Travelled back home from hols on Friday and did 250 miles without stopping (needed to be home quickly) in 4 hours exactly. Radar cruise control worked a dream, seats super comfy in my SEL version and it was quiet and fast and relaxing. 
My Octavia doesn’t handle as well as my previous Focus but on the journey I did it was excellent. 
48.7mpg in total from my iV which wasn’t bad considering the limited use of the battery on a very long trip like that and the very high average speed. 

That's decent enough - what engines in it?

 

But of a comparison from the cheap seats:

 

I did Dundee and back for a weekend in my base spec MK2 TDI. On the way up I stopped for a leak just south of the border. According to the MFA:

 

246 miles

64.8 mpg

4 hours 30 min

55mph AVG

 

Not luxurious, but totally comfortable apart from my iffy shoulder starting to complain a bit on the Edinburgh bypass.

 

Only real downside is, it ain't fast. But I was going up the A1 in the afternoon, so limited opportunity for that anyway.

 

Oh, and I used a litre of coolant 🤣

You're doing well if your cruise worked properly as there's a known fault with it that so far doesn't have a fix.

Mine works fine now and then, and other times it assumes a European stance and refuses to overtake.

I knew someone would chime in with a whinge about the software. 
Worked perfectly like a lot of peoples cars do. It’s not everyone who has an issue. 

2 hours ago, StevesTruck said:

That's decent enough - what engines in it?

 

But of a comparison from the cheap seats:

 

I did Dundee and back for a weekend in my base spec MK2 TDI. On the way up I stopped for a leak just south of the border. According to the MFA:

 

246 miles

64.8 mpg

4 hours 30 min

55mph AVG

 

Not luxurious, but totally comfortable apart from my iffy shoulder starting to complain a bit on the Edinburgh bypass.

 

Only real downside is, it ain't fast. But I was going up the A1 in the afternoon, so limited opportunity for that anyway.

 

Oh, and I used a litre of coolant 🤣

I don’t normally break the speed limit but I was going 70mph and up to 85 where possible. Motorway was pretty dead though. 
 

I did have to do a 20 mile detour as a junction on the M42 was closed and the journey was 5 miles before the motorway and 15 off at the end where I had saved some electric. 
 

I have the plug in hybrid, 205bhp model (1.4 turbo petrol engine and electric motor). Not much chance for regen at motorway speeds unfortunately. 62.5mph average!!

 

If I had stuck at 65mph I can do 55mpg easily on a long motorway journey, just depends on the inclines. 

8 hours ago, MiniNinjaRob said:

Travelled back home from hols on Friday and did 250 miles without stopping (needed to be home quickly) in 4 hours exactly. Radar cruise control worked a dream, seats super comfy in my SEL version and it was quiet and fast and relaxing. 
My Octavia doesn’t handle as well as my previous Focus but on the journey I did it was excellent. 
48.7mpg in total from my iV which wasn’t bad considering the limited use of the battery on a very long trip like that and the very high average speed. 

 

Interesting that you find the seats to be super comfy. I've got an SEL 1st edition and after about 3 hours I get a back-ache so always plan to stop for a stretch & walk every couple hours. Having said that, last month I covered 640 miles in a total elapsed time of 20 hours - and could still walk at the end of it 😂

 

I agree with you about the Octy 4 being quiet and relaxing, and yes, the ACC works like a dream 99% of the time.

 

To chip in on the fuel efficiency, I'm pleasantly surprised that my 1.5 TSi ACT (manual 'box) is returning 55+mpg over the 9k miles I've covered in it. Can be up towards 60mpg on a long run at legal limits. What I have noticed is that it suffers driving in to a strong headwind, more so than my previous Superb II and Octavia II - for example, same route, same load, similar speeds, similar gradients/climbs, outward leg 59mpg, return 48mpg ('twas blowing a gale over Shap & Beatock summits).

17 hours ago, sneal said:

 

Interesting that you find the seats to be super comfy. I've got an SEL 1st edition and after about 3 hours I get a back-ache so always plan to stop for a stretch & walk every couple hours. Having said that, last month I covered 640 miles in a total elapsed time of 20 hours - and could still walk at the end of it 😂

 

I agree with you about the Octy 4 being quiet and relaxing, and yes, the ACC works like a dream 99% of the time.

 

To chip in on the fuel efficiency, I'm pleasantly surprised that my 1.5 TSi ACT (manual 'box) is returning 55+mpg over the 9k miles I've covered in it. Can be up towards 60mpg on a long run at legal limits. What I have noticed is that it suffers driving in to a strong headwind, more so than my previous Superb II and Octavia II - for example, same route, same load, similar speeds, similar gradients/climbs, outward leg 59mpg, return 48mpg ('twas blowing a gale over Shap & Beatock summits).

To be honest I don’t find the seats as “plush” as other cars but after being in them for several hours I’ve yet to have any issues with them and haven’t been stiff or achey getting out at the end - I do have a bad neck issue which has been worsened by some cars but this Octy seems to be great for it. 
 

I am not sure if the SEL seats are different to the lower spec cars? I know they are leather/alcantara but is the shape the same as the cloth seats?

 

My wife finds them really good too and she often struggles as she is only 4’11”. 
 

I only wish my work allowance enabled me to get the memory seats as we share driving and I have to change every single settings between us both!! 
 

The 25 year old Volvo 940 that I just sold had memory electric seats but this car doesn’t. Oh well. 

1 hour ago, MiniNinjaRob said:

I am not sure if the SEL seats are different to the lower spec cars? I know they are leather/alcantara but is the shape the same as the cloth seats?

 

My wife finds them really good too and she often struggles as she is only 4’11”. 
 

I only wish my work allowance enabled me to get the memory seats as we share driving and I have to change every single settings between us both!! 

I think the SE has a different shape seat (load SE FE I had were slightly less 'sculpted'), whereas the SEL & SEL FE are the same - apart from the SEL FE has electric memory for the driver side, which I find helpful for the reason you mention (I'm 6'5", my wife 5'8").

 

My wish is for a great distance between pedals and steering wheel so I could move the seat a bit further back without feeling I'm stretching for the wheel, especially in urban driving. On the motorways I tend to nudge it back a bit though.

 

Talking of Volvos, a friend of mine reckoned his 850 estate had "400 mile seats". I drove it for about 150 miles and was certainly very comfortable; may be worth saving up and looking at a Volvo next time...

I have to agree on the car being a good long distance cruiser, far better imho than the Mk3, I always get 65+mpg out of mine doing just over 70mph (TDi 150), and it seems much quieter or more relaxing somehow. SE L Seats are 'relaxed' not much side support, which is a shame, and relatively firm, but I find them OK.  

Unfortunately I am one of many with ACC issues so its not relaxing at all, it works less than 20% of the time and I spend 90% of my time on motorway/dual carriageways so sadly I am starting to hate the car, they had better get a fix out soon... but I wont be holding my breath. Definitely my last Skoda sadly.

9 minutes ago, sneal said:

I think the SE has a different shape seat (load SE FE I had were slightly less 'sculpted'), whereas the SEL & SEL FE are the same - apart from the SEL FE has electric memory for the driver side, which I find helpful for the reason you mention (I'm 6'5", my wife 5'8").

 

My wish is for a great distance between pedals and steering wheel so I could move the seat a bit further back without feeling I'm stretching for the wheel, especially in urban driving. On the motorways I tend to nudge it back a bit though.

 

Talking of Volvos, a friend of mine reckoned his 850 estate had "400 mile seats". I drove it for about 150 miles and was certainly very comfortable; may be worth saving up and looking at a Volvo next time...

I am opposite in that I have really short arms and legs so my seat is sort of midway along the rails with the steering wheel all the way towards me and the seat base at its lowest. 
 

Volvos do have amazing seats historically, the ones in my 940 were properly sprung ones. It just depends on your personal requirements though, they might not work for some people. 
 

One of the comfiest seats I ever sat in was a Peugeot 308 estate - never did a long journey but they were super plush. 
 

My Astra had terrible seats but I’ve driven a newer model and they’ve improved. My Focus seats were ok but the Auris seats were absolutely terrible. Trying to look and feel sporty but seemed to all the wrong shapes in the wrong places and were terrible quality - fell apart in a few weeks from new and it was a right battle to get them sorted through the joke of a Toyota dealers where I live. 

Just now, matrix2020 said:

I have to agree on the car being a good long distance cruiser, far better imho than the Mk3, I always get 65+mpg out of mine doing just over 70mph (TDi 150), and it seems much quieter or more relaxing somehow. SE L Seats are 'relaxed' not much side support, which is a shame, and relatively firm, but I find them OK.  

Unfortunately I am one of many with ACC issues so its not relaxing at all, it works less than 20% of the time and I spend 90% of my time on motorway/dual carriageways so sadly I am starting to hate the car, they had better get a fix out soon... but I wont be holding my breath. Definitely my last Skoda sadly.

Weirdly I did have a couple of issues in the first couple of weeks but not had any issues since then and I’ve not had any updates as far as I know. 

21 hours ago, sneal said:

 

Interesting that you find the seats to be super comfy. I've got an SEL 1st edition and after about 3 hours I get a back-ache so always plan to stop for a stretch & walk every couple hours. Having said that, last month I covered 640 miles in a total elapsed time of 20 hours - and could still walk at the end of it 😂

 

I agree with you about the Octy 4 being quiet and relaxing, and yes, the ACC works like a dream 99% of the time.

 

To chip in on the fuel efficiency, I'm pleasantly surprised that my 1.5 TSi ACT (manual 'box) is returning 55+mpg over the 9k miles I've covered in it. Can be up towards 60mpg on a long run at legal limits. What I have noticed is that it suffers driving in to a strong headwind, more so than my previous Superb II and Octavia II - for example, same route, same load, similar speeds, similar gradients/climbs, outward leg 59mpg, return 48mpg ('twas blowing a gale over Shap & Beatock summits).

I find my SEL FE 1.5 manual good on the motorway too. The engine is great in 6th gear with ACC enabled and can manage itself between 45mph and 70mph without the need to change gear.

 

I tend to set it to Sport mode though which firms up the steering making it less twitchy and easier to keep it in the lane.

 

I did a 200 mile run from Bristol to Blackburn in my 2022 vRS Estate last month.  I got 44mpg which i was more than happy with, especially as the car only had 600 miles on the clock.  I mostly stuck to the speed limit and there were some slow sections as the weather got worse the closer to Blackburn I got which will have helped the MPG.    I was keen to test the ACC as i've read lots of comments and it worked as i would expect it to work.  No issues overtaking and when the traffic slowed it seemed to auto brake and i noticed a car icon on the dash so i pressed the accelerator and it allowed the undertake.  I only had to do this once and it was a genuine undertake so it did exactly as i was expecting.  

2 hours ago, liveseytowers said:

I did a 200 mile run from Bristol to Blackburn in my 2022 vRS Estate last month.  I got 44mpg which i was more than happy with, especially as the car only had 600 miles on the clock.  I mostly stuck to the speed limit and there were some slow sections as the weather got worse the closer to Blackburn I got which will have helped the MPG.    I was keen to test the ACC as i've read lots of comments and it worked as i would expect it to work.  No issues overtaking and when the traffic slowed it seemed to auto brake and i noticed a car icon on the dash so i pressed the accelerator and it allowed the undertake.  I only had to do this once and it was a genuine undertake so it did exactly as i was expecting.  

Have been reading a few posts on a Mk4 Facebook page with people saying since the update around a fortnight ago their issues seem to have been resolved with the ACC and popping SOS system. Fingers crossed they are mostly there now with the software.

On 20/03/2022 at 11:58, MiniNinjaRob said:

I knew someone would chime in with a whinge about the software. 
Worked perfectly like a lot of peoples cars do. It’s not everyone who has an issue. 

Good for you. Many others do have an issue with it and it's bloody dangerous.

It's incredible that a company as huge VAG Group seem unable to get their cars to work properly.

If i'd paid £30k for a telly or even £3k and it tried to kill me i'd be less than impressed.

If you are a lucky one without the ACC problem you can't appreciate the safety issues when you go for a overtake and the car slaps the anchors on at 70+ mph.

It isn't pleasant.

12 hours ago, GreenlineIIEstate said:

Good for you. Many others do have an issue with it and it's bloody dangerous.

It's incredible that a company as huge VAG Group seem unable to get their cars to work properly.

If i'd paid £30k for a telly or even £3k and it tried to kill me i'd be less than impressed.

If you are a lucky one without the ACC problem you can't appreciate the safety issues when you go for a overtake and the car slaps the anchors on at 70+ mph.

It isn't pleasant.

Yes we get it, some cars have issues. Post in this thread about it: 

 

16 hours ago, liveseytowers said:

I did a 200 mile run from Bristol to Blackburn in my 2022 vRS Estate last month.  I got 44mpg which i was more than happy with, especially as the car only had 600 miles on the clock.  I mostly stuck to the speed limit and there were some slow sections as the weather got worse the closer to Blackburn I got which will have helped the MPG.    I was keen to test the ACC as i've read lots of comments and it worked as i would expect it to work.  No issues overtaking and when the traffic slowed it seemed to auto brake and i noticed a car icon on the dash so i pressed the accelerator and it allowed the undertake.  I only had to do this once and it was a genuine undertake so it did exactly as i was expecting.  

Have you done the ACC to a stop yet? I read in the handbook it would take you down to a complete stop behind another car up to a junction or lights. First time I tried it was a bit scary but it’s really good, as all you have to do when setting off is tap the throttle and away you go! If you’ve only stopped momentarily you sometimes don’t even need to do that. Excellent in heavy traffic/roadworks as it will follow the car in front at very low speeds. 
 

I’d be happy with 44mpg too in a VRS. 

17 hours ago, Mark Hiscock said:

I find my SEL FE 1.5 manual good on the motorway too. The engine is great in 6th gear with ACC enabled and can manage itself between 45mph and 70mph without the need to change gear.

 

I tend to set it to Sport mode though which firms up the steering making it less twitchy and easier to keep it in the lane.

 

I didn’t notice an issue with twitchiness at all? Mind you I did used to have a Focus which did have very direct steering and certainly wasn’t as relaxing to drive until you got used to it. Did you just set the steering to Sport or everything?

50 minutes ago, MiniNinjaRob said:

Have you done the ACC to a stop yet?

 I read in the handbook it would take you down to a complete stop behind another car up to a junction or lights. 

 

I read that too, would be a dream with a DSG 'box. Alas less so with a manual, but helpfully the ACC doesn't disengage with a gear change unless the clutch it out for a couple of seconds. I've let mine take me down from 70 to about 30, dropping to third on the way. I chickened at that point and went for the brake pedal   🙄

 

Might experiment a bit more so I can get the best out of the tech...

 

 

Edited 22 March, 20224 yr by sneal

1 hour ago, MiniNinjaRob said:

I didn’t notice an issue with twitchiness at all? Mind you I did used to have a Focus which did have very direct steering and certainly wasn’t as relaxing to drive until you got used to it. Did you just set the steering to Sport or everything?

I leave it on the default of Normal for every day driving which is usually 30mph and short journeys (one less button press as well!).

 

I used to have an Octavia MK2 VRS TDI with a heavy engine and heavy steering so I find the Sport more comfortable when making small adjustments on the motorway.

 

I don't use the Economy mode at all as the car gets great economy by default, I'm not even sure what that would do?!

30 minutes ago, sneal said:

 

I read that too, would be a dream with a DSG 'box. Alas less so with a manual, but helpfully the ACC doesn't disengage with a gear change unless the clutch it out for a couple of seconds. I've let mine take me down from 70 to about 30, dropping to third on the way. I chickened at that point and went for the brake pedal   🙄

 

Might experiment a bit more so I can get the best out of the tech...

 

 

I let the ACC do this sometimes but only when I'm travelling at 30mph and only when I see the visual clue that it's "seen" the car in front of me.

 

Sometimes it moans and puts the brake warning up and sometimes it handles it ok.

 

As you say it's of limited use with the manual gear box as you need to engage the clutch and change down at some point anyway so why not control the brake at the same time?

30 minutes ago, Mark Hiscock said:

I let the ACC do this sometimes but only when I'm travelling at 30mph and only when I see the visual clue that it's "seen" the car in front of me.

 

Sometimes it moans and puts the brake warning up and sometimes it handles it ok.

 

As you say it's of limited use with the manual gear box as you need to engage the clutch and change down at some point anyway so why not control the brake at the same time?

Ahh yes I forgot about the gearbox issue. Does the ACC cancel out when you change gear? I’ve had cars that don’t stop the cruise control when the clutch is depressed and some that do - most do to be fair. 
 

I do like manual boxes but I sit in too much traffic nowadays for their advantages to be worth it over the more relaxed and easy drive of an auto box. 

37 minutes ago, Mark Hiscock said:

I leave it on the default of Normal for every day driving which is usually 30mph and short journeys (one less button press as well!).

 

I used to have an Octavia MK2 VRS TDI with a heavy engine and heavy steering so I find the Sport more comfortable when making small adjustments on the motorway.

 

I don't use the Economy mode at all as the car gets great economy by default, I'm not even sure what that would do?!

i think the next motorway journey I’ll try the normal mode. I think I used the eco mode on this one but maybe the extra engine braking to recharge the battery might actually be a negative thing on a long fast journey. 

A bug in the driver assistance features would be considered by most potential buyers as pretty dangerous.

I can  understand why people might want to complain about it bearing in mind the poster is saying that it is a known bug without a fix.

 

I know my emergency brake system on the mk3 had a few moments where it screams an alarm and brakes for no obvious reason, the high beam assist is rubbish too and that is left off.  Doesn't mean it's a rubbish car, but critisism where it's due is fair.

 

Just because a car is great in some ways doesn't mean it's without flaws, so I'm sure we can all get along and agree it's great in some ways and has problems in others.👍

 

 

13 hours ago, MiniNinjaRob said:

Have you done the ACC to a stop yet? I read in the handbook it would take you down to a complete stop behind another car up to a junction or lights. First time I tried it was a bit scary but it’s really good, as all you have to do when setting off is tap the throttle and away you go! If you’ve only stopped momentarily you sometimes don’t even need to do that. Excellent in heavy traffic/roadworks as it will follow the car in front at very low speeds. 
 

I’d be happy with 44mpg too in a VRS. 

 

Mine is a manual so this wouldn't work for me. I've done this in a hire car before though and I'm not a fan, I prefer to accelerate and stop at my own speed and i find the ACC brakes a bit too harsh for my liking. I will use it when I'm in the long average speed zones in the M6 though.