New MkIV vRS Hatch incoming...

JuanGandini · 13 December, 2023

Hi All,

After a brief hiatus away from Skoda, I shall shortly be returning with a new Mk IV vRS DSG hatch in graphite grey. I managed to get a decent lease deal and I'm just waiting on the final paperwork and delivery timelines (it's in stock so shouldn't be too long to wait).

I previously leased a Mk III vRS 245 DSG hatch in red back in 2018-2020, so I'm looking forward to seeing how Skoda have moved things on since then. Since the Skoda I spent two years with an Audi A4 Avant 35 TFSI black edition and currently I have a Kia Proceed GT.

If you have any pointers for watchouts or things to be aware of vs. the MkIII, please do let me know.

I'll post pics when the car arrives.

Cheers,

Jon

SteveTheElder · 13 December, 2023

Welcome back to Škoda.

The biggest difference between the Mk III & IV is the touchscreen (I'm not sure what the Kia will be like but the Octy MkIV has few physical buttons).

Top tip from me is take your time to explore how it all works, get used to using the voice control (which I find great for climate and radio/media). CarPlay or Android Auto work well, and of course voice control there too.

One or two minor frustrations too. For example, the car does not remember the engine mode, it always defaults back to 'Normal' each time its started; similarly for Lane Assist, its always on when starting up (not that this one bothers me but I know it does some folk).

Other than that, enjoy...

JuanGandini · 13 December, 2023

Thanks! Yes I've seen quite a lot of media coverage of new cars' safety "features" such as lane assist and speeding bongs which happen when you go 1mph over the limit etc.

The Kia is quite old-school in the sense that there is a touch screen but plenty of simple buttons for things like turning off lane assist and turning hill hold on (part of my pre-flight process every time I go anywhere!) Buttons also for climate, heated seats/steering wheel are great too even though the buttons themselves are pretty low rent. I'm sure I'll miss some of that simplicity.

However, I am looking forward to an extra 45bhp and more space for the kids in the back.

I'd be interested in hearing any parents' experiences of driving with their kids in the vRS with the sports seats - do they really obstruct the view out the front that much? Have your kids been car sick as a result? That's my only slight concern, but having said that, they'll appreciate the lighter interior compared to the low swoopy proceed roof. I'm also looking forward to better rear visibility as that's really poor in the Kia due to the low roofline and narrow rear window.

JuanGandini · 20 December, 2023

Car confirmed for delivery on 5 Jan. Getting excited now! 😃

JuanGandini · 8 January

The car arrived on Friday, so here are my initial thoughts after only a few miles behind the wheel:

1. Very comfortable and refined. Admittedly I'm coming from a Kia Proceed GT which had a lot of road and engine noise, but the vRS feels miles ahead in terms of comfort. I can see it being a great long-distance cruiser which will come in handy for some long trips with work in the next couple of months.

2. Incredibly comfortable seats. Much softer and yet more supportive than my previous car (which was its real weak point).

3. Dealers should do better with car prep. Ok it's only a lease car which was registered on the last day of November so may well have been left sitting outside for a while, but the window trims have green growth on them and the windows are still covered in marks presumably from the suckers that hold the glass during production. Front and rear windows need a proper clean inside.

4. Fake noise is actually not bad. The Kia was ridiculously loud - to the point of being bloody annoying as it was just a loud 4-pot so not even 'nice'. The vRS fake sound isn't anywhere near as intrusive and is actually quite pleasant. Don't get me wrong though, I'd prefer more real exhaust noise than fakery any day!

5. Infotainment has been fine so far. Still getting used to it - for example making my way around which of mine or my wife's phone should run car play when we're both in the car. For some reason the car is defaulting to her phone!