The Best Petrolhead-Friendly Car for Under £20,000? Meet The Skoda Octavia vRS

[@AntoniusTyas]

There is something about Skoda that makes me just can't hate it. Even after they got slightly more expensive and being Volkswagen-ified with the likes of Enyaq, Kodiaq and Karoq, I just can't hate it. I don't know why, but I always found Skoda as a friendly unpretentious brand that punches above its weight.

[@mudskipper0075]

This exactly ,tried to subconsciously find a reason to say not for me ,but compared to an A4 Avant on price and a Passat on looks much prefer the Vrs really love the styling although not the budget brand they once were….👍 Love the Superb also if I can find one that doesn’t have brown leather in L&K spec….

[@Giorgos_Efstatoglou]

u cant hate it cause u cant love it either . its the king of the perfect average car.

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

Sometimes the trim inside the car can be rather basic and plasticky unless you went out of your way to get one with some of the optional extras at the dealership. But i digress. Skoda arent supposed to be on the same level as Audi, BMW or Mercedes when it comes to having some pretty nice full leather trims as standard. It was always supposed to be the more budget friendlier option of the VAG range. We went from a 2007 or 2008 Honda Accord touring with the executive trim to a Skoda Octavia with the SE L Trim and it was quite a downgrade. Sadly the Honda didnt meet the new emissions requirements and the skoda was a 2019 with only 13k on the clock and the price was really exceptional compared to everything else on the market

[@stevenvater8720]

If you drove a 245 vrs then youd understand straight away, cant be beaten for the money,

[@Giorgos_Efstatoglou]

@@stevenvater8720 thats the whole point . 0% personality 100% vfm .

[@matthewgodwin3050]

Always liked the Skoda Octavia VRS. It's an Audi RS4 for those who don't like tailgating. Perfect.

[@thomevans3560]

Comes with indicators as well unlike the audi

[@leviathan5207]

WHAT? The Octaiva RS is literally just a Golf GTI variant. Comparing it to an RS4 is like comparing the beetle to the 911, they may have similarities but are ENTIRELY different beasts. You would not call a beetle a 911 for people who dont like tailgating, would you?

[@matthewgodwin3050]

@@leviathan5207 Mate, it was a tongue in cheek comment meant to poke a bit of well deserved fun at Audi drivers, mainly because I'm forever being cut up at roundabouts and tailgated by them. It wasn't a serious comparison. Though to be fair, a VRS is a performance version of a Skoda Octavia in the same way that an RS4 is a performance version of an Audi A4, so I don't think I was being all that silly to be honest.

[@Manu-Official]

@@matthewgodwin3050 The advantage of driving an Audi, is that you notice all other brands being driven in all sorts of manners. As per the RS to VRS comparison, the VRS is a 4 cylinder. A fair comparison would be going towards an A4 45 tfsi S-Line. But then that comes with Quattro, and a much more refined interior. All that said, the Skoda VRS is one awesome package, I would dare to say superior to the Golf GTI in terms of all-round practicality.

[@murrieteacher]

@@leviathan5207 We have a repair shop in our family, and all but one part from the VRS fits the RS4 for body panels. The suspension is similar, the rubber suspension parts are a different density and the springs, shocks and ARB are different rates. There is more sound insulation in the RS and more leather. But fundamantally it is the same body shell. bother have the same DSG but the RS4 has a different LSD. And the Skoda is more reliable. They both suffer from the same oil ring problem and the interior of the Skoda falls apart 2 years before the RS4. I have both sitting our side on my garage. And out the front is a TSI Octavia Combi. A good comparison would be Boxster GT4 and 911 GT3.

[@tyrereviews]

Best car in the world, prove me wrong.

[@Thisonegoestoeleven666]

Fully agree!

[@bdeithrick]

Only on Centurato’s thou

[@DashDriver-z1r]

The tsi is hard to knock do like the diesel it’s just such a great alrounder with some fizz, my 245 is a sleeper

[@simonleach6632]

I drive a 2016 diesel estate vRS and it's a great daily, bought off the back of owning a 2004 Octavia for several years, utterly bulletproof reliability and just about the most practical car around, plus I find it very comfortable, especially for long journeys, and it's got enough power to let it really get a move on when you want it to, if ever there was a jack of all trades car, the Octavia vRS is it!

[@autoboffin]

Same, albeit 2015. Done a lot of long runs past couple weeks too so last tank of fuel averaged over 52 mpg. Shift a workbench, engine stand and do a tip run all in one trip. Then a long run for a night away with the missus in refined comfort averaging 58mpg. It's not fast, but if you know how to drive you don't ever *need* any more performance on the road. It's quick enough through 3rd & 4th for good progress and clean overtaking.

[@andrewimray337]

I've had mine 6 months and I adore it, I cannot fault it, chassis, power, brakes, steering, build quality, comfort, equipment.. It does everything, ive had it remapped so im at over 300bhp so I know I can embarrass a few things off the lights, the DSG box is a work of art, I know I will stay with skoda after this one, I cant see why you wouldn't

[@Thisonegoestoeleven666]

They are great aren’t they! Got a v3.5 RS245 Meteor Grey Wagon and it rocks my socks.

[@huffy123]

@@Thisonegoestoeleven666 Love that colour but couldn't find one but did hunt down a 245 moon white and also love it

[@Corvolet5]

This car is just so difficult to hate honestly. It's rather affordable, fast, practical and probably quite a bit of fun, and cheaper than a much smaller Golf GTI. And from what I've heard they're more reliable as well. Sure, on German roads you see them everywhere and they're quite dull, but they get everything right for a daily.

[@prickowens9341]

How is it more reliable if its the same underneath

[@Beer_Dad1975]

@@prickowens9341 Golfs are assembled in Germany by German workers who don't care about their job and know the company they are working for is run by evil fuckers. Czech workers are more invested in what they do and don't have a clue how truly terrible VAG is. I may be being a little facetious.

[@Birmingham_racing]

@@Beer_Dad1975 they use German engines golf gti in this one

[@ryanpinder9053]

@@prickowens9341 Look at WhatCar reliability surveys, Skoda consistently outperforms VW in terms of reliability

[@JayMaverick]

It's fun, reasonably priced, looks good, roomy, comfy, fast, economic, reliable etc. It's so difficult to hate a package like this. But we still want to find a way. 😝

[@TheNoobOffice]

I have a 2014 vRS162 in Australia. I bought it used in 2020 with 54000km on the clock - it has been by far the most enjoyable car to own I have had out of the last 7 cars. Great fun, massively practical, comfortable and despite being cheaper than an equivalent GTI - the interior seems a much nicer place to be to me. Great cars, planning on upgrading to an RS245 in the near future.

[@Sawubona2007]

Any issues with it mate? I'm also in Aus and have always had my eye on an Octavia RS.

[@TheNoobOffice]

@@Sawubona2007 I had to do the waterpump, an expected EA888 issue which was expensive but I was prepared. Aside from that, none except for my rearview mirror assembly falling off the windscreen from the sun. Great car.

[@benglasby8014]

@@TheNoobOffice what km did the water pump go at?

[@benglasby8014]

@@Sawubona2007 mines been good so far. Had it since new. Needs a new battery every 2-3 years though

[@TheNoobOffice]

@@benglasby8014 71000km or something, it was relatively low but being a 2013 build it had done a fair stint.

[@AdamH6590]

I own a MK3 vRS as my daily drive. The 230 dsg model. I think it’s a great car and ticks all my boxes for a fast enough and fun enough daily driver that also returns really good mpg for what it is and is huge inside and very comfortable. Also cheap to run. Perfectly compliments my S2000 weekend car 👌🏻 On a side note, that buzzing noise you hear is the soundaktor, horrible little thing and I got mine switched off when I had the car remapped. My remap also included a gearbox remap which got rid of the kickdown even in manual mode and made the gear shifts up and down faster. Well worth having for any owners reading the comments.

[@Manu-Official]

I was actually curious, what sort of MPG are you doing in sensible driving and sporty driving?

[@AdamH6590]

@@Manu-Official so I’ve had mine for a year now and covered 12k miles. My long term average which I reset when I picked the car up is 33mpg. I tend to average around 33/34 for a full tank for mixed driving which is around 360 miles. On a long run I have returned a legit 43mpg for a 250 mile round trip.

[@Manu-Official]

@@AdamH6590 Thanks ever so much for the reply, as I was genuinely wondering. Pushing anything south of 40 MPG on a long trip on a sporty car is really good in my book. Not many sporty cars can do that.

[@AndrewLomax80]

I have a 2010 VRS petrol and drove from near Warrington to Guildford. Got 44 mpg, that's at decent motorway speed too

[@R8DTF]

This is a great review, thanks for uploading. I've had a 2018 vRS 245 estate from new - it puts a smile on my face, does the family duties, tows the family caravan, carries loads of bikes, does the B&Q and tip runs etc etc. I bloody love it and won't bring myself to swap it anytime soon.

[@johnbarry731]

I have vRS 245 Estate as well from new and it does all you say including pulling a caravan. It’s great on a B road!

[@Buck3366]

In regards to the buzzing/creaking noise in sport mode through the dashboard. The bolt holding the Soundaktor is more than likely vibrating and being amplified and I found a small piece of felt between the bolt and the device cleared the issue up as my former GTI also had the problem especially at low rpm. Tightening it alone didn’t stop the noise but the addition of the felt did. There are guides onKZbin how to access the device.

[@marniebrook9466]

I'm literally looking at buying a MK3 facelift Octavia vRS right now. Honestly this video couldn't have come out at a better time! I've not really been on car youtube for a LONG time but I'm super grateful to find your video!

[@danielkidd1668]

I've owned my 2015 Mk3 for nearly 3 years and it's such a great all round car. Though I have modified it, such a good car 👍

[@Birmingham_racing]

I've always loved the Octavia vrs especially the mk1. It's like a everyday performance car for grown ups

[@Sixtoemo]

I’ve had a pre facelift 2014 VRS diesel DSG for about 5 years now. It’s generally been more reliable than the Passat I owned before that. It really is a budget do it all car. I’ve pulled the caravan, driven to France & back with the family & a load full of wine in the boot and carted all sorts of stuff in the back of it. It’s not particularly quick but there’s all I need mid range to make accelerating safe & fun. It’s a great all rounder. I agree with just about everything said here, particularly the complete lack of feel in the steering.

[@anthonythomas1735]

I bought a box standard Skoda Octavia Estate 1.9ltr diesel and owned it for 10 years, it is up there on my favourite car list, I really like the one shown here and look forward to getting one in the future.

[@francisrolls6312]

Owned my 2018 230 VRS rally green for nearly 2 years now. The low mileage and the high spec was what made me opt for it in the showroom over the bmw or Mercedes alternative proving better value for money overall . Pan roof is great in the summer. . And if you’re lucky enough to have one with the extreme wheels like I do in black it really changes the look of the car . . I do get many compliments for it and it still surprises me today with features I didn’t know it had. If I could change anything on it I’d of probably gone for a dsg and an estate variant, but they wasn’t essential items to me at the time. The saloon is still very practical .. with the seats down the space in the back is big enough to fit two adult sized mountain bikes, (I now have a bike rack ) If you like to use your right foot down the lanes or to surprise your friends occasionally. Get it mapped! Mines 310 bhp now with no supporting mods. Rainsport tyres are great too. . And it literally does everything and more. The only improvement would probably be an s4 .. purely for the 4 wheel drive and quality of the interior . . But you’re talking a bigger chunk of money for it.

[@ww3110]

Always loved these, the right mix of everything for me!

[@francescoparillo8664]

We are missing out on a lot of fun cars in the US. Living in Europe now, I like trying these cars. Great channel, I love your wide array of car content.

[@mattshewchuk7182]

Watching from Canada. I've viewed nearly all your videos as you make even the most humble of cars interesting. Your delivery reminds me of Alain de Cadenet in Victory by Design which was one of my favorite series growing up. Passionate, relaxed, and knowledgeable. I seldom comment on anything but wanted to let you know this is incredible content and your audience should be even larger.

[@MurrayMints001]

The superb 280 sportline estate is very high up on my next car list. Would be great to see a video on that! Love your content

[@fyioska]

Had my 2016 manual VRS for about a month and love it. Came straight from a Mk2 VRS that I owned for 6 years and it's leagues ahead. I keep the sound on Normal with everything else on Sport, sounds less artificial but keeps the steering nice and weighty.

[@lehoff]

I love my VRS estate. A couple of mods and it is just perfect. Sports cats, full cat back exhaust, remap, and some breather mods. Nigh on 300bhp, understated and so so practical.

[@craigyBow]

The misterious man in the Gillet and sunglasses! 😂

[@michaelkember8102]

Ha ha, don’t know who that could be!!

[@markherzog9484]

I owned an Octavia Vrs saloon Diesel for 11 years, a brilliant car, nothing fell off and returned high 40’s mpg and mid 50’s on a steady run……the DSG used manually was a corking combination with it’s low rev torque it was no slouch away from a standing start……..comfortable motorway cruiser too……

[@jordenwoodsey01]

I have a 245 DSG estate on a 2020 plate. I can't think of a better car for under 40k and it only cost 31k. Really fun car to drive and plenty of practicality too. I've raced a golf GTI 220 and can confirm the 245 estate vrs is faster. I think the gti performance is the 245 engine so I imagine that would be a little quicker due to being a hatch. I've also done 65k in it from new since March 2020 and it's still bloody brilliant which is a plus considering all cars become boring after a while.

[@Thisonegoestoeleven666]

Yeah mate, I luuuurve my 2020 Ver3.5 RS245 Wagon. In the stealth grey…🤙

[@Westside7be]

I have a 2019 grey Octavia RS 245 with chrome pack (so not blacked out), with manual gearbox. I love our family car so much I wanna keep it until it falls apart (which it doesn't). Car does everything it is being asked to do. Nice, sporty and subdued looking exterior (I really didn't understand the double headlamps when they first came out, now I love the design and don't like the new Octavia as much). I'm looking at it right now out of my window and I still love looking at it. It's relatively comfy with its alcantara seats, spacious, got a nice big boot (and yes, the absolute ideal size for a family car), gets the young kids wherever they need to go and has some real adequate pace doing so. No complaints about it, no issues at all (we drive it mostly in weekends though, it has done 35.000 kms in 3 years). All of that was bought for 31.800 € or 26.600 GPB. Nowadays, those amounts are for baseline golfs! and we're not even talking electric. My wife says the skoda drinks a lot, but I find 8,2 litres/100km quite reasonable for what it can do (guys, no way the VRS is doing 40mpg. 30 at best). No need for an RS4. Whenever I go for the loud pedal, 250 horses suffice to scare the children and light up the alarm on the front passenger seat. Lots of people talk about tuning it. I haven't done that because unless you're on a german autobahn, there's no way you'll be happy with more than 250 bhp on the front wheels during normal use. Thing just spins up it wheels especially in the wet of course.

[@eze8970]

Thanks J, Skoda have done well by having a product & dealers that understand the brand, & actually work well together. SEAT seem to miss the mark.

[@davidjolliffe9622]

Almost perfect. The lack of an AWD option that already exists in this MQB platformed (engineered for AWD) Skoda Octavia Wagon is the one thing keeping it from being perfect. The 2L EA888 is deliberately undertuned (so it doesn’t outperform VW & Audi) & a conservative remap easily gets these cars into the low 5’s with no reliability issues. My daily driven 2008 manual VRS wagon which I’ve now owned for quite a few years (stage 2 tune, FSI motor stock turbo) has 250+ on the odometer & still does consistent mid 5’s & averages 7L/100km on the highway. Any other manual wagon out there under 1500 kgs with that kind of performance & economy that can fit a whole family & all their luggage? Please let me know.

[@EGGJAZZ]

there is an awd version

[@JG_CBR]

You just can't get better for the money. I absolutely love my 245. Such an underrated master of all.

[@Thuds593]

Better than the TDI?

[@rajivkishore]

You can get a super reliable 400bhp from these engines, fantastic.

[@camdened123456]

can the gearbox take it over the long run? I know a friend who's mapped his civic and found that while the engine remained bulletproof the clutch was less able to take the extra power it had to push through

[@benbray4982]

Yeah you'll need another clutch even remapped to 310 plus cause its chocolate in the petrol.

[@Thisonegoestoeleven666]

Manual needs a clutch upgrade. DSG can handle at lot of power stock though.

[@davepax982]

I own a 2018 vRS and this review sums the car up perfectly. There isn't a single point I can argue with!

[@Deepak-uk4cf]

Just got myself one of these, pre facelift though. Absolutely love it. Has enough power to keep me satisfied and ample space to keep my passengers happy. Great fun to drive and the vrs trim does a good job at being discreet but turning the heads of those in the know. It really is a do all car that doesn't do anything in particular badly. Only gripe so far is the interior rattle when driving between 2000 and 3000rpm in sport mode. The sound actuator makes a horrible rattle but got that booked in to be looked at under warranty so hopefully gets sorted.

[@stu0508]

Gonna keep saying it. The outro music is pure genius the intro music is Location Location Location!

[@stu0508]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZTOiKxqh9aNo9k

[@id70b40]

The best thing about the sound aktor… is that you can turn it off. It used to buzz the dash on my 2018 golf GTI too…. Very annoying

[@kevfartt]

I recently worked at a dealership selling Volvo, Jag/Land Rover, Peugeot, Merc & Skoda. Skoda beats the pants of all but the AMGs for chassis control, ergonomics and fun.

[@AndyD070568]

The mark 3 vRS came to the UK in September 2013. I had one of the first vRS estates in the country YN63 UAY. It was a brilliant all-rounder.

[@olneydetail1487]

Love my mk1 octavia vrs, 200bhp and 1350kg it's really good fun for very little money.

[@Naeromusic]

I have a Superb iV, it has been the best purchase I have made for a car. I only bought it in October and I've already put 7k km on it, such a lovely thing to drive

[@cvillalobos27]

Had a 2012 Mk2 with DSG. Best car I ever had. Fast, comfortable, great seats and rarer than some exotics here where I live in South America

[@jonnywalker3208]

It's strange because over the past 5 years I've looked at these sporty skoda cars with some lust! Yet when I was younger you wouldn't find me dead in one 😅 videos like this help me feel slightly vindicated haha as always thank you Jay!

[@jimjim5765]

I think that’s because people hated them 10-15 years ago and now they’ve more recently become popular over the years

[@charliehmi76]

@@jimjim5765 No we’re just old farts now

[@Veiee]

@@charliehmi76 how did we become that

[@PatrickTCAPIreland]

More of a JDM and Honda guy but there’s a guy across the road from me with one of these in grey and it looks amazing

[@alexhase5632]

Congratulations on 200K!! Such a brilliant back catalogue to enjoy

[@skotlander9928]

We have had our mk3 vrs tdi combi for a year now. All I can say is it’s exceeded our expectations and has had no faults whatsoever. We even drove from home near London to the highlands for a family holiday and back last year and it went all the way and more with no issues. Also it has the pan roof option which was hard to find but they are out there :)

[@peterwhitehead2453]

Great review…I owned a 2010 Volvo V50 R Design - same ‘good for all seasons’ rationale & surprisingly good performance…

[@michaelcole3998]

I've had a VRS 245 for 2 years and as a dad of two young kids it is far and away the best bus I could have to ferry them around. More fun than a lardy top heavy SUV and probably swallows more in the boot than one too.

[@TsLeng]

It does. The boot space is second to none in the price range. Only slightly smaller than a superb which is cavernous.

[@mudskipper0075]

Good on you for not going the SUV route ,estates still make more sense….👍

[@michaelcole3998]

@@mudskipper0075 wouldn't have dreamt of an SUV they make no sense. All looks or status no real substance.

[@rupertorgan7749]

I ordered one of the last mark 2 vRS estates back in 2012 at a special run-out price of £21k with options. Probably the best car I've ever owned in terms of reliability, practicality and value-for-money. The only negative was the high oil consumption typical of all VAG group petrol engines at the time.

[@andyhunt457]

£21k!!!!! Them were the days.Now look at what you get for £21k new ..strange times

[@rupertorgan7749]

@@andyhunt457 I only went into the dealer with my wife to pick up a brochure and two hours later I'd ordered the car! At no point did I get that 'look' from the other half, as she could see that the deal was a no-brainer as well.

[@dragospahontu]

The new engines are better

[@cornishrider]

Thanks James this swung my decision, just bought a 21019 VRS Petrol Estate to replace my much loved but different Mercedes 2014 S204 C250!

[@kenlwray]

Yep perfect for me right now. Big, reliable and fast enough to scare the kids

[@Carrera-gp9od]

I’ve had a couple of these over the years , a mk1 and a mk2 , both remapped z Excellent cars

[@RedLP5000S]

Excellent review, Jay. Skoda is one mark that I really wish was available here in the States. Very capable little motor. ✌🏻🇺🇸

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

Might be my next daily just have to find one with panoramic roof and see what colour interior was are available. Nice video. Keep up the good work.

[@burnsyblues]

Just got the 245 and love it!!!

[@marlonbaird6070]

Anyway over a VW,fact that its understated I would love it......

[@topg2820]

Here in India too Skoda Octavia vRS is everyone's favourite Performance Car, we hold it to high regards

[@DoubleDeckerAnton]

Congratulations on hitting 200k subscribers Jay. 👏

[@oliversaunder1469]

Big fan of these VRS and tempted for the next car. Thanks for another quality video full of information I am surprised by your comments about the superb 280 tho. My dads got the same car (well in sportline not l&k trim) and he gets good fuel economy. Maybe he’s just getting the best out of it all the time

[@Thisonegoestoeleven666]

I love my Mk3.5 RS245 Grey Wagon. It’s the do everything fast mobile!

[@Dumptheclutchevo]

That's my cuz's car! nice one Mike!

[@smal167k]

Great video. I've a 2009 vrs Estate and struggle to think of anything else to replace it with but another

[@25myma]

As family cars, the hatchback-derived, ~4.5m estates are the best; a lot of the extra length on the full size, ~5m ones goes to the longer bonnet anyway, so if you're not interested in more than 4 cylinders, they're pretty much a waste of space😁

[@morphyon]

perfect reasoning. I was going for a 184hp Leon ST TDI (the spanish sybling with the frugal diet) in 2018. I ended up with a Audi A4 Avant because some scoundrels discounted it until I couldn‘t reason against it. But anyway, if you can only have one car and have hobbies or a family… VAG mid-size estate!

[@nickbitten9910]

Love my Octavia- young lads in Corsas sometimes think it a VRS at traffic queues - their face when they realise it isn't after all is funny. Think it is the blue paintwork.

[@nigo1787]

A friend of mine has one in diesel. First, this diesel is very decent, but of course, the TFSI is even better. I was genuinely surprise by the comfort and quality level. It's a very capable car, I wouldn't call it a sports car like say a Focus ST, but probably a better all rounder, a better "place to be in" if that's what you're looking for. Don't mind the Skoda badge, it's every bit as good as last years' VW

[@robyourtime]

Skoda are making some beautiful cars these days

[@jamesowen418]

I had a passenger ride around Thruxton circuit in a VRS saloon, it was mightily impressive, in the right hands it's a real blast 👍🏻

[@Manu-Official]

7:25 ''And inside you got carbon paddle extensions [...] which are a welcome addition'' These are literally £3 plastic glue on extensions that you can find on those online far east retailers...

[@DashDriver-z1r]

They work I have seen 130 alloy ones that need to take the steering wheel apart

[@stevenvater2681]

I've been a Honda man for past 20 years but Honda have lost their way. I got a 245 vrs and I love it , very muscular mid range great ride for type of car , enormously practical and good mpg driven sensibly highly recommended

[@JD2KL]

I had a 2016 hatch TDi version and it was an epic car. Been looking at another and an estate seems the obvious choice. Could get 65+mpg on long drives and over 40 urban, plus had a tonne of space for the kids too! Great cars

[@Thuds593]

I can’t decide petrol or tdi version

[@grayfool]

Sounds exactly as I would have expected. Looks fine, not fussy or over styled, plenty of space, enough go, and can be turned up to eleven if you so wish. Nice. Maybe BMW should learn a lesson or two from Skoda.

[@SmiffyATD]

I have one and it's great value for money. I had a Mk7 Golf beforehand and wanted something more practical, but was still fun to drive. The Octavia VRS does it all. The only issue I have is the DSG is a bit clunky at times - but the Golf was the same. The front end isn't the prettiest, but then I don't see that when I'm driving (and I don't hear the noise outside, so I'm not bothered about that either). I have the 169kw version, but I wish I'd gone for the 245kw now! It may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but it's a much cheaper proposition than any of its, slightly more stylish, better equipped (German) rivals. As Skoda would say, it's "Simply Clever"!

[@sebvaja8571]

golf gtd estate dsg 2016 or skoda octavia saloon vrs tdi dsg struggling to pick

[@matthewedwards5399]

Live down the road from this Red VRS, very good example 👍🏻

[@timhancock6626]

I've got an Octavia Mk3 4x4 2.0 tdi manual estate. It's not exciting, but it's fast enough and does nothing badly. We did a 350m round trip on Monday and averaged 50 mpg according to the computer. Mine has had failures it shouldn't have had in 65000 miles. Failed clutch slave cylinder resulting in contaminated clutch and all the wheel bearings have failed in turn over five years. I prefer the Mk3 styling to the latest Mk4. Brake disc shields also dissolve and its on its third set of discs. The Mk3 is 68kg lighter than the Mk2 so that's where some of the liveliness and economy come from. Do I like it...well yes, and I'm an Alfa man at heart so would I prefer my old 2.4 Jtd 156 Sportwagon back ? Now that's a difficult one as the Alfa served us well over 150,000 miles. Maybe 😊😉

[@JD-eo7dr]

Loved that fabia advert😂

[@the5th2000]

Yeah, have to say that as an enthusiast, in my 30s, with various life responsibilities looming, I will probably be upgrading to one of these next car I get. Or a Golf R estate if I win the lotto!

[@aadi8568]

My 2013 octavia is quite a reliable machine, with 2.0 TDI engine and manual gearbox - great value and amazing practicality and despite it not being a vrs the tdi is quite punchy

[@Birmingham_racing]

Just remap it for extra performance

[@MyRealName]

Lights have a sporty setting if the car has the optional turning headlights. In the sport setting the lights point into the corner faster which is absolutely brilliant when you drive it fast at night.

[@baheh1801]

The best ad campaign maybe but the car ad ever has to be the Nissan Almera GTi ones

[@ian7617]

We have a Meteor Grey MY19 VRS 245 (PPF model) with the 7-speed DSG as our family car - it really is the consummate all-rounder. I have had it APR stage 1 tuned and now runs a dyno-confirmed 301bhp/333lbs ft so pulls very well indeed even if traction has suffered considerably! The only issue we have had is that "buzz" mentioned in the video caused by the soundaktor - easily resolved by simply removing the cowl panel and unplugging it!

[@Thisonegoestoeleven666]

I have the exact same car mate, late 2019 model. It rocks my socks, the do everything undercover stealth jet.

[@ian7617]

@@Thisonegoestoeleven666 Ours is on a 68 plate but is the MY19 model with standard black pack - love it! I urge you to get the APR Stage 1 done - money well spent!

[@Sun90DG]

I’m so tempted for one of these. I have a modified Fiesta ST180 and I love the way it puts a smile on my face but I need something bigger. It’s between a VRS 245, Cupra 300 or golf GTI. I’m genuinely tempted for the VRS 🤷‍♂️

[@TheSaint491]

Footnote: the updated 245 vrs gets the 7 speed dsg. And with that, the oil changes that result eventually

[@Strengthoftenmen]

I had one of these on a lease. £240 a month. It was so good I extended it for another year. There’s no way I’d get as good a car now for £240 a month!

[@mudskipper0075]

I would bite your hand off for a deal like that now…👍

[@chriselse515]

Do really like these just wish they made a bit more noise

[@albin7016]

Vrs is one of my dream cars

[@rickdorrian975]

I have a pre facelift version in petrol but a manual. I did have a 2017 dsg diesel beforehand but when I tried to buy after leasing it was unaffordable. My current petrol car is a much better drive but the previous one was a much better commuter but all round I think these are hard to beat. I have an RS Clio 200 for the weekend so all catered for!

[@Duncangafney1]

Only hope the seats are better than those we had in our 2016 Leon ST.. they were fine till after about 1.5hrs, then the ache in the hips started to set in and was near impossible to get rid of.

[@zeicola_1]

The mk3 vrs octavia wagon just has something other doesnt i have always liked it but now i feel need to buy one

[@claudedickson9859]

This is off topic, but could you do a video on the reviews coming out on the Emira? I’m frankly amazed that no one is clearly stating that this is not a new car. Drive train is the same, transmission is the same, wheel base is the same, power is actually less and weight has increased. This is an Evora with reskinned exterior, new and much improved interior and the electronics one expects of a car in 2022.

[@JimboJammy]

Excellent cars. When I was last car shopping I was looking at these. Ended up in a mk3 face-lift Leon estate with the 2.0l petrol engine and auto box because it offered more spec than I could find in an octavia at the time. But I'd have bought one in a heartbeat if a good one was available to me at the time.

[@8G00SE8]

14? Reminds me of the classic "I love my 'insert brand name' it's so reliable, i've had 14 of them."

[@DashDriver-z1r]

Should have tried my daily vrs245 with the lsd and 7 speed dsg found in the s3 it’s just a such great value alround package. I went shopping for a 340m touring and got this last year as it’s was 2019 with 10k for such a good price

[@GoodJobLittleBuddy]

I've got a manual 245, absolutely cracking car.

[@deanchur]

Why can't VW put the Skoda interior in their newer cars? Would sure solve a lot of complaints. Can also remember speaking to a guy who was selling his vRS a few years ago; he mentioned he was selling it because it went through its front tyres too quickly lol.

[@TsLeng]

Got a 280 superb and driving sensibly on the motorway, at least 35mpg is what I get. Over 40mpg if I go nuts with the eco mode and taking it really easy.

[@Lukeywoodsey]

I'd happily have one, they're like a cut price VW but with basically no sacrifices

[@thetezz0001]

Great video bro

[@c11yan]

Latest shape 5 series is now £20k to £24k which is massive value - and massively better than the Octavia in every way.

[@15DEAN1995]

i love the idea of a hot estate car. a dream car of mine has always been an audi s6 because it just seems like the perfect all rounder because its got a good bit of power, awd and comes with a bunch of space. the problem is though i keep hearing horror stories about audis and their reliability. i never thought i say it but a big mercedes estate might be the easier choice because they dont seem to have quite as many issues. id honestly prefer to buy a hot estate from another country other than germany but it seems to be a purely german thing.

[@uzvisheni]

I love how in the video he says that there is a flaw and then does not demonstrate it.... Looks like he is filling a lot of dead air because he cannot find a bad thing about it...

[@andrewlucas6214]

A great review.. loved the earlier Octavia’s especially for their boot space. Please do an episode on the sad demise of the manual gearbox. I’m not a fan of dsg and modern full autos have electronic delays and little character. I would love to know the reason why they are so scarce in newer cars?

[@asdasd01]

You should try older superbs with the big petrol engines to feel exactly as the superb should.

[@SvenTheSveed]

The Tdi 4x4 vrs is a true unicorn