[Closed] Tell me about - Skoda Octavia VRS

Bit like a Golf. Or Bora to be more precise; same chassis.

Had a 1.9Tdi estate a few years back; great car until engine went catastrophically wrong!! I was unlucky as that unit is very solid normally.

Edit: Look out for Air Mass sensor failure; fairly straightforward to fix.

Awesome. That is all.

They go like greased jobbies off a teflon shovel.

Carry a spare coil pack or 2 cos they're known to pack up without warning. Otherwise, great cars! Like a Golf, only bigger, cheaper and more fun!

Had mine for almost three years. Mine is a 2.0 TDI. MKII

The best car I have had. Would get another without hesitation. GF has a golf. The Octavia is way better.

2002 will be mark 1. Should be good for a few thou more miles. Get it checked out before you shake on the deal.

That Octavia vRS isn't a diesel. Tested one a while back and was fairly impressed. Best use of the VAG 1.8 turbo engine.

I had one from new on a 51 plate. I did about 120k miles in it over four years. A very good car, I couldn't really fault it. While I had it I think all it needed was a new water pump, plus it had the coil packs changed as part of a re-call. The only negatives I found was that the front spoiler is very low and would catch on steep driveways, and the silver centres to the seat got dirty very quickly.

Had a 4x4turbo back in 2001, ran to 93k. Tuned to approx 220bhp, tracked it, country laned it, played with scoobies with it, abused it, loved it.

Took a passenger in that car, who then bought one, and he started / I named what is now the largest Skoda resource on the web, between a handful of us we, very slowly, changed perceptions of many people we came across.

Worked with a friend to strip *everything* that wasn't bolted down, and some things that were, from an Octy RS. Tuned it up to around 260bhp, tracked it, upset 911 GT3's, ran on slicks, broke bits, upgraded bits, removed more bits....

Many years and cars later, needed a family hack, so have another 4x4turbo now. *Still* think they are a cracking motor, more fun than other cars based on the same platform.

What to look out for? Cambelt done is good news, but check plastic impeller water pump was swapped for metal update at same time. Coil packs were weak, but would have failed / replaced by now. CV joints and wheelbearings can be weak, especailly front left if abused. Drop link bushes on anti-roll bars will have gone or been replaced. Lumpy idle can point to faulty MAF, tho this can be cleaned with a soak in white spirit. Gearbox pretty strong, but thrust bearing on clutch can go. Plastic dump valve can fail, worth upgrading but *don't* dump boost to atmosphere, they never run right. Oil galleys are very slender, so if not serviced regularly they can gum up, which can lead to seals on turbo going. Handbrake cable (and release on rear calipers) can seize if not lubricated.

Design Downsides? On the hatch, water collects and drains into boot when opening. Front subframe can struggle to keep alignment if driven hard. Aluminium sump is soft and low, too easy to remove so fit sump guard if likely to catch. Standard stereo is rubbish, especially painful tweeters in front of rear doors.

Hope that helps.

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I have a 4x4 turbo,same engine as vrs,Blown a coil pack and had some new front disks and pads fitted in my 3 years of ownership.
Vrs is a very good car,Get it remapped makes it into a flying machine,Only other thing is if it has the white part in the seats,they are a nightmare to keep clean.
Also pop the panels off under the windscreen and check that the drains into the wings are free from debris and leaves,if they block it allows water to run into the passenger footwell.
As above,have a sump guard fitted they are very low and are made of aluminium so dont like being bumped to often.

Awesome guys..sounds like I could be getting a good deal. From the pics I've seen it looks pristine and the guy who has it sounds like he's an enthusiastic owner who's really kept on top of everything.

I bought one at 60k, its at 100k now and I'm very happy with it.

It had the 220bhp done before I got it and its great:)

Big enough (with careful packing) for 3 folk, 3 bikes and camping gear for a weekend, easy enough to park with parking sensors, cheap on bits, ok to work on, up to 46mpg if driven with a very light foot on long distances or ~40 if not.

fast
practical
cheap
Comfy

I love it:)

That Octavia vRS isn't a diesel.

Well, that's half right. The petrol vRS definitely isn't a diesel.

Mk I vRS: 1.8T 180bhp petrol
Mk II vRS: 2.0T 200bhp petrol or 2.0TDi 170bhp diesel

I love my diesel Vrs. 24,000 miles in at just over a year old it is surprisingly comfy on long journeys even with its slightly firm ride and sporty seats.

I was lucky enough to get the Limited Edition version - basically the last body with pimpy things thrown in (nice wheels, nice seats, CR engine, better stereo etc) with a discount amounting to NO VAT too.

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50mpg every day of the week too.

Will be getting rid of mine (170bhp diesel) in 4 months when the lease runs out, been a great car. Always puts a smile on my face. If you can find a LTD version then get one, I tried to persuade my wife to chop her Fabia vRS for one but she had none of it. You won't be disappointed.

FS - OCTAVIA 1.8 Turbo 4x4 for sale 75k Miles

I have had my 04 plate Vrs estate from new, its done 117K hard miles in that time.

Used it to transport bikes all over the UK and europe and also to tow my Westfield Track car all around the UK and europe.

Had a few bits of work done in that time

Both front wheel bearings
Windscreen wiper motor and linkage.
Front anti roll bar and mountings.
Rear high level brake light.

Pros
Fast enough for road driving.
Huge boot (4 bikes on roof and 4 people in car)
Pretty comfy

Cons
Not the most economical compared to a modern performance diesel.
Really really crap stereo.
interior a little plasticy.
Estate quite boomy.

But a really good car that does exactly what it says on the tin. I was following a MKII this morning and though about just getting a MKII Estate to replace this one. I do fancy a 530d touring but fot the extra money I am not sure I would get that much more out of it.

Bazzer

m - I said "that" diesel, clearly referring to the mk1 in the OPs post. Poor effort.

clearly referring to the mk1 in the OPs post. Poor effort.

Hmmm... I think it's arguable that your use of 'that' as a demonstrative pronoun is the 'poor effort' 😉

TBH I don't get why everyone on here bangs on about the Octavia VRS, when the Leon Cupra has more power and a hatchback.

Both are based on the VAG A4 platform that's used by the MK4 Golf, TT, A3 etc.

I'd love to know what they were thinking when they put those white / silver panels in the VRS' seats too 😆

Edit: Just twigged that the Octavia is a hatch that does a decent job of looking like a saloon, not an actual Saloon like a Bora.

None of this diesel nonsense please. The vRS 1.8 turbo petrol is where its at. Great cars. Had mine for 3 years and its never missed a beat. They're silly quick. I've been in a chipped one too and that was insane.

Get one on a fast twisty A road and they're an absolute hoot.

Practicality-wise: Its an Octavia. Nuff said

The only complaint I had is the stupid front bumper/spoiler which sits about half an inch off the road. I've been reliably informed it looks suitably intimidating while your sat right up someone's arse on an A road. Its an absolute pain when you grind it on every kerb, speedbump and multi-story ramp

I'd buy another one tomorrow though

My mate has the 1.8T vRS of a similar vintage, with something like 140k on it. It's got few niggly faults - dodgy aircon fan, bit of trim hanging off the outside by the windscreen, it had some idling problem, and it drinks oil apparently.

Personally I think they're friggin ugly, but can't fault the motor - loads of torque like a diesel, but revs high. Only about 35mpg tho as opposed to 50+ from the diesel 🙂

-m- come on, you tried to trip me up and failed. I win, you lose 😆

I wish I got 35mpg out of mine.

Not wanting to sound like Mat here (Sorry mat :-)) but ...
you guys need a trip in a propper fast car if you think a Vrs is fast 🙂

Tron, you are so right about the Leon Cupra, my wife had one a from new a few years ago. Much nicer to drive than my Vrs Estate, though I have been told the Vrs Saloon is stiffer than the Leon and a better drive, but I have not driven one so its hearsay. Leon much better put together than my Vrs, little couches like the leon had a gas strut on the bonnet etc.

Still like the Vrs though, but I see it more of a work horse than a fun car.

Bazzer

you guys need a trip in a propper fast car if you think a Vrs is fast

Car nobs fail to understand that 'fast' is a relative term. When you drive around in 100bhp cars all the time, then a 180bhp vRS IS fast.

you tried to trip me up and failed

Mat, you're seeing things as a competition again...

I have the Mk1 estate.

Apart from the coil pack issue (had two pack up in 6 months, and a broken exhaust mounting, no real issues.

Had mine from 35k, now up to 70k. The interior doesn't wear that well - WHITE seat centre inserts anyone? - and there's a few rattles (including the handbrake button which simply cannot be fixed and gets on my tits every journey) but those niggles aside, it's been simply awesome.

When you're barrelling down a fast b-road and the right overtaking opportunity comes along, it'd take something a fair bit more expensive to shade it's performance.

Hopefully going to keep it til it dies as the missus' car, and the only thing putting me off getting a new one as my car is the fact I don't want two matching cars!

Car nobs fail to understand that 'fast' is a relative term. When you drive around in 100bhp cars all the time, then a 180bhp vRS IS fast.

molgrips

I make a tounge in cheek remark and you have to be rude and call names. You are right it is all relative. You really have a chip on your shoulder when it comes to cars. Do the big boys take the mick out of your Toyota Pious 🙂

People who like fast cars are not nobs they just have a different hobby to you. You don't need a fast car to drive like a nob you can do that in a hybrid or an Aston Martin.

I used to do about 3000 track miles a year, so never felt the need to drive like a tit on the road. Not everyone buys a fast car to pose or to tail gate slower cars down the motorway.

Bazzer

Mol - competition? If someone tries to smart ar5e me and fails, I will laugh at them.

Octy vRS is definitely quite rapid - but a half decent diesel will easily keep up with one.

That's just it. He wasn't trying to out-smartarse you. He was just pointing something out. The fact that you saw it as an attempt to go one better than you demonstrates the competitive filter through which you see everything.

Just pointing it out, not having a go 🙂

But agree re diesel. There's a 170bhp 2.0 TDI in the VAG range which would be pretty damn similar to the 1.8T. Similar torque curve, similar power delivery - if you put tape over the rev counter and turned the stereo up really loud you'd never tell - until your fuel light came on 🙂

I would say that the 170bhp diesel unit in anything not too heavy (e.g. Golf) would be faster than a 180bhp 1.8T in 90% of driving conditions.

Anyway he [i]was[/i] trying to smartar5e me - I saw the car was a 2002 which is mk1 and so put "that" vRS clearly meaning that model. I am very aware that the mk2 is also available as a diesel - a couple of them have tried it on fairly recently... Bye bye vRS... 😉

Anyway, back to the topic in hand - good cars. I have tried the Bora and Golf with those engines - the Bora (apparently a "sport") was utter cr4p and the Golf was dull too. The Octy was a decent machine and handled far better than the other two. The old TT (and S3) have that engine too but tuned up a bit more.

Anyway he was trying to smartar5e me

Really doesn't look like that to me!

The Octy was a decent machine and handled far better than the other two.

I wonder which suspension setup the Octavia got. The R32, TT, and S3 if I recall correctly all have slightly different suspension arms and hub carriers to the standard A4 chassis which give some pretty decent geometry improvements.

"Bye bye vRS"

Mat, I've driven a tdi vRS and I don't see there being many quicker diesels out there in real world driving.

you tried to trip me up and failed. I win, you lose

Ermmm... if I'd simply said "you're wrong" or combined it with some incisive cutting insult (as seems to be the norm round here) then I think it would have been fair to say that I'd been trying to trip you up. However, I added some real information just to clarify for the benefit of anyone that was interested in the vRS and was confused.

Still, if it makes you feel happier to think that you've "won" something that wasn't a competition in the first place... 🙄

Again my experience is limited to an estate Octy Vrs not a saloon. I drove mine around Llandow race track and I would describe the handling as dull. Masive understeer with the unloaded wheel spinning up when trying to get any drive out of corners. You could basicaly dial in the amount of understeer with the throttle. You could make it over steer but only really by stamping on the brakes when turning in and it pretty much snapped back into line as soon as you came off the brakes.

So basicaly designed to be driven on the road by muppets who don't know how to control a car on the limit. So safe an sensible, but anoying on a race track.

I am sure a LSD and some way of getting some more -ve camber on the front and it would be a lot more fun. But then it would probably be a lot worse in the real world on the road.

Oh and you could destroy the edge of the loaded tyres in a few laps if you tried (again more -ve camber would probably help with this)

My Turbo Busa Westfield is fantastic on track, but utter shite on the road so I guess its horses for courses.

Still like it as a load lugging road car though, its cheap more than fast enough to make progress on the road.

Bazzer

Brycey - ahem 335d... 😉

tron - R32 had a 3.2 V6 (I had mk4 one for a year) not a 1.8T unit. Not sure what suspension set up the Octy has but it was easily the best of the three I tried by miles.

The Bora really was a huge disappointment - really poor handling, engine sounded rough and despite 180bhp, it didn't feel quick at all. This was a low mileage main dealer example too. A shame as I have always liked the look of Boras.

Ahh Mat, but when was the last time you wound down the windows going through a tunnel to listen to your 335d 😉

I will probably sucumb to the Diesel barge thing next time I buy a car. Purley down to cost though, I do a lot of miles and they are now prety good cars if a little souless and it will save me money and the habitat of the odd polar bear.

Mat - I'll set them up, you knock them down! 🙂

My new face lift vRS Estate (petrol) with a 255 bhp remap is ace! More than fast enough, loads of space in the boot for kit and roof rails for the bikes. I can't think of a more perfect car for my lifestyle.

R32 had a 3.2 V6 (I had mk4 one for a year) not a 1.8T unit

It has, but that's got nothing to do with the suspension geometry 🙂

VAG basically used a standard and hotted up suspension geometry across the entire range of cars. I did at one point have a fair idea of which cars got which, as a guy from the GTI club was building a Corrado with R32/TT/S3 suspension geometry and explained it all at length.

Oh, and way I say A4, I mean MK4 Golf based, not Audi A4...

Ahh Mat, but when was the last time you wound down the windows going through a tunnel to listen to your 335d

I've heard worse engine notes... 😉

And this muppet left it in "D" - "DS" revs far harder...

Tron - don't know what they did to the mk4 R32 Golf but it worked wonders. The rest of the range handled terribly, the R32 was very good. Not perfect but still a hell of a step up from even the V6 4Motion and Anniversary models.

I've heard worse engine notes...

But you have not wound down the windows to listen to it though have you 🙂

Bet you would have if you had paid the M tax and bought an M3 🙂

Dont get me wrong though its a great car and the new 300+bhp model is going to waft along at a fair lick.

but ...

I think for pure driving pleasure you cant beat a normaly aspirated petrol engine.

If you had the choice would you go for a R10 TDI or a 333sp 🙂

Bazzer

The sound thing is silly to me. We like the sound of fast cars because we have a pre-learned idea of what fastness sounds like, and that usually means petrol.

Diesels sound fast too, just differently fast.

Tron - don't know what they did to the mk4 R32 Golf but it worked wonders.

Wider track and better camber control therefore you lose less negative / gain less positive camber on the outside wheel under cornering loads. Neg camber basically produces a turning effect in the same way as leaning a bike does - the inside of the tyre isn't travelling as far as the outside.

Edit: I'm ****ing flabberghasted that molgrips is bringing up social constructionism in a thread about Skodas... For his next trick, he'll be turning a tyre thread into an examination of dialectical materialism.

The sound thing is silly to me. We like the sound of fast cars because we have a pre-learned idea of what fastness sounds like, and that usually means petrol.

Diesels sound fast too, just differently fast.

Its all silly to you though Moley isnt it, its just not your bag !!!

Its not about the sound of fastness, some engines just sound sweeter than others. A Rover V8 in a TVR sounds nicer than the flat planed crank V8 in a Cerbera. The cerbera is faster and probaly sounds faster.

Some people like the look, history and feel of somthing like say an E type. Others want to go as fast as possible and not worry about the nuances of it like a Nissan GTR.

Most people who like cars are somewhere in between.

This is going to sound a bit arty but the best sounding engines are the ones that sound free and not strangled or restricted in anyway. Not just loud 🙂

Bazzer

My folks have had the estate for a couple of months now. Good car but MPG isn't spectacular, around 35 ish but it goes up on longer trips, I expected it to be slightly better. The ride feels very stiff and you seam to notice the bumps more so than most other cars I've been in. And compaired to the previous car (A4) and my car (Old astra estate) it seams much bigger on the outside, i.e more difficult to fit in the garage width wise always longer than the parking space, yet the astra feels bigger inside and has a bigger boot (but it the VRS does have a bigger boot than the Audi.) Overall though good car but I would have probably been boring and got a normal one instead and a diesel at that as a mate has on and the MPG he gets is unbelievable.

Iain

Well the 1.8T engine in the vRS is pretty uninspiring sounding. Worse than some diesels...

Bazzer - pretty much every 335d kicks out over 300bhp standard (335i usually above quoted bhp too). Yes and M3 sounds far better but mates with them are getting well under 20mph and with a 60 litre tank, are having to stop constantly to fill up. The M3 also need thrashing to get the best out of it.

The engine note makes me smile when pushed - not like the R32 but still pretty rorty.

Best engine noise IMO is a toss up between the Carrera GTs V10 and the SL55 AMGs supercharged eight. Woofly loveliness.

Yes to hear a "nice" sounding four pot.

Totaly agree with that, 1.8T is not an inspiring engine. Turbo is too small and runs out of puff higher up the rev range.

M cars can be stupid expensive to run, and in the real world on roads will be no faster than a 335d

I must admit to liking the noise a 911 GT3 makes I did actualy think about buying a E 55AMG but decided though it was fast was not special enough for what would be a weekend car. At the end of the day its just a very fast saloon all be it one that sounds fantastic 🙂

Still thinking about maybe getting an Z4M coupe for a weekend car, Even though I know the 3L would be just as good in 95% of situation I would still go for the M 🙂

Do you ever wish the 335d had an LSD ? I have driven a few powerful BMW's including some M cars and I am sure they leave it off the list on purpose as they would challenge the M cars more if they could get power down better.

Bazzer

Edited to add

Remember listening to an R32 with a sports exhaust pulling away from a toll booth in France sounded great 🙂

Cosworth BDA or Subaru Flat Four?

Edit: I'm **** flabberghasted that molgrips is bringing up social constructionism in a thread about Skodas

Lol 🙂

Well I am trolling somewhat of course. I mean these threads about what car is best in certain situations are daft unless you are racing. Seconds per lap just don't count on real roads. What matters is whether or not you like the car and driving it.

So if you like a 140bhp diesel and find it nippy then it is, even if it does roll/understeer/whatever.

As bazzer says.

EDIT: although this thread is fairly sensible so far compared some of the others.

My two'penth:

A 02 car with 110k may go for another 100k with consumables replaced as they wear and tear.

Another identical 02 car with 110k may go for another 10k then something major goes leading to its scrapping.

How to counter the above? Annual servicing TO THE MANUFACTURERS SPECIFICATIONS on the dot.

Seconds per lap just don't count on real roads. What matters is whether or not you like the car and driving it.

Well I agree with you on somthing at last 🙂 In fact I use the term nippy quite often to describe cars that are not really fast but not slow either.

The converse is if someone likes driving a 500BHP petrol car there is nothing wrong with that either, unless you are a Polar bear 🙂

A nice feel to the steering, predictability and a good linear power delivery make for better driving pleasure on the road, not ultimate grip. People confuse grip and handling, they are not the same.

Well I am trolling somewhat of course.

Why? What's the point? A guy asks about a car, and you deliberately try to draw people into unrelated arguments, stuffing his chance of getting any more info. Pointless. If you want to have an argument, you can always start a thread titled "Why the BMW 335D is rubbish, and implies the owner is of small genital stature".

A Impreza WRX would drop the VRS.
A MX5 on certain roads with its lower bhp etc would leave the VRS.

What it is though its a lovely, fast and capable load lugger that doesn't attract thieving intentions like the WRX would or hairdressing appointments like the MX5 does.

Great car.

I had one. Chopped it in for a BMW 320d.

To be honest that was a mistake.

The VRS although only a hatch at more space and was so much more fun to drive. OK not in the Scooby or Evo category but for something that is affordable and economical the VRS 1.8 turbos are great fun, handle well and will take you across Scotland, with bikes tucked away in the book and kit on the back seat quicker than your passenger would find amusing!

I bought mine with 10,000 miles and sold it at 95,000 it didn't cost me much to run, did 35mpg providing I behaved (so only occasionally) and covered ground pretty quickly and inconspicuously. People on the motorway used to pull into the middle lane and let me past out of pure respect! Although they may that thought I was police.

The converse is if someone likes driving a 500BHP petrol car there is nothing wrong with that either, unless you are a Polar bear

Well that's another thread isn't it?

Why? What's the point? A guy asks about a car, and you deliberately try to draw people into unrelated arguments, stuffing his chance of getting any more info

Well not exactly - I got involved in the thread way back with opinions and (albeit second hand) experiences of the car in question. Then it turned to engine notes, and I threw in an opinion slightly tongue in cheek.

Threads do ramble, as do posters, this is allowed is it not?

I've recently bought at estate on a '03 with 75k and am enjoying it massively. The torque is great, the fact that it has long gears (as opposed to having the one massive dump of torque you get in a TDi) is great and makes the car incredibly flexible. It is quick in 'real world' situations because of this as well, but not as quick as a mate's Evo 6 that has been chipped and tuned to 420bhp - funny that.

This all said, I don't think it handles as well as the Mk.1 Focus it replaced. I also don't think that it's as well put together as the Focus, and the boot isn't quite as practical (the Focus has a flat back when the seats were down, no lip on the boot sill and useable slots for the headrests in the underside of the rear passenger seats). However, the main reason I got this instead of a Focus ST170 estate is the engine - the vRS is quicker and more economical than the Focus, is apparently even more economical when tuned(!) and, despite the above, is an awful lot of fun for what's essentially a practical car.

So far I'm a happy Skoda driver and would buy another.

Although they may that thought I was police.

Heh! There is that too. 😉

I'll say this again. 1.8T VRS owners - seriously get the taster-session remap on your engine. It completely transforms your engine into something amazing.

the one massive dump of torque you get in [s]a TDi[/s] an older VAG PD TDi

Fixed that for ya 🙂

the one massive dump of torque you get in a TDi an older VAG PD TDi
Fixed that for ya

Heh! Too kind. 😉

Not sure whether it was an older PD VAG - it was in a Leon FR on an 07 plate. Very torquey, very quick but you had to smack it through the gears to keep it in the power band.

Hmm... I test drove a Seat Altea when I was looking recently, about that vintage perhaps, and it did have the older style one without the piezo injectors.

They can be driven well, you just have to really use higher gears than you'd think. My Ibiza didn't really care what gear it was in - I'd overtake in 4th to avoid having to upshift, and be just as quick.

I drove an Altea TDI from Manchester to southern Germany and back.

I can honestly say I couldn't have had a better car for that smooth and stressfree journey...

except for Belgians not checking their mirrors when pulling out to overtake lorries at +5mph of the lorry in dual carriageways.

Molgrips - it was the 1.9 170bhp version. I recall it revving up to about 5k (but could be wrong - I haven't driven it for 2 years), but most of the power was around 2k. 6 speed though, so not a major issue.

I agree about the higher gears though - I used to forget there was a 6th and rev along at 80 in 5th. However, overtaking at 50 in 4th was a joy. 🙂

Hora - a trip to Jabbasport is on the cards fairly soon. 😉

EVO(?) does this test remap first. Its basically time-based and expires after so many driving hours.

You might like it or you might not. Its not the speed-aspect its the way its delivered and feels. Far better IMO. I found the 1.8T 'nervous'/rough accelerating.

I recall it revving up to about 5k

Aye, I did that for a while then realised that 3.5k was the best place to change up for rapid progress. Great feeling being propelled with that deep rumble rather than screaming revs 🙂

Read through all of this, got excited....then opened my email...and the deal has fallen through...gutted.