Moving from Octy VRS to Karoq, how does it feel?

[stever750]

My 2 yr old Octy VRS diesel wagon is in a bit of a financial black hole, having covered 69k miles in that period. It's out of warranty, already I've need to replace front brakes, and DPF sensor, and I know the battery is dying and also needs replacing. Other than the DPF sensor last week, it's bee very reliable, pretty quick (it's remapped) and not very frugal, either mapped or standard. i'm averse to any form of unneccessary financial exposure, and I don't have enough savings stashed away to potentially pay for any big repairs, so an offer to change to a brand new Karoq 1.5TSI SE-L for a tenner a month increase on my current PCP is a no brainer, given my car has around £4k in negative equity in it.

it's a nice enough car I guess, but doesn't get the juices flowing in anyway, I don't have a young family, and 90% of the time it's just me in it, and sometimes my bike. Anyone else made a similar change, and if so, how did / do you feel about it? Are there any traits that help offset the drop in handling / performance? I'm trying to summon some enthusiasm for it!! I know for experience (a Superb 190TD SE-L ) that I'll quickly get bored of it, after the new car novelty has worn off, and a quick search reveals no obvious remapping opportunities.

[silver1011]

Compared to a mapped Octavia vRS, it'll be sloowwwww.

 

Make sure it isn't one of the problematic 1.5 TSI's either.

[Hairball]

I guess part of the decision is down to the journeys that you will be making. I had a 220ps petrol VRS DSG back in 2015 when I did a 150 mile round trip daily round trip commute to work, the perfect car for me in that respect and like you loaded the miles very quickly. Circumstances changed in 2016 when my job and commute changed to 60 mile round trip with plenty of stop start city driving so I changed to a Fabia SEL 1.2 petrol. Yes I missed the power of the VRS  but would have been unable to use it much if at all and been frustrated because of it. Last summer I changed to the 1.5 DSG 4x4 Karoq (I missed my old Yeti) after 3.5 years and nearly 60K miles with the Fabia. The Karoq is a modern car that is a lazy drive for me, brilliant for city traffic and the motorway links from Wiltshire to Bristol. I still miss the VRS but no where near as much as I would have thought. Ultimately for me in traffic a quick car is as fast as the slowest and for my journeys apart from stirring the gear box more I miss the VRS less. I'd still want another one though for those now rare journeys that I could have a spot of spirited fin behind the VRS wheel.

[Rsrob]

I had a 2017 F/L octy vRS TSI be for my karoq sportline i'm a big fan of the octy {had 4 of them😎} but i'm very inpessed with the karoq the standard kit is very good you get loads of kit as standard 😊 it looks good in sportline trim as well.

power wise i don't miss the power of the octy vRS the 2.0 TSI 190 is very good lots of power and torque for day to day work and when you want to have some fun it will pick it's feet up for a SUV.

The drive is very good in karoq the ride is very comfortable the steering good in sport mode it very good you can have fun with it but it no vRS it close with a remap and some stiffer spring it would be better but i'm very happy with it the way it is for now.

all in all its a very good car love my one 😍    

[stever750]

Thanks for the replies, and yes most of my miles are trudging along the M4 and M5. In that mode, the higher position and much quieter interior will be a boon. How does the std sound system compare to std vrs system? 

 

I'm aware that the performance gap will be huge, but then I went from a remapped cupra 280 (320bhp/505Nm) to a std superb 190td 4 or so years ago, so I know about downgrading expectation, which is partly the reason for the post. Ultimately the superb's talents didn't make up for the loss of criss country fun, even though the interior of the leon was hopeless. 

[Guest]

8 hours ago, stever750 said:

it's a nice enough car I guess, but doesn't get the juices flowing in anyway, I don't have a young family, and 90% of the time it's just me in it, and sometimes my bike.

 

Now I don't know this for sure but given the SE-L comes with those flexi-seats, I have seen a photo where one of the seats was removed and a couple of bikes were stood upright in it's place. Unless there was some other special device fitted, it looked like with front wheel removed, the fork was attached to the flexi-seat fixing.  If that's what happens then Skoda have been very "simply clever".

 

I suppose it depends on how much you enjoy cycling as to how fast that gets your juices flowing. 

 

 

Edited 16 November, 2019 by Guest

[S41NT]

The Mrs has a 2.0 DSG 4x4 Karoq and i've got a 220 TSI VRS. The 2.0 Karoq engine has a lot of poke just not quite the poke of the VRS, however i prefer the driving position in the VRS to her Karoq. She used to drive my old Octavia all the time and the only thing she's moaned about so far with the Karoq is the boot isn't as big. Its still a decent size though IMO, however she prefers being sat higher up.

[stever750]

6 hours ago, Scot5 said:

 

Now I don't know this for sure but given the SE-L comes with those flexi-seats, I have seen a photo where one of the seats was removed and a couple of bikes were stood upright in it's place. Unless there was some other special device fitted, it looked like with front wheel removed, the fork was attached to the flexi-seat fixing.  If that's what happens then Skoda have been very "simply clever".

 

I suppose it depends on how much you enjoy cycling as to how fast that gets your juices flowing. 

 

 

I was wondering about this, if I could get 3 road bikes in then that's one big positive. 

[Guest]

5 hours ago, stever750 said:

I was wondering about this, if I could get 3 road bikes in then that's one big positive. 

 

Looks like you could get 4 in according to the above pic and still have a couple of cup holders in the middle !  The photo above is from Skoda, can't remember where I saw the pic of the fork on the SEAT mountings - if I find it I'll post.

[stever750]

1 hour ago, Scot5 said:

 

Looks like you could get 4 in according to the above pic and still have a couple of cup holders in the middle !  The photo above is from Skoda, can't remember where I saw the pic of the fork on the SEAT mountings - if I find it I'll post.

Mine are full size road bikes, at least one of those in the pic is a kids bike?

[Gerrycan]

I know i can get several medium sized road bikes upright in my octavia mk3 combi with the quick release front wheel and q/r seat post removed.

Three bikes, three occupants and touring luggage. I hate putting things on top or out the back especially if raining.

The Karoq looks to have more internal height with seats removed but not sure about the length? Brochure will usually clarify that.

Edited 17 November, 2019 by Gerrycan

[Ootohere]

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/464700-internal-bike-carrier

 

[Orville]

I moved from a VRS TSI Estate (manual) to a Karoq 1.5 TSI (DSG) two years ago. The Karoq is more-comfortable, much-better on fuel (36mpg vs 28mpg), and almost as-practical space-wise. The 1.5 TSI engine offers great compromise between performance and economy, but it is NOT sporty. Out of the two, my wife and kids prefer the Karoq, but I do miss the VRS.

 

My next car (a SEAT Cupra Ateca) has already been ordered and will hopefully offer the best of both worlds (Karoq & VRS).

Edited 21 November, 2019 by Orville

[Gomezz]

On 17/11/2019 at 00:55, Gerrycan said:

I know i can get several medium sized road bikes upright in my octavia mk3 combi with the quick release front wheel and q/r seat post removed.

Three bikes, three occupants and touring luggage. I hate putting things on top or out the back especially if raining.

The Karoq looks to have more internal height with seats removed but not sure about the length? Brochure will usually clarify that.

I can get my full sus MTB in upright, with seat post and front wheel out in the centre with the seat removed, I would think you could get at least 1 other in with an outer seat removed as well, prob 2 with a bit of a fiddle. As it was pointed out the pic shows kids bikes !

Then I strap them in using the boot anchor points.

[stever750]

Great, at least one thing positive to look forward to then!

[delitfol]

To be honest we have the 2.0 TSI 190PS Karoq and it is gutless, the TSi in the Skodas is now designed for economy and not performance, the engine is different to the 2.0TSi found in golf GTIs etc, this one seems to lack power unless you really wind it up and has something to do with the way it was designed.

 

We came from a remapped 1.8TSi (running circa 190-200PS) manual to this in DSG form, and its gutless in comparison, even when it is on boost and the DSG changes up.

 

You will be very disappointed with a 1.5TSi after coming from something as torquey as a Diesel to be honest.

 

 

[stever750]

1 minute ago, delitfol said:

To be honest we have the 2.0 TSI 190PS Karoq and it is gutless, the TSi in the Skodas is now designed for economy and not performance, the engine is different to the 2.0TSi found in golf GTIs etc, this one seems to lack power unless you really wind it up and has something to do with the way it was designed.

 

We came from a remapped 1.8TSi (running circa 190-200PS) manual to this in DSG form, and its gutless in comparison, even when it is on boost and the DSG changes up.

 

You will be very disappointed with a 1.5TSi after coming from something as torquey as a Diesel to be honest.

 

 

I'm expecting it to be pretty mundane, especially as my vrs is also remapped, so somewhere around 450Nm torque - > 250Nm.....similarly 230bhp down to 150bhp, it will feel more lethargic than my superb 190 Td which wasn't exactly rapid. However, needs must and all that, so I'll just try to keep the mileage at sensible levels and think about performance again in 2-3 years time.... Hopefully the karoq is quiet, as the vrs is like an echo chamber, and the std stereo is at least as good as the std setup in the octy. 

[delitfol]

The Karoq is a great drive in terms of quality

The 19's on the Sportline are a bit noisy but thats the only noise you get, a slight tyre whine at low speeds.

 

The Stereo is OK in stock form.

[JakeB1941]

On 15/11/2019 at 16:46, stever750 said:

My 2 yr old Octy VRS diesel wagon is in a bit of a financial black hole, having covered 69k miles in that period. It's out of warranty, already I've need to replace front brakes, and DPF sensor, and I know the battery is dying and also needs replacing. Other than the DPF sensor last week, it's bee very reliable, pretty quick (it's remapped) and not very frugal, either mapped or standard. i'm averse to any form of unneccessary financial exposure, and I don't have enough savings stashed away to potentially pay for any big repairs, so an offer to change to a brand new Karoq 1.5TSI SE-L for a tenner a month increase on my current PCP is a no brainer, given my car has around £4k in negative equity in it.

it's a nice enough car I guess, but doesn't get the juices flowing in anyway, I don't have a young family, and 90% of the time it's just me in it, and sometimes my bike. Anyone else made a similar change, and if so, how did / do you feel about it? Are there any traits that help offset the drop in handling / performance? I'm trying to summon some enthusiasm for it!! I know for experience (a Superb 190TD SE-L ) that I'll quickly get bored of it, after the new car novelty has worn off, and a quick search reveals no obvious remapping opportunities.

Be sure to have a good long test drive in the Karoq to ensure it does not have the Kangaroo and the power drop. I changed from a Octavia 1.8 petrol Elegance, a superb car with performance that knocks spots off the Karoq. With excellent running costs a good spec and great driving position and at the right price Karoq you could do a lot worse.

Edited 25 November, 2019 by JakeB1941

[stever750]

3 hours ago, JakeB1941 said:

Be sure to have a good long test drive in the Karoq to ensure it does not have the Kangaroo and the power drop. I changed from a Octavia 1.8 petrol Elegance, a superb car with performance that knocks spots off the Karoq. With excellent running costs a good spec and great driving position and at the right price Karoq you could do a lot worse.

I think the kangaroo feature might inject a bit of frisson into the daily commute. 

Seriously, I hope it doesn't, though if it does I might be able to reject it and wangle a 2L diesel. I think its the same 184ps unit as the octy vrs, and I know a man with a good laptop..... 

[delitfol]

No offence, but it sounds like you had made your mind up before posting this that this car was fully suitable for you? 

 

Remapping? the new ECU's identify remaps and put a TD1 flag which is hidden and seen by Skoda UK if there's any warranty work needed, they will immediately decline.  

 

 

[stever750]

16 minutes ago, delitfol said:

No offence, but it sounds like you had made your mind up before posting this that this car was fully suitable for you? 

 

Remapping? the new ECU's identify remaps and put a TD1 flag which is hidden and seen by Skoda UK if there's any warranty work needed, they will immediately decline.  

 

 

I had no choice as per my OP. I'm in a massive financial hole with my octavia, which could get a lot worse. The most prudent decision was to accept the offer from my local dealer, which only works with this particular car, so I didn't effectively have any choice. If I had, I would not be buying it! 

 

I'm fully aware of the implications of remapping, the current car is the 4th that I've had done. I'm fully aware of the fact that all mods are traceable, despite that I still had a turbo replaced free under warranty on a car that had been remapped. These things are all about making an informed decision. 

[stever750]

Picked the karoq up Friday, today was the first proper drive, from my home on west Wales to London. My initial takeaways are that it's slooow. Keeping up m way speeds can be frustrating, I didn't expect fireworks but at times that was tedious; Lord knows what the 1.0tsi must be like. But, it's brand new, so might loosen up in time. I certainly hope so anyway. On the flip side, 40mpg without trying was good news, and it's much quieter inside than the octavia. Unfortunately the sound system is not as good, mine sounds decidedly wooden and boxy, but again the speakers will burn in somewhat and improve. 

I guess the other plus point is no kangaroo issues. Bit hesitant at first when cold but that's normal. 

Overall the journey was fine, having a smoother quieter ride is a real positive when making tedious motorway trips. As an SUV ownership prospect I can see why it's so popular, so long as SUV ownership is what you want! 

[Briggo]

Should have got the 2.0 TSI, it's nippy especially with the Haldex unit and zero slip from stand still. 

[stever750]

1 hour ago, Briggo said:

Should have got the 2.0 TSI, it's nippy especially with the Haldex unit and zero slip from stand still. 

If only I had the choice. It was this one or stay with the octy for at least another year.