or you you would need to put the price of the VRS up which would not be popular either.

Exactly. My car was specified to near Elegance level and beyond in some respects, coming loaded with the leather interior, winter pack and colour Maxidot. By MY14 cruise control was standard so it only misses out on nav (from the giant ring on the inside of the screen that took many attempts to polish out, I would guess the original owner of my car had an aftermarket unit permanently on the screen) and folding mirrors. It’s easy to forget that the Mk3 vRS had some standard spec that the Elegance didn’t get, including the xenon headlights with AFS, LED taillights and lane assist. Add those options onto an Elegance and take into account the extra power from the diesel vRS or much extra power from the petrol and it’s not too much of a stretch to see the difference between the trim levels without getting into the under the skin changes (the IRS). The first Octy that caught my eye happened to be an Elegance but that one had a good slug of options fitted above the standard spec (full leather, KESSY, power bootlid, xenons, LED taillights, Columbus, winter pack, Park Pilot with self park and 18 inch alloys) but for me it missed the crucial one, the DSG gearbox and I was happy to go without a lot of those options to have my vRS which is well enough specified and had the auto box. I would have liked KESSY and the power bootlid but you can’t have everything. Now the radio is up to date with a nice big screen and CarPlay, I just need to sort out the mirrors and then I’ll be very happy with the car

[Wardy]

Not a new issue, it must be said - as has already been mentioned. And you'll probably find very similar threads on the Mk2 forum as well

 

I've been having a look at Mk3 vRS estates recently (TSI DSG) and it is a familiar story - trying to spot if the previous owner has had the foresight to spec the winter pack - don't think I could do without heated seats these days. And now that a power boot is an option, that's another one high up the list. Never stops really does it? Always on the lookout for something newer and better 

Edited 24 July, 2018 by Wardy

[Sparksuk71]

Thanks for all your comments, much appreciated... I am very happy with what I got 

 

If anyone does do the mirrors then let me know the outcome 

[SashaGrace]

It’s pretty much as it is on a Golf as shown below

 

 

I'm sure I sound like a broken record now but once my Mercedes has stopped being broken and starts being sold I’ll be trying a lot harder to get hold of a pair of mirrors and a switch.

[Dave77]

22 hours ago, SashaGrace said:

By MY14 cruise control was standard

 

No CC on mine, May 2014. Didn't CC as standard come in alongside the MIB2 update?

Edited 25 July, 2018 by Dave77

[flybynite]

Don't forget all 4x4 and the 1.8 TSi 2x4 get the multilink suspension too. Not many around, granted, but they are there.

 

My 4x4 elegance is on 18" in the summer and it rides very well. The multilink and the extra weight of the rear drive kill the crashy nature I have felt in others. The slightly more compliant damping of the elegance helps too. It is not a sophisticated ride by any stretch but I am fairly critical of handling and it does very well for what I ask of it.

 

If I was being pedantic I would have slightly higher spring stiffness similar to the vRS along with existing damping rates but it does not bother me enough to do anything about it yet. More chance of messing up what it does just fine.