Thinking about it from a company car perspective does anyone have any opinions on the various merits of either the Audi A3 TDI 170 or the new Skoda Octavia VRS TDI 170.

Same engine obviously and prices are similar with the VRS likely a little cheaper. The A3 only has 3 doors, to get the 5 door Sportback pushes the A3 price up quite a bit. So I guess the question is really how does the A3 compare to the Octavia?

The wild card is the new Leon FR TDI 170 which should be a little less than the Octavia... Which is the best and why?

Lets not complicate things by considering the BMW 120d or the Honda Civic/Accord 2.2CDTi!

it all depends whether you have a family or not I suspect

if you need a boot the octavia is the obvious choice as it will swallow prams/buggies and other luggage all at the same time

if I were a single man with no hobbies I would plump for the A3 as it will be better bragging rights in the corporate car park

if you need to transport any other people and some luggage/sporting equipment..the 'tavia is the way to go

I had a front seat passenger ride in an A3 2.0TDI s line.

All i can say is OMFG... I want.

It stuck the the corners like glue and for the first time i can think of I was pressing the brakes in the passenger foot well. You know, the ones that are not there.

I don't know how the VRS would compare, but the A3 was an awsome car, and as mentioned the bragging rights are more if you care about that.

If its a leased company car, it will also depend on what your company rules are for choosing a car.

We are allowed a monthly limit, and a couple of the lads I work with have 2.0 TDI Audi A3 Sportbacks (ca. 20k list) for the same monthly payment as my Octy 1 vRS estate (ca. 15k list including options).

This is presumably because the Audi has better retentions, but I wanted the space and boot so went for the Octy.

I probably pay a bit more in tax than they do (lower P11D value but higher CO2), but of course a TDI vRS will be better.

Some companies just give you a lump sum price you are allowed to spend, in which case retention values don't matter.

Can anyone point me to a decent review/test of the Audi A3 TDI 170?

Can anyone point me to a decent review/test of the Audi A3 TDI 170?

Try this

I really shouldn't have read that now, especially not after having the ride in one :(

An A3 with quattro starts from 22k (I assume thats sport trim)... I mean that isn't that much more than an Octy VRS with the same engine and no 4x4 really. Damn it must have self control.

The Skoda 2.0TDI 140 is slightly quicker to 60 than the equivalent A3 plus it has more space and doesn't loose too much in the handling department. Add all this to the fact you get a lot more standard kit and cheaper options and its a no brainer. I imagine it'll be a similar story with the 170bhp variants too.

I test drove the Golf, Leon and Altea before going for an Octy and I have to say that Seat quality just isnt up to that of the rest of the VAG group. It's a shame because Seat quality a few years back was on a par with VW.