Seriously looking at a new Skoda

[brad]

The noisy tyres are probably the ContiSportContact2. I have them on my 1.8TSI (there's no F) and they howl & moan on most surfaces. It's not that big an issue because I reckon they'll be worn out by 35,000km. In the meantime, they grip nicely & they are the grippiest of the three brands that were fitted to the 16" rims.

A guy in my building has a white Octavia 1.8TSI with Sports suspension (it's a 15mm drop IIRC) and 18" (maybe 19") aftermarket rims & the proportions aren't quite right.

Keep in mind that when your std 16" tyres are worn you can probably pick up a set of near new 17" Golf rims with tyres for <$1000. Also, some GTI springs & shocks if you want to change the looks and ride a bit.

Skoda has a bluetooth kit. I'm not sure if it's available in Australia but it's better than the Golf unit (a few people have had them fitted to their Golfs) and fully integrates with the MFD. Costs a limb or 2 IIRC. If it isn't available from AUS you can probably source one from one of the members at BriSkoda.

You can get chrome tips from any exhaust shop. I considered it but then decided that stealth black fitted in with the rest of the car.

Regarding performance, mine took about 7,000km - 10,000km to free up and goes quite nicely now. Much better than the unit I originally test drove. I go driving with a bunch of mates off another forum - big mix of cars BMW325, BMW130, Golf GTI, Liberty 3.0R, Golf R32, Liberty 2.5. Considering it's a family hatch with a smallish engine, the Skoda constantly surprises both myself & the others.

About the only thing you might add to the shopping list is Xenon headlights. I find the standard units a bit dull and disappointing.

[jacob_1987]

I have a close friend who works in local tyre place and I just gave him the car and told him put some tyres that don't make noise are handle good....

he put me Pirelli tyres not exactly sure what type, but made a big difference in road noise. The original tyres actually wore out pretty quick, even though I rotated @ every service.

[aslsw]

Thanks for the all of the information...

I took a Mondeo (Zetec diesel) for a drive yesterday and came away seriously underwhelmed. The interior yelled out that it was just another family car - been there, done that. The Skoda says class to me.

The only negative my wife can find is that she thinks the backseat in the Skoda is a bit firm, so we'll take the youngest son (at 16, the only who will probably ever travel long distances in the rear) for another drive next weekend.

Skoda is still the top of the list!

By the way, the salesman said that all orders for the RS are now based on the new model given the long-ish delivery times.

[zach]

hi aslsw, I too am looking at purchasing an Octavia Elegance (maybe RS). I'm coming from a Mazda 6. I found a decent ex demo with sunroof and 17" wheel sports suspension combo. my wife also found rear seat firm. have you looked at the new 6?

anyone know of any difference between 1.8 in 08 and 09 model. reason why i ask is quoted fuel consumption in manual form is quite different.

[brad]

anyone know of any difference between 1.8 in 08 and 09 model. reason why i ask is quoted fuel consumption in manual form is quite different.

No differences that I'm aware of.

Old figure was 7.7L/100km? New figure is 7.2L/100km? Maybe they have made gear 6 a bit higher. IIRC there was some slight change made in the UK for an extra 1kw. Possibly they are just measuring them different too - wasn't there a change to the tests or the method of calculation on Jan1?

Possibly they have upped the factory recommended tyre pressure from 28psi to 32psi. That would make a difference in the test (Holden did that with the Commodore a few years back).

Also of note is the minimum fuel requirement in the brochure is now 98ron. I wonder if the fuel cap says that or they have just stuffed up.

The urban figure of 9.8L/100km is about right for really crappy Sydney peak hour traffic. The extra urban figure is slightly optimistic IMO - you'll eventually see 5.8L/100 on the MFD after about 30 mins of constant speed 100kmh driving but that's actually 6.1L/100.

[zach]

thanks Brad. I'd consider 0.5L quite large for no apparent reason but could be down to using 98RON. 6L on hwy is quite good considering size and performance. A happy medium between a diesel and a V6

[aslsw]

Mazda 6 is probably the last car for me to go and look at. We did go to the Mazda dealership one weekend, but no-one came out to see us and I wasn't going to hang around in the cold Canberra weather!

I did hop in the driver's seat and absolutely hated the fussy steering wheel (do you get to a point where too many switches on the wheel becomes a distraction rather than an aid?) and the generally bland interior.

But I guess I better take one for a drive... who knows, it could be the best car ever?

[zach]

no idea as haven't test driven one yet as I feel I need a change for not apparent reason. my opinion on interior is quite the opposite where the Octavia is slightly bland in appearance. I'm thinking if RS is worth the extra $6k or not? on resale front the less I spend less I can lose.

[aslsw]

Sorry, one other question comes to mind...

What's the towing capacity of these cars like? I don't need to do anything serious (ie. no braked towing) but it's handy to be able to take the box trailer around the place (trips to Bunnings, etc).

An owner's manual I found online suggests towing is limited to 80km/h, which sounds like a pretty limited capacity. How am I going to get those Ikea bookshelves my wife has her heart set home from Sydney?

[woofy]

Towing weight itself is fine it's the ball weight on ALL VAG cars. Makes those Toureg plane towing ads look like a sad joke