Hi all looking at a 2 of the above, its a 66plate pre f/l 230 or 17 plate 245, now i know spec of a 230 but not of an earlier 245,  it seems to have the black 19's the same as the 230 and also black exhaust again same as pre f/l 230, is this the correct spec as other 245s ive seen with black pack and the 19s, they have silver exhaust and the grey 19s , did they a 'launch version ' as such. Does the early 245 still have diff as i know facelifted 230 doesnt, also does it also have vented rear brakes, finally anyone gone from one ti the other? If so experience? Sorry for all questions , cheers

The first of the facelifted 245 cars were an unofficial 'Launch Edition' and amongst other standard issue extras, include the diff, rear vented brakes, electric seats etc. 

 

As you've correctly spotted, they're initially recognised via the Gloss Black 19" Xtrems and the black exhausts 

51 minutes ago, dsj20v said:

Hi all looking at a 2 of the above, its a 66plate pre f/l 230 or 17 plate 245, now i know spec of a 230 but not of an earlier 245,  it seems to have the black 19's the same as the 230 and also black exhaust again same as pre f/l 230, is this the correct spec as other 245s ive seen with black pack and the 19s, they have silver exhaust and the grey 19s , did they a 'launch version ' as such. Does the early 245 still have diff as i know facelifted 230 doesnt, also does it also have vented rear brakes, finally anyone gone from one ti the other? If so experience? Sorry for all questions , cheers

Andy AKA Auric Goldfinger went from a 66 plate 230 to a 2019 Vrs245 but he prefers the ride of 18" alloys but he seems to be very pleased with his new car which he picked up in March. I have one of the first 17 plate 245's which came with a lot of standard equipment and mine is nearly 2 years old and over 24,000 miles on the clock with no issues and just one service at 18,500 miles. It's a great car (launch list price was £27,595) at a bargain price and the diff is very worth having plus the 310mm vented rear discs make the braking very impressive indeed. Mine has even averaged 40mpg and road tax is now £145.

Thanks, are the tips just black or have they the sports exhaust like pre f/l 230

Ive actually just come from a pre f/l 230 and loved it and i am looking out for another however a couple of early 245s have turned up pretty similar in price and thats thrown a spanner in the works as i want the extremes and they both have them

Edited 7 August, 20196 yr by dsj20v

1 minute ago, dsj20v said:

Thanks, are the tips just black or have they the sports exhaust like pre f/l 230

Yeah the 2017 245 has black exhaust tips and although it was marketed with having a sports exhaust it's really just the piped through the speakers sound you get (sound actuator). I wanted more noise and power so fitted 3" Milltek stainless steel full exhaust with sports resonated downpipe and it sounds much better than the standard system at £1,800 it's not exactly a cheap option.

The spec said 'sport exhaust' but there's nothing sporty about imo, it's very quiet. There is speculation that Skoda were cheeky and this element of the spec was referring to the soundaktor with no physical change to the exhaust itself (but this theory applies to all the cars that had sports exhaust listed in the standard spec) 

1 minute ago, shyVRS245 said:

 it's really just the piped through the speakers sound you get (sound actuator). 

The soundaktor is a unit attached to the bulkhead, it doesn't use the speakers 

I've got a PFL 230 and the exhaust tips are not real anyway... they're just surrounds in the bumper, the pipe of the exhaust falls in inch or so short of the 'tip' anyway.

Essentially I wouldn't hold out hope that the colour of the end bears relation to the actual exhaust.

 

I'd say it depends on price and spec...  they've both got the LSD and many other features.  You've got a 15bhp difference however I'm fairly sure that's not significant enough to base the entire choice on.  I'd just go for the best deal or which you prefer the looks of (245 is split lights right?)

I was under the impression that the 245s had cloth seats and the pfl 230s had leather... I really wanted leather

1 minute ago, Kenai said:

The soundaktor is a unit attached to the bulkhead, it doesn't use the speakers 

Can't really hear mine anymore thanks to the hissing coming from the Airtec induction kit.

5 minutes ago, shyVRS245 said:

at £1,800 it's not exactly a cheap option.

 

😦

 

That seems excessive....  You can get a full custom cat back for half that!

1 minute ago, Alex-W said:

I've got a PFL 230 and the exhaust tips are not real anyway... they're just surrounds in the bumper, the pipe of the exhaust falls in inch or so short of the 'tip' anyway.

Essentially I wouldn't hold out hope that the colour of the end bears relation to the actual exhaust.

 

I'd say it depends on price and spec...  they've both got the LSD and many other features.  You've got a 15bhp difference however I'm fairly sure that's not significant enough to base the entire choice on.  I'd just go for the best deal or which you prefer the looks of (245 is split lights right?)

I was under the impression that the 245s had cloth seats and the pfl 230s had leather... I really wanted leather

Early 245 have nice leather/alcantara combo with coloured embroided VRS logo's on all seats.

1 minute ago, Alex-W said:

 

😦

 

That seems excessive....  You can get a full custom cat back for half that!

The downpipe was £600 on its own and Milltek make the best exhausts for Skoda's IMHO. Cheaper ain't always best.

Well my pre f/l 230 exhaust was fair bit louder than the cupra 290st i came from

I have Alacantara Recaros in my Accord and I'm torn what I prefer.  Alacantara is nice to touch, looks nice when new and is warmer and less sweaty in the summer.  It does bobble after a while.

Leather certainly wears better and is much easier to clean...  so if you have kids I'd go leather.  That was my main motivation tbh.  Most family cars with cloth seats seem to have stains on them after a couple of years.

Any manual clutch issues on the 245 as i know of a few issues on the pre f/l vrs 

1 minute ago, dsj20v said:

Any manual clutch issues on the 245 as i know of a few issues on the pre f/l vrs 

No mine has almost 336bhp and 380lb/ft of torque to cope with and no problem dealing with this stage 2 conversion since last October so you will no issues with a standard car. None reported in the 245 owners section that I have seen as well.

1 hour ago, Alex-W said:

 

  You've got a 15bhp difference however I'm fairly sure that's not significant enough to base the entire choice on.

 

 

I had a 66 plate Pre FL 230 and now drive a 19 plate 245. It has only 15 bhp more than the 230 but there is a marked difference in performance. I was inform by my local dealer master tech that the 245 has a bigger fuel pump, bigger injectors and a different/ bigger turbo.  I  thought the 230 was sluggish compared to the 245, it seemed to have a power band stay within the power band and it's fine where as the 245 goes from the start up to the red line.  The best way I can describe it is :- The 230 was like a greyhound on a lead, the 245 is  still like the greyhound, but the lead has been removed...........

 

Try and drive both, you'll get my drift.....................

15 minutes ago, Auric Goldfinger said:

 

I had a 66 plate Pre FL 230 and now drive a 19 plate 245. It has only 15 bhp more than the 230 but there is a marked difference in performance. I was inform by my local dealer master tech that the 245 has a bigger fuel pump, bigger injectors and a different/ bigger turbo.  I  thought the 230 was sluggish compared to the 245, it seemed to have a power band stay within the power band and it's fine where as the 245 goes from the start up to the red line.  The best way I can describe it is :- The 230 was like a greyhound on a lead, the 245 is  still like the greyhound, but the lead has been removed...........

 

Try and drive both, you'll get my drift.....................

Indeed when standard my 245 actually produced 248.6bhp and 294lb/ft of torque (Skoda claim 241.6bhp and 273lb/ft) on a rolling road. That's 400nm as standard.

Edited 7 August, 20196 yr by shyVRS245
WRONG WORD

Fair enough, didn't realise there was that much difference.

 

I thought they were the same hardware though, just different map?  Pretty sure I asked that before I got mine and was told it was just software, same turbo.  

 

 

Might be some changed ancillaries but pretty sure they both have IS20 turbos. 

9 hours ago, dsj20v said:

Hi all looking at a 2 of the above, its a 66plate pre f/l 230 or 17 plate 245, now i know spec of a 230 but not of an earlier 245,  it seems to have the black 19's the same as the 230 and also black exhaust again same as pre f/l 230, is this the correct spec as other 245s ive seen with black pack and the 19s, they have silver exhaust and the grey 19s , did they a 'launch version ' as such. Does the early 245 still have diff as i know facelifted 230 doesnt, also does it also have vented rear brakes, finally anyone gone from one ti the other? If so experience? Sorry for all questions , cheers

The only external part of the launch edition 245 that isn't available to retrofit is the GLOSSY black radiator grill, main other difference that is a massive up grade on the 245 is, the LED headlights.

 

Whilst, the bi-xeons of the the pfl230 are good the LED's are some else entirely, the lights alone upgrade has gotto be worth £250-300 even 2nd hand.

20 hours ago, Alex-W said:

I'd just go for the best deal or which you prefer the looks of (245 is split lights right?)

I was under the impression that the 245s had cloth seats and the pfl 230s had leather... I really wanted leather

 

I recently bought a pre-fl 230 because I wanted leather (kids) and prefer the older headlight design. Don't regret it, and the xenons are still an upgrade over my last car which had bog standard halogen lamps.  Being a bit older I also saved a few quid.

 

12 hours ago, Alex-W said:

Fair enough, didn't realise there was that much difference.

 

I thought they were the same hardware though, just different map?  Pretty sure I asked that before I got mine and was told it was just software, same turbo.  

 

I'm sure someone smarter than me will be along soon but I'm pretty sure there are mechanical differences between the pre-fl 220/230 and the split headlight 230/245 models.  The pre-fl cars have both port injection and direct injection whereas the newer cars switched to GDI only.  There may be other changes, I'm not sure.  The recent 245s also have the GPF.

Seems a bit mad for them to implement that many changes to a product within a 2.5-3 year period myself.  Given the electrical/dash/infotainment changes etc too and the numerous options it sounds like a complete configuration management nightmare.

Don't get hung up on the hypothetical "standard kit" or the colour of the exhaust trims. Check what's actually fitted to each car - leather, satnav, etc.  If the wheels are different sizes check what the ride's like,  and if they'e manual/DSG see which of those you prefer. And that IS down to personal preference regardless of what anyone says on the forum. MPG differences between the two boxes is negligible, how you drive will affect MPG more than anything. And TBH unless you drive with the intention of getting a ban, a big fine and losing your NCD, or seeing if it'll go through a hedge backwards, then whether its got a LSD or bigger brakes really won't make any difference other than bragging rights.

 

Then YOU decide which is best for you in terms of colour, equipment, price, mileage, if ride and gearbox choice don't push you in one direction or the other.

I'm inclined to mostly agree with the above.

I was seriously considering an M135i before I got the Octavia.  I test drove both and the BMW was much quicker.  However, realistically the vRS 220 that I drove was still quicker, with better brakes than you need on the road.

The reason I specifically wanted one with an LSD wasn't really based on powering around B roads but more for trying to maintain traction at lower speeds on slippery british winter roads - pulling out of junctions, negotiating roundabouts in the wet etc.

Of course that can easily be coped with by easing up a bit with the right foot.  Plus I wanted leather, as I say.

 

The BMW would have been great, but the price just wasn't worth the additional performance as it just wouldn't be used more than twice a year for about 20 seconds.... 

 

I was easy regarding DSG/Manual, however in the end a manual came up and they were generally lower price with lower future costs so if I'm not bothered then why pay more?  But that's my view and others will see DSG as essential.