New Octavia ....when? How Much?

[woofy]

I think the manual gearbox will be what sways me, I still prefer it over the DSG. Remember the DSG is overall faster than the manual. Maybe it just feels more laggy as you aren't working the clutch through the gears.

[dArK5HaD0w]

I drove the DSG. Still laggy and torque limited in 1st gear. Takes 3 sec to disengage clutches and get going, then gets to 2nd and THEN it takes off... No thanks.
No manual in the diesel, and if thats especially true of the vRS then I'll have to look elsewhere for my Manual Diesel Sportwagon. :'(

the only 6-speed dsg available (currently for the oz market) in the new mk3 is mated to the 110TDI.
this model features the start-stop technology, which explains the behaviour u experienced. I too found this unpleasant.

drive a DSG-6 without the start-stop technology.........
.....which u unfortunately cannot do atm with the mk3 Octavia.
take a mk2 Octavia mated with a dsg-6 for a spin.

if the mk3 vRS also comes with this stop-start technology, then i'll find every means possible to disable that feature. if it can't b disabled, then, like u, i'll go elsewhere.

[occy]

I drove the DSG. Still laggy and torque limited in 1st gear. Takes 3 sec to disengage clutches and get going, then gets to 2nd and THEN it takes off... No thanks.
No manual in the diesel, and if thats especially true of the vRS then I'll have to look elsewhere for my Manual Diesel Sportwagon. :'(

We must have driven very different cars, the 132 that I drove went like a rocket with only a little bit of lag and certainly nowhere near 3 seconds, less than 0.5 sec I would guess.

Having said that the 1.4 was definitely a bit more responsive with the DSG and just seemed to suit the DSG better which is why I chose it. The 7 speed DSG has to be the best auto gearbox that I've driven.

Did a test 0-100 when the other day and ran around 8 secs which was quite surprising

[k_rider]

My wife's A1 has start/stop, which is easily disabled (temporarily) by a button on the dash. It re-enables when the ignition is cycled off and on. I think I saw a setting on the MFD somewhere to disable it more permanently, but not 100% sure... I'd assume the new Octy would be the same?
The couple of times I've driven the A1, the start/stop has never bothered me. I also drove a Renault Scenic diesel manual with start/stop around Italy (including Rome) and I was quite impressed at how responsive it was - slip trans into neutral, foot off clutch, engine would stop, as soon as you put any pressure on the clutch pedal the engine would be started and running again almost instantly, well before I had selected first gear. Mind you, it certainly caught me out the first time it operated (frantically trying to re-start the thing)!

[donweather]

I was always told that the lost damage one does to an engine (particularly a diesel) is at start up of the ignition. Start-stop technology must be bad for the engine IMO and I'd never use it. What's the cost of a new engine over how much you'd save in fuel with start-stop.

[bobski]

Not sure if it adds stress to the engine. But you'd have to think that manufacturers have sorted that problem out.

I had 2 weeks in a rental diesel BMW using stop/start in Europe (which averaged around 5 litres per 100 even though I thrashed it on the autobahns). I had no problems with the system, it worked flawlessly and would save a bucket load if you live almost anywhere in Sydney where sitting in traffic is the norm. I've also driven in the new Passat bluemotion with DSG and while you can turn stop/start off via a button on the console, the owner said he is very happy with it. I'm surprised that anyone would be against it given the praise for low fuel figures here. I'm guessing that the claimed fuel efficiency of the new Octavia is only achievable if the system is turned on?

[woofy]

I've driven the A1s as well as a few Mazdas and have no issue with the start stop. It's going to be something that becomes very common as oil runs out.

[readerr0r]

I was always told that the lost damage one does to an engine (particularly a diesel) is at start up of the ignition. Start-stop technology must be bad for the engine IMO and I'd never use it. What's the cost of a new engine over how much you'd save in fuel with start-stop.

Cars with start-stop have upgraded components, like a much higher quality starter engine and whatnot. Starting an engine when its warm doesn't have much of an impact, and the systems have a bunch of criteria that must be met before it lets itself start-stop (engine temp, battery voltage etc.).

As mentioned before you can at least disable start-stop for each ignition cycle, so I don't see how you can't try out the new 6-speed wet DSG? A better comparison would be the Golf GTI anyway (If you're curious how the RS will be).

[brad]

I was always told that the lost damage one does to an engine (particularly a diesel) is at start up of the ignition. Start-stop technology must be bad for the engine IMO and I'd never use it. What's the cost of a new engine over how much you'd save in fuel with start-stop.

It's the cold start rather than starting in general.

Just sitting idling doesn't do a diesel any good either unless you bring the revs up to 1200rpm to prevent diesel plugging.

Stop/start has a whole heap of parameters that must be met before it comes into play. Engine temp is one of them I believe.

[brenno]

The release of the new Octavia isn't really setting Skoda sales figures on fire.

December 2011: 653 sales
December 2012: 116 sales

September 2013: 281 sales
October 2013: 311 sales
November 2013: 332 sales
December 2013: 241 sales