The first 800 miles

[Decron]

Well, she is nearly a week old and the first 800 miles have passed.

I have given it a good running in in various weathers and I have to admit I am quite impress with what seems to be a very competent car.

Good Bits;

1. Driving position - Nice and upright, firmly seated with good visability and everything to hand. It makes it really easy to drive.
   
2. Stereo - could do with a little bit more depth but I have a solution for that. It's a great unit though. Beats the Fabia's and the golf's by miles.
   
3. The Storage - I got used to a small car and now I have a nice big boot back I love it. It just makes things so much easier. I got two prams in there earlier in the week with no issues. The two glove boxes are great and the overall design of the cabin is really practical and well thought out.
   
4. Solidity - I used to think the Fabia was quite a solid car, this is a rock in comparison. It's in a different class compared to the VRS in terms of trim and general feel. Not one rattle (VRS went back 3 times in the first 1500 miles for big rattles) Feels like it will stay that way
   
5. Drivability - It is bigger than the Fabia but not by much. Feels like a big car when it needs to (Motorway) but feels smaller in tight spots. The ride is good, supple in most cases and it soaks up a lot of bumps however it doesn't feel too soggy when pushed. There is a bit of roll, but nowhere near as much as I expected. In most cases it's overall handle is great inspiring real confidence.
   
6. The steering - Precise, responsive, brilliant. Really surprised how good it was even though I had a demo for a week
   
7. The Brakes - At first I though they were over servoed (Like the Golf) but I gt used to them quickly and compared to the standard VRS brakes they are brilliant. Firm, efficient good feeling. Lots of confidence in them
   

Not so good bits;

1. Power - It's not bad, it can actually be quite nippy in town but the 105 is a bit wheezy on the motorway. There are solutions to this though....
   
2. Headlamps - These aren't bad either I just miss my Xenons (Even after fitting philips extreme)
   
3. Plastic Tailgate - Jury's out on this. I find it quite difficult to shut because it's so light!
   
4. Engine Noise - WTF is that all about? this is my 4th car with a PD in it and none have them have been this loud!
   

It's averaged 48mpg over the 800 miles and that was a mixture of roads. It handled the weight of 3 adults, 2 babies and their lugge ok too. It's also getting that weird petrol station attention too (The VRS did this especially when it was at it's most modified) with people passing a lot of really positive comments on it.

Overall I am really pleased with it. It doesn't excel at anything in particular, that probably not the point of it but it does a lot of things really well which is something I really need. It has surpassed my expectations in a lot of ways and I am hoping it will continue to do so for the next 140k (About 3 years).

[RapidRonnie]

Good reviews Decron, thanks.

Looking forward to getting mine and giving it a proper try.

Particularly pleased to hear about the handling and steering. I guess it would be good on the motorway because of the long wheelbase.

I'm having the 1.6 petrol so that might cure your issue with the engine noise. In the demo car I had it wasn't exactly quiet when revved but it sounded pretty good and when cruising was quiet, although that was a 6 speed auto.

I had heard the tailgates were going plastic but didn't realise that they would be already. Skoda said it's for weight saving and also makes the panels easier to replace if you have any dings. Guess more and more car bodywork panels will go that way in the future.

[des_pd_ tdi]

[*]Headlamps - These aren't bad either I just miss my Xenons (Even after fitting philips extreme)

I miss my Xenons too :( look out for the HID 6000k group buy on uk-mkivs.net for £99, I know I'm tempted....

[*]Engine Noise - WTF is that all about? this is my 4th car with a PD in it and none have them have been this loud!

This is my 3rd with the PD, and really I the only downside. 70-80 is fine push it past that and it does get noisy. I'm getting the engine sound proofing foam, see if this calms things down. Maybe a remap is another solution.

Des

[woodenspatulas]

i'd agree with everything youve said there!

the handling also suprised me. maybe its due to the rear end being wider than the front? anyway it certainly does respond well. also the noise levels arent too bad, but then im normally driving along with the stereo on fairly loud but again at speed it can be a bit intrusive. The brakes too are good, i found the brakes on the new fabia a bit to eager to start using the ABS system. but the brakes on the roomster are much better.

funniest thing is i didnt even realise the tailgate was plastic! LOL!

[mdk1]

funniest thing is i didnt even realise the tailgate was plastic! LOL!

Don't worry, you only sell them

[woodenspatulas]

Don't worry, you only sell them

sshhh , dont let everyone know

[mdk1]

sshhh , dont let everyone know

Get back to work

[Guest parsko]

I just had to go and check, I have a metal tailgate.

Front Aerial

Metal roof

[Decron]

My antenna is at the front too, is everyone elses at the rear?

[des_pd_ tdi]

My antenna is at the front too, is everyone elses at the rear?

I have my antenna at the rear but then I do have a glass roof. BTW I have a metal tailgate, perhaps another 57 change?

Des

[duesenberg]

Glass roof = aerial at the rear

Full metal roof = aerial at the front

Plastic tailgate is only for Scout

[woodenspatulas]

Plastic tailgate is only for Scout

yup i can second that, ive just gone and checked all our stock out

[duesenberg]

...

Not so good bits;

1. Power - It's not bad, it can actually be quite nippy in town but the 105 is a bit wheezy on the motorway. There are solutions to this though....
   
2. Headlamps - These aren't bad either I just miss my Xenons (Even after fitting philips extreme)
   
3. Plastic Tailgate - Jury's out on this. I find it quite difficult to shut because it's so light!
   
4. Engine Noise - WTF is that all about? this is my 4th car with a PD in it and none have them have been this loud!

...

I can second all those things except the plastic tailgate

Have have drove ca 1700km by now and things are slightly better - in the beginning it seemed to have 15kW and 50Nm. But for gasoline engines there are no easy solutions

I'll gonna upgrade the headlamps with Osram Silverstar (55w rated, +50% more light) - original bulbs are ordinary Osrams.

Yeah, and the engine noise. It is gasoline engine, but the noise is just like diesel engine.

During acceleration my Roomster makes more noise than my Ducati!

[Decron]

Well just over a month old and 3500 miles in. The car is loosening up nicely with much more poke in mid range now. It's also got a bit quieter but this could be me getting used to it.

It's running well even on 10% Bio and I find it a lot easier to handle in traffic compared to the VRS (Managed to get stuck in traffic in Bristol, Birmingham, Reading, Milton keynes, Manchester, Cardiff and London in the last month :eek:) so I am well happy about that.

It's used no oil and all thats wrong with it is there is a rattle in the front passenger seat which isn't there if there is someone sitting in it, the nearside rear door has bass rattle and I had to replace one of the tyre valves when it stuck. I have kerbed a wheel as well but all good apart from that.

There is one downside. The wife now keeps nagging to borrow it....

[RapidRonnie]

I too have a buzzy rattle from the passenger side of the 'driving room' so if you find out what it is give us a shout. Also a vibration from the rear of the cabin on really rough surfaces. Other than that it's totally rattle, squeak and buzz free though.

One cool and unexpected feature I found yesterday was that the car tells you if the front passenger has not put their seatbelt on - apparantly there is a sensor in the seat which detects when somebody is sitting in it.

[irfant]

One of my friend applied Xenons and he is satisfied.

Take a look, before and after...

Space H7 4300 Xenons and fog lights with MTEC 4300 halogen bulbs + blue sidelights

[Guest parsko]

Hmmm, this is spooky!

My Scout also has a bass vibration from the N/S rear door.

It also has a slight noise from the N/S dash/A post area.

I have a few days off so i plan to investigate!

[Decron]

One of my friend applied Xenons and he is satisfied.

Take a look, before and after...

Space H7 4300 Xenons and fog lights with MTEC 4300 halogen bulbs + blue sidelights

Thats what I am taking about!

Shame they are pretty much illegal in this wonderful county.

[Decron]

Hmmm, this is spooky!

My Scout also has a bass vibration from the N/S rear door.

It also has a slight noise from the N/S dash/A post area.

I have a few days off so i plan to investigate!

I am stripping the door cards out and insulating them.

[Guest parsko]

Just sorted my nsr door speaker buzz without removing the panel.

The hard plastic door panel was vibrating against the door close to the door catch. This was cured by inserting a small ammount of tape to pack the door panel away from the door.

I had a similar problem with my Honda and had the panel off loads of times trying to find the source before I found it was the panel vibrating against the door at a certain pitch.