Hi, Mattijs from Holland here... Don't actually drive a Skoda as yet - it's arriving in April, as the March production run in the RS/4x4 factory in Hungary will do RS interiors in the 4x4 for almost no money - but I thought I'd introduce myself all the same, with a story on why I chose the 4x4 over an Impreza WRX

First you must understand that the car is a company car and daily driver that would also frequently carry my wife and 4-year-old son. At the same time I wanted the new car to have more grunt to complement the four-wheel drive I had grown so fond of in my Legacy. However, the reason for picking the Legacy three years ago was not just the fabulous drive - for a comfy Mondeo-class car you can do amazing things with it! - but also for the extra space needed to bring along all the baby stuff on holidays. I also tested the Octavia three years ago, albeit with FWD, liked it, but dropped the thought because of the ridiculous lack of space on the back seats - not even enough to comfortably set up a baby seat. As for the WRX predecessor, the GT Turbo, I loved it but the boot was simply too small.

This time around, with my boy not in need of the baby seat anymore, and with less kiddie stuff to carry in the back, we were chasing the brand-new MY03 WRX, which also has a bigger boot than the GTT, a better build quality as well and hopefully the same Subaru reliability as the Legacy. So we were excited to go on our test drive, only to return home, well, disappointed!

We knew Subaru made some compromises compared to the GTT - made it more "user-friendly", allegedly making it more pleasant for the young-dad-in-his-thirties-but-still-in-love-with-the-throttle type of guy. That's me, I thought! I'm not the spend-all-your-money-on-performance-mods youngster, so perfect! Well, it wasn't.

To us it turned out to be that Subaru had made the wrong compromises - the WRX still had the rock-hard ride, the interior noises, the irritating turbo whistle and rocket-like exhaust note (with the Remus now coming as standard) - which made my boy put his hands on his ears during the entire test drive! - while the performance was, well, underwhelming, especially in the low revs. The said compromise proved to be all about easing away the turbo kick, leaving us with a car that is quick but doesn't feel quick. You only see how fast you go by looking at the speedometer. And because of the disappointing low-end torque - the turbo only really coming alive at 4000rpm - you need to downshift to get that famed acceleration, which is accompanied by that huge interior noise.

So all the pump and circumstance of a sports car, but not quite the feel of one.

Roll on the Octavia 4x4, which re-entered the frame now that the lack of rear leg room isn't that big an issue anymore. It has the firm but comfy ride of the Legacy, the power of its engine comes in a useful rev range and it's actually cheaper to insure and less susceptable to theft. Also, its standard equipment is so much better. And with the performance upgrade and lowered suspension I expect to come close to WRX performance - and actually feel it.

My only fear is the reliability of European cars, which is still comparing unfavourably to that of Japanese cars. I hope my car will get the new Hitachi (i.e. Japanese!) coilpacks

Quite a long write-up but I hope you've enjoyed it. See you around...

You won't regret it - I was in the same situation, very tempted to go for a WRX or Forester but felt they attracted too much attention..

(straps on flame suit in case of reading scooby owners) I've been out on many runs with scoobies and not had a problem keeping up, in fact following many I have found myself held up!!

This is mainly due to the faster spool up and progressive nature of the 1.8T vs the Subaru Flat4, which can catch up higher in the rev range but on a short straight never gets the chance. The subaru "feels" quicker due to the higher punch of the turbo, but thats after a period of lag!

Love the impreza, fantastic piece of kit, but glad I decided on the octavia.

(oh, "build quality" and "fuel economy" are not features on the WRX )

Ian,

Your comment perfectly fits my experience - the WRX is a fun car to drive but only when driven hard, at which moment it also becomes a very loud car to drive. The low-end torque is... not there, notably worse than in my Legacy.

Actually found the 1.8T's turbo punch more amusing than the one that is so very well massaged away in the new WRX. And that was driving an unchipped 150hp car.

Ordered the Oettinger chip entirely on faith, so will have to see. On paper it looks good, but does anyone know what it really brings in terms of 0-60 or more importantly 50-80? There are no Skodas mentioned on the Oettinger site (yet), so which other VAG car compares best? The A3? I picked the upgrade with no other mods, so that's the one that is carefully sold as the "195bhp" upgrade, which in reality will amount to 205-215bhp depending on the actual block's quality, I'm told by several Dutch customers that had their performance measured on rolling equipment.

(Had to go with the Oettinger chip as it is the only one the Dutch Skoda importer will accept without revoking full warranty - company car, you see. Still, it adds 55-65bhp to the downtuned 150hp engine for roughly the same price you would pay for adding 25-35bhp to the 180hp RS engine. So it's actually pretty cheap!)

Yes, I'm immensely looking forward to April...

Cheers,

Matt

Hoping to do some timing this weekend with proper equipment, but seen an easy 7.2secs on 0-60 with stopwatch, this was "press start, then accelerate, then see 60, then press stop" so I hope to beat this at the weekend.

It's certainly brisk (a Briskoda no less) but you only really notice it when alongside things you consider to be quick, then it surprises you. (and them!! )

Hi Mattijs , welcome to Briskoda!

Im interested in what you say about your new car , ie you're getting an RS interior in a 4X4 Octavia? Is this an option from the dealers in Holland? AFAIK we do not get that option here!! Also the 4X4/RS factory you mention is Vlachabi (sp!) i think , isnt this in the Czech republic , not Hungary? (The TT factory is in Hungary , and that is where the 1.8T engines are built also) Oh and are you getting the Sedan or Combi 4X4?

Thanks for the welcome!

To answer your questions in random order:

- It's the "Sedan". Because of the liftback, it's called "Hatchback" in the Netherlands. I think in Germany it's rather optimistically called "Limousine" :lol:

- the RS interior is a special factory option that only comes in the March production run and will be available in Holland only during the Amsterdam AutoRAI car exhibition from Feb 5 to 16, at the ridiculous price of 425 euros (approx. 265 pounds). Don't know about Britain, but you could always call Skoda GB... I only found out after I complained to the dealer about the regular Elegance seats, which IMO lack side support - at least for a lanky person like me! He then let me in on the secret and will hold out on ordering the car until the interior option can actually be ordered with it, which is tomorrow!

It gave me a unique opportunity to create an RS-lookalike, but with the 4WD needed to cope with the added Oettinger power and give it better road-holding through corners.

But I'll go easy on the front and rear spoilers, and will only add 1" to the standard 15" alloys - I want it to be a bit of a wolf in sheeps clothing.

- So Vlachabi is in the Czech Republic? I don't doubt you for a minute. I was under the impression that it was in Hungary as I remember that in 2001 the RS was officially launched at the Hungaroring because it was being built in a new factory in Hungary. Must have been a mistake by the reporter - probably confused car and engine plants or something of the kind.

Mattijs

Thanks for the response! I wonder how many Skoda customers in Holland know about this interior option? You might land yourself with a very very rare car! (by the way , is it just the interior that can be ordered ?...or could , if you wished get the front valance and rear valance with exhuast cut out and chrome exhaust , and the spoiler?) Also over here we cannot chiptune our cars and keep our manufacturer warranty , it is invalid after any major mod and no tuning companies (so far) have been willing to work with Skoda GB to give us the option you have! But , over here , the Elegance 4x4 comes with 16 inch wheels as standard , not 15s.

Regarding Vlachabi , did you know that the shells are built alongside the 'regular' Octavia in the factory at Mlada Boleslav , then moved to Vlachabi for 'hand finishing'. This applies to the RS 4x4 and L&K octavias , so , in effect , you get a semi hand built car!

You can order everything - spoilers, exhausts, 17" RS alloys, you name it, and use the sizeable price gap to the RS to create an "RS+" - but the interior is the only thing coming at a discount.

16" as standard in the UK? I'd expect that, yes, since Dutch cars are always poorly specced. That's because of the huge luxury tax on top of an allround lower net base price. Which is why importing Dutch cars is very lucrative for non-Dutch EU citizens as they don't have to pay the luxury tax...

A hand-built car? I'll use that one in the pub! 8)

There we go everyone!

We are all waiting for the 4X4 RS , well its availible to order in Holland , from tomorrow! Wonder if theyd let you spec up a RHD 4X4 and oettinger it?...hmmmmm :roll: Ferry tickets anyone?? :lol:

Hehe, here in Sweden a 4x4 elegance wthout any extra equipment besides metallicpaint costs aprox:800Euros more than my RS :roll: Strange pricing? I think so.

Yes, it should be..

Last time I looked the RS was 15,100 and the 4x4 16,200GBP, sounds about right.

Ouch, Ian, that's a BIG gap!

Over here the gap between the net prices are precisely the other way around compared to Sweden! Adding the luxury tax the gap increases to 1300 euros

From the Skoda NL pricelist:

Hatchback Elegance 4x4 1.8 20V Turbo 110kW Benzine 16.933,01 20.150,28 5.819,72 25.970,00 1.350,00

Hatchback RS 1.8 20V Turbo 132kW Benzine 17.730,82 21.099,68 6.180,33 27.280,01 1.300,00

(first figure = net price; second figure = net price incl VAT; third figure = luxury tax; fourth figure = consumer price; fifth figure = weight in kgs, important for road tax class)

Strange it may be, but I like it 8)

(According to the dealer, the reasoning lies in the 150 vs 180 issue, and the additional standard equipment in the RS - but who wants a Skoda radio anyway? :lol: )

The 150 vs 180 doesn't really wash (apart from marketing) as the parts cost the same.

The 4x4 elegance gets headlamp washers, side airbags, sunroof, and a few other toys over the RS here, the RS gets the spoilers etc, bigger alloys, and larger brake discs.

The 150 vs 180 doesn't really wash (apart from marketing) as the parts cost the same.[/quote:2e97a2f234]

Ian: I agree. That was what I was arguing in the Oettinger thread over at myPerformance

The 4x4 elegance gets headlamp washers, side airbags, sunroof, and a few other toys over the RS here, the RS gets the spoilers etc, bigger alloys, and larger brake discs.[/quote:2e97a2f234]

In that case, the Dutch 1.8T 4x4 is stripped down to the bone :lol: - or rather, it has been limited to the goodies that are actually useful, such as climate control, ESP, cruise control, heated seats, parking distance detector, front fog lights and onboard computer. No headlamp washes, no sunroof, etc. It does have the side airbags, however. The RS does too, BTW. Here, the RS also gets the looks (spoilers, chrome exhaust, bigger alloys - only 16" though) and the bigger brakes, although those in the 4x4 are already an improvement over the vastly progressive Subaru brakes I'm used to (and have come to like, actually - it allows for gentle braking).

hmm, not totally bare then....

climate control, yep on both here.

ESP, 4x4 only, but RS gets ASR.

cruise control, neither get em here...

heated seats, again, neither!

parking distance detector, umm, neither <gulp>

front fog lights and onboard computer - yep, both RS and 4x4 get these.

Odd choices!

So how does GBP 10,500 plus your own VAT and import tax sound as a price for LHD?

Oh, I [i:a380201386]love[/i:a380201386] driving with LHD in Britain. Allows you to really drive on the edge - literally! :lol: :lol:

On a side note: something I'm going to miss dearly, the hillholder on my current Legacy - what a brilliant invention!

Why can't the other manufacturers copy this? Or does Subaru have this patented until, what, 2015?

hillholder? :?

<disengage brain>

is that like a GIANT cupholder?

<re-engage brain>

Get an automatic, and you get a hillholder thrown in for free

Get an automatic, and you get a hillholder thrown in for free [/quote:cdf14cc516]

:lol: :lol:

Ah, but wouldn't we miss the joy of gear changes? 8)

DGW: the Subaru hillholder is a unique facility that keeps your car from rolling backwards on a hill without applying the brakes - when standing still, of course. It works like this: you stop on a slope, apply both brakes and clutch, and then... let go off the brakes!

The car will remain in position all the same, and when you want to pull away, you just let the clutch come on, and the brakes will come off automatically at exactly the right moment. When against a slope, I've beaten Porsches away from the lights, easily... :mrgreen:

If all cars were to have hillholders, you wouldn't need to train drivers for one of the most difficult parts of their driving exam :lol: :lol:

Ah, but wouldn't we miss the joy of gear changes? 8)

[/quote:3658d2bee3]

Gear changing is great fun when blasting along an open road , but it's a pain in the a*** I can live without at any other time :(

I treated myself to an automatic this time 'coz I was bored with driving the other (manual) cars I owned. I'm warming to the idea of a 4X4 or vRS manual next time, though.

BTW... Why do you need a hillholder in the Netherlands?

Reference the auto/manual choice, it would be nice to see the tiptronic auto box that is fitted to other vehicles in the group.

Wouldn't that provide the best of both worlds?

Paul

Gear changing is great fun when blasting along an open road , but it's a pain in the a*** I can live without at any other time :(

[/quote:f03dc06a0a]

I understand. When I'm traveling to work I'd hate to be on the other side of the road - in the traffic jam towards Amsterdam. I bet most people in it would kill for an automatic.

BTW... Why do you need a hillholder in the Netherlands? [/quote:f03dc06a0a]

:lol: :lol:

Ever heard of polders and dykes? The latter are usually dozens of feet higher than the first, and steeper than Alpe d'Huez

Matt

I've driven in Holland quite a lot without seeing the slightest trace of a hill. You're exaggerating!