RS Wagon versus Mk 7 GTI

[KWICKS]

RS has much better seats - but I hate the GTI pews (I might be driving one otherwise). The RS is noisier on road - sound insulation is poorer. The materials used on the interior of the GTI are a step up in quality and feel. They don't scuff and scratch as easily. The 8" screen in the RS is bigger than the unit offered in the GTI. The suspension in the GTI is better honed, but firmer too. Jiggly almost. You can't floor an RS. in first because it axle tramps and causes the electronic nanny to intervene. I suspect the GTI PP diff alleviates some of this. The space in the wagon is useful. The factory RS wheel options are nice. Xenons are good (dropped as a Golf option now?).

Resale - big question mark over Skoda, GTI pretty good.

And find something in stock - the wait is horrendous for a factory order if you choose the RS.

[mattaus]

I'll have a bit of a wait on either car, but it seems the RS wait will be around twice as long as the GTI. Even if I put my order in for an RS now it may not arrive when I require it. Not the end of the world as I have a car I can use in the mean time.

The GTI with Performance pack comes with the Xenons. The Xenon option is just not available on the standard GTI anymore.

[mattaus]

I took a GTI for a test drive today (tried to do the same on the Octavia but it was in the middle of the showroom and I walked in off the street so they asked if I could book it for another day). Also a bit frustrated because as I suspected the Skoda dealer in Mt. Gravatt is closed for good, so the nearest dealer to me is in Bowen Hills which is a freakin' pain for me to get to from home. From work...not so much.

Anywho, the GTI moves, that's for sure. If the RS is even remotely close it'll be plenty quick enough!

My observations:

• Interior in the RS does feel a step down. Hard plastic on all the door trims, dash, and centre console. The Golf (for the most part) uses soft touch plastic. That being said if there was leather or cloth on a particular area of the Golf, it was the same on the RS.
• The cars are amazingly similar in terms of fitment and component type. Same dials, knobs, buttons, and switches. No difference in quality, just different shapes to suit the overal interior. The Golf did have LED lighting, although oddly enough the standard incandescent lights in the RS did a better job. This is moot for me becuase as someone with a heavy background in LEDs, I'd replace them all anyway.
• The RS I looked at was the sport back, but they did have an Octavia Wagon in the show room. The room in the back is rediculous. On the flip side the Golf's boot is tiny. My current Civic hatch is a canyon in comparison.
• The seats in the RS have the same level of support as the GTI, however the RS seats are wider so for my body at least, the GTI's support me more. However over long distances the RS would probably triumph in terms of comfort.
• The Golf centre console has a slide over cover, the RS did not.
• The RS steering wheel has the same flat bottom that the GTI's has. I wasn't expecting this as the photo's on Skoda's site show a fully rounded wheel(Brochure shows flat bottom). I like the flat bottom. I think the RS wheel is nicer with the perforated leather. Might also just be me, but the RS wheel felt thicker. Which I like.
• Going back to the standard wagon, it looks great in person. The model in the show room also had the panoramic sunroof which was awesome.
• The RS also looked great in person, even though the model they had was not the greatest colour (like a flat grey). The black pack really adds a nice touch.
• Both cars use a space saver spare.
• The RS infotainment with the 8" screen suits the space soooo much better than the tiny unit in the Golf. In the Golf it looks like an after thought with lots of wasted space. In the RS it looks perfect.
• Almost every Skoda car in the dealership had scratches or sticky residue from factory wrapping left on them somewhere. Could be dealer related, or are Skoda susceptible to these sorts of things from the factory?

Things I forgot to check or didn't think about until I got to the Golf (after the RS):

• I can't remember if the RS had lights under the sun visors (so you can use the mirrors at night). The Golf had them attached to the roof.
• I never checked if the central rear seat had a part that folded down to act as an arm rest for the passengers. The Golf did, complete with cup holders.
• The Golf's dash material (around the instrument cluster, light switch, infotainment unit etc) had a shiny sort of carbon weave like look to it. I cannot remember what the RS had.
• The Golf has a large storage bin that can be closed under the infotainment unit. Again, I can't recall what the RS had.
• The Golf's centre console lid could be locked in place to sit higher. Not sure if the RS was able to do this.
• I couldn't actually fire up the screen in the RS, so I was unable to check if the RS had the same proximity sensor the Golf has (menus automatically appear as your hand approaches the screen for example). According to the brochure the RS does have this
• The Golf had one of those rear vision mirrors that auto dim if car headlights from behind are shining straight into it. Not sure if the RS has this. The RS brochure mentions auto dimming mirrors but it sounds like it was referring to the side mirrors?
• The Golf has auto hand brake and hill assist. This was a nice touch however it did result in a 'clunky' feel. Every time you stop or start moving the Golf 'juttered' even though stop/start was off. Not sure what the RS has. If the press shots are to be believed the RS has a traditional manual hand brake.

I asked about rear vision camera, and the dealer said it all depends on what week your car is built. He basically made it sound like it was luck of the draw. I find this hard to believe, if I order a car with rear vision camera, I expect it to come with the rear vision camera. How can something like that be luck? If it's offered, it's offered!?

So yeah, I'll book in an RS test drive but if the driving and handling are close then it'll be the RS I want. I just wish the wait was shorter

[lucmor444]

Some quick answers to what I recall on the RS.

- no illumination for the visors
- there is a rear armrest with cupholders
- there is a small lidded compartment in front of the gear lever/under the entertainment unit
- console lid can be locked into a higher position and slides fwd like the golf
- has manual handbrake and hill control

[mattaus]

Some quick answers to what I recall on the RS.

- no illumination for the visors
- there is a rear armrest with cupholders
- there is a small lidded compartment in front of the gear lever/under the entertainment unit
- console lid can be locked into a higher position and slides fwd like the golf
- has manual handbrake and hill control

Disappointing about the lack of mirror illumination but that's something I could probably retro fit. The only person who would really use that is the Mrs. I forgot to look at the console lid in the RS, but the fact it can slide forward is a nice touch because I use that as an arm rest quite regularly in my current car.

[dArK5HaD0w]

Most reliable vehicle manufacturer named in the UK (yes not in Aus):-
1. Honda
.
..
...
8. Skoda
.
..
...
23. VW
.
..
...
34. Audi


considering most of the parts r the same across both skoda and vw, it must come down to the quality and care of the assembly process at the factory.
was the same thoughts echoed by a vw senior technician when i was chatting to him about the wastegate rattle and general things about reliability.

[mattaus]

Owner surveys are important. My current car is a Honda, and the car had a door issue not long after delivery, paint issues that needed fixing before delivery, and the radio is currently on the blink and my local dealer doesn't believe me/can't be bothered testing it properly to fix it. That and they've managed to forget about servicing my car (sat in the parking lot all day) TWICE. Obviously these surveys show you the general trend - I'm just saying personal experience can differ greatly. My issues are more dealer related obviously.

In all honesty my biggest concern is not how often things will go wrong, but rather how hard it is to have them fixed. One dealer/official service centre in all of Brisbane does not bode well for me

[donweather]

There's several excellent independent service dealers around Brisbane who'd I'd trust my car with a million times more than stealers service centres.

[brad]

Most reliable vehicle manufacturer named in the UK (yes not in Aus):-
1. Honda
.
..
...
8. Skoda
.
..
...
23. VW
.
..
...
34. Audi


considering most of the parts r the same across both skoda and vw, it must come down to the quality and care of the assembly process at the factory.
was the same thoughts echoed by a vw senior technician when i was chatting to him about the wastegate rattle and general things about reliability.

As well as the quality of assembly it may also be how many times you have to take it back to get a fix???

I've noticed at BriSkoda that the dealer service component is on the decline and that Skoda UK appear to be not trying as hard as they used to.

[nat225]

There's several excellent independent service dealers around Brisbane who'd I'd trust my car with a million times more than stealers service centres.

One independent in coorparoo scratched my front right wheel, scratched the body frame near the timing belt cover, forgot to put a timing belt cover bolt back. Nothing was mentioned when i picked up and paid. Must be blind mech.

They quoted me $400 to remove and refit whiteline WALK bushings.

Other services costs were reasonable.

But based on my experiences despite.having 2 vag cars, i am more than happy to pay vw dealer service who has good customer service with no disgusting attitude (euroaus included as disgusting).