So long Ford, Hello Skoda.

[kiwijohn]

After 10 years in a Fiesta that handles like a roller skate, it's time for something a little bit bigger & a bit smoother on the open road. Every second car around here is a Subaru so was looking for something different.
Say hello to Moby;



2012 TSI 90 wagon. The previous owner tinted the windows nicely, but added horrible 15 inch alloys.
I've had her for a month, but I've been waiting for the new wheels before posting, 17 inch Speedy Wheels Carbines.
They're a lot better than the the 15's. Quieter, sharper turn in & still pretty smooth riding.
The stereo is the Swing with bluetooth & MFSW. I don't know if they're standard or an option. I would like proper music control if it's possible without replacing the whole head unit.
So far it's using less petrol than my old Fiesta, but the lack of engine braking is a bit disconcerting.
Any other hints & tips would be appreciated. I've had a look on Super Skoda already, but what are other good places for parts?
Cheers, Kiwi.

[Gerrycan]

For some reason I missed your post so sorry for the delayed response but welcome to the Skoda club.
Know what you mean by the lack of engine braking on the 1.4tsi, it was a bit of a shock for me too after a diesel. Took a while to learn how best to utilise it for economy driving (you have to anticipate traffic conditions a looong way up the road) but it is flat where I live so is not really a problem although I miss decent engine braking in the hills.

I was interested to read you felt the conversion from 15 inch to 17 inch has made such a difference to handling as I thought the handling and ride on mine were excellent (15 inch alloys were standard on my 2008 mk2 Ambition) although replacement tyres always seemed much more expensive than the larger equivalents.

There were aspects of my previous mk2, a feeling of better build quality, ride quality and especially steering accuracy that my current mk3 Ambition wagon cannot quite match.

[kiwijohn]

Thanks Gerry.
The change in wheels has gotten rid of some understeer I was feeling on long corners, without compromising ride quality too much.
The Skoda certainly doesn't feel as taut as the Fiesta Zetec. It's a lot smoother but a little less eager even though the Fiesta had less power, guess it must be the turbo lag.
Now I just need to upgrade some bulbs, the reverse lights in particular are pretty ordinary.

[Gerrycan]

Your mk2 is a later model than mine was so has different front styling, hopefully the headlights are better than the halogens were on mine.
They were just bright enough but seemed to shine everywhere but where I needed them.
I'd say that most reversing lights are barely adequate, they seem more about warning people you are reversing than actual illumination.

What you say about the relative performance does not really surprise me, your Octavia is good for a 10 second dash to 100 kph which would probably be similar (or even slower) to the Fiesta, depending on what engine was fitted.
You might have noticed there is a bit more space inside the Octavia though