Hello there,

 

It's been 11 years since my last Skoda ('08 Octavia Scout).....  I confess to having been on a darker path* since then, but I am ready to repent and return to the fold 😇

 

Anyway, considering ordering a new Octavia Estate SE L 2.0TDi DSG 150PS 4x4 with rough road pack.

 

I am keen to keep this inside the £40K VED threshold in the UK, so I am dithering on a few things:

 

1. Spare wheel - the 205/60R16 spare wheel, does that affect the variable boot floor in anyway? Is any boot volume above the floor lost?
2. HUD, I have one on my current car and really like it, but I am wondering if the HUD is actually worth it with the virtual cockpit the SE-L has? Is having both overkill?
3. Energy blue, is it really as garish as it looks in some pictures (not seen it on an Octavia on the road or dealer) ?

 

My provisional spec is:

 

• Metallic paint (probably brilliant silver)
• Winter pack
• Virtual pedal
• Full matrix lights
• Rough road pack
• 17" Pulsar Aero black alloy wheels
• LED interior light pack
• HUD

 

This reflects options I have had and used/liked on cars I have driven in last few years, except the wheels which I think look less small than the standard silver 17" wheels, but also the smaller tyre size should be quieter/comfortable/efficient plus promotes the 'space-saver' 205/60 to be a full-size spare.

 

That gets to an OTR price of £40,125, which less first registration and year 1 VED is <£40K.

 

I'd probably buy the spare wheel kit as an accessory after delivery anyway, but if I left out the HUD or metallic paint, then I could add that in and all-season tyres plus some bits and bobs as factory/dealer options.

 

Finally, I am unlikely to get to drive one with rough road pack or 4x4, anyone got this spec care to comment on this version?

 

*BMW 🙄

Edited 14 April, 20233 yr by Niche Market

Would you not be better going with the All Season tyre option rather than paying more for your 'Aero alloy wheels' as an option? 

 

 

Edited 14 April, 20233 yr by toot

Hi,

 

Yes, except you can't order the all season tyres on their own, you have to order the 17" Pulsar Aero black alloy wheels as well, so I would need to chuck something else out to hit the VED limit anyway.

 

It actually makes this combined option about the same price as 4 all-season 205 section tyres, and that's before taking into account what you might get from selling the factory summer tyres.

 

I think the black wheels look better though, the silver 17's look a bit small to me.

 

Edited 14 April, 20233 yr by Niche Market

Looks never come into it with me if you are after a competent car so actual function over style.

TDI, DSG, Haldex, Winter Pack, RR protection etc.

 

Best get that order in as i think this combination is one Skoda might discontinue.

Be sure the Salesperson is being honest as far as they can on build week & delivery, well as honest as they can be as they are not really in the loop. 

Been quoted around 8 months, have company car now that runs out March 2024, so I won't order for a few months. Reason I am looking now is that other cars on my list are longer lead times.

 

Not sure why you think they would discontinue as the RR pack is popular in other markets, and they still sell the Scout in the UK, but only to the blue light services. Scout now has this same RR pack, think my old Scout had more clearance (~18cm) but now they are ~16cm, whether Scout or just RR pack.

 

If they discontinue the diesel (as Volvo will apparently do with V60CC next year), I'd be happy with a petrol anyway.

It is nothing to do with popularity, a Superb Scout is popular in the UK.

 

It is UK Fleet Average Co2 figures for VW Group UK, Skoda, SEAT, Audi, VW.  

 

VW & partners like MG are not First Registering enough Mild Hybrid, PHEV's or BEV's and low emission ICE models in the UK.

That can mean higher emission models get dropped or suspended from production for a while.

Edited 14 April, 20233 yr by toot

Makes sense, at the end of the day there are plenty of good cars out there, Skoda will not get my business if they discontinue this model.

 

This models' USP for me is it's utility (4x4, RR pack, boot space) at a sub <£40K list price. I may still choose another option above £40K anyway, but the Octavia seems attractive.

23 minutes ago, Niche Market said:

Been quoted around 8 months

I would treat that with a pinch of salt, looking at the Octavia 4 forum shows people waiting well over a year for their Octavia and some giving up and cancelling their order.

Think, I think it's a similar story for most brands.

 

I have been quoted similar lead times by 2 different Skoda dealers, and different lead times for different models (originally enquired about VRS 4x4 as well and both quoted same time - can't remember what it was, but was shorter than SE-L and both dealers gave the same lead time).

 

At the end of the day not too bothered, other cars I am looking at are already on longer quoted lead-times, but also if you look at something like the Volvo V60 CC, there is very little in the way of options I would choose so might even be able to pick one up from dealer stock. Zero chance of finding an Octavia in my ideal spec, or even any 4x4 (unless VRS, which I don't want).

 

The Octavia wins out on costs, but a car on my drive is worth two in the factory 🤣

Hmmm...   just seen a Superb Estate in Energy Blue, looked quite smart.

So this morning I test drove a Volvo V60 Cross Country (petrol).

 

Why's that relevant to a Skoda forum?

 

Because I went straight from the Volvo dealer to a Skoda dealer and sat in an Octavia SE L. Honestly I don't think that the Skoda gives up much, if anything, in terms of perceived quality. Of course there's a lack of leather and wood bits, but then Volvo costs about £12-15K more (compared to SE-L 4x4).

 

I think I might even prefer the microsuede seats to leather anyway.

If this combo was available On a 1.5tsi I’d be tempted. Don’t do enough mileage for a diesel. Do enough to esoteric areas to be twitchy on electric.

 

the value proposition is, or was a strong card on skoda since vag acquired them.

 

20+ years ago, a Octavia next to an a4… yes you get a better door shut sound. But going forwards, round corners was pretty close and a good deal different in price.

 

if the skoda price rises keep going(desirable pricing drive), sat in a similar priced let’s say Volvo vs Octavia, it gets much tougher. 
 

that said neither skoda nor Volvo are like their ancestors. I mean a modern Chinese Volvo isn’t a Swedish one; negative perception and the contra on skoda since vag. And overall vag not as strong as an Audi was in the 80/90’s. 
 

IOW Korean brands where it’s at

 

 

 

 

20 hours ago, ColinD said:

the value proposition is, or was a strong card on skoda since vag acquired them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, it now seems you can get all the options on a Skoda, where as years ago those options seemed to be limited to Audi or VW but not available on Skoda or Seat. I guess that's a just the natural trickle down of tech.

On 14/04/2023 at 13:18, Niche Market said:

Hmmm...   just seen a Superb Estate in Energy Blue, looked quite smart.

 

SHMBO and I took a stroll past it again last night, it didn't get her vote 😂

 

So Brilliant Silver or Moon White I think...

On 14/04/2023 at 09:13, Niche Market said:

That gets to an OTR price of £40,125, which less first registration and year 1 VED is <£40K.

 

My tuppenceworth is you're playing with fire. The 'luxury tax' applies to the list price when the car is registered.

 

Given your options are so close to list and lead times unpredictable, I'd have thought it's almost a certainty you'd have to pay the extra VED on such a spec.

 

What's important to one person isn't to another, but at £895 I'd question if I needed an electric tailgate but £755 for a HUD?  Shock horror!  For me, the car would have to be well under the upper tax threashold for me to consider adding such items.  If prices did rise even by a minimal amount, I'd be on the point of suicide realising a £195 metal tray under the engine was the cause of £390 extra VED per year.

 

All depends on how you finance the car but things you can see like a sunroof, colour etc might claw back a few quid back or at least provide some wow appeal in resale, but stuff like HUD and Rough Road packages etc won't get you a penny.

 

Do you really need matrix over the standard LED headlights? There's also an argument that says chosing that as an option may even put people off the car because if those get damaged, which being on the front of the car is high risk, it's a major cost to replace.

 

edit:  what I mean by that is if it's std equipment, with Octavia being such a popular car then chances are you'll easily find a replacement part for sale somewhere. With it being an expensive optional extra, chances are you'll have to pay near full price.

 

Being so close to the £40k threshold, If it were me, I'd be re-visiting the options list. 

Edited 22 April, 20233 yr by kodiaqsportline

16 hours ago, kodiaqsportline said:

 

My tuppenceworth is you're playing with fire. The 'luxury tax' applies to the list price when the car is registered.

 

Given your options are so close to list and lead times unpredictable, I'd have thought it's almost a certainty you'd have to pay the extra VED on such a spec.

 

What's important to one person isn't to another, but at £895 I'd question if I needed an electric tailgate but £755 for a HUD?  Shock horror!  For me, the car would have to be well under the upper tax threashold for me to consider adding such items.  If prices did rise even by a minimal amount, I'd be on the point of suicide realising a £195 metal tray under the engine was the cause of £390 extra VED per year.

 

All depends on how you finance the car but things you can see like a sunroof, colour etc might claw back a few quid back or at least provide some wow appeal in resale, but stuff like HUD and Rough Road packages etc won't get you a penny.

 

Do you really need matrix over the standard LED headlights? There's also an argument that says chosing that as an option may even put people off the car because if those get damaged, which being on the front of the car is high risk, it's a major cost to replace.

 

edit:  what I mean by that is if it's std equipment, with Octavia being such a popular car then chances are you'll easily find a replacement part for sale somewhere. With it being an expensive optional extra, chances are you'll have to pay near full price.

 

Being so close to the £40k threshold, If it were me, I'd be re-visiting the options list. 

 

Thanks, you make a good point, it's impossible to predict the list price - I checked what HMRC say:

 

'The list price is the inclusive price published by the manufacturer, importer or distributor of the car if sold singly in a retail sale in the open market in the UK on the day before the date of the car’s first registration.'

 

Electric tailgate I am a bit 'meh' about too. HUDs seem to divide opinion between those who have had them and those who have not - the latter think they're over-priced gadgets and the former don't want a car without one.

 

On an Octavia, the Rough Road Package is a fair bit more than a 'metal tray under the engine':

 

'The package also significantly enhances the ability to cope with light terrain, thanks to the bespoke springs and shock absorbers. The Rough-Road Package consists of engine skid plate, cable protection, brake line protection, fuel line protection and additional plastic protective parts.' (https://www.skoda-auto.com/world/rough-road-package)

 

Also includes 15mm extra ground clearance and an off-road driving mode. That all seems like good value if you need it/want it for £195.

 

I have adaptive LEDs on my BMW and they are excellent, I don't want to go back to standard lights. Reading Skoda's claims for the Full Matrix LEDs, they sound even better, in the respect the BM lights don't make a great job of handling reflections from road signs, but Skoda specifically call out reducing dazzle from road signs as a capability.

 

I don't care too much about depreciation since I intend to keep the car for a while, so probably it's better to have the spec I am happy with than miss out on too many options.

 

So, I am going back and forth on this:

• Spec it how I want it <£40K and take the risk the list price changes
• De-spec some stuff to give a bit of headroom (and then end up dissatisfied with the car and/or could still incur the extra VED)
• Just forget about the supplemental VED altogether - I was after all looking originally at cars >£50K

Test drove a FWD SE L 150PS TD DSG estate and really liked it. The car was a '21 plate and had done 25K, but no sign of any rattles or creaks (and I can't say that for all the BM's I've had 🙄)

 

I got to drive it on dual carriageway and a twisty lane I know well, so a good mixture of roads. Very smooth and quiet, engine excellent. Although on paper it has significantly less poke than the heavier 250PS Volvo V60CC mild hybrid petrol I also tested, it doesn't feel much slower in the real world. I thought the gearbox was much better in the Skoda, the Volvo was a bit Jekyll and Hyde in kick down.

 

The Octavia is an easy car to thread down a windy road but rolls a bit more than I am used to, although I think the Rough Road Pack may have slightly stiffer springs (but offset by higher CoG). I'm only basing this on my recollection of the Mk 2 Scout we ran alongside a regular Mk 2 hatch for a while though.

 

Overall I thought the Mk 4 is a lovely car and great value.

 

This one had manual tailgate and no HUD, which has given me a bit of a pause for thought as per my previous post. Virtual cockpit might make the HUD a bit redundant 🤔

 

1 hour ago, Niche Market said:

Electric tailgate I am a bit 'meh' about too. HUDs seem to divide opinion between those who have had them and those who have not - the latter think they're over-priced gadgets and the former don't want a car without one.

The tailgate aid I most need is gas struts. The struts failed on my old Chevette, and I had to prop the rear hatch up with a bit of wood when opening it.

It was heavy, and there was always the risk of the wood getting knocked aside and having the hatch door come slamming down on whoever was being clumsy putting stuff in the back of the car.

But an electric boot opener? I'd have to try one for a bit to see whether it was one of those "must have" options.

Having had a heated windscreen on my previous 3 cars, I miss it on my Octavia, but I manage without. To me, that's much more of a "must have" than an electric tailgate.

Personally I'd go metallic, winter pack and rough road. 

 

Anything else is pretty pointless or added complexity for minimal benefits to my mind. 

27 minutes ago, EnterName said:

Having had a heated windscreen on my previous 3 cars, I miss it on my Octavia, but I manage without. To me, that's much more of a "must have" than an electric tailgate.

 

Agreed, the heated windscreen won't be coming off the options list.

 

The PHEV I drive now is brilliant in this respect - no heated screen - but the heating can be operated remotely or on a timer (like most PHEVs), so the screen is clear when you get in the car.

The electric motor struts on my superb, failed twice in three years. If I had my way I’d get rid of them.

 

Old man’s  outback electric boot, now stops half way up.

 

HUD , now this I do see value in. However apparently they do not work if you use polarising lenses. Idk if that’s true or parroted rubbish.

 

rough road, lights I’d take.

 

my order of what I care about is tyres, brakes, lights. The rest is just icing on the cake and highly variable.

 

one would hope in the next six to twelve months production issues abate.  However each nice to have might add to a delay.

40 minutes ago, EnterName said:

Having had a heated windscreen on my previous 3 cars, I miss it on my Octavia, but I manage without. To me, that's much more of a "must have" than an electric tailgate.

It's all relative to what features you value and why. The way I look at it is how often would you use the heated windscreen, maybe a few times a year and usually in the winter months, but an electric tailgate gets used every time you use the boot, sometimes multiple times a day, and all year round so to me that makes it a far more 'must have' option.

 

You can of course manage without either, but given a choice between the two I would have the electric tailgate. 

 

My wife has an Octavia with heated windscreen and manual hatch, I have a Superb SEL with electric hatch but no heated windscreen (but I do have the supplementary heater).

In the end the answer was obvious......

 

 

Or this:

• Metallic paint (probably brilliant silver Moon White)
• Winter pack
• Virtual pedal
• Full matrix lights
• Rough road pack
• 17" Pulsar Aero black alloy wheels
• LED interior light pack
• HUD

List price £38,655 / OTR £38,965

3 hours ago, cnc said:

It's all relative to what features you value and why. The way I look at it is how often would you use the heated windscreen, maybe a few times a year and usually in the winter months, but an electric tailgate gets used every time you use the boot, sometimes multiple times a day, and all year round so to me that makes it a far more 'must have' option.

Agreed. Personally, I find opening and closing a tailgate easy. It takes me next to no time and is no more difficult to me than opening a car door to get in. But I'm 6'4" and in decent health, if not the first flush of youth.

But an iced-up/misted-up windscreen is a PITA for me. (The demisting ability of the heated windscreen is underrated, IMO.)

The prospect of defrosting a windscreen is far more bother than opening my tailgate, even if I don't have to do it very often.

It seems a bit odd for every car to have a heated rear screen, but make heated front screens an option. I go forwards far more than I go backwards.

 

But if I was elderly and frail, with lots of time on my hands, then I might regard an electric tailgate as a blessing, and a heated windscreen something I could manage without.