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

I found Skodas as a passenger to be quite firm but solid rides and are a bit slide happy 😉

It's the diesel one. So pretty dull,

I tested one when I was choosing a new car in 2013. It was easily one of the harshest cars I have ever drove and as a former car mechanic I've driven a few cars. Knew after about 500yards it was not the car for me.

There's some cracking skoda lease deals about at the moment, that one works out at about 220 a month which is pretty good for a brand new, big family car with a good spec and engine. I could be tempted by the new superb on a similar deal but can't really justify chopping in my Octy just at the moment. It won't be dull, and certainly not bad, but won't be as exciting as its body kit and twin exhausts might make you believe, which is the downside of the [diesel] vrs for me.

Not sure where you get the harsh ride bollocks from. I've driven one and it was less harsh than my wife's BMW and my Mondeo. I didn't think there was anything wrong with them and see why they're popular.

Likwise, drive one a couple of weeks ago, certainly didn't feel harsh. Dull, but not harsh

Ride is very harsh. Terrible car.

Not as harsh as I have heard they are at all and not as dull as some claim. They are a bit tacky looking though and power doesn't really match the bodykit. The guy at who has one claims it's a 'performance car bargain' it's not really a performance car not is it a bargain. He insists on referring to it as an 'octy' and says other owners flash their lights at him, but he only flashes back at other VRS owners, oh the price of exclusivity. I wouldn't have one as I like driving and would feel embarrassed by it's looks.

I own a bmw btw... So my opinion may be knobish

I have one, ride is firm - something I think is common to all the current model Octavias.. but I wouldn't say harsh. Certainly more forgiving than anything Audi in S line guise..
It's plenty fast enough for me and good fun when you get a bit of empty road to yourself.
Practical, loads of space in the back (I'm 6" 5 and could comfortably sit behind myself if that makes sense) and pretty good on long journeys.
As for the image.. I like it and I'm old enough not to give a flying "^!*( what others think about what I drive!

Jeff

Search around, I'm sure I've seen them cheaper than that.

I got one of the standard octavias.
Had the BMW and mercs over the years.
Don't see any difference in quality.
And prefer not to be associated with the BMW merc, audi ****ers anymore.
Doesn't stop me being a ****er lol

The harshness all depends on the year, apparently up to 2012 vrs' are very good but the 2013 I tested was simply terrible. The one I tested was a dealer demo new car so doubt it what any major problems. I ended up with a mondeo estate titanium x which is a far better car in every area.

Not a bad price for not a bad car I guess. I'm sure it's more than quick enough (same as my 320d) but as others have said they have a lot of show for a little bit more go than the average mundeo etc

I'd still be tempted. I assume the lovely alpha has been disowned?!

I don't think they're that bad, but I've just ordered one as a company car.

The ride didn't seem too bad to me on a decent length test drive, but my point of reference is a 330 M Sport on run flats; now that is harsh.

I'm getting loads of stick for ordering a Skoda, but it was the best value, best specc'd, biggest, quickest thing on my car list. People are talking as though a 118d (my other option) is somehow interesting. The interior isn't quite as nice as a new BMW or Audi but it's the same if not better as a Ford. They're not exciting, but then not many four pot diesels are.

Do they not do a fabia monte carlo? ( a vrs without the "sports" suspension and naff seats)

Either way youll need new sunnies.

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

Still got the Alfa RRR, just considering my options. The Scout is the same price which may be a more practical bet for constant biking duties, and with 4wd to boot.

I'd be going for the <8k miles option at £170 a month

Could the ride be possibly described as harsh, but fair?

I've got a 320d estate and quite frankly there is no comparison. The Octavia is a standard dull VAG car with a poky engine put in it, and because the chassis isn't great the only way it can be made to handle better is to stiffen it up.

The BM is designed to drive well to start with. The latest generation one is incredible in terms of how they have my it very plush yet when you push on it drives incredibly well

The Octavia certainly isn't a bad car, it just isn't the car it pretends to be.

Interested in this one as when my BMW company car goes back next year I am getting a car allowance and have been considering a Scout, or maybe an XC60. The Skoda is the sensible money option. Wonder how it would feel after 3yrs of a 530d tourer ?

Taking image out of it, the Octavia can't compare to the current 3 series, nor e9x.

Went to the Alps on one last month. Didn't notice any harshness as a driver or passenger.
Isn't <8k for a modern Diesel contrary to standard STW advice?

Depends what your used to driving.

My comfy spongy french van. Lovely,

The hire focus i had in the usa felt harsh as hell in comparison - like it was hanging up in all the bumps.....

Infact my french van makes my land rover with soft long travel springs and 13invh travel shocks feels harsh over bumps in comparison- and the wing mirrors near touch the floor when you corner in the landy - its soft!

Doing <8k I wouldn't entertain a diesel, though I wouldn't entertain a 4 pot diesel in the 1st place.

The petrol is a nice enough car and with a map at least has some go to match the show. Ride isn't crashy considering the wheel/tyre size though I've not driven the latest version.

Wasn't my 1st choice but as an overall package you can't really fault it.

I love ours. It's a fantastic car. Thought it a little harsh to start with but soon got used to it and find it incredibly comfortable except on some of Sheffield's worst roads. More than makes up for itself on welsh mountain roads though.
We tested the diesel and ordered one but ended up with a petrol. Very long story. The diesel is a stocking motor so much addictive torque, loads of fun. The petrol isn't quite as torquey but has more bhp, lovely and quiet, fast, stable, will slide if you're lead footed in the corners or crack handed but I've managed some rediculous corner speeds with no under steer, the fancy inside wheel braking system helps with that.
Adaptive headlights are simply superb, looking round the corner where you're going, makes night driving safer and quicker. We've had ours coming up for two years and it's still on original pads, original tyres (have got a winter set too but neither are near replacing any time soon).
It has loads of room in it, the seats are comfy and supportive. The only negative for the seating is the rear passengers don't have a very good view out the front as the front seats are quite big and solid.
Fuel economy isn't great on the petrol. Round town, being sensible I can get low thirties (very sensible), being in a rush brings that way down to high teens! Out in countryside though thirties to forties is the norm even being enthusiastic.
Oh and you can get a 29er in the boot, wheels out, saddle down, with the parcel shelf in place and the back seats up! Do that in your beemers!
Negatives, view from the back (I'm the only driver in our house so not an issue!), some of the trim is too shiny on sunny days causes the odd reflection where I wouldn't want it. People who are small in the trouser department say why didn't you buy an Audi.....
All in all I love ours, test one I'll be surprised if you are disappointed at that price.

Certainly more forgiving than anything Audi in S line guise

I have an two year old A1 S line. It's a great ride. Precise, like train round corners but I definitely wouldn't call it harsh.

If you add the Vat on with the one off charge it works out at £250 a month for 8000 miles a year. It's okay but not amazing. Go to a dealer and do a test drive then tell them about this deal you may be surprised and get a better deal with the dealer. I did with my Yeti. Does the Diesel have the V8 noise generator?

I had a Limited Edition VRS (170BHP Audi engine, pimpy seats etc) on an 09 plate (400 miles on the clock ex dem when I got it). 2 years, 49,000 miles of mainly motorway miles and 8 breakdowns later I said good riddance to it.

Wouldnt own another Skoda if it was free.

If you add the Vat on with the one off charge it works out at £250 a month for 8000 miles a year.

Actually £269 on average. The Simpsons deal is the best I've seen at £1990 down and £199 a month is £273 a month average.

Ant be that bad . The police love them and they don't usually have crap .

Found a Golf GTD Nav 184bhp diesel for £170. Manual and cloth interior only though. Can you get a bike in the back?

If its similar size to a 1 series you will have to take the front wheel off with the seats down. For comparison my C456 fits in the back of my mk3 Octavia estate with wheels attached and back seats down.

Can't be that bad .The fleet managers who work for the Police Service and who actually have no experience of what the Police need from a decent resilient vehicle that is likely to be driven for 24 hrs a day seven days a week but who negotiate very competitive deals so just go ahead and buy them anyway love them and they don't usually have crap

FIFY 🙂

The one I have access to is perhaps the most universally hated car in our fleet. And as my other choices include a Kia Ce'ed, a Toyota something or other and a Zafira, that's saying a lot.

Plonker

If its similar size to a 1 series you will have to take the front wheel off with the seats down. For comparison my C456 fits in the back of my mk3 Octavia estate with wheels attached and back seats down.

Meant to say HATCH. Estate would be even better.

'Can you get a bike in thd back'?

I wouldnt put a mountain bike anywhere near the interior.

Roof rack it.

Where did you see the deal at 170?

I have a Scout on a similar lease deal. Had it for month / 700 miles and very happy so far. Had a 10 year old A3 before, the Scout is obviously much larger inside but doesn't feel any larger to drive. Handling feels as good as the A3 but ride much better. Interior of Scout is nicer than a VRS especially as with a lease car you don't want to add extras. The quality of the interior trim is mixed and certainly not up to Audi standards, think more Mondeo.
I don't need the 4x4 and it's fitted with summer tyres as standard, having said that I think it's just changed to the 2016 spec which has an off road mode similar to the Yet I.

IMO the VRS is what boy racers get when they have a family; all body kit, not so much go.

If you are worried about the ride of the VR, then why not go for the boggo Octy estate ??

IMO the VRS is what boy racers get when they have a family; all body kit, not so much go.

It's not, they have Astra vxrs, or older Imprezas. The VRS is for 9-5 workers who think they are different and think it's quick.

People who are small in the trouser department say why didn't you buy an Audi.....

Perhaps this isn't anything to do with the size of their cocks and is a genuine question. It must be bemusing to see the cost of a lease on an Octavia and an Audi and see you pick the Skoda. It's essentially a tacky version.

So here the $1m question; the Skoda in either VRS or Scout guise, new, £170 a month OR my current Alfa 2008 Alfa 159 costing me £90 a month?*

*The slight caveat is that my work car allowance - although I am getting away with it - comes with a condition that I should have a maximum 5yo car.

159 all day

Hmmm

So I'll put my £170 on a private plate to hide the year and keeping it tidy...

So here the $1m question; the Skoda in either VRS or Scout guise, new, £170 a month OR my current Alfa 2008 Alfa 159 costing me £90 a month?*

*The slight caveat is that my work car allowance - although I am getting away with it - comes with a condition that I should have a maximum 5yo car.

It'll end up costing more than £170 a month once you've kerbed the alloys and someone has trolley rammed it in the local waitrose.

I'm looking for a new motor. I've considered lease and PCP for new models, but I'm 99% certain I'm going to go for a year old model with a personal loan. That is a good deal for a skoda though.

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. 🙄

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.

[img] [/img]

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.