Hey guys ,

I am looking to buy Octavia but not able to decide between the two .

Though it is no brainer ,the vRS is far better and quicker but i am not able to decide on one important factor "Ride quality"

This is one of the most important thing for me when choosing a car cos i often to go places full of broken/bad roads ...

I 've taken the test drive of the elegance and i felt the ride stiff

The Octavia vRS is equipped with 17 inchers wheels so i feel the ride quality may further deteriorate due to lower profile tyres .

I would soon be taking the test drive of the vRS but its always good to hear from Skoda enthusiasts .

Please share your experiences and let me know which one of these 've a better ride quality ?

No problems ride wise with mine - Very comfortable.

I would be more concerned with the DPF on the 2.0 TDI PD170.

You could get an L&K 2.0 PD140 for the same money as the PD170 VRS and this is a softer more luxury ride.

The VRS is surefooted rather than hard, but can get a tiny bit jittery on bad road surfaces. I am used to elegance trim octys and before that a citroen, so I am not used to this.

It's all down to what you want more

Thanks cheezemonkhai and VRStu .

I had a word with a dealer today and i was told that the vRS is having a sports suspension and is ideally suited for 17 -18 inchers and has a very complaint ride ,better than the elegance(16 inchers) .

Guys ,Is it true that the Vrs diesel with 17 inchers having a better, compliant ride than the elegance (16 inchers) ?

Thanks .

I moved from a VW Bora (non-sports suspension) to a VRS with 18" wheels.

The VRS is very comfortable at is doesn't wallow at all (compared to the Bora) - the only time it is uncomfortable is at slow speed over surfaces that have ridges on them - it does tend to 'bounce' around a bit then, but increasing speed removes this.

Overall I am very impressed in the way that the VRS handles and would not go back to something softer.

HTH

I have test driven several 140 PD Elegances with both standard 16" wheels and suspension and also had a 140 PD Elegance estate on a weekend test with 17" wheels and sports susension. I didn't notice much difference in handling or road noise but did find the estate gave me consistent lower back ache - even after about 15 minutes driving. None of the 'standard' elegances did this and as the seats were identical, I can only assume the stiffer suspension in the estate was the cause. I have therefore ordered an Elegance with standard 16" wheels and suspension. If I had the choice, I would go for the L & K. You mention a 1.9 tdi as an alternative, I assume the outright power of the VRS is not the main reason your are considering it as these two engines are somewhat at opposite ends of the power scale! IMO, the 140 BHP diesel sits neatly between the two.

Thanks roba and glen mansbridge .

I have test driven several 140 PD Elegances with both standard 16" wheels and suspension and also had a 140 PD Elegance estate on a weekend test with 17" wheels and sports susension. I didn't notice much difference in handling or road noise but did find the estate gave me consistent lower back ache - even after about 15 minutes driving. None of the 'standard' elegances did this and as the seats were identical, I can only assume the stiffer suspension in the estate was the cause. I have therefore ordered an Elegance with standard 16" wheels and suspension. If I had the choice, I would go for the L & K. You mention a 1.9 tdi as an alternative, I assume the outright power of the VRS is not the main reason your are considering it as these two engines are somewhat at opposite ends of the power scale! IMO, the 140 BHP diesel sits neatly between the two.

Did you mean that the Octavia elegance estate even with the sports suspension(same as on vRS) wasnt giving good enough ride when compared to the elegance with standard 16 wheels and suspension ?

The reason i am asking this is Cos i 've heard that the Suspension on vRS (inspite of 17" wheels) is better for bad/broken roads than the standard suspension with 16" wheels ?

Thanks .

No the wheel size is largely irrelevant it is just that the sports suspension on the standard cars comes with 17" wheels and the normal suspension with smaller wheels.

The VRS has the same firmer suspension with 17" wheels or optional 18" wheels.

If you have back problems I would get the stock suspension myself, but it depends why you are worried.

The ride on the elegance and L&K MK II are much much better on stock suspension that they were for the MK I.

I think in terms of pore handling the ride is better on the sport, but in terms of comfort the elegance/L&K standard suspension is much more comfortable.

If you are considering a 1.9 PD 105 then I agree you should definately take a PD140 out for a spin before spending the extra cash on the PD170

Thanks cheezemonkhai .

No the wheel size is largely irrelevant it is just that the sports suspension on the standard cars comes with 17" wheels and the normal suspension with smaller wheels.

AFAIK, large wheel size(lower profile tyres) make the ride harsh and that is the reason i am afraid to go for the Vrs as its running with 17 ichers whereas the elegance is 16 inchers ?

Elegance can come with 17" and sports suspension or 16" and comfort suspension.

That's the point, it is the suspension more than the wheel size that makes the major difference.

I would certainly take a drive in both and I would strongly suggest driving a 2.0 PD140 L&K or elegance so you can best spend your money to suit you and not the dealer.

The wheel size has little relevance other than that larger wheels are normally fitted with lower profile tyres. It's the lower profile of the tyre that will transmit noise and bumps into the car.

Ask questions all day long but only you can decide by driving them.

Thanks roba and glen mansbridge .

Did you mean that the Octavia elegance estate even with the sports suspension(same as on vRS) wasnt giving good enough ride when compared to the elegance with standard 16 wheels and suspension ?

The reason i am asking this is Cos i 've heard that the Suspension on vRS (inspite of 17" wheels) is better for bad/broken roads than the standard suspension with 16" wheels ?

Thanks .

I didn't really notice any difference in either ride quality or handing between the cars - admittedly I only drove about 150 miles in the estate and a total of about 60 miles in two different (standard suspension) hatchbacks on three seperate occasions. The roads driven were a mixture of dual carriageway, town roads and country roads. With the estate (with sports suspension) I kept adjusting the seating position and lumbar support to eridicate lower back pain without much success - the other cars were fine from the word go. I will say my back is senstive to car seats. I have owned three cavaliers in the past and all three gave me lower back ache.

Bigger wheels and lower profile tyres = better handling + road noise.

Smaller wheels and higher profile tyres = comfort and quietude.

I know what I'd choose....

Bigger wheels and lower profile tyres = better handling + road noise.

Smaller wheels and higher profile tyres = comfort and quietude.

I know what I'd choose....

I have ear plugs

Thanks for the replies guys

I had a test drive of elegance with sports suspension(17 wheels) and found the ride quality a bit harsh on bad roads(espically at low speed) .

Since good ride is high on my priority list a sports suspension is a no-no for me .

Unfort, for some reason i could not test drive the Vrs .

Guys please let me know, does Octavia VRS 've the same (sport) suspension that i test drove or is there any difference , is it better in ride ?

Thanks

The VRS has the same sports suspension on it as the elegance with sports suspension and in fact it may even be a little stiffer due to bodywork stiffening.

Go and try an L&K or elegance 2.0 TDI PD140

The VRS has the same sports suspension on it as the elegance with sports suspension and in fact it may even be a little stiffer due to bodywork stiffening.

Go and try an L&K or elegance 2.0 TDI PD140

Sorry to say, but I don't think the above two cars have the same spec suspensions; and agree that the vRS is stiffer than a 'sport' optioned Elegance.

I was recently intent on buying a vRS TDI (and have done so) as I wanted a sports/performance car, but having had two test drives (car had 18" option wheels) found that, whilst the handling is excellent, firm and composed the ride quality was very jittery on broken and rippled road surfaces. I have a bad back as well and I was concerned about my long term comfort.

I asked about the possibility of getting the vRS fitted with lower spec (softer) springs/shocks to counter this and was told the parts are not interchangeable; hence my comment above.

I then remembered hearing about Koni FSD shock absorbers which provide a firm response to low frequency movements for good handling but a soft response to high frequency movements i.e. those cause by broken tarmac etc. (some of the roads I use daily are diabolical for this) for good ride comfort.

To be short; I bought the vRS with 18" wheels, had Koni FSDs fitted the next day and have not looked back. Having now had the car for nearly three weeks I am exploring the handling abilities of it more and am in no way disappointed in the excellent capabilities of this car.

I wrote a review for the Koni FSDs that can be seen here;- http://www.briskoda.net/forums/gearbox-tyres/koni-fsd-shock-absorbers/76644/

I know this doesn't particularly answer the original question but it does provide a solution to getting good ride comfort and hopefully it will help.

The dealers that i went to when looking at a VRS all said that the suspension on the VRS and the suspension on the sport model (or sport fitted normal models) is the same, and even said they were the same part number.

That plus the fact that you can have the same eibach/koni fsd kit fitted to any octy II (except for the 50/55mm issue) kind of suggests it is the same part.

Also don't forget that fitting FSD will have warrenty implications.

Thanks for the reply bahnstormervrs and cheezemonkhai .

I agree fitting koni shocks is a good option but as cheezemonkhai said we could face warranty issues which i think is a big cost to pay .

I 've more or less decided against the sports suspension but since its still not yet clear ,the confusion still remains whether the VRS is having the same suspension ?

I am almost 100% sure that the VRS is the same as the sports suspension. Certainly it isn't going to be any softer.

I have drive an Octy VRS TDi and an Octy II elegance with and without sports suspension.

To me they VRS and sport as as firm over crud surfaces and the elegance without sports is a softer more cushioned ride.

Yes the VRS/Sports "out handles" the other on all surfaces, but in terms of a nice soft ride you will not find it in either of these cars.

I point towards the Elegance or even the L&K as the L&K has 17" wheels but non sports suspension and the Elegance has 16" wheels and non sports suspension.

The elegance and L&K are both available with the 2.0 PD140 compared the PD170 in the VRS but the PD140 does not have a DPF which look as if it may have quite high costs going forward. (eg replacement at IIRC 80k).

Elegance and L&K have a lot more toys than the VRS as standard too.

Take one of them for a test drive because it is the only way you can tell.

Obvious question but why 1.9TDI Elegance vs 2.0 TDI VRS?

Why are you ignoring the 2.0 engine that is available in the normal cars that buts out 140 PS (almost bhp) against the 170PS in the VRS?

IIRC the fully loaded "new L&K" with all the toys (not the old MK II L&K) with a PD140 engine costs the same as the VRS and has the option of DSG if that is your thing.