2007 Skoda Octavia vRS from UK and Ireland - Comments

Nothing so far, but it is very early days.

A chip in the tail, but that was self inflicted on the low roof of a car park :(

I'll keep a running tally in the comments while I have the car.

A revelation to drive from my previous Clio. The car feels so solid, and the quality of materials are a generation away from what I was driving.

Looks are subjective, and badge bias aside, I've had no negative comments regarding the car. More than a few have called the car beautiful, and a lot love the race blue paint. The interior is more of a mixed bag. Many love it, but some think it's a bit 'boy racer' and a bit tacky. I like it; it's not the best in the world, but better than the all black of its VW and Audi cousins.

Interior space is good. Rear space is not bad, but not as good as some equivalent cars such as the Mazda 6.

This car came with free options including dual zone climate control, cooled storage in the drivers armrest and rear electric windows.

Switch gear isn't as good as the Mazda, but still good. The consoles are lit in a cool green colour, which is nice.

The seats are part leather, part alcantara, part webbing. They are comfortable and feature lumbar support. Not as hugging as the Recaro seats in the ST Focus.

Some nice touches include rear heater vents, lots of storage hooks and cubby holes, a rear hatch to the boot and a rear armrest. The boot itself is mammoth, and needs to be seen to be believed.

Handling is hard to gauge at this point. I'm not comfortable enough to throw it around too much, but it does feel quite nimble for a big car. The stiffened suspension is not harsh, but it is sporty so you would need to try it to see if it is for you. The steering isn't vague and has plenty of weight. Again, I prefer meatier steering in a car, but not everyone does.

Acceleration is cracking - it pulls like a train. The torque is also available at all revs, making the car surprisingly relaxing to drive.

Fuel consumption is also jaw-dropping. I'm tainted by coming from a 60mpg diesel Clio. Currently the long term average for the vRS is 31mpg. This will probably rise a little, but not a lot as the engine loosens off.

Any issues with the car? Some niggling things that could have been better:

Cruise control is £180 option. Something I really think should be standard on a car of this price.

Road noise is a little loud, but not too bad for me (Clio was very noisy), tyre choice can fix this I'm told. This car came with a free upgrade to 18" alloys, which will make the noise a little louder too.

The radio is a little weak. It manages to be both tinny and booming at the same time. The MP3 facility of the player only works on the head unit (not in the standard 6 disk changer), and only plays MP3s, not WMA files.

Overall, I'm very pleased, and I will keep the entry updated while I have the car.

5000 miles in.

Faults so far...none. Not a thing. No squeaks or rattles. It has never been back to dealer at all.

Fuel consumption is better. Long term average is 34mpg* heading towards 35mpg. A longish motorway journey just yesterday averaged 37.5mpg. 60 mph roads driven with a light foot can give 40-43mpg. Not bad for a 200bhp turbo petrol.

It does like super unleaded. This has possibly helped the increased mpg. The engine is made for 98RON+ petrol. It will run 95RON, but with a decrease in power and smoothness.

The only other expense has been a top up of oil. Being a modern VAG engine it likes top class oil. £15 a liter at Halfrauds or £35 for 5l at the local motor factors.

Excellent review and comments! In Australia, the new Skoda has just been launched, and the Octavia RS has received very good reviews from local motoring journalists. It is available in bright yellow or gleaming metallic blue, and is absolutely stunning! It is priced at $37,490 AU for the sedan, and $39,490 for the wagon. The 2.0L turbo petrol four rides on 18-inch alloys, lowered by 15mm and is equipped with taut sports suspension.

As one motoring journalist states- "Skoda should be high on any Czech list". Enjoy your Octavia vRS!

Just to add.

* I forgot to add my mpg is UK Imperial gallons and you'd need to lower this a bit for US Gallons.

Something that is important to my parents, but not to me is that both front seats are hight adjustable. So if you're a little stiff in the legs the seats can be pumped up to make getting out a little easier.

Quite a jump from a diesel Clio to a brand new VRs Octavia! Did you win the lotto?

As for the handling, I've been in two of these cars when driven by a professionals at Millbrook, and I can assure you that the handling is fantastic, don't be afraid to hang it out on the corners, the car will dig in and grip way beyond what most drivers will ever need or use. Not sure that I'd have taken the 18" wheels though, as you say the noise and actually the ride comfort too will both be worse than with the 17" wheels. I too think that the later shape cars are very attractive, but so does my local plod traffic division - they've just got 3 in, watch out if you drive on the roads of south Hampshire, you will not out-run one of these cars unless you're in something very fast.

Personally I'm considering the Octavia VRs diesel, the usable performance is pretty much the same as the petrol-powered cars, but with a 25% improvement in MPG. Sounds like a bargain, just a shame that Skoda have adopted the VAG policy of down-specc'ing their cars - not having electric windows all round, or cruise as standard in this class of car is way behind the competition.

A big jump from the Clio but I was glad to see the back of it and I wanted something with a quality feel that I hope will last more than 3yr without falling to pieces.

Apparently the VRS models are made in a different factory than other Octavias and seem to built to an even higher standard.

The spec isn't bad at all on the VRS. The long running offer of free dual zone climate, 18" alloys, rear electric windows and the cooled 'jumbo box/armrest' improves things a lot.

Certainly a lot cheaper than an equivalent spec GTI Golf.

I can certainly confirm that there is very little between the petrol and diesel in performance. I drove both before choosing the petrol.

Up to 9000 miles now and nothing new to report at all. The oil consumption has all but stopped and other than filling the petrol tank and topping up the air in the tires the car has needed no maintenance.

Fuel consumption still as before 18-22mpg in town, 32-35mpg on a short run and 35-38mpg on a longer run.

I only can agree and confirm the review. I have O2 vRS TFSI for almost 2 years now, running without a problem (knock on wood). If I would be forced to tell something negative, noisy window glass in the front doors (ugly sound when the window is open and the door is closing), considering that as absolutely stupid minor thing, but it seems many others have similar experiences.

Regarding diesel vs petrol engines: VW's TDI is simply noisy, very noisy, regardless PD or CR. The (diesel's) torque is higher, however completely useless (only the front wheels are driven) also TFSI has a problem to exploit its torque, especially on wet road or dust. The diesel has (of course) better fuel consumption, but TFSI is also "not too hungry" if you can control right foot a little bit. The difference in max power is small, so IMHO the nicest feature of the TFSI is not the max power itself, but the fact the max torque is available from 1800 revs up to 5000 revs, so almost up to max power revs, TDI has no chance here. Another nice TFSI feature, there is no turbo-effect at all, I mean nothing you can really feel or detect. The power is rising lineary, no gaps, no kicks, does not matter revs or actual load. So I prefer TFSI.

The car is very pleasant to drive, does not matter if you are on holiday tour, or on highway in Germany. No need to change gears frequently, very stable in curves in high speed, overall making the feeling you can trust it. Of course, it is not "hot hatch" or strictly sport-car, so IMHO comparing it with Civic Type R or Astra OPC is meaningless. I'm taking it as speedy family/manager car, sprinter in the city, distance-eater on highway.

The brakes are also much better then ordinary Skoda/VW/Audi average - precise and power-full, have no experience like fading or in-accurateness, maybe in some very very hard conditions. I like the car too much to perform some brutal tests like periodically slowing down from 200km/h to 0. I can also confirm, the 17" wheels is better choice for this car, it seems the chasis and the 18" don't like each-other.

The vRS is friendly to the rest of crew also, the seats are good and comfortable, easy and usually doing hundreds of km, no bad feelings in back or legs. The noise inside depends on the quality of the road and speed, in 120-160km/h the engine makes "ambient" (and really beautifull) sound, but also in higher speeds there is nothing terrible noisy.

Regarding the oil consumption, my experience, the first year I was pushing the car hard, discovering its limits and simply enjoying it, so the oil consumption was 1litre per 20 000 km. The dealer confirmed is it OK, TDI engines takes more oil, I was told.

There are many flame-wars on the net where people are going to kill themselves for comparing O2 vRS with BMW, Audi, Volvo, etc. Well the comparison is always terrible, I think the important thing is, that Octavia is fully comparable with them, does not matter what is particulary better or worse. And the vRS is the best Octacia.

So at the end - up to now - I'm "happy" vRS user ;)

"Quite a jump from a diesel Clio to a brand new VRs Octavia! Did you win the lotto?"

Lol, that's one of the funniest comments I ever read, asking someone if they won the lotto enabling them to purchase a skoda! Is that a joke surely?!

There's nothing wrong with Skodas!! I can't believe people are still living in the dark ages!!

'There's nothing wrong with Skodas!! I can't believe people are still living in the dark ages!!'

Sssssshhhhhhhhh, don't tell them. We don't want them to know that about the biggest, bestest, secret in automotive history!

Why is it that those people who have purchased skoda's seem to think they are privy to great auto manufacturing knowledge that the rest of the world are apparently oblivious to. Yes it's a Skoda, its built under the guidance of the VAG group. So what, it's still a Skoda, the manufacturer has as much kudos and brand equity as a Lada/Proton/Kia or Hyundai.

In my experience a Skoda has zero presence on the road, and I note other drivers readily pull out in front of those Skoda cars.

Selling these Skoda cars onwards could be difficult - the only buyers will be the broke and the elderly (who no longer care about image).

You'll actually find the the VW parentage of Skoda keeps resale values quite high. Much better than a Ford or Vauxhall of similar cost.

Looks are subjective. I found the Golf particularly dreary and over priced.

Skoda drivers tend to be a little smug because they have the quality of VW without the premium. Seat drivers are often just as happy.

Skoda presents some of the best value for money motoring you can buy right now. If you are a badge snob then you'll have to pay the £6k premium for your A3 or Gti.