Can i have some advice from the experts.

Trying to decide on my next car

At present have a civic cdti, previously mkiv golf tdi-mkv gttdi-a3 sline 2.0t.

Trying to make up my mind between

Seat LEON FR 170

BMW 120D

vW GOLF GT140/170

VW GOLF GTI

SKODA OCTAVIA VRS 170

BMW was nice but no space in the back

Golf lacks goodies unless you pay the earth

Leon looks good but seems plasticky in side

What do people think of the vrs 170

Lots of talk on here regarding the 170.

Some issues with the DPF - But I think that's also affecting other manufacturers too.

Good solid car, almost identical in looks to it's petrol counterpart.

Have you driven one?

I own a TFSi vRS however one of my mates has the PD170 and to be honest apart from if you put the car side by side and race them then there is no difference so i'll answer as a general vRS owner as the cars are basically the same apart from engine.

Me personally i think its the best car ive ever owned:thumbup: . I've owned most make cars and the Skoda is without doubt the best. Dont be put off by the skodas of yesteryear. To coin a phrase i often hear "its a VW with a different body really" so its reliable. Fuel economy is great and in the diesel is fantastic. My mate regularly gets high 40's for his fuel conusmption. The diesel also gives you a good shove in the back (not as good as a petrol but im biased:rolleyes: ). The interior is good but i recommend getting the Maxi-dot as it finishes the interior quite nicely. The ride is firm but still comfortable especially on long journeys (i drove mine from the Bournemouth to Germany the day i picked it up and had no aches or pains at all from the whole journey). The handling is also very good.

My vRS is standard apart from Maxi-dot. However im changing mine for a new one next year ready for when i move back to the UK and the options im going to get (and would recommend if your budget allows) are Maxi-Dot, Xenons, Dual zone Climate Control with Jumbo box and Rear Electric Windows, 18 Inch Alloys, Cruise Control, Light Assistant.

If you wanna see some pics of the interior i did post some on a thread here somewhere but if you cant find them then PM me and ill send you some.

The only other advice i can give is Test drive one. As we are all different and what i like about the car you may not. Just make sure when you do test drive one you've got a pen reay to sign the agreement forms when you get back to the showroom:rofl:

Any othe questions feel free to ask or PM me

Carl:thumbup:

Yes you are right there is lots of talk on all the vag group forums about the 170.

I think this is mainly due the ddf filter clogging unless you give it a good blast now and again.

Test drove a golf with this engine was good much better than the 140 i had.

No not test drove a vrs yet, just seen a few and they look very nice, you also seem to get more value for you money than on a A3 AND GOLF.

my local dealer is in fareham so i might have to pay them a visit

As you are local you could come and have a look around mine if you like. I've sent you a PM.

I test drove both vRS engines and a (140) Golf GT ( and a whole lot more).

I thought the Golf was lacking in anything that said GT. The engine was good but for the amount of money being asked it just didn't stand out as being 'special'. Just acres of hard black plastic for an interior.

Diesel vRs was great, loads of pick up (I've been a diesel driver for 6 years) and grunt. Nice to drive and sporty without being crashy. The petrol was similar to drive but more power for longer through the gears. There was a surprisingly similar feel to the two cars but that was the first time I'd driven a turbo petrol.

The interior of the vRS was about the best I'd been in. Better than an A4 IMHO. I've read review that said the Octavia interior was dull but I find that hard to accept when then find the all black of the Gold acceptable.

For the money I couldn't see anything better than the skud. And the dealers were generally nicer than VW.

(I've not got mine yet though - 4 weeks)

I've currently got a vRS TDi Estate on order (in race blue), and am currently driving a Superb 1.9TDi Elegance.

Given how great my Superb has been, I only really looked at Skodas when I was looking to change. As mine is a company motor, emissions were what pushed me towards the diesel initially. I was lucky enough to be able to drive both the petrol and diesel vRS' for a week each, and I really found that I preferred the diesel.

It's a bit noisier than the petrol, but otherwise it handles and drives just the same. It lacks the top end power of the petrol, but doesn't really feel any slower most of the time. The real clincher was being able to get 550 miles out of a tank of diesel (as I drive 40,000 miles a year, fewer fill ups is a very good thing).

I think the real beauty of the Octy (not just the vRS) is it's practicality. It's so much more roomy than the other VAG equivalents, and is just as well built. I also find the cabin much less oppressive than either the Golf or Seat. This is probably down to the light grey headlining and trim, compared to the solid black that surrounds you in the other two.

If you want a car that's great to drive, economic and practical (especially the estate), then you can't really fault the Octy vRS.

I can't wait for mine to arrive.

Bagpuss.