Any one from New Zealand here?

[CKO]

6 hours ago, HenryNZ said:

The price difference between the Style and RS is NZ$8000 (about AU$7300 or GBP 3800), so it does not seem as much as mentioned above. By paying that difference one gets a more powerful engine (2.0T 180kW vs 1.4T 110kW) paired with different gearbox (8sp AT vs DQ381 DSG), and one also gets an upgraded rear suspension, front diff lock, matrix head light, 1 inch larger alloy wheels and RS styling e.g. seats etc. The amount of kits  for that extra cost is VERY attractive.

 

In the past 15 years I have been driving the stereotypical reliable but boring Japanese cars due to my young family. Perhaps it is a midlife crisis, or perhaps because the kids are now older and I don't have to worry about fitting three car seats in the back row or having to taxi the kids everywhere, I really want to treat myself a car with better driving experience whilst still having the space and not breaking my bank. To this end, I have set eye on the Octavia accepting that being a VAG car it will probably be less reliable than my current soulless Toyota/Honda. It is perhaps for this same reason my heart really desires a RS over the Style.

 

Having said that, I fully admit that I will very rarely need the kind of power that is in the RS considering how I have been driving in the past 15 years. The primary uses of the car will still be as a daily commuter to work and occasionally longer road trips between towns, so whilst it may not be as reliable my current Japanese car it still need to work most of the time. The reported problems with the. DQ381 are really giving me pause.

 

As you can see, I am still rather torn between the Style and the RS. 😔

 

 

 

  

Like you, I considered the Octavia as my final car in my retirement years as it seemed to offer what I wanted w/o breaking the bank.

 

19" rims are not standard on the vRS unless you opt for the Plus Pack at extra cost.  This also brings the HUD (head up display), DCC adaptive suspension and heated F & R seats.

 

The 19" wheels add to the appearance but spoil the ride as they make the car a shade jiggly whenever pot holes or wavy roads are encountered, making me request a wheel downgrade to the 18" items on mine.  I am still a little miffed that the dealer did not offer me a credit for this swap.

 

The DCC is a good option to have as you can adjust the settings for urban cruising or back road blasts.  It still won't let you forget the presence of the 19" rims, though.

 

You may also like to consider the pano roof if you go for the vRS as the all black cabin (even the headliner is black) is lightened up by this feature.

 

Good luck with your choice and enjoy your ride.

 

 

[SouthernComfort]

1 hour ago, CKO said:

Like you, I considered the Octavia as my final car in my retirement years as it seemed to offer what I wanted w/o breaking the bank.

 

19" rims are not standard on the vRS unless you opt for the Plus Pack at extra cost.  This also brings the HUD (head up display), DCC adaptive suspension and heated F & R seats.

 

The 19" wheels add to the appearance but spoil the ride as they make the car a shade jiggly whenever pot holes or wavy roads are encountered, making me request a wheel downgrade to the 18" items on mine.  I am still a little miffed that the dealer did not offer me a credit for this swap.

 

The DCC is a good option to have as you can adjust the settings for urban cruising or back road blasts.  It still won't let you forget the presence of the 19" rims, though.

 

You may also like to consider the pano roof if you go for the vRS as the all black cabin (even the headliner is black) is lightened up by this feature.

 

Good luck with your choice and enjoy your ride.

 

 

They're very good points. I stand corrected on the rims, I mistakenly thought 19's were standard on vRS. Probably a plus that they're not.

 

With all the other options you've mentioned (HUD, heated F&R seats, adaptive chassis/suspension, pan sunroof), all those are among the A$9300 worth of options on my Style. If those options need to be added to the standard vRS, then the price gap is widened even further. The AU drive-away price comparisons I mentioned above were based on the Style being fully optioned, against the standard vRS which is why I said that my Style had features not on the vRS.

 

@HenryNZ, it could be worth doing the comparison in your territory on the basis of both models being fully optioned and having a close look at what you get in the option packs, they're pretty extensive.

 

 

 

[CKO]

35 minutes ago, SouthernComfort said:

They're very good points. I stand corrected on the rims, I mistakenly thought 19's were standard on vRS. Probably a plus that they're not.

 

With all the other options you've mentioned (HUD, heated F&R seats, adaptive chassis/suspension, pan sunroof), all those are among the A$9300 worth of options on my Style. If those options need to be added to the standard vRS, then the price gap is widened even further. The AU drive-away price comparisons I mentioned above were based on the Style being fully optioned, against the standard vRS which is why I said that my Style had features not on the vRS.

 

@HenryNZ, it could be worth doing the comparison in your territory on the basis of both models being fully optioned and having a close look at what you get in the option packs, they're pretty extensive.

 

 

 

The following info is on the Skoda NZ configurator:

 

The Style starts at $52,990, with the vRS coming in at $61,990.  Both are promo prices as word of the facelift is out and the units left in stock and on the water will need to be cleared by year end.  The facelifted examples are expected in late 2024, with a release projected for early 2025.

 

If HenryNZ opts for the Style, he needs to select a unit with the Style Plus pack ($5,450 extra) to get the HUD, triple zone climate control, ventilated F seats and heated F & R seats.  What Skoda deems as leather seating adds $1,650.  17" rims come with the Style, with more stylish alloys coming in at $600 and an 18" upgrade costing from $1,450 (two styles are available).  DCC is unavailable for Style trim level.

 

The vRS Plus pack is $6,450 to include the 19" wheels, HUD, DCC, heated F & R seats (and steering wheel - sorry, missed that one out previously), leather seating and massaging F sports seats.  

 

The pano roof costs $2.900 for either trim level.

[SouthernComfort]

51 minutes ago, CKO said:

The following info is on the Skoda NZ configurator:

 

The Style starts at $52,990, with the vRS coming in at $61,990.  Both are promo prices as word of the facelift is out and the units left in stock and on the water will need to be cleared by year end.  The facelifted examples are expected in late 2024, with a release projected for early 2025.

 

If HenryNZ opts for the Style, he needs to select a unit with the Style Plus pack ($5,450 extra) to get the HUD, triple zone climate control, ventilated F seats and heated F & R seats.  What Skoda deems as leather seating adds $1,650.  17" rims come with the Style, with more stylish alloys coming in at $600 and an 18" upgrade costing from $1,450 (two styles are available).  DCC is unavailable for Style trim level.

 

The vRS Plus pack is $6,450 to include the 19" wheels, HUD, DCC, heated F & R seats (and steering wheel - sorry, missed that one out previously), leather seating and massaging F sports seats.  

 

The pano roof costs $2.900 for either trim level.

Interesting, seems several things regarding the option packs have either changed in the last 12 months, or it may be just that the specs are different in NZ models. In AU in '23, you could option the Style with tech and lux packs, or a combination of both which gave you the 'burger with the lot'. Pan roof was an option on its own, as it still is.

[CKO]

6 minutes ago, SouthernComfort said:

Interesting, seems several things regarding the option packs have either changed in the last 12 months, or it may be just that the specs are different in NZ models. In AU in '23, you could option the Style with tech and lux packs, or a combination of both which gave you the 'burger with the lot'. Pan roof was an option on its own, as it still is.

One would have thought that specs and models would be identical on both sides of The Ditch, given the small size of the NZ market, but such is not the case.

 

Australia has/had the Sportline variant, which never came here, for instance.

 

Skoda NZ made the decision on the vRS to bundle all options except the pano roof together when the chip shortage struck and has not revised this since.  So you either get a "standard" vRS or one with all the trimmings with the free-to-order pano roof.

[HenryNZ]

One more question for @SouthernComfort and those who drive 1.4T 110kW Octavia: When you say it has good power, is it with the car loaded?

 

With this car I am deciding on, it will be my daily commuter for work (about 20km one way x 2 each day) Monday and Friday with myself being the sole occupant. In the weekend it will be the family car for the transportation of 2 adults, 3 kids (two of whom are teenagers about 3/4 adult size), a dog and various things in boot. Every 2-3 weekends, we drive about 250km on country roads to our holiday home. The trip comprises of roads on gentle rolling hills 70% of time and roads through windy roads along river gorges and mountain ranges the other 30% of time.

 

For my daily commute, I am sure the Style is plenty powerful enough and in fact the ideal choice given its economy. But what about for my family weekend trips with 5 occupants and boatload of stuff? Would the 1.4T engine still be good enough? 

 

 

[Gaz]

7 hours ago, CKO said:

Don't let the cops get you.

 

Slightly better odds for outrunning them in a vRS 👍😇

 

G

[HenryNZ]

The Cops drive Skoda Superb here in NZ, so may not be able to run away from them...

Edited 25 April by HenryNZ

[Gerrycan]

4 hours ago, HenryNZ said:

One more question for @SouthernComfort and those who drive 1.4T 110kW Octavia: When you say it has good power, is it with the car loaded?

 

With this car I am deciding on, it will be my daily commuter for work (about 20km one way x 2 each day) Monday and Friday with myself being the sole occupant. In the weekend it will be the family car for the transportation of 2 adults, 3 kids (two of whom are teenagers about 3/4 adult size), a dog and various things in boot. Every 2-3 weekends, we drive about 250km on country roads to our holiday home. The trip comprises of roads on gentle rolling hills 70% of time and roads through windy roads along river gorges and mountain ranges the other 30% of time.

 

For my daily commute, I am sure the Style is plenty powerful enough and in fact the ideal choice given its economy. But what about for my family weekend trips with 5 occupants and boatload of stuff? Would the 1.4T engine still be good enough? 

 

 

 

Our older slightly less powerful 103kw but manual version of the 1.4tsi managed a driving holiday to from Adelaide to Tasmania with 4 adults and two had full international travelling luggage that really challenged the legendary luggage capacity of the wagon (at last I can say wagon here instead of estate ). Every stop at many wineries increased the load further for some reason and each day's repacking was like a harder game of Tetris.

Tassie is very hilly in parts and sure you noticed the load, but I was really impressed at how well the vehicle coped with the load and gradients because the full torque is available at such low revs. While the engine is very smooth and happy to rev out you really do not have to and to be honest with just 103kw power (in our case) that is not where it does its best work.

 

Our friends were so impressed with the performance of the car they went home to Scotland and sold their Porsche 911.....and bought a Golf R 😄.

 

I don't think you will go far wrong with either car but if you can afford the initial purchase price and the higher fuel costs then go the RS route. It will be the better driving car for sure. With that much occasional load are you sure you would not be better off with a Superb?

 

One other thing to be aware of is ground clearance on the RS is about 129mm and 1.4tsi about 147mm, not a lot but would be noticeable on our driveway out to the road and on some of the Aussie dirt roads we occasionally travel on. 

 

Edited 25 April by Gerrycan

[SouthernComfort]

12 hours ago, HenryNZ said:

One more question for @SouthernComfort and those who drive 1.4T 110kW Octavia: When you say it has good power, is it with the car loaded?

 

With this car I am deciding on, it will be my daily commuter for work (about 20km one way x 2 each day) Monday and Friday with myself being the sole occupant. In the weekend it will be the family car for the transportation of 2 adults, 3 kids (two of whom are teenagers about 3/4 adult size), a dog and various things in boot. Every 2-3 weekends, we drive about 250km on country roads to our holiday home. The trip comprises of roads on gentle rolling hills 70% of time and roads through windy roads along river gorges and mountain ranges the other 30% of time.

 

For my daily commute, I am sure the Style is plenty powerful enough and in fact the ideal choice given its economy. But what about for my family weekend trips with 5 occupants and boatload of stuff? Would the 1.4T engine still be good enough? 

 

 

When I'm fully loaded I honestly sense no difference in performance to when it's just me in the car. The car is comfortable doing whatever I ask of it. However, fully loaded for me is usually 2 adults plus dog and load area full of holiday gear. My out of town driving terrain is as variable as yours, as you've described it. My 8sp performs much happier than the 7sp DSG did in hilly areas, and I live in an extremely hilly region, as I said previously I find it a more 'settled' gearbox. If you want the ultimate answer I guess you'd have to do another test drive, but with 5 adults on board.

To acknowledge a couple of points that @Gerrycan made: The lower ground clearance is something to consider depending on the grade of country roads you travel on, and I too wonder if the Octavia is the best size for 5 pax, dog and all the gear you will be carrying. I regard it as a small/medium car, but not big. There are still larger wagons available if like me you don't want to go down the SUV route.