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This is the secret to long term vag reliability I think. Australia is a harsh climate, if you're keeping these cars long-term drop the oil every 9 months/10,000 kms
Very sensible stuff mate, really should be the base case for anyone with anything European - I have done the same 6month servicing religiously for all my Alfas too. My daily driver '02 156 GTA has just clocked over 254,000km.
Yeah I have a 12 year old passat and now a superb, not sure where that mechanic is finding all those issues I never had any real issue with it. My mechanic who also works for NRMA reckons they are pretty reliable and hold up pretty well. I guess it's a bit boring if he just said, they're generally reliable but occasionally get a bit of an issue.
You're lucky. Mine is junk. Got to the point with unreliability, that I now hate it. Have to sink another couple of grand into it to get it ready for re-sale. And it's only 5 years old.
Skoda is an absolute work horse in Europe from what I heard ( currently renting one in Croatia and I love it ). Struggling to understand why more Aussies don’t t drive wagons not to mention Škodas…
Traveled around Europe in 2007 and taxis were Skodas and the drivers were raving about them anyway went back in 2015 an17 and hired cars those years and they sold my wife and i. Bought a 2021 Superb 206 awd wagon and still love driving it it it has been faultless so far.
In the UK, the Skoda Octavia vRS was used by emergency services, especially the ambulance service or fast response medical teams. Some police forces also had the estate vRS as part of their line up. The vehicles are solid, were cheaper than the competition, handling is brilliant and they go ridiculously fast!
"The vehicles are solid, ..." - and replaced every couple of years! Never forget that government bodies will often own a car during the best years of its life and rarely see when it starts getting cranky from age. I'm not down on Skodas - I have a Superb wagon with this drivetrain, and it could only be improved by being the 206kW 4x4!
When I join a motorway I always slip my VRS into Race mode and gun it on the slip road and filter into traffic. I never tire of feeling its easy power.
Went to a VW dealer back in 2004 to buy a TDi Golf, ended up buying a Fabia VRs - still have it, still love it. Only problem is it seems to have bred, we now have 7 Skodas.
Owned a 2015 RS in wagon guise with a manual. Absolutely loved it, sold it due to a change in job. Bought it with 50000km on it and sold it with 110000km on in it. Never had a single issue and miss driving it every day.
Guys, as czech owning toyotas I am so pleased to see Škoda in your review even with czech voice :) You would see A LOT of Octavias here, and yeah also lots of services repairing them. But believe it or not, people buy new ones after they use their old ones. It says something. I think they are not bad at all.
Got RS162 sedan, apart from that the same year, same engine, same rims and almost identical mileage (81000) like in this video. Bought it nearly 5 years ago with 37kkm on the clock, and since then: - Replaced waterpump, more as a precaution, but no mechanical or electric issues whatsoever, with regular servicing every 10kkm + DSG oil change (twice). Never on the track, though. - No rattles at all, interior holds quite well given 3yo kid - Unitronic Stage 1 makes this car devil indeed, had tried various tyres until I settled down on Michelin Pilot Sport 4 - in my opinion, the best you can get for this car - Unitronic DSG tune made DSG gearbox way more sensible, tuned up D mode and tuned down S mode so both are very sensible, never had any complaints about it - Practicality is amazing, given small family - Fun factor 10/10. Owned Audis, BMWs, Volvos etc before, this is my favourite car when it comes to fun/entertainment factor and price to value ratio. - Complaints? The ride is firm, perhaps a bit too firm. Poor standard audio. Plastics look and feel cheap. Great car. Feels like replacement is due, but I'm seriously hesitant selling it.
I purchased a 2020 RS245 facelift wagon 3 years ago exactly and I use it every day as my business vehicle and I love it. It’s spacious, refined, seats are pretty comfortable, has great power being the 245 BHP ( 180 KW) model, the DSG gearbox is brilliant and the drive is awesome. The one thing also I will say is the boot, it’s huge to say the least one of the biggest in its class and it truly shows. I’d say from what feedback I’ve had from people there’s more issues with Mercs than these things and I’m certainly looking forward to the new updated MK 4 RS next year. Pretty much though I go by this , 75% of what you see, 25% of what you hear, take one out for yourself drive it slow, and rag it rotten in both instances you’ll be pretty happy with the result. Hell, it only took me 15 minutes and I’ve ended up with the best car I’ve ever owned.
We've a 2012 Skoda Superb 103TDi wagon. Truly wonderful car. 180,000km, some of it towing a caravan. No dsg issues. No rattles. No oil consumption between services. The only issue we've ever had is an intermittent interior fan.
I've been waiting for this video Redriven! Whoop! Bloody love my 2018 Skoda Octavia. So nice to drive no matter if your (sensibly) hooning or going on a road trip with the family. Gutted I missed out on the online car forum chats; I would have flicked you heaps of info. Oh well. Tips I have for other Octi owners though if anyone's interested :) .... - The traction control is over-aggressive. There's a setting to turn that off in the menu of the car pretty easily but be warned if you do the suspension will hop leading to some horrendous bang bang bang noises. However, if you modulate correctly this is definitely the quickest way off the mark. It does disable some stability safety features though so use with caution. - As a side note on the above, the factory rubber sucks. I replaced these with Michelin Pilot Sports 5s and wow what a difference. The traction control is far less agressive as you're *actually* sticking to the road. So definitely recommend binning those factory threads as soon as you can and going from some softer compound. Also helps with road noise. - Suspension is a bit soft I find. I would love to know what coil-overs this owner got please Redriven? Please please do tell! On long road trips though, I get it as you always arrive at your destination way more refreshed than say I did in my 2007 Mazda 6, but yea it'd be good if it was a little less vague sometimes. Wife's VW Polo is nicer if you want to be sporty, but you'd be shattered after 6 hrs at the wheel in the Polo, so I get it Skoda. - Don't buy genuine wipers. Get the Wipertech ones that reDriven advertise. They don't make that God-awful noise on the back windscreen like the genuines do. - I was unlucky enough to have a slipping clutch (dry cluth version) that sounded like a little squeak when the DSG changed up. Full credit to Skoda they did a full clutch replacement and software upgrade for free after which it was perfect. So watch out for that as best to get it done under waranty otherwise about $3000NZD to get fixed. - Start/Stop if not deactivated will actually stop the engine just before you've come to a complete stop. WTH Skoda?! My wife's Polo doesn't, you come to a complete stop and then it kills the engine, as you'd expect. Not Skoda, and for this reason you might lose your engine and all power assist when cruzing up to a pedesterian crossing or roundabout. Pretty dangerous, so I hit that disable button every single drive. - D mode kinda sucks. S mode engaged every time I drive the car. If you want full fuel economy then sure D is your friend, but if you like driving normally (or what I would count as normal) enagage the sports mode! - I get what you mean Redriven about the steering. It's fairly good, but I wouldn't say it has quite as good a feel as my wife's VW Polo actually. But I think most people won't notice tbh, it's just slightly more easy steering. - For a family this car is epic. Chuck a roof box on and luggage space anxiety is a thing of the past. We run a Thule roof box on one side, bike on the other side of the roof and 3 bike rack on the back. Can still overtake no worries, it's just awesome. Only thing we have found is because of slightly softer suspension with fully laden car and used to have 4 bikes on the back, the front becomes fairly light. So with soft suspension setup, weight distrubution is key and safer. - 90,000km on the clock and always do regular servicing and never had any other issues so far. Wife's VW Polo we had the coolant leaks from cracked plastic at a very early 50000km. I guess it's a known and I'm not really too concerned. I still reckon Redriven you might be over-emphasising the reliability thing on the videos imo. Like even with a few thousand of repairs here and there, these cars end up way cheaper than a Toyota Corolla in NZ at least. For what you get Toyotas are super expensive, so you definitely seem to pay for that reliability ya know. In NZ at least. - Don't get any rattles at all that I can think of. - Got a creak from the front suspension going over judder bumps. This was easily solved by application of the correct grease in the correct place by a garage that knew these cars and what they were doing. Regular mechanic I used before coudn't fix it, so make sure you go to a mechanic that knows the cars as the VAG brand has some very specific procedures for issues they have. - Bloody great car overall though, when that turbo kicks in the grins follow. Motorway on-ramps are definitely a smile space with this car :)
I was a holden v8 boy through and through. I was curious and test drove a 2016 rs162. I was hooked. The ride is sublime, i like the steering feel. I HATE the wrx type noise when you push the vrs button (normal mode for me). Done the water pump at 70,000 after bying the car at 63000. The best part, if your a petrol head...there is a plentiful supply of performance parts. Bloody great car. ** you forgot to mention the brilliant fold away shopping bag hooks in the wagon 👍
Yup can relate to this. Drove an ssv wagon from 2009 to 2018 swapped to an rs245 octavia wagon been driving it ever since. Loved my V8, but the rs245 is a better drive overall
2015 RS manual wagon owner here. 193,000kms on it and yes it has had some of the niggles mentioned but it has been so worth it. Water pump went at 50k, aftermarket one still going. Steering wheel rollers cracked in half, fuel line under the driver's seat rattles but easily fixed. But to any current or potential owner...for the love of god make sure you clean out the AC drain line. Mine backed up and leaked over the airbag computer that is stupidly placed right under the AC. Not cheap. But I'd do it all again. And given I'm about to swap out for a Golf R wagon I probably will!!
I had a 2014 RS 162tsi DSG since new until 2023. I just replaced it with a Subaru Outback XT as I'm doing lots of kms on dirt roads now. I have to say I definitely miss some aspects of the Octavia. The packaging was excellent for the size of the car, all the storage spots were perfectly sized and accessible. I absolutely loved the engine and DSG combination, every drive was enjoyable. Contrary to this video, I actually really enjoyed the steering feel, perfectly weighted and a good level of feedback. The boot is also massive at almost 600L, it's larger than the Outback by almost 100L. I didn't have any issues with electronics, except the electric gas struts did start to play up from time to time after 9 years. I had no oil consumption issues that get reported a lot. I would definitely buy one again if I needed a second car.
My 2008 Octavia VRS manual wagon daily hack is still faultless @ 252,000 kms & 200+KW. I don’t plan on getting rid of it anytime soon as it’s too damn reliable. I’d only consider replacing with a sunroofless RS230 wagon or RS245 wagon which is the veritable unicorn. No other wagon sold in Australia offers the space, performance, practicality & affordability in a manual (for the small number of us who still like changing gears properly) Nice to see Jim not go crazy with the problems for once!
I have been to the Czech Republic. You guys are really good at beer, and the drinking of beer. As an Australian, I found that really enjoyable, for obvious reasons. Thank you.
I owned a 2007 MK2 Octy hatch for 13 yes /205k. It was a great car except the AC totally pooped itself in 2017 (big $$) and the interior melted. The headlining failed, the foam padding turned into a brown mush, switches became sticky. They've become too expensive now.
I have a 2020(series 3) Vrs 2.0tdi 4x4 combi with dsg. In Spain the 4x4 tdi was only available with dsg..which I don't mind. I absolutely love it. It's spacious...3 teenagers and a German Shepherd. Goes like the clappers for a diesel, but I don't have traction issues probably because it's 4x4. I frequently tow a 1500kg caravan with it without problems. They really are a Swiss army knife car. Sadly, they have stopped selling Vrs diesels here and 4x4, although they're still available in other countries. A sign of things to come I'm afraid. I'm not using it as a daily driver and plan to keep it for years. In Europe the fun is disappearing from motoring and manufacturers are reducing their offering of fun models considerably so it's enjoy enjoy while we can!
I was waiting for this review to come up! I had a 2016 Octavia RS wagon for ~3 years. Over that time it did have a boot strut go wrong and I got the front ball joints regreased as they were squeaking their head off in cold weather. Other than that, no issues at all. No squeaks, rattles etc. The DSG was definitely clunky on downshifts but this gave it character IMO - you couldn't just disengage from the drive. 6.5L/100km on trips, huge boot, comfortable and with heated rear seats (can't find this on many other VAG products in this range) make this a consummate all-rounder. I replaced mine with a MK7 Golf R wagon (since sold) and other than the 5% of time you can take advantage of the speed/power, the Skoda was a better car 95% of the time. I miss it and wouldn't hesitate to buy another provided its been serviced well
I own a 2016 Superb 162TSI…same engine as the RS Octavia as well as many other Volkswagen/Skoda/Audi’s. I’m glad you guys pointed out the leaking water pump/thermoreg issue. It’s not a matter of if, but when it will fail, and at over $2.2K+ (dealership price) to replace it’s a costly repair. Don’t be surprised if they recommend to replace the reservoir bottle at the same time for a further $1k+. Otherwise, they are great cars and mine is as tight and solid as the day I bought it…no rattles whatsoever.
I have just bought a 2013 superb wagon with DSG. Great car, heaps of space (passenger and luggage) and loads of equipment - a relaxed long distance cruiser. Issues… drivers seat is comfy then uncomfy (maybe just my ageing back), daytime running light with a mind of its own and oil consumption (4000 km and 2.5 litres used). Driving, whilst smooth and handles well - pushing it into a tight corners is not what it enjoys. All that aside it is a keeper, great single car garage and the Superb owners group is a friendly and supportive community.
We’ve got the same model with APR stage 1 engine tune and transmission tune. We’ve had it for a few years and had no issues except for a wee creak behind the dash, just regular servicing. The DSG is almost perfect but it is tuned so I can’t comment about stock. I haven’t heard of electrical gremlins in this model but I know the current model is riddled with them. I had a 2016 SQ5 for a brief period, but the Skoda was far more practical (much bigger boot), felt more rapid, and was more modern inside with the bigger touch screen and Apple Car Play; we decided to sell the Audi and keep the Skoda. Something he didn’t mention is that these have Golf R brakes up front as standard so they pull up on a dime. I still smile ear to ear driving this thing and my wife won’t part with it!
I almost bought one of these in October last year, and ended up with the superb 206 4wd. To me, it was the 4wd that sealed it...just so solid on the road, whereas the modified octavias I drove seemed to suffer from torque steer. In short, it's the best car I've ever owned.
I've got a 2023 RS Wagon, my first ever brand new European car. It's practical, comfortable (especially on long trips), and is fun to drive. I wouldn't want to own a Volkswagen product outside of factory warranty though. I'm fully expecting it to need a new water pump at some stage inside its warranty period lol, but that's just Volkswagen things. Overall a fantastic car, can't complain at all!
In 2016 I took 110tsi wagon for a test drive and bought it 25mins later. Manual so no dsg/mechatronics problems. Petrol so no egr/dpf problems. It's been the best car I've ever owned. I've put 190,000kms on it and the only problem I've ever had was the adaptive cruise radar. It sits at the bottom of the lower grill so it's really easy to knock it and have it not work properly. Other than that it's been flawless.
I currently own this model in diesel. One of the best cars I have ever owned. The water pump went as expected but I've had no other issues. Great I. Fuel, rides and handles well standard. I don't agree with the rattles, one thing I love a about VAG products is the lack of rattles, including my Octavia. Also disagree with the steering, perfectly weights and good feed back. Overall I've lived every minute of owning it.
I currently have a 2014 2.0 VRS Diesel DSG estate with a tow bar. It has been brilliant & has been extremely reliable, unlike my 2006 Passat. It is the ‘do everything’ car. I’ve pulled caravans, trailers, driven through France and carried huge amounts of wine back, and put everything imaginable in the back. I have a Focal/Alpine with custom sub in it too. I love it.
My VRS is now seven years old and it's never missed a beat and whilst it does suffer annoying squeaks and burns more oil that my old Holden Astra estate and also requires the radiator topped up once a month, apart from those niggles it drives like a dream and goes like the proverbial shit off a shovel. If it is put into Sports mode it is a bullet - and I love the piped motor roar!
Topping up the radiator once a month probably means water pump needs replacing. Get it replaced with an AC Delco one as it uses alloys internals instead of the factory plastic components.
I have one of these. 10 yeas old, 102,000 and an engine rebuild, rings, gearings, pistons, and resleve, valves lapped, water pump, new belts. $9000.00. Trim is going on the doorcards. But I love this car. I can push it hard on a few mountain roads and nothing seems to stay with me. OK, I do have a hillclimb car that is faster and I have won a few trophies so I can drive quickly up a hill. I would buy a new one except for a minor problem of being 78 years old and short of cash. Don't expect too much support from Skoda, and there are places in Europe that will post parts to you for half the price Skoda Australia is asking and that included postage. I would love the DSG gearbox in my hillclimb car. As for problems in traffic, put it into sport to get going then shift into drive to get around that problem. AND, the glovebox and centre bin are airconditioned to keep your beer cold. Don't break a side window, there are NO replacements in Oz!
I only buy VAG cars. Had 2 Octavia RS (current car). Had a 2015 manual and current is a 2018 DSG, stage 1, exhaust etc… never had bad problems with any of my VAG cars (thermostat housing on A4, sunroof motor on S3 that I owned for 15 years), I find them very reliable
I've got a 2020 Skoda Octavia VRS 245 Challenge. I've changed the air filter and put a stage one chip on it. It's not pushing 300BHP. The 2020 model is much nicer than the one being reviewed. I love it!!
I had a manual liftback (in grey). Traction is an issue without the stage 1 upgrade which annoyed me. I'd recommend going with the tricky diff. Hit 250 in mine back when the NT still had the derestricted speed zone. Had no trouble with it. Replaced it with an A6 Allroad which is pretty much my perfect car.
I wanted a Golf 6 GTI but then I found a top spec Skoda Octavia RS 2010 wagon and it was 3k cheaper than a mid spec Golf GTI so I went with the Skoda. Best Decision I've made.
Have to add to this 2011 Škoda Octavia RS125 diesel. Bought secondhand at 100k kms and five years old from a Ford dealer. Full service history, very very clean car. Still own it and just under 250,000kms on the clock now. Did the rotors at 160k, transmission service around 170 and …. well, that’s about it except it does get serviced every 15,000kms. Have owned lots of cars. European (self confessed Peugeot fan), Australian (never again), Japanese and British (I know, masochistic streak, what can I say). This is the BEST car I have ever owned in terms of drivability, reliability, frugality and just general customer satisfaction. A VW spine to be sure but with many mates who’ve owned VW Golf’s, Passats et al, the Octavia comes across as a better thought out vehicle and it seems to be better built. Online owner reviews are exceedingly complimentary and positive. I can say in a near-fifty year history of car ownership it is by far the most reliable vehicle I’ve ever owned, outshining even a couple of Pug 504s I had way back when. To drive, not quite the armchair comfort of an old Peugeot but comfortable, supportive and when in S Mode capable of surprising fellow drivers with its performance. It’s been my main service vehicle, for a period was used for towing semi regularly, and is now my runaround routinely getting 850kms a tank around town. Drive to QLD from Melbourne in it and filled up in the 1100km range (but I think I could have snuck 1300 out of it). Possibly because my car precedes many of the updates I have not had any of the issues noted in the video. No rattles. No leaks. No perishing of door rubbers. Actually, just … no problems. Great car. Thinking about upgrading, possibly to another Škoda, but not sure I want to quit the most reliable car I’ve ever owned. It still jumps off the mark and no way does it feel like a car that’s done nearly a quarter of a million kms.
My partner and I had a manual 162 tsi from new for 3 years before an idiot cleaned us up on a roundabout. Went well, was comfortable, and never broke down. Great car
Nice looking cars but I’ll stick with my trusty locally built Holden 2013 Vf Sv6 sportswagon in Regal Peacock green. 10 years and 180,000 later everything still works perfect electrically mechanically, etc just routine consumables such as brakes at 130k tyres and fluids. Car interior still as tight as a drum. In fact my mechanic has warned me not to let go of this car. Redriven wish you could review a VF Sv6 as they are often overlooked imo.
I have a 2019 model and it had not put a foot wrong yet. When it is out of warranty I might consider a stage 1 tune, but for now I am just enjoying what it is: an all round fun car
Recently I bought German origin 2019 vRS245 vagon, with manual transmission, and 50k kilometers on the clock. Same blue color, no sunroof, but I do have limited slip diff, DCC, alcantara... and no rattles whatsoever. It cost me 24k euros but the condition is 9.8/10. I'm super happy with it. The only car i would replace this one is mk4 RS6, but I don't see this happening in my lifetime.
We did the calculations a on our (related) Golf GTI a few years ago and worked out the total per-kilometer running cost of our car was less than a Toyota Corolla (to 230,000kms at the time). Now closing in on 250,000, our car has spent thousands of kms on corrugated country dirt roads, driven on 5 minute coffee runs and sitting in stop start traffic for all its life. Not to mention abused with 20,000km service intervals and regularly forgotten oil top ups. All with a tune which has been on the car for nearly 8 years now. To be fair, it hasn't been perfect. I did have to replace one spark plug in 2019.
I’ve bought myself a new Octavia RS TDI back in 2015. so far 175.000km on the clock. Mostly very reliable. Only problems I had in all those years: waterpump broke at around 130.000km. Rattling in the early years in the dashboard, but it went away. Can return after tire changing when I used the carjack. The infotainment system and touch screen does not work well when cold. The detachable trailer hitch is stuck, but still works. Nevertheless I love this car. Reliable enough for me, very practical and does not need much fuel. Also thanks to the NoX-catalysator, I don’t need to refuel Addblue liquid.
“I’d love to drive one of these with a manual box, I reckon it would be spectacular” I owned a manual one and eventually regretted that I didn’t get a DSG. The manual box doesn’t feel great, like it’s straight out of the VW parts bin. Not bespoke or sporty feeling.
I have been waiting for you guys to do this vid for years!!! I have a Nardo Grey 2020 OCTAVIA RS245 with luxury pack that is pristine. You are a man of culture sir.😉 Your description of the perfect buyer for this car is me to a tee. Caton stereo is pretty good too, so great tunes to go with the rest! Cheers guys!🍻
as a former owner of a fl 230 octavia that has a custom ecu+dsg stage 1, i only can tell that each and every time i get behind the steeringwheel, i suddenly catch myself laughing. realy a price/quality boss this is.. good rubbers, some good pads and rotors and this car has amuzed me and my wife each and every day. not to mention the nice milltek non rez exhaust sound that is realy lovely :)
Was on Carsales with in 5 minutes, love the idea of a performance-ish wagon. Would I buy one, probably a new one under warranty. Great work keep them going. Love the blooper tail...
The peach of these is the 2916-17 RS230. Had the mechanical LSD and 6sp manual from the mk6 Golf GTI Performance in a wagon with all the bells and whistles. The later RS245 had the eLSD but Auto only I believe.
Im no motoring enthusiast.. Thos is the best car ive ever owned, i bought it new in 2017, now in 2023, out of warranty, 160,000km on the clock. I have absolute confidence i could own this car for another 5 years, and easily get to 250,000kms. Everything just works, and its the complete package for the perfect, sporty, sexy, yet extremely practical car. Just service it regularly and look after it, and it'll look after you
Definately yes! Have been running two VRS in the last 16 years and about to have the third one ! Value for money and reliability for such performance !
I own a 2016 Skoda Octavia Scout which now has 200.000km on the clock, and at least with my car there's not been anything out of the ordinary so far. It's been regularly serviced and I plan to own it at least till 300.000km if nothing major happens(I'm aware of the 210.000km service with belts, pulleys, waterpump etc). It is a very good car and I live out in the countryside with snow 7-8 months a year and down to -30C in the winter. It does winterdriving very well, and thankfully there's no salting of roads where I live so rust wise is also another reason why I aim to own this car a while. If things work and I do own this car with no loan, it is no purpose to get anything else. If it works, don't fix it and so on and so forth... PS: Same nice blue color as that one...
I own a 2015 RS wagon petrol DSG since new. One of the most reliable car I have owned. Oil consumption yes, but an occasional top up easily fixes it. Haven’t had any of the reported problems so far. Fingers crossed
We've had an Octavia diesel (non-RS) wagon in the family for 10 years. Best car we've ever had. No problems whatsoever, super reliable and a real pleasure to drive slowly around town, which is something that very few cars can manage. It's been driven pretty quickly point to point across country on a regular basis too and did so in a very satisfying way. The controls are consistently well weighted: steering, manual gear change, indicators, etc. This engineering attention to detail is phenomenal for a car in this price range. The MQB platform on which it was based was engineered like a platform from two price points above the Skoda range and it really shows. Furthermore, no rattles whatsoever. Unlike some more more "premium" products we've owned and driven as company cars. Would I buy a Skoda again tomorrow? Absolutely. Would I buy a Skoda instead of a Volvo, BWW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi or Volkswagen? Without any reservation at all.There are plenty of ex MB, Volvo, Audi and BMW owners like me who just appreciate how good Skodas have become. Whether the brand keeps this up is another question. Brands that often try to go up market tend to screw up reliability and delivering what their customer base really wants. Skoda is starting to get a little too pricey for my taste and perhaps making their cars slightly more complicated (and thus more expensive) than they need to be. In Skoda's case, the customer base typical doesn't want "fashionable". They just want a car that works properly and that more than meets the needs of a typical family, doing so reliably, with plenty of space, decent build quality and both larger and cheaper than the immediate competition. And something that usually looks a bit conservative but pretty nice. Basically what VW at one time offered way back when, but better, more reliable and - quite frankly - quite a bit less dull. Personally I'd buy a Skoda over a Honda or Nissan because having worked for an automotive supplier to both Honda and Nissan - both of which produced vehicles that at one time left me stranded - I don't think either produces a higher quality product. As for Toyota, they have a reputation for being boring but as reliable as it gets and in many ways appeal to the same sort of customer as Skoda for that reason. Generally you can't go wrong with a Toyota but whether you feel good about it is another matter. I don't doubt Toyota may be slightly more reliable than Skoda but Toyota cars are, IMHO, inferior to Skoda in virtually every other way when it comes to design, fitness for purpose and often desirability. They're just not particularly nice much of the time, while Skoda tends to hit a more desirable sweet spot most of the time. As for Mazda.... well...as a Mazda owner I'd say they're a mixed bag. In some ways they're great. In other ways they're not so great. I also own a Ford, a Volvo and a Renault group product and the Skoda Octavia simply crushes all of them for what 80% of car owners really want over 5 to 15 years of usage: reliability, practicality, comfort, convenience, driving satisfaction (at the expense of outright excitement) and space at a reasonable price. The Greenline Skoda estate/wagon we've owned routinely manages fuel economy figures that most supermini drivers can only dream of. It is so fuel-efficient that it's almost obscenely shocking for a car of this size. Do I love Skodas? No. And I don't need to either. You buy a Skoda because you're making a rational purchase, in much the same way that you would with a Toyota. You're just choosing a different balance of sensible over brand image, outright desirability, sexiness and excitement. Neither Toyota nor Skoda are pretentious and you won't buy either to impress your neighbours. My other cars all look nicer and get admired more. But under the covers the Skoda is a better ownership proposition overall and the most satisfying to own.
You must have read my mind. I just recently found out about Skoda cars and started reading about them. It was a brand I am unfamiliar with. And now one of my favorite car channels does a video on one! Thanks for the great video.
I've long been a huge fan of the Octavia RS and almost bought one a few times. If they brought the AWD version here, the choice would be easy. Separately, I'm soooo curious about the Ghibli that's been in the background of the garage shots, especially for Jim's take on it.
Honestly the fwd is fun as hell on these VAG products. These are no different, I imagine. As for the Ghibli, I had a neighbour that has had constant issues from factory, and their values have plummeted.
I wonder how well the 4x4 would go. I've got a Scout with the same engine as the TDi RS, but being taller and softer, it still spins front wheels up before the rear (I think) grips. They're def not AWD. The haldex only makes the rear wheels work when the front end is slipping enough...
That's the main thing that annoys me, no AWD option here in Aus but of course they get AWD in Europe. My theory is that if they sold AWD Octavia's here, nobody would buy the Superb. Main reason it annoys me is because I go to the snow a lot, and if my Octavia was AWD I wouldn't need to carry snow chains.
I have an Octavia ambition plus, manual and have twice been told by a dealer that the transmission needs replacing including clutch, pressure plate etc. Cash up front thanks. Both times it has been a wheel bearing, obviously not going back to that dealer. Love the car and it is a pleasure to drive.
Keep it away from a dealership, longevity of the engines are great my 1.4tsi had 355k on it and yes I replaced a front wheel bearing on both this one and a current 2007 1.9 tdi, handy with spanners ? Easy to work on and plenty of TH-cam tutorials
I own a VRS230 (169kw) with Challenge Plus from 2016, sedan, grey, DSG 6sp, factory farts on evac, sun roof, leather seats, 130.000 km. The only major issue I had was "Oil sensor: workshop". Once I got that, I stopped, put the car on trailer and took it to dealership. After 3 attempts from 2 dealerships to deal with the issue, they finally found that it was an electrical failure. Needless to say I replaced all oil solenoids and sensors. I service it under 10.000 km. It's not a cheap car to maintain, but it's the cheapest for what it offers!
I have a race blue 2015 RS wagon with the manual transmission also here in Australia and for the most part love it. I used to own a 2016 Focus RS AWD turbo and the old Czech-spec wags is a much more fun and usable car overall - even though it's a bum dragger. I agree with everything said in this review in terms of build quality and drive satisfaction, though fortunately mine doesn't rattle - even with 105K km. It DOES however seem to have more than its fair share of electrical gremlins, as reported. Things like cruise control that drops out, cargo area lights that only turn on after you've given up waiting and fired up the phone torch, auto restart from stop start when pushing the clutch down - I often get a dash message saying 'restart engine manually' - meaning twist the ignition key - but even with all these personality traits I still love the car. It was pretty good standard, but with an inexpensive stage 1 tune in the form of a Burger Motorsports JB4 (self installed) the car is quick enough from a rolling start (forget the traffic light grand prix), yet still returns 7-8L/hunge around town, and hi-5's on the highway. I keep thinking I probably should replace it at some point, but with the new car market as overpriced as it is right now in early 2024, and the cars on offer pretty underwhelming bang for buck wise, I can't bring myself to part with the Octy ❤
Bought a new fastback in 2021. Great car and have had next to no dramas and what we did have was very minor. It’s still stock and other than considering some coilovers can’t see any reason to touch it 👍🏼
Great review on a great car. I think some of the negative feedback is exaggerated. ŠKODA owners tend to be practical realists, but need to mix that with internet feedback which tends to be wildly positive or negative but rarely balanced. We have currently a 2016 VRS with tech and audio package and it’s bulletproof. Have had Polo to 300,000km, Amarok to 300,000km with very little spend.have also had Seat Toledo, VW Passat V6 and Touareg V6 again all rock solid. Still have VW Tiguan with no issues. Have had Commodore to 300,000km as well. Sadly my RAM diesel did turbo at 40,000km. ŠKODA is as reliable as any, but the VRS is a performance car and needs to be maintained by decent mechanics with right tools. This can be competent diy or ŠKODA/VW service but not a mechanic that doesn’t work on them. History has taught me that people that don’t work on VAG vehicles regularly are not the right people to play with them. Look after them and they are solid as any Holden or Toyota, just more fun.
I looked at one of these and a VRS Superb new. They are very fun but looked up the reliability ratings on warranty wise and turns out the model below the VRS is still fun, has a full sized spare, but due to not being reliant on as many electronics (electronic suspension etc) has almost Toyota like reliability.
After watching this it seems like the Octavia RS is less problematic than its more expensive sibling the Golf GTI. Definitely a car I'd consider buying when I eventually look at getting a new car on the proviso that it has a CD player in it. The safety features overview felt like I was listening too a foreign poetry recital instead of a list of safety features lol 😂. I feel sorry for poor Hullsy with the apparent shitshow going on with the Q5's engine bay plastics. Rare too see a blooper caused by Sam on any of these videos so you'll have too keep that one for prosperity guys lol 😂. Brilliant job as always guys and look forward to next week's videos as per usual and keep up the good work 👍.
The thing that's great about these is that it has the VAG running gear, which when is working is marvellous, and has a 7 year warranty. Buy new, drive for 5 years and sell with 2 years of factory warranty...or drive to 7 years and then tune the crap out of it! I saw one recently which just had a tune and put down 200Kws and 450Nm ATWs...that would make for a decently quick wagon.
I drive a Octavia vRS from 14 in black magic. it had 124000 km on the clock when i took over and its an abolute beast :) its practical, fast and the quality lvl is through the roof when factoring in the price - easly the best car i have owned so far..had a mazda 2 before the Octavia so..thats like night and day xD Thanks for a great video - Great host !
I have a 2.0 tdi RS 4x4 2017 DSG (i know its not proper RS). Havent any problems with electronics yet. Bought it on 145 000 km, now has 210 000 km and had only minor fixes. And yeah, it eats oil and rattles... Other than that. I LOVE IT.
Everyone keeps telling me they eat oil. 2 litres per 15k. 2.0tdi. My friends all bought rangers and hiluxs, the rangers use at least 3 litres between services, half the hiluxs ( 2.8) close to the skoda.
Would LOVE to see your used car review of the Skoda Superb Sportline - seems like the bigger even more practical brother to this one and I hear brilliant things about them!
Can't believe all the things that go wrong and all the electrical issues. I've had my Leon Cupra 280 for 8 years and have only had the water pump done, other than that absolutely nothing has gone wrong. I look after mine and service it every six months or every 2.5k, so look after it, and it will last for many years
I have the 2017 version and other than its a lil squeeky especially the panoramic roof when on bumpy roads its a great car, replacing the mid resonator with straight pipe makes it sound a lil better too
My 2011 Octavia Scout has been relatively trouble free for 230,000kms. Only a DPF sensor, and a wheel speed sensor that have needed replacing. Otherwise just standard service/maintenance, and service costs are only a fraction of the $$ than the Subaru Outback I had before it.
yes there is only Golf GTI as hatchback, but if you are looking at diesels there is Golf Variant Alltrack with same horsepower as octavia RS (184hp), but alltrack is higher. Then there is also Seat Leon diesel 184hp with awd and manual. And Leons a even cheaper than Škodas :D Seats are even more set to have more sporty handling.
Australian review. Seat was sold here briefly about 20 years ago. A Golf Alltrack wagon with diesel motor is a very rare vehicle here. Great car But Not many people bought the Golf Alltrack wagon in Australia
I don't think I could ever bring myself to buy anything from VWAG, but yep these do look sweet, and probably the best looking wagon around (bar the Alfa 159 Sportwagon... especially in unicorn V6 AWD guise). Anyhoo - another great video fellas, this is fast becoming my favourite YT car channel.
Have to remember that this is from an Australian perspective, I live in Ireland and yes diesel vag cars are considered to be pretty reliable tho not bulletproof and cheap to repair but for the rest of the world parts and labour are not as cheap as it is for us Europeans
I test drove an rs180 on the weekend. I agree about the steering, it felt pretty vague. And the DSG... Taking off at the lights the whole car would just lurch.
@@ln5747 essentially the same isn’t the same. Yes, Skoda uses the same driveline and many parts, but they are somewhat independent in terms of how they do design and how they screw them together. Far fewer rattles. Those hard plastics do wear better as well. The only thing i didn’t like was the lower grade Skodas had more road noise than the VWs. You’ll find Skoda in Australia also has fewer complaints lodged (even per vehicle) with the regulator than VW. They just seem to be better assembled or something than their African/Mexican/German cousins.
Hired these as base models in UK several times both auto and manual versions, nice to drive and the hatch back boot is huge, holds two full size airline suitcases plus cabin baggage. Feels a bit small inside and the B pillar is too far forward making it hard to get in and out of (the opening is too small). Reliability reputation is an issue and parts costs are eye watering and take ages to get. A friend has one and waited 6 weeks for a part while the car was un-drivable. Daughter was going to buy one and it broke down on the test drive, had to be towed. Later dealer advised a 4 weeks delay and would cost $4000 so they did not purchase.
I'm having to part ways with my rs, ive had for a decade. Had lots of bad luck but others have said it can be reliable. Absolutely loved the car, but can't afford to keep non-stop fixing it.
just some fun facts about the name it's the Skoda vRS, which stands for Victory Rally Sport, points to our 45 years of success on both rally routes and racetracks around the world.The RS, or 'Rally Sport' model dates to the 180 RS in the 1970s. ŠKODA was forced to add the 'v' to the RS model when Ford, who use RS on their motorsport-themed models, threatened to file a lawsuit against them for using their famed acronym.
Agree Adam re how good these things look in the metal. Was driving behind an under-cover cop car just yesterday and couldn't but admire at just how bad-ass they looked. It was that gorgeous darker gun-metal grey colour with darkened windows - awesome.
I had a 2008 RS manual sedan (lift back).Bought it for a song at 5 years old (under 10k), the dealer was ringing me(hence a deal was done…). Unpopular yellow. One of my favourite cars I’ve ever owned. Mechanically I didn’t really have issues (being a manual), used to get the timing belt and water pump done at the same time, regularly serviced and kept an eye on the oil (didn’t have the excessive use of some)….BUT, and this along with no manual transmission anymore, Is what put me off ever getting a new one…. Electrical gremlins. Being an 08, nowhere near as much electrickery as current (or when I said goodbye in 2021) models. Persistent issues with the air conditioning (which wasn’t actually the air conditioning…), the external temperature sensor would send false information, causing the air conditioner to not work as it should in prevailing conditions (intermittent, and the only time I took it to Skoda, for that and another gremlin, massive waste of time and money “no fault codes”, “never heard that before”…).. the other issue became the coolant sensor which is/was part of the coolant overflow/coolant level container, intermittently saying there was an issue… after my mechanic replacing it twice, we both learned to live with it. Over the years I had it, the insured value pretty much stayed the same, until I decided to go a whole different path. People used to laugh at the colour, ask what it was etc etc.. Classic examples of the liftback practicality (which absolutely crapped all over anything else from 2013 for the price I paid) was easily fitting 4 large suitcases plus carry on luggage for trips to the airport (not doing that in a Golf hatch, Corolla or anything else not a wagon or SUV at the time, and at 560L had more boot space than many of them as well…)Given my experience (albeit with a very early model, before they got semi popular), I wouldn’t touch a current Skoda/Vw/Audi, that wasn’t still in warranty. They’ve only gotten worse, due to the ever increasing electronics.
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My 2011 Octavia RS has nearly 260,000km now. Gets driven hard fairly often but serviced every 6 months/10,000km. Been a very reliable thing.
This is the secret to long term vag reliability I think. Australia is a harsh climate, if you're keeping these cars long-term drop the oil every 9 months/10,000 kms
320k 1.4tsi and a 1.9 tdi 335k totally reliable, oil changes 1 wheel bearing
Very sensible stuff mate, really should be the base case for anyone with anything European - I have done the same 6month servicing religiously for all my Alfas too. My daily driver '02 156 GTA has just clocked over 254,000km.
Yeah I have a 12 year old passat and now a superb, not sure where that mechanic is finding all those issues I never had any real issue with it. My mechanic who also works for NRMA reckons they are pretty reliable and hold up pretty well. I guess it's a bit boring if he just said, they're generally reliable but occasionally get a bit of an issue.
You're lucky. Mine is junk. Got to the point with unreliability, that I now hate it. Have to sink another couple of grand into it to get it ready for re-sale. And it's only 5 years old.
Skoda is an absolute work horse in Europe from what I heard ( currently renting one in Croatia and I love it ). Struggling to understand why more Aussies don’t t drive wagons not to mention Škodas…
Traveled around Europe in 2007 and taxis were Skodas and the drivers were raving about them anyway went back in 2015 an17 and hired cars those years and they sold my wife and i. Bought a 2021 Superb 206 awd wagon and still love driving it it it has been faultless so far.
In the UK, the Skoda Octavia vRS was used by emergency services, especially the ambulance service or fast response medical teams. Some police forces also had the estate vRS as part of their line up. The vehicles are solid, were cheaper than the competition, handling is brilliant and they go ridiculously fast!
"The vehicles are solid, ..." - and replaced every couple of years! Never forget that government bodies will often own a car during the best years of its life and rarely see when it starts getting cranky from age. I'm not down on Skodas - I have a Superb wagon with this drivetrain, and it could only be improved by being the 206kW 4x4!
They also use bmw estates a lot as well due to the n54 and b58 engines being ultra reliable compared to competitors.
@@yusafmalik5171 Unfortunately there have been a spate of fires with the BMWs, as such BMW will no longer provide the Police with vehicles.
When I join a motorway I always slip my VRS into Race mode and gun it on the slip road and filter into traffic. I never tire of feeling its easy power.
Undercover plod in the UK use unmarked vRS 245 hatches too.
Went to a VW dealer back in 2004 to buy a TDi Golf, ended up buying a Fabia VRs - still have it, still love it. Only problem is it seems to have bred, we now have 7 Skodas.
Owned a 2015 RS in wagon guise with a manual. Absolutely loved it, sold it due to a change in job. Bought it with 50000km on it and sold it with 110000km on in it. Never had a single issue and miss driving it every day.
You’ve made me feel way better! Just got the 245 rs manual and loving it, this video seems to make out it the only car with common faults
@burnsyblues it's cause when a car has barely any issues you have to find something.
Guys, as czech owning toyotas I am so pleased to see Škoda in your review even with czech voice :) You would see A LOT of Octavias here, and yeah also lots of services repairing them. But believe it or not, people buy new ones after they use their old ones. It says something. I think they are not bad at all.
Got RS162 sedan, apart from that the same year, same engine, same rims and almost identical mileage (81000) like in this video. Bought it nearly 5 years ago with 37kkm on the clock, and since then:
- Replaced waterpump, more as a precaution, but no mechanical or electric issues whatsoever, with regular servicing every 10kkm + DSG oil change (twice). Never on the track, though.
- No rattles at all, interior holds quite well given 3yo kid
- Unitronic Stage 1 makes this car devil indeed, had tried various tyres until I settled down on Michelin Pilot Sport 4 - in my opinion, the best you can get for this car
- Unitronic DSG tune made DSG gearbox way more sensible, tuned up D mode and tuned down S mode so both are very sensible, never had any complaints about it
- Practicality is amazing, given small family
- Fun factor 10/10. Owned Audis, BMWs, Volvos etc before, this is my favourite car when it comes to fun/entertainment factor and price to value ratio.
- Complaints? The ride is firm, perhaps a bit too firm. Poor standard audio. Plastics look and feel cheap.
Great car. Feels like replacement is due, but I'm seriously hesitant selling it.
I purchased a 2020 RS245 facelift wagon 3 years ago exactly and I use it every day as my business vehicle and I love it. It’s spacious, refined, seats are pretty comfortable, has great power being the 245 BHP ( 180 KW) model, the DSG gearbox is brilliant and the drive is awesome.
The one thing also I will say is the boot, it’s huge to say the least one of the biggest in its class and it truly shows.
I’d say from what feedback I’ve had from people there’s more issues with Mercs than these things and I’m certainly looking forward to the new updated MK 4 RS next year.
Pretty much though I go by this , 75% of what you see, 25% of what you hear, take one out for yourself drive it slow, and rag it rotten in both instances you’ll be pretty happy with the result. Hell, it only took me 15 minutes and I’ve ended up with the best car I’ve ever owned.
We've a 2012 Skoda Superb 103TDi wagon. Truly wonderful car. 180,000km, some of it towing a caravan. No dsg issues. No rattles. No oil consumption between services.
The only issue we've ever had is an intermittent interior fan.
I really considering this one hey,love the space it offers...
I've been waiting for this video Redriven! Whoop! Bloody love my 2018 Skoda Octavia. So nice to drive no matter if your (sensibly) hooning or going on a road trip with the family. Gutted I missed out on the online car forum chats; I would have flicked you heaps of info. Oh well.
Tips I have for other Octi owners though if anyone's interested :) ....
- The traction control is over-aggressive. There's a setting to turn that off in the menu of the car pretty easily but be warned if you do the suspension will hop leading to some horrendous bang bang bang noises. However, if you modulate correctly this is definitely the quickest way off the mark. It does disable some stability safety features though so use with caution.
- As a side note on the above, the factory rubber sucks. I replaced these with Michelin Pilot Sports 5s and wow what a difference. The traction control is far less agressive as you're *actually* sticking to the road. So definitely recommend binning those factory threads as soon as you can and going from some softer compound. Also helps with road noise.
- Suspension is a bit soft I find. I would love to know what coil-overs this owner got please Redriven? Please please do tell! On long road trips though, I get it as you always arrive at your destination way more refreshed than say I did in my 2007 Mazda 6, but yea it'd be good if it was a little less vague sometimes. Wife's VW Polo is nicer if you want to be sporty, but you'd be shattered after 6 hrs at the wheel in the Polo, so I get it Skoda.
- Don't buy genuine wipers. Get the Wipertech ones that reDriven advertise. They don't make that God-awful noise on the back windscreen like the genuines do.
- I was unlucky enough to have a slipping clutch (dry cluth version) that sounded like a little squeak when the DSG changed up. Full credit to Skoda they did a full clutch replacement and software upgrade for free after which it was perfect. So watch out for that as best to get it done under waranty otherwise about $3000NZD to get fixed.
- Start/Stop if not deactivated will actually stop the engine just before you've come to a complete stop. WTH Skoda?! My wife's Polo doesn't, you come to a complete stop and then it kills the engine, as you'd expect. Not Skoda, and for this reason you might lose your engine and all power assist when cruzing up to a pedesterian crossing or roundabout. Pretty dangerous, so I hit that disable button every single drive.
- D mode kinda sucks. S mode engaged every time I drive the car. If you want full fuel economy then sure D is your friend, but if you like driving normally (or what I would count as normal) enagage the sports mode!
- I get what you mean Redriven about the steering. It's fairly good, but I wouldn't say it has quite as good a feel as my wife's VW Polo actually. But I think most people won't notice tbh, it's just slightly more easy steering.
- For a family this car is epic. Chuck a roof box on and luggage space anxiety is a thing of the past. We run a Thule roof box on one side, bike on the other side of the roof and 3 bike rack on the back. Can still overtake no worries, it's just awesome. Only thing we have found is because of slightly softer suspension with fully laden car and used to have 4 bikes on the back, the front becomes fairly light. So with soft suspension setup, weight distrubution is key and safer.
- 90,000km on the clock and always do regular servicing and never had any other issues so far. Wife's VW Polo we had the coolant leaks from cracked plastic at a very early 50000km. I guess it's a known and I'm not really too concerned. I still reckon Redriven you might be over-emphasising the reliability thing on the videos imo. Like even with a few thousand of repairs here and there, these cars end up way cheaper than a Toyota Corolla in NZ at least. For what you get Toyotas are super expensive, so you definitely seem to pay for that reliability ya know. In NZ at least.
- Don't get any rattles at all that I can think of.
- Got a creak from the front suspension going over judder bumps. This was easily solved by application of the correct grease in the correct place by a garage that knew these cars and what they were doing. Regular mechanic I used before coudn't fix it, so make sure you go to a mechanic that knows the cars as the VAG brand has some very specific procedures for issues they have.
- Bloody great car overall though, when that turbo kicks in the grins follow. Motorway on-ramps are definitely a smile space with this car :)
They’re ST XTA coilovers
@@kcoz4147 awesome thank you!
I was a holden v8 boy through and through. I was curious and test drove a 2016 rs162. I was hooked. The ride is sublime, i like the steering feel. I HATE the wrx type noise when you push the vrs button (normal mode for me). Done the water pump at 70,000 after bying the car at 63000. The best part, if your a petrol head...there is a plentiful supply of performance parts. Bloody great car. ** you forgot to mention the brilliant fold away shopping bag hooks in the wagon 👍
Yes to the shopping hooks. Why does no one else do that?
Yup can relate to this. Drove an ssv wagon from 2009 to 2018 swapped to an rs245 octavia wagon been driving it ever since. Loved my V8, but the rs245 is a better drive overall
Those hooks are fantastic for bringing 4 takeaway laksa soups home un-spilled :-)
2015 RS manual wagon owner here. 193,000kms on it and yes it has had some of the niggles mentioned but it has been so worth it. Water pump went at 50k, aftermarket one still going. Steering wheel rollers cracked in half, fuel line under the driver's seat rattles but easily fixed. But to any current or potential owner...for the love of god make sure you clean out the AC drain line. Mine backed up and leaked over the airbag computer that is stupidly placed right under the AC. Not cheap. But I'd do it all again. And given I'm about to swap out for a Golf R wagon I probably will!!
I had a 2014 RS 162tsi DSG since new until 2023. I just replaced it with a Subaru Outback XT as I'm doing lots of kms on dirt roads now. I have to say I definitely miss some aspects of the Octavia. The packaging was excellent for the size of the car, all the storage spots were perfectly sized and accessible. I absolutely loved the engine and DSG combination, every drive was enjoyable. Contrary to this video, I actually really enjoyed the steering feel, perfectly weighted and a good level of feedback. The boot is also massive at almost 600L, it's larger than the Outback by almost 100L. I didn't have any issues with electronics, except the electric gas struts did start to play up from time to time after 9 years. I had no oil consumption issues that get reported a lot. I would definitely buy one again if I needed a second car.
Out of all the cars I have had this is by far my favourite and first ever car I bought new. Black Octavia VRS MY23. Lookbackability 9.8/10
The 4th gen ones are great. Especially the animated light signature on the tail lights when you lock or unlock it - gorgeous car.
My 2008 Octavia VRS manual wagon daily hack is still faultless @ 252,000 kms & 200+KW. I don’t plan on getting rid of it anytime soon as it’s too damn reliable. I’d only consider replacing with a sunroofless RS230 wagon or RS245 wagon which is the veritable unicorn. No other wagon sold in Australia offers the space, performance, practicality & affordability in a manual (for the small number of us who still like changing gears properly)
Nice to see Jim not go crazy with the problems for once!
As a Czech person I was curious what Australians think of Škoda but didn't expect to start talking Czech to me :-D
We love Skodas. I'm on my 3rd
I have been to the Czech Republic. You guys are really good at beer, and the drinking of beer. As an Australian, I found that really enjoyable, for obvious reasons. Thank you.
@UncleJoeMediaagreed. And it’s also an endless money pit
I owned a 2007 MK2 Octy hatch for 13 yes /205k.
It was a great car except the AC totally pooped itself in 2017 (big $$) and the interior melted.
The headlining failed, the foam padding turned into a brown mush, switches became sticky.
They've become too expensive now.
Would speak German to you instead as it’s a VW under the skin
I have a 2020(series 3) Vrs 2.0tdi 4x4 combi with dsg. In Spain the 4x4 tdi was only available with dsg..which I don't mind. I absolutely love it. It's spacious...3 teenagers and a German Shepherd. Goes like the clappers for a diesel, but I don't have traction issues probably because it's 4x4. I frequently tow a 1500kg caravan with it without problems. They really are a Swiss army knife car. Sadly, they have stopped selling Vrs diesels here and 4x4, although they're still available in other countries. A sign of things to come I'm afraid. I'm not using it as a daily driver and plan to keep it for years. In Europe the fun is disappearing from motoring and manufacturers are reducing their offering of fun models considerably so it's enjoy enjoy while we can!
I was waiting for this review to come up!
I had a 2016 Octavia RS wagon for ~3 years. Over that time it did have a boot strut go wrong and I got the front ball joints regreased as they were squeaking their head off in cold weather. Other than that, no issues at all. No squeaks, rattles etc. The DSG was definitely clunky on downshifts but this gave it character IMO - you couldn't just disengage from the drive. 6.5L/100km on trips, huge boot, comfortable and with heated rear seats (can't find this on many other VAG products in this range) make this a consummate all-rounder.
I replaced mine with a MK7 Golf R wagon (since sold) and other than the 5% of time you can take advantage of the speed/power, the Skoda was a better car 95% of the time. I miss it and wouldn't hesitate to buy another provided its been serviced well
I own a 2016 Superb 162TSI…same engine as the RS Octavia as well as many other Volkswagen/Skoda/Audi’s. I’m glad you guys pointed out the leaking water pump/thermoreg issue. It’s not a matter of if, but when it will fail, and at over $2.2K+ (dealership price) to replace it’s a costly repair. Don’t be surprised if they recommend to replace the reservoir bottle at the same time for a further $1k+. Otherwise, they are great cars and mine is as tight and solid as the day I bought it…no rattles whatsoever.
I have just bought a 2013 superb wagon with DSG. Great car, heaps of space (passenger and luggage) and loads of equipment - a relaxed long distance cruiser. Issues… drivers seat is comfy then uncomfy (maybe just my ageing back), daytime running light with a mind of its own and oil consumption (4000 km and 2.5 litres used). Driving, whilst smooth and handles well - pushing it into a tight corners is not what it enjoys. All that aside it is a keeper, great single car garage and the Superb owners group is a friendly and supportive community.
We’ve got the same model with APR stage 1 engine tune and transmission tune. We’ve had it for a few years and had no issues except for a wee creak behind the dash, just regular servicing. The DSG is almost perfect but it is tuned so I can’t comment about stock. I haven’t heard of electrical gremlins in this model but I know the current model is riddled with them. I had a 2016 SQ5 for a brief period, but the Skoda was far more practical (much bigger boot), felt more rapid, and was more modern inside with the bigger touch screen and Apple Car Play; we decided to sell the Audi and keep the Skoda. Something he didn’t mention is that these have Golf R brakes up front as standard so they pull up on a dime. I still smile ear to ear driving this thing and my wife won’t part with it!
Rapt you're finally doing the skoda! Can't make up my mind between the rs or the superb sport line.
Exact same boat.
I almost bought one of these in October last year, and ended up with the superb 206 4wd. To me, it was the 4wd that sealed it...just so solid on the road, whereas the modified octavias I drove seemed to suffer from torque steer. In short, it's the best car I've ever owned.
I've got a 2023 RS Wagon, my first ever brand new European car. It's practical, comfortable (especially on long trips), and is fun to drive. I wouldn't want to own a Volkswagen product outside of factory warranty though. I'm fully expecting it to need a new water pump at some stage inside its warranty period lol, but that's just Volkswagen things. Overall a fantastic car, can't complain at all!
In 2016 I took 110tsi wagon for a test drive and bought it 25mins later. Manual so no dsg/mechatronics problems. Petrol so no egr/dpf problems. It's been the best car I've ever owned. I've put 190,000kms on it and the only problem I've ever had was the adaptive cruise radar. It sits at the bottom of the lower grill so it's really easy to knock it and have it not work properly. Other than that it's been flawless.
I currently own this model in diesel. One of the best cars I have ever owned. The water pump went as expected but I've had no other issues. Great I. Fuel, rides and handles well standard.
I don't agree with the rattles, one thing I love a about VAG products is the lack of rattles, including my Octavia. Also disagree with the steering, perfectly weights and good feed back.
Overall I've lived every minute of owning it.
I currently have a 2014 2.0 VRS Diesel DSG estate with a tow bar. It has been brilliant & has been extremely reliable, unlike my 2006 Passat. It is the ‘do everything’ car. I’ve pulled caravans, trailers, driven through France and carried huge amounts of wine back, and put everything imaginable in the back. I have a Focal/Alpine with custom sub in it too. I love it.
My VRS is now seven years old and it's never missed a beat and whilst it does suffer annoying squeaks and burns more oil that my old Holden Astra estate and also requires the radiator topped up once a month, apart from those niggles it drives like a dream and goes like the proverbial shit off a shovel. If it is put into Sports mode it is a bullet - and I love the piped motor roar!
Topping up radiator 🫣🫨
Topping up the radiator once a month probably means water pump needs replacing. Get it replaced with an AC Delco one as it uses alloys internals instead of the factory plastic components.
I have one of these. 10 yeas old, 102,000 and an engine rebuild, rings, gearings, pistons, and resleve, valves lapped, water pump, new belts. $9000.00. Trim is going on the doorcards. But I love this car. I can push it hard on a few mountain roads and nothing seems to stay with me. OK, I do have a hillclimb car that is faster and I have won a few trophies so I can drive quickly up a hill. I would buy a new one except for a minor problem of being 78 years old and short of cash. Don't expect too much support from Skoda, and there are places in Europe that will post parts to you for half the price Skoda Australia is asking and that included postage. I would love the DSG gearbox in my hillclimb car. As for problems in traffic, put it into sport to get going then shift into drive to get around that problem. AND, the glovebox and centre bin are airconditioned to keep your beer cold. Don't break a side window, there are NO replacements in Oz!
2014 Rs - LOVE it. Up to 209,000kms. Amazing car been really reliable and excessively fun. Easy to drive too. Best wagon around
I only buy VAG cars. Had 2 Octavia RS (current car). Had a 2015 manual and current is a 2018 DSG, stage 1, exhaust etc… never had bad problems with any of my VAG cars (thermostat housing on A4, sunroof motor on S3 that I owned for 15 years), I find them very reliable
I've got a 2020 Skoda Octavia VRS 245 Challenge. I've changed the air filter and put a stage one chip on it. It's not pushing 300BHP. The 2020 model is much nicer than the one being reviewed. I love it!!
I have a 2016 vrs TDI. Family car, dogs transport, furniture mover and daily driver. Not one rattle. Absolutely love it!
I had a manual liftback (in grey). Traction is an issue without the stage 1 upgrade which annoyed me. I'd recommend going with the tricky diff. Hit 250 in mine back when the NT still had the derestricted speed zone. Had no trouble with it. Replaced it with an A6 Allroad which is pretty much my perfect car.
Air suspension?
Not on a Skoda. That was the two Audi Allroads.@@wpjohn91
Every car that I’ve owned with plastic trim covering the metal window frame rattles and squeaks. I actually thank VAG for keeping it simple.
I wanted a Golf 6 GTI but then I found a top spec Skoda Octavia RS 2010 wagon and it was 3k cheaper than a mid spec Golf GTI so I went with the Skoda. Best Decision I've made.
Have to add to this
2011 Škoda Octavia RS125 diesel.
Bought secondhand at 100k kms and five years old from a Ford dealer. Full service history, very very clean car.
Still own it and just under 250,000kms on the clock now.
Did the rotors at 160k, transmission service around 170 and …. well, that’s about it except it does get serviced every 15,000kms.
Have owned lots of cars. European (self confessed Peugeot fan), Australian (never again), Japanese and British (I know, masochistic streak, what can I say).
This is the BEST car I have ever owned in terms of drivability, reliability, frugality and just general customer satisfaction.
A VW spine to be sure but with many mates who’ve owned VW Golf’s, Passats et al, the Octavia comes across as a better thought out vehicle and it seems to be better built. Online owner reviews are exceedingly complimentary and positive. I can say in a near-fifty year history of car ownership it is by far the most reliable vehicle I’ve ever owned, outshining even a couple of Pug 504s I had way back when.
To drive, not quite the armchair comfort of an old Peugeot but comfortable, supportive and when in S Mode capable of surprising fellow drivers with its performance.
It’s been my main service vehicle, for a period was used for towing semi regularly, and is now my runaround routinely getting 850kms a tank around town. Drive to QLD from Melbourne in it and filled up in the 1100km range (but I think I could have snuck 1300 out of it).
Possibly because my car precedes many of the updates I have not had any of the issues noted in the video. No rattles. No leaks. No perishing of door rubbers. Actually, just … no problems.
Great car. Thinking about upgrading, possibly to another Škoda, but not sure I want to quit the most reliable car I’ve ever owned. It still jumps off the mark and no way does it feel like a car that’s done nearly a quarter of a million kms.
My partner and I had a manual 162 tsi from new for 3 years before an idiot cleaned us up on a roundabout. Went well, was comfortable, and never broke down. Great car
I had a a 147tsi manual wagon and it was brilliant. So much fun to drive and very reliable. Miss it every day.
Nice looking cars but I’ll stick with my trusty locally built Holden 2013 Vf Sv6 sportswagon in Regal Peacock green. 10 years and 180,000 later everything still works perfect electrically mechanically, etc just routine consumables such as brakes at 130k tyres and fluids. Car interior still as tight as a drum. In fact my mechanic has warned me not to let go of this car. Redriven wish you could review a VF Sv6 as they are often overlooked imo.
Hey man I have been looking at the same car in New Zealand..are they really that good? How is the power delivery and fuel consumption?
I have a 2019 model and it had not put a foot wrong yet. When it is out of warranty I might consider a stage 1 tune, but for now I am just enjoying what it is: an all round fun car
Recently I bought German origin 2019 vRS245 vagon, with manual transmission, and 50k kilometers on the clock. Same blue color, no sunroof, but I do have limited slip diff, DCC, alcantara... and no rattles whatsoever. It cost me 24k euros but the condition is 9.8/10. I'm super happy with it.
The only car i would replace this one is mk4 RS6, but I don't see this happening in my lifetime.
They are great aren’t they!
We did the calculations a on our (related) Golf GTI a few years ago and worked out the total per-kilometer running cost of our car was less than a Toyota Corolla (to 230,000kms at the time).
Now closing in on 250,000, our car has spent thousands of kms on corrugated country dirt roads, driven on 5 minute coffee runs and sitting in stop start traffic for all its life. Not to mention abused with 20,000km service intervals and regularly forgotten oil top ups. All with a tune which has been on the car for nearly 8 years now.
To be fair, it hasn't been perfect. I did have to replace one spark plug in 2019.
Haha one spark plug wow so unlucky did you try to sell the car immediately?!
I’ve bought myself a new Octavia RS TDI back in 2015. so far 175.000km on the clock. Mostly very reliable.
Only problems I had in all those years: waterpump broke at around 130.000km. Rattling in the early years in the dashboard, but it went away. Can return after tire changing when I used the carjack. The infotainment system and touch screen does not work well when cold.
The detachable trailer hitch is stuck, but still works.
Nevertheless I love this car. Reliable enough for me, very practical and does not need much fuel. Also thanks to the NoX-catalysator, I don’t need to refuel Addblue liquid.
“I’d love to drive one of these with a manual box, I reckon it would be spectacular”
I owned a manual one and eventually regretted that I didn’t get a DSG. The manual box doesn’t feel great, like it’s straight out of the VW parts bin. Not bespoke or sporty feeling.
I have been waiting for you guys to do this vid for years!!!
I have a Nardo Grey 2020 OCTAVIA RS245 with luxury pack that is pristine. You are a man of culture sir.😉 Your description of the perfect buyer for this car is me to a tee. Caton stereo is pretty good too, so great tunes to go with the rest! Cheers guys!🍻
This is perfect timing! Just started looking at these and was hoping you guys had reviewed them!
as a former owner of a fl 230 octavia that has a custom ecu+dsg stage 1, i only can tell that each and every time i get behind the steeringwheel, i suddenly catch myself laughing. realy a price/quality boss this is.. good rubbers, some good pads and rotors and this car has amuzed me and my wife each and every day. not to mention the nice milltek non rez exhaust sound that is realy lovely :)
Was on Carsales with in 5 minutes, love the idea of a performance-ish wagon. Would I buy one, probably a new one under warranty.
Great work keep them going. Love the blooper tail...
Thanks mate! We always love watching Adams bloopers! 😂
The peach of these is the 2916-17 RS230. Had the mechanical LSD and 6sp manual from the mk6 Golf GTI Performance in a wagon with all the bells and whistles. The later RS245 had the eLSD but Auto only I believe.
Im no motoring enthusiast..
Thos is the best car ive ever owned, i bought it new in 2017, now in 2023, out of warranty, 160,000km on the clock.
I have absolute confidence i could own this car for another 5 years, and easily get to 250,000kms.
Everything just works, and its the complete package for the perfect, sporty, sexy, yet extremely practical car.
Just service it regularly and look after it, and it'll look after you
Definately yes! Have been running two VRS in the last 16 years and about to have the third one ! Value for money and reliability for such performance !
I own a 2016 Skoda Octavia Scout which now has 200.000km on the clock, and at least with my car there's not been anything out of the ordinary so far. It's been regularly serviced and I plan to own it at least till 300.000km if nothing major happens(I'm aware of the 210.000km service with belts, pulleys, waterpump etc).
It is a very good car and I live out in the countryside with snow 7-8 months a year and down to -30C in the winter. It does winterdriving very well, and thankfully there's no salting of roads where I live so rust wise is also another reason why I aim to own this car a while.
If things work and I do own this car with no loan, it is no purpose to get anything else. If it works, don't fix it and so on and so forth...
PS: Same nice blue color as that one...
I own a 2015 RS wagon petrol DSG since new. One of the most reliable car I have owned. Oil consumption yes, but an occasional top up easily fixes it. Haven’t had any of the reported problems so far. Fingers crossed
Me too. Free tip...clean out the AC drain. Backs up and spills into the airbag computer. Just saved you $2500.
We've had an Octavia diesel (non-RS) wagon in the family for 10 years. Best car we've ever had. No problems whatsoever, super reliable and a real pleasure to drive slowly around town, which is something that very few cars can manage. It's been driven pretty quickly point to point across country on a regular basis too and did so in a very satisfying way. The controls are consistently well weighted: steering, manual gear change, indicators, etc. This engineering attention to detail is phenomenal for a car in this price range. The MQB platform on which it was based was engineered like a platform from two price points above the Skoda range and it really shows. Furthermore, no rattles whatsoever. Unlike some more more "premium" products we've owned and driven as company cars.
Would I buy a Skoda again tomorrow? Absolutely. Would I buy a Skoda instead of a Volvo, BWW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi or Volkswagen? Without any reservation at all.There are plenty of ex MB, Volvo, Audi and BMW owners like me who just appreciate how good Skodas have become. Whether the brand keeps this up is another question. Brands that often try to go up market tend to screw up reliability and delivering what their customer base really wants. Skoda is starting to get a little too pricey for my taste and perhaps making their cars slightly more complicated (and thus more expensive) than they need to be.
In Skoda's case, the customer base typical doesn't want "fashionable". They just want a car that works properly and that more than meets the needs of a typical family, doing so reliably, with plenty of space, decent build quality and both larger and cheaper than the immediate competition. And something that usually looks a bit conservative but pretty nice. Basically what VW at one time offered way back when, but better, more reliable and - quite frankly - quite a bit less dull.
Personally I'd buy a Skoda over a Honda or Nissan because having worked for an automotive supplier to both Honda and Nissan - both of which produced vehicles that at one time left me stranded - I don't think either produces a higher quality product. As for Toyota, they have a reputation for being boring but as reliable as it gets and in many ways appeal to the same sort of customer as Skoda for that reason. Generally you can't go wrong with a Toyota but whether you feel good about it is another matter. I don't doubt Toyota may be slightly more reliable than Skoda but Toyota cars are, IMHO, inferior to Skoda in virtually every other way when it comes to design, fitness for purpose and often desirability. They're just not particularly nice much of the time, while Skoda tends to hit a more desirable sweet spot most of the time.
As for Mazda.... well...as a Mazda owner I'd say they're a mixed bag. In some ways they're great. In other ways they're not so great. I also own a Ford, a Volvo and a Renault group product and the Skoda Octavia simply crushes all of them for what 80% of car owners really want over 5 to 15 years of usage: reliability, practicality, comfort, convenience, driving satisfaction (at the expense of outright excitement) and space at a reasonable price. The Greenline Skoda estate/wagon we've owned routinely manages fuel economy figures that most supermini drivers can only dream of. It is so fuel-efficient that it's almost obscenely shocking for a car of this size.
Do I love Skodas? No. And I don't need to either. You buy a Skoda because you're making a rational purchase, in much the same way that you would with a Toyota. You're just choosing a different balance of sensible over brand image, outright desirability, sexiness and excitement. Neither Toyota nor Skoda are pretentious and you won't buy either to impress your neighbours. My other cars all look nicer and get admired more. But under the covers the Skoda is a better ownership proposition overall and the most satisfying to own.
You must have read my mind. I just recently found out about Skoda cars and started reading about them. It was a brand I am unfamiliar with. And now one of my favorite car channels does a video on one! Thanks for the great video.
I have a 2019 same colour, and the tailgate gate struts are the only issue. Its a great car
I've long been a huge fan of the Octavia RS and almost bought one a few times. If they brought the AWD version here, the choice would be easy. Separately, I'm soooo curious about the Ghibli that's been in the background of the garage shots, especially for Jim's take on it.
Honestly the fwd is fun as hell on these VAG products. These are no different, I imagine.
As for the Ghibli, I had a neighbour that has had constant issues from factory, and their values have plummeted.
I wonder how well the 4x4 would go. I've got a Scout with the same engine as the TDi RS, but being taller and softer, it still spins front wheels up before the rear (I think) grips. They're def not AWD. The haldex only makes the rear wheels work when the front end is slipping enough...
Skoda Superb? Awd and more power
@@tms977 This is a fabulous car and would have been the choice for me, but it's a bit too large and a bit softly sprung for what I've been after
That's the main thing that annoys me, no AWD option here in Aus but of course they get AWD in Europe. My theory is that if they sold AWD Octavia's here, nobody would buy the Superb. Main reason it annoys me is because I go to the snow a lot, and if my Octavia was AWD I wouldn't need to carry snow chains.
I have an Octavia ambition plus, manual and have twice been told by a dealer that the transmission needs replacing including clutch, pressure plate etc. Cash up front thanks.
Both times it has been a wheel bearing, obviously not going back to that dealer.
Love the car and it is a pleasure to drive.
Keep it away from a dealership, longevity of the engines are great my 1.4tsi had 355k on it and yes I replaced a front wheel bearing on both this one and a current 2007 1.9 tdi, handy with spanners ? Easy to work on and plenty of TH-cam tutorials
I own a VRS230 (169kw) with Challenge Plus from 2016, sedan, grey, DSG 6sp, factory farts on evac, sun roof, leather seats, 130.000 km. The only major issue I had was "Oil sensor: workshop". Once I got that, I stopped, put the car on trailer and took it to dealership. After 3 attempts from 2 dealerships to deal with the issue, they finally found that it was an electrical failure. Needless to say I replaced all oil solenoids and sensors. I service it under 10.000 km. It's not a cheap car to maintain, but it's the cheapest for what it offers!
I’m about to trade my Datsun 120 y on a Skoda I’ve been saving for years this is going to be heaven.
I have a race blue 2015 RS wagon with the manual transmission also here in Australia and for the most part love it. I used to own a 2016 Focus RS AWD turbo and the old Czech-spec wags is a much more fun and usable car overall - even though it's a bum dragger. I agree with everything said in this review in terms of build quality and drive satisfaction, though fortunately mine doesn't rattle - even with 105K km. It DOES however seem to have more than its fair share of electrical gremlins, as reported. Things like cruise control that drops out, cargo area lights that only turn on after you've given up waiting and fired up the phone torch, auto restart from stop start when pushing the clutch down - I often get a dash message saying 'restart engine manually' - meaning twist the ignition key - but even with all these personality traits I still love the car. It was pretty good standard, but with an inexpensive stage 1 tune in the form of a Burger Motorsports JB4 (self installed) the car is quick enough from a rolling start (forget the traffic light grand prix), yet still returns 7-8L/hunge around town, and hi-5's on the highway.
I keep thinking I probably should replace it at some point, but with the new car market as overpriced as it is right now in early 2024, and the cars on offer pretty underwhelming bang for buck wise, I can't bring myself to part with the Octy ❤
A Taxi in Ireland, from 2003 has almost 1 million miles on it. It was serviced regularly - great reliability
one of best reviewer so far. Love the honesty and very engaging, very educational.
Bought a new fastback in 2021. Great car and have had next to no dramas and what we did have was very minor.
It’s still stock and other than considering some coilovers can’t see any reason to touch it 👍🏼
Great review on a great car.
I think some of the negative feedback is exaggerated.
ŠKODA owners tend to be practical realists, but need to mix that with internet feedback which tends to be wildly positive or negative but rarely balanced.
We have currently a 2016 VRS with tech and audio package and it’s bulletproof.
Have had Polo to 300,000km, Amarok to 300,000km with very little spend.have also had Seat Toledo, VW Passat V6 and Touareg V6 again all rock solid.
Still have VW Tiguan with no issues.
Have had Commodore to 300,000km as well. Sadly my RAM diesel did turbo at 40,000km.
ŠKODA is as reliable as any, but the VRS is a performance car and needs to be maintained by decent mechanics with right tools.
This can be competent diy or ŠKODA/VW service but not a mechanic that doesn’t work on them.
History has taught me that people that don’t work on VAG vehicles regularly are not the right people to play with them.
Look after them and they are solid as any Holden or Toyota, just more fun.
I looked at one of these and a VRS Superb new. They are very fun but looked up the reliability ratings on warranty wise and turns out the model below the VRS is still fun, has a full sized spare, but due to not being reliant on as many electronics (electronic suspension etc) has almost Toyota like reliability.
After watching this it seems like the Octavia RS is less problematic than its more expensive sibling the Golf GTI.
Definitely a car I'd consider buying when I eventually look at getting a new car on the proviso that it has a CD player in it.
The safety features overview felt like I was listening too a foreign poetry recital instead of a list of safety features lol 😂.
I feel sorry for poor Hullsy with the apparent shitshow going on with the Q5's engine bay plastics.
Rare too see a blooper caused by Sam on any of these videos so you'll have too keep that one for prosperity guys lol 😂.
Brilliant job as always guys and look forward to next week's videos as per usual and keep up the good work 👍.
I'm on my 4th VRS , LOVE EM . Latest is the 245 vrs challenger mapped to 320 on a stage one ❤
Listening to just the audio while driving. Slowing down at a traffic light and what cuts in front of me? Lift back Octavia RS!
Most of the problems have been addressed in the later models, 2017 onwards, go for a later model , these are are brilliant car and they do it all .
The thing that's great about these is that it has the VAG running gear, which when is working is marvellous, and has a 7 year warranty. Buy new, drive for 5 years and sell with 2 years of factory warranty...or drive to 7 years and then tune the crap out of it! I saw one recently which just had a tune and put down 200Kws and 450Nm ATWs...that would make for a decently quick wagon.
I drive a Octavia vRS from 14 in black magic. it had 124000 km on the clock when i took over and its an abolute beast :) its practical, fast and the quality lvl is through the roof when factoring in the price - easly the best car i have owned so far..had a mazda 2 before the Octavia so..thats like night and day xD Thanks for a great video - Great host !
I have a 2.0 tdi RS 4x4 2017 DSG (i know its not proper RS). Havent any problems with electronics yet. Bought it on 145 000 km, now has 210 000 km and had only minor fixes.
And yeah, it eats oil and rattles... Other than that. I LOVE IT.
Everyone keeps telling me they eat oil. 2 litres per 15k. 2.0tdi. My friends all bought rangers and hiluxs, the rangers use at least 3 litres between services, half the hiluxs ( 2.8) close to the skoda.
Would LOVE to see your used car review of the Skoda Superb Sportline - seems like the bigger even more practical brother to this one and I hear brilliant things about them!
Can't believe all the things that go wrong and all the electrical issues. I've had my Leon Cupra 280 for 8 years and have only had the water pump done, other than that absolutely nothing has gone wrong. I look after mine and service it every six months or every 2.5k, so look after it, and it will last for many years
Reminds me of all the rattles my mk7 Golf eventually had. It was like driving around in a maraca. But I would have an Octavia RS wagon in a heartbeat
Das Auto
I have the 2017 version and other than its a lil squeeky especially the panoramic roof when on bumpy roads its a great car, replacing the mid resonator with straight pipe makes it sound a lil better too
My 2011 Octavia Scout has been relatively trouble free for 230,000kms. Only a DPF sensor, and a wheel speed sensor that have needed replacing. Otherwise just standard service/maintenance, and service costs are only a fraction of the $$ than the Subaru Outback I had before it.
I’ve replaced a Subaru with a Skoda and cost less over the time with 335k on the clock zero issues!!
There are only four channels I watch straight away when I get the notification: JayEmm on Cars, savagegeese, Chael Sonnen, and ReDriven.
Nice
Chael Sonnen lol
I love my vrs wagon. The missing interior door plastics are a cool feature. Brings back 80's vibes
yes there is only Golf GTI as hatchback, but if you are looking at diesels there is Golf Variant Alltrack with same horsepower as octavia RS (184hp), but alltrack is higher. Then there is also Seat Leon diesel 184hp with awd and manual. And Leons a even cheaper than Škodas :D Seats are even more set to have more sporty handling.
Australian review.
Seat was sold here briefly about 20 years ago.
A Golf Alltrack wagon with diesel motor is a very rare vehicle here.
Great car
But
Not many people bought the Golf Alltrack wagon in Australia
I don't think I could ever bring myself to buy anything from VWAG, but yep these do look sweet, and probably the best looking wagon around (bar the Alfa 159 Sportwagon... especially in unicorn V6 AWD guise). Anyhoo - another great video fellas, this is fast becoming my favourite YT car channel.
Did this guy just say VW are unreliable?? Wait till he drives a Land Rover
Crazy right...? VW is reliable but it has to be maintained that's all it comes down to..A lot of people just neglect them
Have to remember that this is from an Australian perspective, I live in Ireland and yes diesel vag cars are considered to be pretty reliable tho not bulletproof and cheap to repair but for the rest of the world parts and labour are not as cheap as it is for us Europeans
@@conorallen100parts are much more expensive than Japanese cars. Cars designs are generally more complex as well.
Every 3.2 v6 timing chains!!!! Maintenance means nothing to the chains . Running in oil and epic failure
@@marlonbaird6070ha ha no they are not, plenty well service cars have major issues
I test drove an rs180 on the weekend. I agree about the steering, it felt pretty vague. And the DSG... Taking off at the lights the whole car would just lurch.
Had 4 Octavias. 103Tdi, 118tsi, Scout and then RS. Now have a Golf Alltrack… all of the Skodas were better built and more comfortable.
Nonsense. They're essentially the same car with different trim. Trim in VW is generally better than Skoda and Audi better than VW.
@@ln5747 essentially the same isn’t the same. Yes, Skoda uses the same driveline and many parts, but they are somewhat independent in terms of how they do design and how they screw them together. Far fewer rattles. Those hard plastics do wear better as well. The only thing i didn’t like was the lower grade Skodas had more road noise than the VWs. You’ll find Skoda in Australia also has fewer complaints lodged (even per vehicle) with the regulator than VW. They just seem to be better assembled or something than their African/Mexican/German cousins.
Had a fabia rs.
Loved it.
Theyre right about the taller sidewalls. I went up from 40 to 45 profile.muuuch nicer. No loss of handling etc
Hired these as base models in UK several times both auto and manual versions, nice to drive and the hatch back boot is huge, holds two full size airline suitcases plus cabin baggage. Feels a bit small inside and the B pillar is too far forward making it hard to get in and out of (the opening is too small). Reliability reputation is an issue and parts costs are eye watering and take ages to get. A friend has one and waited 6 weeks for a part while the car was un-drivable. Daughter was going to buy one and it broke down on the test drive, had to be towed. Later dealer advised a 4 weeks delay and would cost $4000 so they did not purchase.
I'm having to part ways with my rs, ive had for a decade. Had lots of bad luck but others have said it can be reliable.
Absolutely loved the car, but can't afford to keep non-stop fixing it.
just some fun facts about the name it's the Skoda vRS, which stands for Victory Rally Sport, points to our 45 years of success on both rally routes and racetracks around the world.The RS, or 'Rally Sport' model dates to the 180 RS in the 1970s. ŠKODA was forced to add the 'v' to the RS model when Ford, who use RS on their motorsport-themed models, threatened to file a lawsuit against them for using their famed acronym.
Love my skoda octavia vrs 245 but now she pushing 480bhp and 560nm the looks you get when you beat up on a higher end car.
my buddy has octavia 1.6 tdi 4x4 2012, and from purchase km in 2021, 200.000 until today's 290.000 just "oil change" (by me). good car.
Agree Adam re how good these things look in the metal. Was driving behind an under-cover cop car just yesterday and couldn't but admire at just how bad-ass they looked. It was that gorgeous darker gun-metal grey colour with darkened windows - awesome.
I like the speed reading challenge in the middle. It triggered something in my brain.
If your DSG is clunky at low speeds, get the throttle remapped, it often fixes it.
I've got the "nardo grey" 230 Ltd edition. It's made the most perfect all rounder I can't see me ever replacing it
Love that they don’t trim the metal inside the door. Just another piece of plastic to fall off
I had a 2008 RS manual sedan (lift back).Bought it for a song at 5 years old (under 10k), the dealer was ringing me(hence a deal was done…). Unpopular yellow. One of my favourite cars I’ve ever owned. Mechanically I didn’t really have issues (being a manual), used to get the timing belt and water pump done at the same time, regularly serviced and kept an eye on the oil (didn’t have the excessive use of some)….BUT, and this along with no manual transmission anymore, Is what put me off ever getting a new one…. Electrical gremlins. Being an 08, nowhere near as much electrickery as current (or when I said goodbye in 2021) models. Persistent issues with the air conditioning (which wasn’t actually the air conditioning…), the external temperature sensor would send false information, causing the air conditioner to not work as it should in prevailing conditions (intermittent, and the only time I took it to Skoda, for that and another gremlin, massive waste of time and money “no fault codes”, “never heard that before”…).. the other issue became the coolant sensor which is/was part of the coolant overflow/coolant level container, intermittently saying there was an issue… after my mechanic replacing it twice, we both learned to live with it. Over the years I had it, the insured value pretty much stayed the same, until I decided to go a whole different path. People used to laugh at the colour, ask what it was etc etc.. Classic examples of the liftback practicality (which absolutely crapped all over anything else from 2013 for the price I paid) was easily fitting 4 large suitcases plus carry on luggage for trips to the airport (not doing that in a Golf hatch, Corolla or anything else not a wagon or SUV at the time, and at 560L had more boot space than many of them as well…)Given my experience (albeit with a very early model, before they got semi popular), I wouldn’t touch a current Skoda/Vw/Audi, that wasn’t still in warranty. They’ve only gotten worse, due to the ever increasing electronics.
In touring guise it’s the best all round performance/practicality/value car on the roads.
Yessss, I’ve always thought the Golf wagons have always looked off