MK3 Skoda Octavia vRS thoughts?

[Kenai]

I've averaged 39mpg (measured) since I got my 245, mixed driving but mostly commute or work driving.

Best tank so far was 45mpg, worst was 31mpg.

If your journeys are shorter though, expect less. As ahenners says above, the 245 gets the new 7 speed DSG (not the older problematic 7 speed box on low torque engines) which helps economy slightly vs the 6 speed when cruising. If you have a genuinely lead foot, there are owners in the various groups with lifetime averages around 25mpg. I dread to think what sort of abuse those cars are getting.

If you're looking at 245s, bear in mind the early ones were a 'special' of sorts and got a few extras as standard (cars ordered before Dec 17 iirc). 19" wheels, black pack, electric memory seats with additional adjustments, front park sensors, power fold mirrors, sports screens on infotainment, among others. You won't see these things on later 245s unless optioned but it can make newer cars comparatively cheaper if you're not interested in those things.

 

[agw_01]

Thanks guys, interesting points. Am I right in thinking that the Mk3 was introduced in 2013, with the 2017 model being the Mk3 facelift? I've always had a soft spot for the VRS, right from the Mk1. It's always been a bit of an underdog, a bit of a sleeper, and always something I wanted to own. I won't be rushing into anything, get the probationary period out of the way first before I start signing myself up for a new car, but at least I have plenty of time to research.

Do all the Mk3s come with the sports seats? Are they alcantara? I think I've seen a leather set with red stiching which I've fallen in love with but having full leathers in my ZT, would probably give them a miss.

Fuel economy sounds about where I was expecting. I average 42mpg in my MG ZT auto diesel which while it may seem low for a diesel, is about right for the auto. I used to average 34-35 in my previous petrol turbo cars with the same type of driving so I can easily stomach 38-39. I'd definitely want a petrol over a diesel. @Kenai, you mention a problematic box? What was it fitted to, just so I know to avoid!

 

[Kenai]

Am I right in thinking that the Mk3 was introduced in 2013, with the 2017 model being the Mk3 facelift?

Do all the Mk3s come with the sports seats? Are they alcantara?

@Kenai, you mention a problematic box? What was it fitted to, just so I know to avoid!

Yes, 2013 Mk3 launched, 2017 facelifted.

All mk3 vRS come with sports seats. Various combinations of cloth, leather, alcantara depending on what was optioned and what specific version of the vRS it was. Prefacelift 230 and facelift launch spec 245 and 245 Challenge get the upgraded electric seats standard. These have additional adjustments like the tilt of the base independently to the height and 4 way lumbar rather than 2 on the regular seats.

The problematic 7 speed DSG I referred to was never fitted to a vRS, only stuff like 1.0TSI, 1.6TDI etc. I only made the comment as some people seem to think the new 7 speed on the vRS is the same box. It's actually a totally different gearbox.

 

[sheriffwoody]

Hi all,

rather than start a new thread I thought I would hop into this one - hope the OP doesn’t mind.

I am in a similar situation and have been looking at 2016/17 VRS’s, petrol, manual, as my next car.

found a really nice 66 plate one about an hour from me, which has reduced in price a couple of times recently to around the £14k mark with only 11k miles on. Has heated seats and sunroof, but the old, small sat nav screen.

my concern is fuel economy - I know with the petrol version I am never going to see 50+ mpg, but Honest John and a lot of other people say they average around low to mid 30’s. I was hoping to achieve at least 40mpg as an average, which seems a bit of a stretch?

the other option I might go for is a Seat Leon 2.0TSI 190 DSG. Whilst these are about a second slower to 60 (about 7.2 seconds officially), they do seem to offer/achieve low to mid 40’s MPG on a run.
I am test driving a Leon tomorrow which is a year old and is just over £15k.

hand on heart, I prefer the Octavia, but the lack of warranty and slightly thirstier nature of the car might hinder me buying one?

Thoughts?

 

[MissChief]

Hi all,

rather than start a new thread I thought I would hop into this one - hope the OP doesn’t mind.

I am in a similar situation and have been looking at 2016/17 VRS’s, petrol, manual, as my next car.

found a really nice 66 plate one about an hour from me, which has reduced in price a couple of times recently to around the £14k mark with only 11k miles on. Has heated seats and sunroof, but the old, small sat nav screen.

my concern is fuel economy - I know with the petrol version I am never going to see 50+ mpg, but Honest John and a lot of other people say they average around low to mid 30’s. I was hoping to achieve at least 40mpg as an average, which seems a bit of a stretch?

the other option I might go for is a Seat Leon 2.0TSI 190 DSG. Whilst these are about a second slower to 60 (about 7.2 seconds officially), they do seem to offer/achieve low to mid 40’s MPG on a run.
I am test driving a Leon tomorrow which is a year old and is just over £15k.

hand on heart, I prefer the Octavia, but the lack of warranty and slightly thirstier nature of the car might hinder me buying one?

Thoughts?

You'll make 40MPG on a cruise controlled run at 60MPH unless you're going up and down the Pennine's every day. I doubt you'd see above 30MPG if you use it to commute with traffic lights or do short journeys.

 

[DereksDontRun]

I notice a lot of similar MPG questions with the VRS on the facebook group, way more than other car groups I've read. To me it's strange, it's designed/advertised as the sports version with a performance engine, etc. - hell "vRS" stands for Victory Rally Sport (or Victory Racing Sport according to other sources), so it's not designed as a hyper-miler... Either buy a sporty-ish car and enjoy that, putting MPG at the back of your mind, or if your get a hard-on for mpg then look at a diesel, something else, or just avoid "sport" models?

 

[Kenai]

I notice a lot of similar MPG questions with the VRS on the facebook group, way more than other car groups I've read. To me it's strange, it's designed/advertised as the sports version with a performance engine, etc. - hell "vRS" stands for Victory Racing Sport, so it's not designed as a hyper-miler... Either buy a sporty-ish car and enjoy that, putting MPG at the back of your mind, or if your get a hard-on for mpg then look at a diesel, something else, or just avoid "sport" models?

It's the softest of the sports variants VAG make and a proper 'jack of all trades', value for money car, that's why. If it was an Audi it wouldn't even have a special badge, it'd just be a 220-245bhp car.

You can use it to plod along mile munching and achieve 40+mpg (my trip home from work this evening was 43mpg) and on the weekend give it a hiding and have a respectably quick car.

Everyone has their ideal balance point where they want performance vs economy to meet and a 2.0T petrol with nearly 250bhp that returns 40mpg in the right conditions hits that sweet spot for many, especially in a cheap package like the Octavia.

If MPG was of zero concern at all, I'd be driving an old C63 or something instead.

 

[jpaul]

MPG is very commute specific .. I'd look at difference between your current commute average and wltp/spiritmoniter values, and extrapolate.
if I leave work 30minutes later mpg on the first few miles -20%

 

[Skully]

Hi all,

rather than start a new thread I thought I would hop into this one - hope the OP doesn’t mind.

I am in a similar situation and have been looking at 2016/17 VRS’s, petrol, manual, as my next car.

found a really nice 66 plate one about an hour from me, which has reduced in price a couple of times recently to around the £14k mark with only 11k miles on. Has heated seats and sunroof, but the old, small sat nav screen.

my concern is fuel economy - I know with the petrol version I am never going to see 50+ mpg, but Honest John and a lot of other people say they average around low to mid 30’s. I was hoping to achieve at least 40mpg as an average, which seems a bit of a stretch?

the other option I might go for is a Seat Leon 2.0TSI 190 DSG. Whilst these are about a second slower to 60 (about 7.2 seconds officially), they do seem to offer/achieve low to mid 40’s MPG on a run.
I am test driving a Leon tomorrow which is a year old and is just over £15k.

hand on heart, I prefer the Octavia, but the lack of warranty and slightly thirstier nature of the car might hinder me buying one?

Thoughts?

I had the 2016 230 petrol for 3.5 years. Averaged 30MPG across it's lifetime.

General driving I'd get about 27MPG, motorways at 60MPH I'd get between 50 and 55MPG easily.