[Closed] Just how bad can a Skoda VRS be...

Octavia VRS (estate) is brilliant. Bike rolls in without taking a front wheels off (my old A4 wouldn't take it).
So not as much 'power' - disnae bother me (compared to the A4).
Ride - nowhere near as harsh as a proper Subaru Impreza in Prodrive guise - i find it somewhere in-between the old imprezs's and the Audi A4, which was 'smoother'.
I find it almost refreshing dealing with 2WD, and a somewhere in-between ride.
Great car

All the Skoda hate does make me chuckle.

Unless you're looking at something a bit more special like an RS6/M5 they're all essentially safe, dull, sensible family cars. Having test driven most of the competition you're kidding your self if you think there is that much of a difference. (E9x BMWs being the biggest disappointment of all)

BMW have Msport, Audi have S-line, you can get flash wheels and a body kit on most diesel euro boxes these days.

As a Skoda owner I'd still say stick with your Alfa until your work pulls you up on it or it starts costing you more than £170 a month in repairs and so on.

Skoda's sport suspension has improved- I have a 2012 Fabia Monte Carlo that really crashes into its stops at full travel and a late 2013 Fabia VRS which is more refined. I wouldn't call either especially harsh but then I'm a youth with a high tolerance for a rattly ride.

Well quite. I missed out on £250pm 335d MSport offer, I think I'll wait until I see that again, as that's what I really want.

keep the 159, spend the extra £960 a year on holidays 🙂

7000 miles all over the UK in mk 3 petrol VRS estate so far and it's been very very good as a family car. Of course it's nowhere near a supercar, but personally I wouldn't want any more performance in an estate car on UK roads - cost of a mistake at the limits is too high. Or maybe my brain's not quick enough. Bigger brakes, adaptive lights and DSG have all been highlights (and I wanted a manual). Ride I would describe as firm. Any comparative statements are drawn from ownership of a range of cars that include Mini Cooper S, Freelander, Passat and a couple of old fashioned Golf GTIs. VRS is favourite so far (but also most expensive). Biggest surprise has been massive reduction in insurance premium (over the outgoing 2.0 diesel passat)

So I'll put my £170 on a private plate to hide the year

just curious, why would you want to try and hide the exact year of manufacture?

When it comes to insuring or selling it it's disclosed anyway so it can't have any financial benefit can it? Or am I missing something obvious?

For his work his car has to be less than 5 years old. If it has a private plate his boss can't see how old it is.

HR / a smart arse spotting the plate in the company car park

"just curious, why would you want to try and hide the exact year of manufacture?"

stops it being glaringly obvious to management hes not abiding the rules of his car allowance.

rightly so - if its clean and tidy and reliable no need to be under 5 years old.

some of our lots sub 5 year old cars could be harbouring ebola anyway so it doesnt stop them being manky bams.

just curious, why would you want to try and hide the exact year of manufacture?

I presume he means hiding it from work - he said it needs to be under XX years for company car scheme.

HR / a smart arse spotting the plate in the company car park

Ah, understand now. Is that enforced on a 'looking out the widow' basis or do you have to register/tell them about your car?

Our place have similar rule but you have to give them the make/model/reg/age so couldn't hide it that way, which is why I didn't twig that's what you were trying to do as you'd never get away with it here!

Our company is a mix of acquisitions and therefore policies. Luckily I don't have to submit my car/reg yet.

Gary_C - Member

I wouldnt put a mountain bike anywhere near the interior.

Err, that's the whole point of having an estate car, so as you CAN put a bike in the back. Might as well get a saloon otherwise.

Some of us have lives which are more than just riding - I've got an estate, the boot is for Prams, Weekly shops, piles of IT crap for work and trips to IKEA and other hateful places - the bike goes on the roof.

Estates aren't actually great for bikes however big they are, a really big one might take a bike whole without taking wheels off, but not many will - a Octavia certainly won't and if you want to take a friend with you you're going to be dismantling bikes - might as well get a decent bike rack or if you really want a vehicles for bikes, get a van.

P-Jay - Member

Estates aren't actually great for bikes however big they are, a really big one might take a bike whole without taking wheels off, but not many will - a Octavia certainly won't

Hmmm. I must remember to tell my mate that his bike won't fit into his Octavia estate whole.
He's been doing it for the last 3 or 4 years though, so convincing him it won't fit might take some doing....

I think the original comment about not putting a bike in the back of a lease car is down to the potential charges when you hand back the car with scuffs and scratches from sticking a bike in.

The mk 1 Octavia VRS was IMHO "harsh". The later ones are bigger and much more pleasant on a long journey.

I have a mk1 estate and wouldn't call it at all harsh, though it does bottom out the front suspension very readily on potholes and speed bumps. The front spoiler and low ground clearance is a nightmare but the MK2 onward doesn't have that problem. I don't understand the invidious comparisons with BMWs - they are much more expensive cars. The Skoda is a golf variant with a huge boot. If the MK2 rides better that would be good enough for me. I'd be more concerned with reliability and running costs.

As for scuffs and scratches - I just put a big sheet of bubble wrap in mine. I use it for windsurfing and biking and the interior is fine after 9 years. Not so the ridiculous white carpet in the drivers footwell, but that's another problem sorted after the mk1.

P-Jay - Member

Estates aren't actually great for bikes however big they are, a really big one might take a bike whole without taking wheels off, but not many will - a Octavia certainly won't

Must be dreaming when I get my bike in the back of my hatchback octavia withought having to take the front wheel off then.

You can get a bike with both wheels on in the back of these with the seats down without any real effort or forcing, not getting one in an estate means you're doing something wrong.

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porlus - Member

P-Jay - Member

Estates aren't actually great for bikes however big they are, a really big one might take a bike whole without taking wheels off, but not many will - a Octavia certainly won't

Must be dreaming when I get my bike in the back of my hatchback octavia withought having to take the front wheel off then.

Well consider me corrected then - my Exeo estate just laughed in my face when I tried - my Accord would take a bike whole - just, but was MASSIVE.

There was me thinking the A4, Exeo, Passat, Octavias where all much of a muchness (VAG platform sharing being what it is).

A big selling point of the Octavia is the size. A chap I work with gets his 29er in the back with the wheels on without issue.

As for the 3 series comparison it's not hugely fair because the 3 is from the next segment up. The current one in SE and Sport trim isn't the best handling car either. The M Sport one is genuinely good though. The S Line A3/4's that I've driven are pretty firm as is our E90 330 which can be very bad on country lanes.

A 320d or similar isn't exactly exciting either and they're rep mobiles too...in fact any salesman worth his salt has one to schlep up and down the motorway in. An M Sport one is pretty shouty too.

If you can sort the 159 for not too much and keep the age hidden, I'd be tempted to hang on to it. They're better looking than the vRS.

Lease companies can be pretty picky / harsh with any damage. I pay a damage waiver on our company lease cars so it's not an issue. One of the guys at work would have had a big bill if he hadn't been paying it and his was in good condition.

P-Jay

Really??

Well consider me corrected then - my Exeo estate just laughed in my face when I tried

It's based on the old B7 A4 platform, and shares their stupidly small boot/awkward boot space. Different from the Octavia.

There was me thinking the A4, Exeo, Passat, Octavias where all much of a muchness (VAG platform sharing being what it is).

Quite wrong, but that's what you get when you make assumptions 😀

2014 Petrol VRS Estate here. I had 2 new golf GTI's back to back before that. Wanted a bigger car so got the Skoda.

Main reason was the ability to spec it up with lots of toys and still come in at the same price as the Golf (at the time)

Yes it's not as dynamic as the golfs. but it's as quick and more than fast enough for UK road use. The ride is a little hard, but not crashy and I don't even notice it now.

It's comfortable and spacious, looks half reasonable, is well equipped and I'm very pleased with it.

You can see where they save money to get it to its price point (door cards are a bit thin, no engine cover, things like that), but it's certainly not cheap feeling or looking.

I'm getting around 35mpg on my commute, which is great for a 220bhp petrol.

I'd certainly test drive one if I were you, you might be surprised.