Need advice before ordering new 245Vrs.

[flash222004]

Evening All,

i am due to move out to Germany with the forces in the next 2 months and am going to take advantage of the tax free car purchase this time around.  Going from a 62plate D3 Volvo R-Design which I have been running for 2 years and love but would prefer to go new (Volvo even tax free in same spec just that bit too high for me to buy outright),  with memories of somewhat inflated cost to get work etc done at garage from last time around.  Finally settled on the new VRS 245 Estate in Meteor Grey with DSG.  Had been considering adding DCC after reviews of the firmer ride on the 19” wheels, it would appear that the latest iteration comes with 18”  Gemini(?) wheels of which I was not fussed either way.  Question is after all reviews of harder ride on 19’s recommending DCC are the 18’s likely just to make it that bit softer meaning the DCC is not as much of a necessity.

 

Will mainly be used on autobahn then jaunt from Dover to Suffolk before wife and kids move out in summer and it will be all driving in Germany after that.

 

Also thinking of adding electric folding mirrors, parking camera, heated front seats and virtual cockpit as options not quite as much a sting when ex vat. Was quite surprised electric folding mirrors were not standard though now adays.

 

Other consideration is that I only plan to keep the car for a year and then trade up and come back to the UK with something of a high spec we would run for a few years. 

 

[Borders]

Hi flash , having previously owned a 16 plate vrs octavia petrol which  ran standard 18 inch wheels  I found the ride very acceptable without the dcc . It's quite an expensive option & I used the money to fund the heated screen & seats which are useful options .  My  245 has the power folding   mirrors as standard and this is useful if you park on the road a lot , the camera is handy although rear parking sensors are standard .  Can't comment on the virtual cockpit as I don't have this . Maybe the acc would be useful for you're type of motoring . Good luck anyway . 

 

[ExSEAT]

Currently running a 16 plate VRS TSI 220 on 18's. I live in a rural area and only hit the motorway a few times a year. If there was anything about my VRS Id want to change its the jiggly ride over uneven roads and the crashy reaponse to bumps. Ive went for DCC on the order for my MY19 VRS245 for that reason, along with the virtual cockpit and heated seats amongst other things. I read that the heated screen auto activates at 4 degress celcius so Id end up driving round from november to Feb with it on the whole time. Ive always wondered though, once the screen has cleared itself, Id still not be able to drive away as the side windows would be frozen still, so is it more for demisting than defrosting??

[ChoonDoode]

As you've the opportunity to be getting a car tax free, I would add a few bells and whistles to it, especially the DCC.

 

Yes, the ride on the 19's will be potentially jigglier (is that a word) due to the slightly thinner tyre sidewalls, but the 18's are only 5% thicker (225/35/19 vs 225/40/18). Motorway driving shouldn't see much difference, it's only if the road surface is poor. I had the chance to drive a FL mk3 with the DCC and 19" wheels and the difference in the handling compared to my pre FL mk3 non DCC with 18" wheels was noticeable. I'm saving a bit of money to get coilovers with damper control to get the same ride quality (plus I do want the car lower)

 

If you're going places and using the sat nav a lot, the virtual dash puts the sat nav map right in front of your eyes, rather than the simple instructions which the maxidot gives. Saves you having to look over to the screen. 

 

If you are going to be doing a bit of motorway driving, I'd recommend getting the lane assist with blind spot monitoring. Just to keep you that bit safer. The ACC would be good with you getting the DSG gearbox, as in addition to the lane assist, the car would basically be driving itself on the motorway / autobahn. The ACC also includes the Front Assist which is monitoring the space in front of you and brakes if it feels the need to. Another safety feature which can sometimes you feel 'why's it felt the need to brake?', but I added to my car for added safety and it's saved me twice on the motorway. It certainly reacts quicker than you can.

[Gti Jazz Blue]

If it is a purchase and sale when you return - remember that you don't tend to get the full value of the extras that you add when it comes to sell - however they do tend to make it a lot easier to sell on.

 

Personally I would opt for the virtual dash, DCC and Canton on any new vRS that I was specifying. The blind spot monitoring is very good and I would opt for that as well, but I have turned lane assist off as I don't like how it feels - maybe useful along with ACC as you will be doing a lot of Motorway Miles. I have Folding Mirrors but tend to leave them in the normal position, personally I think with a Mirror folded in that some will be tempted to pass the car closer than they would with them out - so if they are optional I wouldn't bother. 

 

 

[Scotty72]

OP Having just got my MY19 245 vRS Hatchback one month ago which comes on the 18s I have no issues with the ride without DCC at all.

[MikeHig]

One of the car mags - I think it was Autocar - recently ran a pair of vRS Octavias one after the other. The main aim was to compare the diesel to the petrol, iirc. However they did make quite a strong comment about DCC being a "must have".

FWIW, I tested Golfs on 18s without DCC and on 19s with. My Mk1 backside found the ride better on 19s with DCC.

There is a fair difference in the height of the sidewalls: with 225s, the 18" has 90mm sides while the 19" has 79mm. That's a difference of a smidge over 14%.

One further thought: 18s are probably a bit less vulnerable to pothole damage.

[Guest]

You're getting the car tax free but don't say the payment method.   It's your money, your choice of course but if it's cash rather than some rental-type purchase and I intended to keep for just a year, it would be as bog std a car as I could hope for.

 

In 12mth you'll be selling a relatively expensive car therefore the chances of a private sale are slim. Sell to a dealer (whether trade-in or straight sale) or the trade and your options will be worth zilch come next year. Questions I'd be asking myself - if the car comes with alcantara do I need heated seats? Do I need a virtual cockpit? Ride will almost always be better on smaller wheels so 19" upgrade necessary?  The roads you'll be mainly travelling on will be much smoother than those in this country so why the need for DCC?   Even with 20% off, you'll still be paying at least £350 for a metallic colour. I'm not a fan of red but I could easily live with it.   If I were to have a car for 1yr and red cost £0 whilst grey cost £350 - it's a no brainer for me. (it's £350 for nothing that I can stick in my kids bank account).

 

If I were keeping the car for longer then I'd tailor it to suit but for 12 months - nah.         

[Ciderspace]

FYI I have a 230 manual estate in standard red - its a great colour, even for a Spurs fan   - on 19" Xtremes without DCC and have no issue with the ride....coming from a 2015 Elegance estate on 17"s!

[flash222004]

Evening Gents, many thanks for the replies definitely helped me look at things from different angles and helped me decide what to order tomorrow and this is my thought process why;

 

Vrs 245 Estate DSG in meteor grey I preferred the more subtle colour to the wife’s preferred rally green which i think would be too loud for me, red stitching for a bit of colour and  to match the calipers and contradict the grey exterior and keeping the standard 18” Gemini anthracite wheels.

 

Blind spot monitor - remembering last 3 years i was in Germany and overtaking in R/H drive car on other side of road could be a pain.

 

Front assist - Have it on current car and wife will be driving for first time in Germany and kids will be in car, safety feature that for a small price may save car and family.

 

Electric folding mirrors - as have to be specc’d when choosing the blind spot monitor. 

 

Having seen the black badges and rear sportier diffuser for little money I will put them on becuse I think it just ties in with black mirrors and grills. First time modifying a car, if you can call it that, in 20 years on the road.

 

All for just under 20k paid off and owned outright, id be happy with 18-19k with around 12,000 miles after the year but that may be wishful thinking! Then will look at staying with Octavia or looking at superb estate and spec high to keep for years to come and return to uk.

 

Many thanks again.

[SME999]

On 06/12/2018 at 10:36, Scotty72 said:

OP Having just got my MY19 245 vRS Hatchback one month ago which comes on the 18s I have no issues with the ride without DCC at all.

11th dec and i would 2nd that opinion...

[TheWanderer]

On 06/12/2018 at 12:35, Ciderspace said:

FYI I have a 230 manual estate in standard red - its a great colour, even for a Spurs fan   - on 19" Xtremes without DCC and have no issue with the ride....coming from a 2015 Elegance estate on 17"s!

 

Manual? What's that? Some form of trickery!