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Which car to buy? Argh!!! Wish I knew what I wanted!

Tom_vRS

By Tom_vRS
in Skoda Octavia Mk II (2004 - 2013)

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andypandypoos Experienced

andypandypoos

Posted
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i went from a mk1 focus to a mk1 octavia and although i missed the pin sharp handling at first since i have fitted coilovers and played with other area's i'd say it handles better than my focus did, not as fun though :o

and what would a turbo Focus with proper suspension and wider, lower tires be like..:P

wait and get an RS Tom, you know it makes sense :rofl:

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dilly Community Regular

dilly

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This is a first I'm afraid, so I'll probably put it in the wrong place...

Apropos the Vrs diesel debate, I drove one a couple of days ago for the first time (having tested a petrol version a few months ago) and I thought it was marvellous. I was expecting to be disappointed having read so many comments about this fabled "spike" in the power band.

Chaps, its tosh - the thing's beautifully set up. What else would you expect from Skoda? They have a world(ish) rally team for goodness' sake! Excellent throttle response - that's my abiding memory - but also plenty of torque so 6th is usable (not just an overdrive) on the motorway and 4th and 5th will be sufficient on give and take roads for getting past the slow coaches with confidence and plenty of room.

Ok its a bit gruff and rather noisy when giving it a bit of stick in low gears (eg full bore take-offs from side road onto busy main road). I don't like the sound of a diesel - least of all these VW PD engines (they're not exactly the bee's knees are they) - but oddly, the exhaust seems to have been tuned to make the "roar" (because that is what it is frankly) bearable to petrol heads. You probably wouldn't put up with it if it was a Lexus or BMW

I'm a slightly reluctant BMW company car driver - reluctant because it annoys me no end that just about everything on the car is extra, even down to electric heating elements in the door mirrors! How mean is that? I didn't specify them (who would have thought to?) when I ordered the car and I've never forgiven BMW. Mind you, it is a pretty good car....I have also got a Mk 1 L & K petrol.

Anyway, back to the Vrs. Didn't have enough time for a really good fang but my impression was that it is well planted, the seats were made for my form and its the sort of car that just makes you want to take advantage of its "breeding" (I think that's fair, don't you, given that this is the 4th iteration of the Vrs including the Fabia?) and just give it a caning.

Most of my miles (25K or so pa) are done on boring roads such as M/ways and D/cabbageways where I tend to sit at 74mph in cruise listening to CD books (rather good - from the local library, for your info) but I like to be able to have a bit of fun when I come off them. The Vrs struck me as being the ideal tool (and the Vrs advert comes to mind as well...).

The odd thing is I didn't go into the dealer (Fish Bros Swindon - very helpful) with the intention of driving a Vrs. I went in to try the legendary DSG, about which I could find very little comment, other than in an American website. Because I do so many miles and my knees aren't as good as they were, I fancied a change to an autobox. If I could have that minus the "slush" of a torque converter, I might be a very happy driver. However, I reckon I know better than a computer when to change gear given that I can actually see the road (and, with the best will in the world, it can't!), so I'm in two minds. Would I regret being stuck with one for the next three years?

Well, I took out the 1.9 DSG (they didn't have the 2.0 I requested but that wasn't really the point of the exercise) and drove off with friendly saleslady co-driver. After about two miles I realised that I hadn't even thought about the 'box. I realised that the changes were so seamless that I hadn't even noticed. I then put it into manual and played a bit; apart from the revs rising (mainly noticed on the rev counter actually), that too was utterly uneventful and quite frankly astonishing. I suppose that's what most people want out of a gearbox: ease of use and unnoticeability.

Which puts me into another dilemma: do I have one because most of my miles are boring? And do I thereby bore myself to death? Or (and this is the surprise to me) do I just sod it and go for the Vrs (with - in my dreams - DSG, paddle shift, automatic rev blip on down change and heated front seats)? Why can't I have heated seats? I bet the elements are in there anyway for the Scandinavian market. And I will be utterly furious if Skoda bring out those options after I've got one. If I did get one. Sorry. Skoda?

Finally (and sorry to bang on) does anyone know whether the Audience ICE is ALWAYS an extra or whether it is standard in any of the cars? In the L & K for instance? And is it worth the extra money if it is an option? What do you get in the Vrs as standard? (there I go again...)

Thanks for bearing with me (if you stuck it out this long).

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Guest Fabia 12v

Guest Fabia 12v

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If you have another 2.5k to spare. That amount could be saved towards insurance and runnings costs, or a nice little mod fund :)

yeah well! u'se pays your money....

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Tom_vRS Mentor

Tom_vRS

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Yep, nice post fella, very helpful.

I had the PD170 vRS for the day, but tbh at the time I wasnt interested in buying one, so just drove it like I stole it for the day! :rofl:

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texasjohn Proficient

texasjohn

Posted
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Paid 15 for mine, July 2004 and 39k miles

Spec - SE plus just the two options - leather seats and maintenance package (5yr or 60k). Although I have since fitted an Alpine mp3 CD changer in the boot (same size as the BMW one so slots straight into the empty bracket. Adaptor to connect to the prewiring and hey presto)

SE spec is climate, rear sensors, cruise, 17" alloys (same as those on the 260k one you posted a link to) headlamp washers, auto lights and wipers.

Very comfy (although the ride is hard even on the SE and little body roll, the M Sport with sports suspension and 18s would be less comfy!) and quite quick

03 on models have 204hp/300lbft motor and 6 speed gearbox - Quite rare to find them in manual transmission so I read.

I was actually looking for a 330i but typed in 330 to autotrader and it popped up so I thought what the heck and went and looked at it.

Owners manual claims it is quicker than the 330i 50-70 in 4th. 0-60 in 7 and top speed 150.

Spins the back wheels in 2nd on a damp road. DSC very much needed!

Will probably part with it myself in June when the warranty is up - not that anything has gone wrong since I bought it, just will be ready for a new car by then!

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freemansteve Rising Star

freemansteve

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They have a world(ish) rally team for goodness' sake!

Why would this have any relevance? Do you think the rally team designs and builds the production models, or even offers the factory hints and tips? It would be interesting to count the number of unchanged parts that are common to the rally and production cars...

Excellent throttle response - that's my abiding memory

Blimey, what have you been driving? It may be quite good for a turbo diesel, but it's no way close to good normally aspirated petrol. I think you are mistaking the large amount of torque that is being produced (and subsequent acceleration) to what is actually meant by throttle response.

Finally (and sorry to bang on) does anyone know whether the Audience ICE is ALWAYS an extra or whether it is standard in any of the cars?

Don't be too concerned - neither unit is really worth having, if you have ever heard half-decent kit. If you mostly listen to FM, both units are the same and have the same breakthrough rejection problems.

IMHO if you are used to BMWs, save a bit longer if you can, and get the extra spec you need on another BMW. You should look into the TCO implications of changing to Skoda and weigh them against what value you place on BMW-ness... At least a few of their dealers treat you with respect.

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