NRMA Open Road March/April 2010 - World Beating Wheels

[RSwag]

Anyone with a smidge of common sense would see that the Golf is not an Octavia competitor or is in anyway a logical choice for a comparison. Jetta Vs Octavia, it's not that hard to get it right and yet these journo's reckon they are guru's, absolute morons more like it.

Jetta 2.0 TSi with the sports pack, thats the comparison flat out.

[RSwag]

The other huge problem they have is they allow journo's to forge the image that people then take with them when doing homework on a new car. Every single write up done by Drive has been absolute bi-polar, it's a good car but its not big inside, its a good car but it's dramatic to drive, its a good car but the gearbox is jerky.

They should to start promoting themselves and the qualities they have over other brands. They need to start creating their own image and push in peoples minds what they have to offer and how they see thmesleves in the market. This reliance on print media is a dangerous tightrope act, if journo';s think the brand is failing they will just rubbish it, it's not to far off that now sales numbers are low and the write ups have stopped or are negative.

Relying on them to save you is a bit dangerous for a brands progress in any market.

[bobski]

Jetta 2.0 TSi with the sports pack, thats the comparison flat out.

I don't think so for the RS. You're comparing hero cars of similar spec (sure they are different shapes and this particular review makes the TDI booboo), which the Jetta does not have.

But the golf wagon is a competitor as well. But like the Jetta would not make my list to look at. Which makes Bayford Skoda's comment interesting, because the GTI was on my list before I actually looked at it.

[woofy]

I get some idea of why, reviews keep comparing it to something its not.

I don't know why they keep comparing it to the Gti, I haven't seen any reviews with it compared to the 147 Jetta which is what it should be compared against. It's not a hot hatch, its a family car with some GTi goodies inside it. Where are all the volvos, and the camrys etc it should be against.

They may as well thrown in an Audi TT and compare it against that.

There are mainly two choices for people looking in this area;

A-I have a family or need to carry stuff>>>Skoda
B-I can put up with a smaller/harsher sprung car to get the extra ooh factor>>>GTi

[Bayford Skoda]

I get some idea of why, reviews keep comparing it to something its not.

I don't know why they keep comparing it to the Gti, I haven't seen any reviews with it compared to the 147 Jetta which is what it should be compared against. It's not a hot hatch, its a family car with some GTi goodies inside it. Where are all the volvos, and the camrys etc it should be against.

They may as well thrown in an Audi TT and compare it against that.

There are mainly two choices for people looking in this area;

A-I have a family or need to carry stuff>>>Skoda
B-I can put up with a smaller/harsher sprung car to get the extra ooh factor>>>GTi

Exactly right...

The customers who do look at the RS against the GTI look at the GTI because its a great benchmark in the price range. Whilst the GTI is a great car it doesnt give you the bang for your buck the RS does.

For example, a GTI 5 Door DSG in similar spec to an RS with leather and 18" wheels equates to $47,190 + Dealer Delivery and ORC... An RS TSI DSG Wagon with the full leather upgrade equates to $43,280... Close to $4000 difference and the RS still offers more room... Sorry I get a little passionate about my Skoda's...

[Jake02]

Sorry I get a little passionate about my Skoda's...

Maybe if they had more dealers like you their sales would go up alot...

[gregozedobe]

..... The Octy is a well built car which is also well engineered and equipped. But, while it is certainly amongst the top, it isnt the best car money can buy, even in its segment.

It is all about individual priorities and preferences. I think the vRS is a better drive than a Golf GTI, you obviously prefer the GTI. And we are both right, because preferences are very subjective (see below for an example).

So, in your opinion, what car IS the best in the Octy vRS 2.0 TSI wagon segment ?

And exactly what are YOUR criteria ? The devil is in the details, as always. If on-the-limit handling on smooth roads is the only thing being evaluated then I agree, a GTI is more suited to those specific conditions. Of course, some people buy a vehicle with more all-round capabilities

My criteria are:

reasonable performance [Golf wagon - way behind],
good handling/comfort compromise - including acceptable ride on really crappy roads [GTI was well behind for me],
lots of room for luggage as well as 4 adults (so 5 door wagon) [GTI - FAIL],
looks that don't make you cringe [Mazda, Peugout etc - FAIL],
acceptable fuel economy,
decent engineering and std gadgets,
relaxing to drive long distances in (eg Canberra-Portland in one day), and can still walk OK after driving all day [GTI was just too "busy" to relax and cruise in for me],
seats that accommodate generous sized posteriors [GTI - FAIL],
performance diesel option [GTI - fail],
all for less than $45K.....

Using MY criteria the Golf GTI doesn't look so good, does it ?

[code618]

My criteria was a mid sized wagon with performance strong enough to make me look forward to driving each day, manual gearbox, reasonable fuel economy, under $45K. vRS wagon was a no brainer - test drove it, bought it.

The GTI was not for comparison as it was not an apples with apples scenario and wasn't in the ball park with my buying criteria. It should NOT be in a head to head comparo with the vRS wagon, certainly not a TDI.

Other cars I considered were: Liberty wagon (not up to it performance wise unless a GT but then too many $$ + the new ones are hideous). Mazda 6 wagon (yawn). Focus XR5 - nice but then I reminded myself what my criteria were. Passat wagon (nice but bang for buck not up to Skoda vRS). I think you could compare all of these bar the XR5 in a head to head.

[mrgolf]

Just throwing a cat amongst the canaries...

I dig the Skoda. It is a great car. Buuuut, the GTI felt special, the RS doesnt.

As for cars in its category that come up trumps, look no further than a Mazda 6 or a Honda Euro. They are better equipped and slightly larger and have newer tech, based on the fact the Octy is built on a 6 year old platform. The RS model certainly has the power advantage and the bang for buck, but for most Australians, the other cars offer better value for money and sadly, for the moment, better brand recognition.

Having said that, I bought a Skoda cos I recognised its quality as an allrounder and it has VW tech which I trust. I love the 2.0TSI. It suited me. I couldnt drive a Honda (although the current one wasnt out when I was shopping around. The new Mazda 6 looks like a bucket of busted buttholes.

As for Octy vs Jetta, Octy all the way. From experience.

[selurs]

Just throwing a cat amongst the canaries...

I think you succeeded

I dig the Skoda. It is a great car. Buuuut, the GTI felt special, the RS doesnt.

Personally, that wasn't my feeling. The old GTI (Mark V) almost put me to sleep the interior was so boring. Yeah, it drove well, but you can't drive at speeds high enough to trouble the handling more than every now and then, it's no great-looker from the outside (nothing wrong with it, but it's not stunning either...and to be fair I feel the same way about the RS), and those round black buttons on the steering wheel were just woeful, and ultimately you drive a car from the inside, not riding on the roof, so I wasn't interested in looking at them all the time. The new one, and I'm only going from photos here, as I ordered my RS well before the new GTI was available, looks pretty much identical to the RS. Same components, same layout. As you'd expect - in terms of interior tech they're all sourced from the same place.

Having driven a 118TSI while looking at cars, it felt the same as the RS. Maybe the red stiching in the GTI makes a difference? That's not a joke - the black steering-wheel buttons turned me off the Mark V, so I can understand the stitching making some think "ooh...niiice".

As for cars in its category that come up trumps, look no further than a Mazda 6 or a Honda Euro.

I disagree with that. Accord Euro "Luxury" spec is $4K more than a TSI liftback Octavia RS, Mazda 6 (available auto-only) just over $1K more than the DSG equpped Octavia RS liftback. That's almost 10% more for the Accord, and just over 2% for the Mazda. Both are nice cars, but the Mazda doesn't feel all that premium, while the Accord does have a bunch of "stuff" extra (HIDs, sunroof, reverse-tilt mirror, full leather, and electric seats), but it's also %10 more. So I'd say they're reasonably even, rather than "better value".

When looking, I tried (among about 10 other options - I wanted to make sure I had the right car!) the Accord Euro. It was very nice. My partner, in her wisdom, decided it was the one I should get (the very effective heated seats had quite a bit to do with that ), but a combination of a grumpy dealer (wasn't really interested in trying to get me a red-manual) and the thought of being a "Honda driver" put me off. The 6-month scheduled services, and Honda's reputation for very expenive repair/service costs didn't help either. I now drive an Octavia. I'd say that means that at least for me, the Accord Euro doesn't come up trumps.

As for Octy vs Jetta, Octy all the way. From experience.

Agree 100% there