In-depth reviews

Skoda Octavia vRS hatchback review (2013-2021): owner reviews

"The Skoda Octavia vRS satisfies the head and heart thanks to its blend of performance and practicality"

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13 May 2019

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Carbuyer Rating

3.8 out of 5

Owners Rating

3.8 out of 5

Reviews

Owner Reviews

5 out of 5
4 out of 5
3 out of 5
2 out of 5
1 out of 5

80%of people would recommend this car to a friend

Common Problems

Other (4 cases)
Brakes, Electrics (1 case)
Electrics (2 cases)
Electrics, Engine, Gearbox / clutch (1 case)

Review 1 of 10

Tell us what you think about your car?

Best family car ever, ticks all the boxes, good looking, huge boot and front/rear space, economical, powerful, comes with a lot of standard kit, reliable, cheap to buy and run, comfortable, head turner, clever and better to drive than a Mondeo!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

A superb family car which is extremely quick when you need it to be and yet is as gentle as a pussycat when you don't need the speed and will quite happily trundle around all day. The DSG gearbox is smooth and makes stop/start town driving supremely easy and the flappy paddles make manual changes for a swift overtake an absolute breeze. The suspension is on the firmer side of soft, but not so that it's jarring when you go over a pothole or bump in the road, handling around curves & bends will leave you with a big grin, whilst not as agile as a Golf GTi or GTD, it's still very good for a car of this size. The Xenon headlights are superb and the lighting is generally very good with some subtle interior lighting above the gear stick making it easy to see anything you may have put in the tray behind the gear stick. The DAB radio does a good job and it can be easily changed using the cars excellent voice control system, which hasn't got a single command wrong yet, unlike other cars I could mention. Seats are firm, but supportive & come with lumbar support, the headrests aren't the best and seem to be fixed (At least I haven't found a way of adjusting them yet!) Rear legroom is very good & then there's the cavernous boot, that will swallow massive loads of luggage or shopping. The only minor things so far are the headlight washers don't always retract fully, but that will be corrected on a visit to the dealer and rain will trickle into the boot if you open the hatch very quickly, other than that the car is absolutely brilliant

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

This is an extremely practical and swift family car. The boot large, and deep - our Quinny Buzz child buggy will fit in both length and width ways with room to spare. The interior is comfortable and the trim in the vRS is good. If you are tall rear leg room in this mk2 octavia may be a bit tight. The ride on my car (17" wheels) is good although you do feel the larger potholes. It has a good balance between performance and economy with plenty of poke for effortless progress whilst returning up to 40mpg at 70 on the motorway ( 28-30 in town, about 35 overall). There is satisfaction to be had in heading for the back roads too, but it is at its best at about eight tenths rather than absolutely flat out. Mine has 116k miles on the clock and although not factory fresh still feels taut and squeak free. Problems: sunroof only works intermittently, Replace chrome gear knob trim, original car mats are woefully thin, laquer on the boot spoiler is peeling, air con has a leak and it suffered from a misfire when warming up (fixed this by cleaning the oil deposits from the intake system - a straightforward but time consuming job). This car replaced a MkII Vauxhall Zafira Design 1.9cdti (150) and for my family of 4 this octavia is much better - more fun to drive, more comfortable, more practical (yes - that boot is not only big, but a good shape), quieter on the motorway and only uses about 10 percent more fuel overall. It is not without its faults, but for £5k it is a great all round car.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

We chose the Skoda Octavia vRS because of its excellent claimed mpg and good performance, low tax (£30pa) and superb build quality. It is a good car but falls short of being an outstanding one. First the mpg, the best I have recently managed is 59mpg, running at 65mph on the M6 - way short of the claimed figures. The second gripe I have is about the ride, it's poor at best and not a patch on my 14 year old E46 M-Sport BMW, it jiggles and hops and struggles to put the power down on anything other than bone dry tarmac. The interior is boomy and noisy at speed which doesn't make for a relaxing motorway cruiser. Performance is strong but I don't understand why Skoda don't fit the more powerful diesel they use in the Superb. The manual gearbox is precise with a well weighted throw, although the clutch can be difficult to judge and on our car at least, has a high biting point. The interior is well laid out if a little bland and the seats feel a bit cheap, though very comfortable. On the plus side the interior is huge! We recently took a full-size dining table and all six chairs to Norfolk and the boot swallowed the lot! Equipment is good, and just recently sat-nav has been fitted as standard (we missed out on this by 10 days!) The only extras we specified were the winter kit for the heated windscreen and seats and upgraded stereo which we have had a few issues with, not least the fact that the sub-woofer adjustment only shows intermittently and the complete lack of CD player (deleted 2014). Extras I would recommend would be front parking sensors, as the corners are very difficult to judge and only rears are fitted as standard and leather seats. Would we buy a Skoda again? Debatable, it is generally a good car, but we are a little disappointed and when I have the choice of daily commute between this and my old BMW, it's the BMW keys that get picked up...

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

My Skoda Octavia vRS has been a faithful workhorse. Brilliant all-round car. However, I have fallen out of love with the brand. With 30k miles and at just four years old, I fell victim to the common (and very well-documented) problem of faulty water pumps. £600+ later I spoke to Skoda, pointing out that this was well-known with VAG motors. They were useless and hid behind the fact that I was out of warranty. My next car will be from a 5- or 7-year guarantee manufacturer.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Excellent car, the grip is almighty, xenon lights are fabulous and it's a very safe car. The only gripe now is the Bluetooth is not connecting and the setting for how bright you set the screen, I have it set to the brightest, it does not stay at this and goes dull.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Best car I've ever owned. Goes like stink when you want to but will happily potter around like a normal hatchback when you don't. Had a few niggles, cooling fan broke, air con broke, windscreen washers and the power socket went. But none of these can dent my love for the thing. The only negative is that on long journeys I find the seats uncomfy.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

After 2.5 years and 30,000 miles of Octavia vRS ownership, I would recommend this car to anyone. I love the way my car car looks in black, it's comfortable and drives very well. The looks first towards these cars, but the biggest asset is the size of the boot which is enormous. I've never had a problem with the DSG gearbox, and the only parts that needed replacing were the near side front brake caliper and wiper blades at the 4th MOT.

What's the one thing you like most about your car?

The looks

If you could improve one thing, what would it be?

Nothing!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Wonderful car until just after 3 years. Warranty ran out the a cascade of problems. Faulty actuator (common problem) but Skoda don't make that part so was told it needed a whole new turbo. Not even 28k miles. After 2 weeks for the car back and straight away noticed electrical faults with start stop and door mirrors. On the drive home clutch slipped when the boost kicked in. The garage quoted £700 just to diagnose the fault. Main dealer awful to help and refused to give a receipt for work. Skoda UK no help and closed my case as the car was out of warranty but a few weeks. Skoda finance said I would be charged if I return the car as it is not in good working condition. 3 years the worst car I have ever owned and in 30 days I have had such horrendous experience with all aspects of Skoda I will never buy one again.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Overall, the car is OK and drives well, but when it's been raining and the car is parked facing down a slope, the water runs off the tailgate into the drainage channels, they fill up with water and then the water spills over into the boot of the car - and I'm not talking about a few drops of water! Apparently this is a design fault and there is nothing Skoda can do to rectify the problem.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down