I have today been to local Skoda dealer and test driven an 07 vrs tdi octavia. Well it was a very mixed bag to be honest.

1. I found the ride excellent after the Seat Ibiza cupra. Firm enough for enjoyment but soft enough for comfort.

2. Felt very large inside and a lot less creaks etc.

3. The Boot is massive!

4. Pulled very well in lower gears and smoth power delivery.

Now for the not so positive points.

1. 6th gear is so long it hardly seemed usable in the same way it is with the fabia vrs etc, is it a completely different ratio?

2. Also on the gearbox, 4th and 6th are VERY close together and easy to select the wrong one.

3. Well built cabin but just lacking something, sporty gearnob or steering wheel would have helped.

What do you guys think it will cost to swap a 54 plate Ibiza Cupra TDi, 30K miles, Full history etc? What to do the deal while the extra options are all included!

Thanks

I have today been to local Skoda dealer and test driven an 07 vrs tdi octavia. Well it was a very mixed bag to be honest.

Now for the not so positive points.

1. 6th gear is so long it hardly seemed usable in the same way it is with the fabia vrs etc, is it a completely different ratio?

I disagree and think the ratios are really well set on the TDI vRS.

The reason I say this is that 2nd to 3rd drops 1,000rpm, 3rd to 4th drops 800rpm, 4th to 5th drops 600rpm and 5th to 6th drops 400rpm. 6th is a true 'top' gear, not an overdrive.

2. Also on the gearbox, 4th and 6th are VERY close together and easy to select the wrong one.

Just need to remember that the gear lever is sprung in the 3 - 4 plane. When changing, say 5th to 6th, you need to pull the lever towards your knee a bit and you'll be fine. Overall I feel the gearchange is great - light but meaty (if that makes sense)

3. Well built cabin but just lacking something, sporty gearnob or steering wheel would have helped.

C'mon; the gearknob has a bit of aluminium on it and you get a distinctive comfortable 3 spoke steering wheel.

I like the Octy for being discreet (not like an Audi A4/TT with loads of tarty chrome).

What do you guys think it will cost to swap a 54 plate Ibiza Cupra TDi, 30K miles, Full history etc? What to do the deal while the extra options are all included!

Sorry; Blind Rudolf on that one!

Hope this helps.

if you feel the cabin is lacking something then what about the Leon FR TDI?

Mum has just got one and its rather tasty

I found the cabin pretty reasonable, not too overpowering with cheap bits of silver plastic, yet not too bland either. The Fabia vRS had a very plain cabin, except the gearknob and seats, where as the Ibiza your more used to would have lots of shiny bits, more like an Audi.

To spruce up the cabin in the Octavia, why not go for the Multi Function Display (MFD) - colour screen with sat nav? This along with the maxi-dot option makes the car look and feel like its worth a lot more. As does the dual-zone climate control - gives your passengers something to fiddle with

if you feel the cabin is lacking something then what about the Leon FR TDI?

Mum has just got one and its rather tasty

WTF? The Leon's interior is shocking in comparison!

A big reason I ordered an Octy was because I though the interior was nicer than either the VW Golf or the Audi A4 I drove..

The GT TDi gold had a massive absence of GT when you stepped inside, the interior was black, black, black with a touch of black. The Audi was much the same.

IMHO the interior of the Octy is a far better place to spend time.

I have seen my local dealer offering some almost silly deals lately. Dealers are suffering at the moment as there are no Fabia to sell. It depends where the dealers places the Cupra.