New Octavia ....when? How Much?

[woofy]

I had a stock GTS86 for the weekend, but was auto. It was ok, but we were actually looking forward to getting back into our RS after the weekend. We gave it the full family treatment, kids car seats in the back and went up into the mountains for a day as well. I took it around my usual backstreets and was underwhelmed with it. I think a turbo would make the difference as it just seemed to be missing that pull. Manual could probably make all the difference as well though. I just found the handling wasn't as good as the RS which surprised me.

[GeeMatt]

Interesting comment on the 86.

In my circle of "car mates" there's 2x GT86 & 2x BRZ. All four love them. They are all manuals. One BRZ is stock except for Michelin PSS. One of the 86ers has an exhaust & decent tyres. Another 86 is owned by a tuner. It puts out respectable HP and has a lot of other mods & gets tracked a lot. The other BRZ is also getting modded a lot (it has a FB page). All of these guys I would consider to be "drivers" and like to give the engine a rev. It would drive me insane but the Toyobarus must have something going for them.

I think the key, from hanging about on Subie forums, is the modding. Extra oommph and they come alive. I was being a little flippant without any real knowledge

[MJKooLio]

What Czech cars are we talking about? You should all be banned unless comparing another car to the Octavia...

[GeeMatt]

Good point. I'm expecting the Octavia RS (when I get it) to be way better than one of those JDM puff boxes !

[k_rider]

My apologies for dragging things off-topic, in the first place and again now. In the 86's defence I suppose, it was an auto, it was one of the first dozen or whatever that landed in the country, the dealer was sitting in the back (that was a sight to see!!!), wife in front passenger seat and I only got to drive a short loop (less than 10 km) on suburban streets (50 - 60 km/h limits). Meaning I couldn't really give it the berries! The thing is, with all the pre-release hype it was given, I was expecting a lot more... I was far more impressed by the little Fabia RS I drove about 30 mins later on pretty much the same loop. But then, I'm probably biased!

[woofy]

I think hype is the word, people were buying the BRZ before it even came out. The cheap model would be the best value for what it is. Cheap track car if you mod it as well, but not on par with the other things an RS comes with Std that's for sure. Even the GTS we had was pretty basic. To their credit you can put two big kids car seats in the back but I wouldn't attempt to force an adult in there or a larger child.

[DoggieHowser]

I think hype is the word, people were buying the BRZ before it even came out. The cheap model would be the best value for what it is. Cheap track car if you mod it as well, but not on par with the other things an RS comes with Std that's for sure. Even the GTS we had was pretty basic. To their credit you can put two big kids car seats in the back but I wouldn't attempt to force an adult in there or a larger child.

I don't think it's hype. You really have to ask what you want in a car. I have owned many cars that were faster/more responsive and cornered faster than the Boxster S, for instance, but there's a connection that the car has with the driver that makes it just incredible to drive. I never have to do insane speeds to have fun. From the few moments I had with a manual GT86, it has some of that same character.

ps the old tiptronic Boxster/Cayman lost some of that magic, robbing the car of feel to me. I'd expect the auto GT86/BRZ would be the same.

[GTR27]

Back on a Skoda related note, everything is locked in! Build week 38, day 5. Fingers crossed that Friday is a good day!

Edit: also, I'm writing a letter of complaint to Skoda about the poor updates/info available to customers, and the huge, massive blow outs in delays (like my order taking twice as long as originally quoted). I suggest all other frustrated owners also do the same. Skoda appears to be ignoring dealer feedback, so coming from customers will carry more weight.

[MJKooLio]

MY15 Spec with Flat bottom wheel in Aus!

Exactly like my order! Damn, thought I'd have one of a kind, which I will have with my Ice Picker I'm the fuel lid, brushed aluminum bumper/boot protector and Adaptive Cruise sensor at front

2014 Skoda Octavia RS 162TSI MY14 Direct-Shift Gearbox

[bobski]

Dropped into a dealer on the way back to Bathurst to try to get info on the Scout (still no info other than first quarter next year and he reckons internal mutterings of no 135kw diesel.).

They had a single Ambition+ on the lot with tech pack and auto boot. He said he was annoyed that he sold his diesel RS with blackpack a few days before, but a sale is a sale is a sale. Top bloke, and I loved that he has his own diesel Superb that he is modifying. I asked him how many people walk out because of the wait. He reckons 8 out of 10. Ouch. All that good publicity down the toilet. But to be fair, he said they had the same problem with the GTI when it was launched.

I was incredibly tempted to take a Yeti for a new spin, it looks great in the flesh and is just such good value, but alas, does not have the boot space we require.