1 hour ago, MorrisOx said:

 

Everything’s relative, Ian - for most of us, judgements about refinement are based on what we drove before. I had a Volvo V70 before my Octy and had been spoiled by independent suspension all round and the most comfortable seats I’ve ever been in.

 

That said, the torsion beam is a compromised design and the Octavia’s position in the VW Group hierarchy means its shortcomings are a bit more noticeable than they could be. Because the torsion beam is a single steel beam which runs right across the back of the car it transmits noise and vibration more than independent suspension does. And because the Octavia’s bushing and sound deadening is of a lower grade than you’ll find on a Golf or A3, for example, you feel/hear it more.

 

The Octy is a fine car in many ways, but it is defined by Skoda’s status as a value brand - better than you’d expect if you've never driven one before, not as good as you might like if you’ve had something better.

That makes sense; I came from a mk7.5 Fiesta; which also had a rear beam and no doubt a lot less sound deadening than an Octy.

 

If torsion beams are good enough for a Tiger tank they're good enough for my Octy

Edited 2 January, 20197 yr by ian_feel_keepin_it_reel

4 hours ago, ian_feel_keepin_it_reel said:

Why does everyone hate rear torsion beams? My 1.5TSI is quiet and comfortable. 

 

For me the Torsion beam setup on 16" wheels is quieter and more comfortable than a vRS on sports suspension and 18"/19" wheels. May not have the same composure through a bumpy corner but more comfortable around town certainly.

The 4X4's on IRS with 17" wheels are really good.

 

The 2.0TSi makes an interesting proposition being on 16"/17" wheels, standard spring/damper rates and IRS.

3 hours ago, SC03OTT said:

 

Some people don’t like the ride. A small percentage of people. I’d wager if you asked 100 people what suspension setup their car was, 99 wouldn’t have the first clue. 

Now I have 17 inch winter set up and wheels look way too small, ride comfort touch better, not really big diff from my summer 18 inch OEM. 

DCC didn't spec because most of the people say that it doesn't make much diff from standard suspension but reported problems with it, for that money I will go for aftermarket suspension solutions because the car is crying for lowering to reduce that massive gap under wheel arches. 

18 hours ago, SC03OTT said:

 

Some people don’t like the ride. A small percentage of people. I’d wager if you asked 100 people what suspension setup their car was, 99 wouldn’t have the first clue. 

 

A wise observation. But ignorance  is something manufacturers take ruthless advantage of - kidding people about in-car tech (they charge fortunes for stuff which lags way behind smartphones), fibbing about performance (particularly economy) and fitting cars with the equivalent of cart suspension and calling it sporty.

Quite true, sat nav for example, google is way better, in my country they sell bolero with android connectivity but they don't tell buyers that android auto is not supported in my country and in normal way you can't download it

I was shocked that I didn't know that audi sells haldex under quattro name in cheaper models, how many owners of mentioned audis know this? 

Torsion beam is just cheaper, and that's the only benefit.

25 minutes ago, FrankLK said:

 

Torsion beam is just cheaper, and that's the only benefit.

 

And lighter.

 

Ford's unique selling point for the Mk1 Focus in 1998 was fully independent suspension. The new 2018 model will have torsion beam on the smaller engine models.

 

Lee

26 minutes ago, logiclee said:

 

And lighter.

 

Ford's unique selling point for the Mk1 Focus in 1998 was fully independent suspension. The new 2018 model will have torsion beam on the smaller engine models.

 

Lee

 

True, but Ford’s switch is solely about cost. It’s struggling and it was told to take a chunk out of the cost of cheaper models, where profit margins are already thin.