Comments on: 2008 Skoda Octavia RS review

By: David Soccio

David Soccio — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:24:47 +0000

A nice looking car, I really want to take one for a test drive and now that ive been told its got a VW GTI engine inside ill be taking that test drive very soon! I think its also a great looking family car; Its got the right shape and body and looks very sporty if you ask me!. Great work skoda – I hope it performs aswell as it looks!!! :)

By: eddy

eddy — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:08:02 +0000

Frugalone and Frontman.
Alfa – what a joke. They keep breaking down. Unreliable. Resales are horrendous. Overpriced wogg wankcar. Knew a guy with a GTA 147, transmission just ripped off and Ateco would’nt fix it under warranty. Have to change their timing belts every 40k! Selena oil every 5k, and it costs a bomb to fix and service.
FORD? Full Of Rust and Dents! Just wait for the recalls like the explorer. Was at my mechanics and this guy had to replace his front suspension twice! they just collapse! Not even covered by recall/warranty. Yank garbage.

By: Frontman

Frontman — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:15:35 +0000

DDP Says:
January 7th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
The Skoda’s only downfall is back up (at present, move are afoot to do it through VW as well though that can still be limiting) Passat would come into the frame for me, but value for money and equipment levels I couldn’t go pass Mondeo Hatch. Especially now as teh MB is being released, the MA diesels are great buying. 527litre boot space in a Hatch opening is great and although the badge snobs would rule it out because of the blue oval, it is on equal footing with Passat, Laguna and C5 in Europe. $10K less than an equivalent Passat, a little less power but a little better economy.
Alfa will give you a grin whilst driving but kill your back as stated above.
All the cars are good so happy hunting ;)

By: FrugalOne

FrugalOne — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:52:36 +0000

DDP^^^^

AlfaRomeo EVERY single time, class, history, pedigee, looks etc etc

Need i go on?

Cheers,

F-0

By: eddy

eddy — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:29:23 +0000

Just bought a race blue rs special price from Bayford Skoda. Front and rear park assist, sunroof. Got the blue fin installed and jeez what a monster. Would eat up a MPS 3 anyday and would give a wrx a good run for its money. Amazing car and value. I cant believe why people arent flocking to the showrooms. For christs sake my mechanic had a look and said its better than the audi quality. Apparently stage 2 bluefin is a free upgrade. Its now got 238 bhp and 321 nm. Only $999 inc gst. installed at home myself with online download with the provided diagnostic tool. Dont think stage 2 necessary anyway, front wheels spinning already if not careful!

By: DJ

DJ — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:29:16 +0000

The Jetta & Golf comparisons are way off…the BASE Jetta & Golf models are still priced WELL above the TOP Skoda model, with no phenomenal justification by way of improved quality, finish, or performance. The performance, value, understated class, & the fact that the RS are not all that common at present is what tipped the scales for me in deciding to flog off my A4 & get an RS sedan…the thing has a chilled glove box for flip’s sake!! As far as resale- Why buy something with selling it in mind? (unless leasing)…rather think of enjoying it! Car will still fetch a decent price- it’s raft of features will demand it!

By: spellbound

spellbound — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:27:28 +0000

HI DPP

I traded my liberty 3.0r auto last august for a skoda rs manual .

My round town economy went from 14 l per 100 to 8 l , down to 6l in country .

manual is very short easy box , not like the hesitant sportmatic liberty box .

Evidently a 6 speed dgs is coming for the rs petrol model.

Handles very nicely , dont really see it as a downgrade on the awd jobby.

Build quality is better , just like my old golf mk1V .

Best bit is taking it down a lonely B road and giving the turbo its head , its a great drive .

cheers

By: David

David — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 23:35:52 +0000

I agree with Pious-the Alfa is out. Capules are hard to get in and out and you need all the room you can get.
I’d forget the Jetta as well-mainly because they are a sedan. A wagon is easier to get the pram in and out of, as well as all the other stuff you have to drag around with kids.
I disagree with Pious about the Skoda being ugly-I love it but personal tastes are different and you have to make your own mind up about that. It’s a bit noisy though which is something you’d have to get used to. The back doors might even be a little small to get the capsule in easily. Remember it’s based on a Golf platform-as is the Jetta.
I’d reccomend with any car to take your capsule and pram with you when you test drive and try them out. Remember your wife also has to be able to get them in without too much trouble.
If you budget extends to Alfa territory, why not a Passat? Maybe even an Audi A4?
I love my Skoda-but my kids are well past the Capsule stage!
Good luck.

By: pious

pious — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:52:24 +0000

DDP, getting the capsule in and out of a small car is critically annoying – led to the demise of my beloved astina, when our kids came along. You need not so much rear legroom, but distance between the top of the seat and the back seat (making sense?) because that is where you manouvre (sp?) the capsule. The alfa is out, I think. The skoda looks so bad you will hate it once you get used to it. I like the jetta, but there is the size issue. Personally, I’d try to get a 2005 – 6 V70R, which kills in performance, luxury, and size, and you could get for the money (I am biased – I had an S60R which I adored) but the caveat is that they are hard to park. New for that money, I dont really know, but I’d see what Mondeo has to offer in a hatch.

By: DDP

DDP — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:04:40 +0000

Need Help.
I’ve been looking around at cars for the last few months,
never thought to look at the Skoda Rs 2.0TDI Wagen. I’ve test driven the Honda Accord Euro, Mazda 6, Alfa 159JTS Wagen, VW Jetta 2.0TFSI, BMW 320i and Subaru Liberty Wagen. We are expecting a child so size is an issue. (currently driving an old Golf)
I was very impressed and so was my brother inlaw. (currently drives the Suburu Liberty Wagen 2.5GT (rocket))

Sooo I have a problem, narrowed it down to the following.

*Skoda RS 2.0TDI DSG (needs to be auto and the 2.0TFSI is only in manual at the moment)
*Alfa 159JTS Wagen (expensive and alot smaller, fun to drive though)
*Jetta 2.0TFSI (I can get leather and sunroof for the same price as the skoda, however smaller)

any thoughts on what I should do??

By: Wombatoutofhell

Wombatoutofhell — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 10:05:32 +0000

I have to admit I would nevver have even considered a Skoda-unlike alot of Aussies I knew what 1 was but unfortunately for the wrong reasons-I remember the cars they used to have. I paid no attention to them at the Motor Show for this reason. However, recently I decided the time had come to get a smaller wagon (I have a VX Berlina wagon with a V8) and had more or less decided on something like a Peugeot 307 or Mazda 6 or something along those lines. Boring but practical. I came accross a picture of a yellow RS and couldn’t take my eyes off it. I loved it’s looks and was impressed with the spec sheet. This one was a used car with only 12000 on the clock. It was bought in before official imports as a sample for Skoda so it’s not in Aussie spec-it’s missing the rear parking sensors and the rear electric winders. I’ve been driving for 22 years now without rear sensors and I don’t go in the back seat so I couldn’t care less. I went for a test drive and was impressed-bloody impressed. I’ve left a deposit and am now just waiting for finance to be approved. I paid $31000 drive away-a bargain as far as I’m concerned.
So much for boring but practical-the Skoda is anything but boring. I can’t wait to get it-I’ll post again after I’ve had it a few weeks!

By: Cathy

Cathy — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:09:20 +0000

I was only looking around for a car last weekend which I didn’t plan to get anything that day. I wrote down all the sport cars I was interested with (which excluded Skoda). Thanks to my partner who later found the information about Skoda.

When we saw the Skoda dealer, in ACT, I decided to go for a test drive with RS. Gosh! I fell in love so I got the car that day! Not to mention all the good stuff mentioned by Jake02 above, the car is just cool and fast! Bits and pieces of the safety standards installed really impressed me which other cars do not seem to have.

Cheers…

By: Zhuo

Zhuo — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:03:01 +0000

I have my blue RS for over six Months in Perth. It is a very nice car to drive. My car got factory Nav and noonroof as well. There are some minor things, eg, poor rear vision due to small rear window, lack of bluetooth, wind noice at high speed. I have install a reverse camera connect to the factory Nav monitor(Need to buy an adaptor A$70 from Ebay, which provide you with excellent quality of video). This help rear vision problem. Unfortunetly, Perth dealers do not know how to install a camera to the factory Nav. They may suggest you to install an extra Monitor on the dash, which cost you over A$1,000 and not looking good. I also install a Parrot MK6100 bluetooth with music streaming, which allow me to us the factory Nav, hand-free phone and listen to music at the same time. This should compitable to i-phone. I have not try I-phone yet. But it works beautifully with My Motorola, HTC PDA, Glofiish PDA. Total cost of above A$320.

By: mick

mick — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:42:22 +0000

dave and darren

Well i have had the rs wagon for 5 weeks now , economy over the subaru , gone from 14 l per 100 around town to low 9 l.

Ride on city roads a bit jarring if its crumbly tarmac , bloody good on rural , in fact its a great drive , right with the golf gti , but a touch softer , a hint of understeer.

The torque is fantastic coming out of corners , big shove ,you can miss gears easily .

Cabin noise bit higher than the scoobie , wagons always are , tyres may be part of that , contientals

Seats very comfy , great adjustment wheel to seat .

Beautifull build quality as good as the golf , no rattles or bits falling off .

What i love the best is that motor , great sound , tootle round town in 4th gear , no need to drop a gear just press and go , plenty of torque .

Bonus , wagon has loads of space , great Q car , very understated .

dave have a test drive

cheers

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 08:43:10 +0000

We are also tossing up between the Xr5 Mondeo and this, but anyone who has driven both, raves about the RS and complains that the XR5 isn’t the same as the UK version…ie crappier handling.

As for the Jetta option…well thats out cause the boot opening is crap compared to the Skodas….

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:02:08 +0000

As a UK reader you guys should know that the Skoda Octavia has been on the UK market for a good many years now and the latest RS model (’vRS’ in UK) has become a popular and highly sought-after car. Depreciation is relatively low and the cars have a great reputation for being reliable and good to drive. A decent used RS sells quickly and there is a thriving community of enthusiats – check out the Briskoda.co.uk forums.

By: Darren

Darren — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:38:52 +0000

I took a red RS for a test drive a few weeks ago, and the thing flies, sticks to the road, and is very comfortable. I love the look of the front of the vehicle, it looks like its about to eat the road. I’m tossing between the RS or the Ford XR5 Mondeo. What do you people think?

By: mick

mick — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:55:49 +0000

just traded my liberty 3.0r auto , for a rs wagon . oh bliss , no more hesitant auto changes , shit economy and ginza glitz .

believe me this is a good car , shades of my mark iv golf gti but a much better drive.

bucket loads of effortless torque , great economy , good build quality .

check out the jd power uk customer satisfaction results , that tells the story .

remember fuel is not going to get cheaper , the vag group are the leaders in the power and economy game .

forget the skoda 60s stories , this is a long term quality product , have a test drive , be surprised

mick

By: observer

observer — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:21:00 +0000

I havnt seen one Skoda on the road yet. I suspect that VW will persist for a while with this brand on the Australian market but sales are very slow.

Eventualy they will cut their loses and withdraw the brand just like they did with SEAT. (Another VW subsidiary brand)

Happy motoring!!!!

By: Jake02

Jake02 — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:28:31 +0000

David and Timbo I’m glad to see that you are very happy with your Skodas. Mine had its first service (1000km) today and it hasn’t missed a beat.
Good luck to you both! and ps spread the word about how good skodas are!

oh and thanks to Tomas79 for the support!