Skoda Octavia vRS (2013 - 2017) 2.0 TDI CR vRS Estate 5d Owner Review

The anticipation of getting a new car has now long faded and now all that's left is the disappointment and frustration that this really could be a good car. From day one it has drunk oil excessively, it's currently using around 1 litre of oil for every 2500-2500 miles ish. It's been in the garage for this and they say that until it's using 1 litre for every 600 miles they are not authorised to investigate. By the time it reaches their requirement the engine will be fit for the bin not investigating. There are issues with the Amundson sat nav with routes that can only be described as peculiar, delayed traffic warnings, mostly too late to avoid and my favourite. Telling you there is a pedestrian zone ahead before telling you to carry on regardless. Again the dealership have said there are no updates and therefore nothing they can do. The tyres are impossible to get hold of off of the shelf as I have the VRS with the black design plus package including the 19" (narrow) wheels with a 225/35/R-19 tyre so elusive that I have been left stranded a couple of times and what is even more frustrating is that because the tyres are so narrow they don't last much more then 12,000 miles on the front. By far the biggest issue I have had with the car so far though is that it developed a cold start issue where after a frost it would start in limp mode until the engine was warm ans would then restart normally, it has been in the garage and had Skoda assist mobile attendance no less then 10 times and I have to say that the mobile assist guys are absolutely great, the same can't be said for the dealership. This issue has been going on for 9 months and might now finally be resolved after new vacuum hose, sensor and an ECU. Fingers Crossed. Now these issue have been disappointing but visually the car lets itself down as well, even with the 19" wheel there is still enough room in the wheel arches to play hide and seek. The wheels also sit so far recessed in the arches that it just looks odd and far from the sleek tight fitting look in the sporty models from German manufacturers. Performance wise when your going the VRS Diesel is power house and has the power to overtake on demand however, getting it of the line is a different story, it either bogs down, rev's quite noisily but gets away a little better or just spins and stops as the traction control cuts in. Luckily it appears that the face lifted model due in a few months has addressed the wheelbase issue at least on the rear i believe and it is due to be a further 15mm lower all round, I will wait to see if this has the desired affect when details of the final production model are release. I believe it still has the narrow wheels that are just begging for an extra 10-15mm width and it's a shame that they haven't tried to eek out another 10-15hp in line with the petrol model. All in all is it a practical estate that's also fun to drive, yes. But unfortunately it just get lets down by the finer details that the German powerhouses nail time after time and as such there is the lingering disappointment and regret you didn't spend that bit extra to get the real deal.