2009 Skoda Octavia TDI 2.0 turbo diesel
Summary:
Very little offers this much practicality for the price
Faults:
Passenger door speaker made odd distorted noise - corrected itself after a few weeks.
Heater blower fan currently making clicking noise - due to be corrected at next service.
General Comments:
In summary, it's a good, practical, family car. It handles well without being sporty, and is super comfy on long trips, while being cheap to run in the mix.
The Good:
- It has a huge boot/trunk with all sorts of tie down points and handbag/shopping bag hooks. Very very practical car. And it's actually the same length as the wagon's load area.
- Very comfortable cruising on highway - exceptionally stable and quiet.
- Economy around town is about average 7.0L/100km, but this drops down to about 6.0L/100km within a few minutes of cruising at 100km/h. Even when fully loaded with 4 adults and luggage.
- Seats seem hard initially, but are actually very comfortable, even after an 8 hour journey.
- It has more convenient cubby holes and cup holders than any other car I've driven, and all nicely lined. So I can keep the interior tidy, and without rattles.
- The stereo is awesome. Big, easy to read touch screen. Sounds good too. I can control all my iPod's functions from the factory touchscreen and show song titles on the dash. Very convenient.
- The diesel has tremendous torque, good in-gear acceleration. Lazy driving style preferred.
- The brakes are strong, the handling is actually very good for a family car. The DSG makes driving smooth and easy (with one exception - see below)
The Bad:
- The DSG can be jerky at speeds of between 20-40km/h. Particularly if you are going around a roundabout or something. It cruises in 3rd. But when you go to accelerate, it hesitates, then suddenly drops back to 2nd.
I get around this usually by recognising the type of intersection where it will happen, and locking it into 2nd or 3rd as I approach. That seems to help on the exit. Alternatively accelerating like I have an egg shell under the pedal seems to help it decide better.
- The DSG doesn't hold gears like a true manual would, even in 'manual' mode. If I plant it in 5th from 60km/h, it drops back to 3rd, even if 'locked' into gear. Some don't mind this, but I don't like it.
Otherwise, nothing to complain about. Although I might be fitting a rear sway bar soon. The suspension has settled now, and is a little softer than it was when new. My point? If you think the suspension is a little too soft when testing a demo, by 15,000km it will be way too soft for you.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 15th December, 2010
5th Jul 2010, 06:52
Well I have this car for 15 months now and have had problems for the last 3 months. Firstly the glow plug alarm started beeping intermittently, then every 5 seconds. The engine service light came on at the same time. That was just the start.
I live in the Canberra region, and to make a booking to see the local dealer takes a month every time. So I ring up to get the glow plug alarm checked, a month later they say they need to replace the throttle control in the computer. OK, so wait another month. During that month the Diesel Particulate Filter alarm comes on. So when I take it back, they say the DPF needs to be replaced, wait another month. This is annoying as the vehicle had gone into "limp" mode, meaning it has no power at all. I drive 40 kms on a highway to get to work so this mode can be pretty dangerous at times, if not very frustrating ie, only able to do 80km/hr up a slight incline and taking a long time to speed up to 100 km/hr.
So after 5 weeks of limp mode, I take it back and they say Skoda sent the wrong part, wait another month and start again. Needless to say I am not happy. I have complained to Skoda and the dealer, but who knows.
The end result is that 25% of the time I have this car from new, it has had problems. I have little faith they they will fix it next time. To be continued...