Skoda Octavia vRS Estate
- The new family transport arrives
- Perfectly practical in every way. Almost.
- Petrol fun versus diesel economy?
- The SmartLink to the Octavia
- Big alloys and the inevitable happens...
- Octavia vRS Estate against the competition
- The magic of the vRS button
- The vRS 230 - worth the extra?
- Which child car seat for our Octavia?
- Our new Thule bike rack is pressed into service
- Our six months with the Octavia vRS come to an end
The new family transport arrives
David welcomes the new addition to the family - the Octavia vRS Estate. Will it prove the ideal speedy yet practical family hauler?
Date: 24 August 2015 | Current mileage: 244 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 34.6mpg
Now that I'm a parent - and supposedly a grown up - I should be driving a sensible car. But there's still part of me that hankers after a hot hatch. When I was 17 and had freshly passed my test, I lusted after a Golf GTI. This was 1995 so the Mk3 Golf was current, but there was a Mk2 parked down our road - red obviously - and it was always a car I wanted.
Sadly I never got my Golf GTI. In fact I'm ashamed to say that after all these years, I've never actually owned one. I did possess a TDI Golf for short period but it was hardly the same. Now I'm in my late 30s - and with a six month old in tow - the chances of that Golf GTI look more distant than ever. As my old man would say, you've got two hopes...
So why all this talk of GTIs? Well I may not currently have a GTI but fortunately I'll be spending six months with the Skoda equivalent. The Skoda Octavia vRS. True the badge may not quite have the same allure as GTI but the vRS brand has carved out a niche as a Czech alternative to the Volkswagen hot hatch.
I have been quite sensible in going for an estate rather than the hatch. Don't get me wrong, the hatch is pretty impressive when it comes to boot space, but the Octavia Estate is positively cavernous. And as I've quickly learnt - our baby girl may be small but the amount of stuff that accompanies her on any extended trip away would give a Led Zeppelin world tour a run for its money. Two weeks in and we're already enjoying the big boot, especially compared to the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer we ran previously.
Our Octavia vRS looks surprisingly good in its Meteor Grey paint
Still, I've managed to balance the common sense approach of having an estate by sticking with the 2.0 TSI petrol engine rather than the far more judicious choice of the TDI. That is of course because the TSI is the same 220PS engine that's used in the Golf GTI. Did I mentioned I like a Golf GTI?
That gives the Octavia wagon a 0-62mph acceleration time of 6.9 seconds. Unsurprisingly I won't be testing that out with my missus next to me and little girl in the back, but the vRS does have strong in gear performance thanks to the turbocharger, so it's great when joining a fast flowing A1 from one of the short sliproads that seem to litter our section in Bedfordshire.
I've added a few optional extras to our vRS. The Black Design Package plus was a must. It is £800 but it adds 19-inch Xtreme alloys (the name itself it worth the money surely), privacy glass and a black gloss finish on the door mirrors and grille. I also went for the vRS leather upholstery with heated front seats for £925, Bluetooth+ at £200 and heated folding mirrors for £175. In a nod to being practical, I also included the double sided boot floor which seems a no brainer at £75 plus the front and rear parking sensors for £350.
Without even trying I have actually managed to add around £3800 of options to the price of our Octavia vRS. Ouch. But coming in at £28,840 it still represents a lot of car for the money in my opinion. Mind you the colour choice was a bone of contention. I was all for something bright like the Rallye Green that's become a vRS signature colour. But my other half was far from keen, so we compromised on what turned out to be a very fetching Meteor Grey. It's not a colour I'd immediately choose, but in the metal, it suits the Octavia vRS perfectly.
Perfectly practical in every way. Almost.
We've got deep praise for the enormous boot the Octavia Estate possesses. In fact when it comes to practicality it's pretty much perfect. Almost.
Date: 11 September 2015 | Current mileage: 691 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 35.0mpg
Moving from the rather compact BMW 2 Series Active Tourer to a Skoda Octavia Estate is rather like moving from a bijou one bed apartment in town to a family house on a new housing development. It may not quite have the prestige, but the increase in room is very welcome. And in our case, necessary.
At first we enjoyed so extra much room in the Octavia we didn't quite know what to do with it all. We can now put our iCandy Strawberry pushchair in the boot and it only takes up half the space. In the BMW it was pretty much just pushchair and nothing else.
Naturally we've now managed to fill all the extra space we once revelled in. What with I'm not sure, but the boot seems littered with ever more child-related kit. Like the Cub Scouts, we're always prepared for any eventuality. As long as that eventuality requires a Rusk and some baby wipes. But having the luxury to just throw things in the boot without performing some sort of Jenga manouevre is very welcome when you have a tired and wriggly six month old in your arms.
Of course Skoda is well know for its 'Simply Clever' features. Things designed to make every day life easier. Such as the ticket holder in the windscreen. True, it's only a small bit of plastic that probably costs a few pence, but it means you can easily put your parking ticket there without having to stick it to the window or have it blow across the dash and disappear.
One of Skoda's best 'Simply Clever' features is the ice scraper in the fuel filler cap
Then there's the 1.5-litre bottle holder in both front door pockets and the ice scraper built into the fuel filler cap. As someone who never has an ice scraper to hand and ends up using my Visa Debit card, this will be great come those cold winter morning.
But it's the boot area which has really impressed. The basic design is spot on with a wide square opening, no intrusion from those pesky rear lights and and a low lip. There are more 'simply clever' features here including useful bag hooks - really handy when you want to stop your eggs getting broken by pushchair wheels. We also like the little through-hatch behind the armrest which lets you access the boot from the back of the car. This has come to the rescue several times when we've tucked Treetop the lion away in a bag...
When it came to options for the Octavia vRS the one that has stood out for me is the reversible boot floor. At just £75 it has proved to be the best value bit of kit we invested in. With carpet on one side and a hardwearing rubber cover on the other, it's ideal for sticking the pushchair on, especially after a wet and muddy walk, without worrying about marking the carpet.
The only thing that slightly lets the Octavia Estate down for us is the boot cover. It's handy that it retracts when you push the handle down, but we often find it coming out of the runners when we're in a hurry and trying to slide it into place. And that results in it getting creased which only makes the problem worse. The Octavia hatch comes with a clever folding boot cover, but there's nothing similar on the estate due to the design. Still, that's the only one small flaw we could find in a car that is truly 'simply clever'.
Petrol fun versus diesel economy?
We chose the Octavia with the TSI petrol engine. It may suit the vRS perfectly but would we have been better off with the more economical TDI diesel?
Date: 25 September 2015 | Current mileage: 804 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 35.0mpg
I wouldn't say I was particularly reckless as a youngster, after all I was only arrested once as a student. But having a family has made me more sensible. Especially when it comes to money. Going out for dinner is a distant memory now we have a six-month-old and I've never studied the cost of nappies so much in my life. On the plus my eBay feedback is 100 per cent positive.
Being frugal is now all the rage in our house. We're all about the money-off coupons and 2 for 1 vouchers whenever we're out shopping. If there's a discount, we'll find it out. So naturally when it came to our family car, we chose something economical. Ah...
You see I really should have gone for the TDI version of the Octavia vRS. It's the latest 2.0 TDI engine with 184PS - the same engine you'll find in the Volkswagen Golf GTD, SEAT Leon FR and Audi A3 among many others. It's quiet, smooth and has 380Nm of torque - 30Nm more than the petrol - meaning strong pulling power. You can even get it as a 4x4.
It's also reasonably economical. The official Skoda figures say it is capable of 62.8mpg in the estate version while Real MPG shows owners are seeing 48.5mpg in real word driving. That's some way short of the official figure - a trend we've seen increasing over the last 10 years - but at close to 50mpg it's not bad for a sporty diesel estate.
The TDI and TSI versions of the Octavia vRS look identical on the outside
The petrol on the other hand is considerably more thirsty. I'm seeing around 34mpg - similar to what Real MPG users are getting - while the claimed figure is 44.8mpg. So on paper the diesel is by far the better option. So what about performance? Well admittedly it's not as quick on paper from 0-62mph with a time of 8.0 seconds compared to 6.9 seconds for the TSI, but in everyday driving it feels just as strong under acceleration.
So the question remains - why on earth didn't I chose the TDI? Especially as it only costs an extra £245 to buy. Well for me the vRS is already sensible enough. Strip away the badges, spoilers and posh exhaust and this is still a practical Octavia Estate. Surely the fun element of the vRS is all about the engine - and the lovely TSI petrol is one of the best out there. I know that if I'd have chosen the TDI, I'd always be envious every time I saw a TSI vRS on the road. If you chose a performance focussed car like a vRS, you may as well enjoy it.
It would be different if I was doing big miles of course. For pounding up and down the motorway - or as a company car choice - the TDI is the perfect choice. Especially as you get all the looks of the vRS, as well as the lowered ride height and sports supension, but with a frugal engine.
But our vRS spends most of its time in and out of towns, along country lanes and occassionally gets a longer trip down the A1 to London. Our mileage is relatively low so the petrol makes sense, especially as there's no DPF to worry about and petrol is cheaper at the pumps. I'll have enough time for diesels when I'm older, but for now this could be my lust hurrah with a petrol hot hatch.
The SmartLink to the Octavia
The Octavia comes with the latest Skoda SmartLink system allowing you to pair your phone. Is it genuinely useful or just a gimmick?
Date: 9 October 2015 | Current mileage: 1103 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 35.4mpg
The relationship between smartphones and in-car entertainment systems has never been a great one. The problem is that while mobile phone technology advances very quickly, in-car systems don't. It was the same story several years ago with iPods and MP3 players. Some systems were compatible but most not unless you had a special cable, while the various interfaces used to control your music player were rarely very user-friendly.
Things are changing though. Finally. And we are seeing in-car systems that are now compatible with smartphones. And that includes SmartLink in our Octavia. This mirrors your phone screen on the touchscreen display so you can control different functions on the move. Well we say 'mirrors' but that's not quite true.
You see, I'm coming to this as an iPhone person. I did have a shortlived and painful sojourn with a Blackberry once but thankfully it didn't last. So with my iPhone 5S I can connect to the Skoda through Apple CarPlay. It won't work on an iPhone 4S by the way as my other half found out much to her frustration.
Apple has finally realised the potential of in-car systems and with CarPlay has created a simple and easy to use system. It doesn't really mirror your phone screen as SmartLink would with an Android phone, but it does give you the key things you'll want to use on the move. So you can use maps, listen to music and - most usefully - read and reply to text messages. It also works with Siri.
Skoda touchscreen display is clear and simple to use
The display is nice and simple as you can see above. It's maybe not as impressive as the Android system where it mirrors the actual phone screen, but when it comes to user-friendliness, CarPlay is great - as you'd expect from an Apple design.
But it does feel somewhat limited. There are only a few apps you can download in addition to the standard Apple ones. Spotify is perhaps the most useful one for me as I listen to most of my music that way now. With a six month old in the back, being able to quickly find some Rockabye Baby to help her go to sleep is very handy. Sometimes Saturday afternoon football on Radio 5 Live just won't do the trick.
There are a couple of audiobook apps, plus Stitcher and Rdio - online radio apps - but there's enough on DAB to keep me occupied. Apart from that there's little else. It seems a bit lightweight, as though there's more potential there that's not being used. I'd have thought apps for locating the cheapest petrol prices near you or a restuarant finder would be handy. Maybe even one for days out with locations of National Trust properties and their opening times.
Maybe I'm being over critical. The ability to connect my iPhone to the in-car system (albeit it using a wire still) is impressive. SmartLink superseded MirrorLink in Skoda cars from 25th May 2015 so if you're looking at a used car it's important to check what you're getting if you want the system. MirrorLink is fine for Android but doesn't work with iPhone and there's no way of upgrading from MirrorLink to SmartLink.
The thing is, I barely use it. Maybe if I spent all day in my car I'd fine the messaging system handy, but I rarely get any messages than I have to respond to straight away. I'm not that important. And the Skoda navigation system is very good and doesn't rely on 4G as my phone does. So while it's impressive and looks great, in practical terms I never use it. Maybe I'm just a luddite...
Big alloys and the inevitable happens...
Our vRS comes with the Black Design Package which includes 19-inch alloy wheels. And after a few months the inevitable has happened...
Date: 23 October 2015 | Current mileage: 1196 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 33.5mpg
When I specified our Octavia vRS, I tried to be sensible but I couldn't resist the Black Design Package Plus. It is only £800 but adds privacy glass and a black gloss finish on the door mirrors and grille. But the best extras are the wonderfully named 19-inch Xtreme alloys. These replace the standard 18-inch wheels, which are already good looking, and help the vRS look that little bit more sporty.
My problem is I'm easily swayed by big alloy wheels - which was evident when I ran an Audi A6 3.0 TDI. And inadvertently created a Black Edition A6 before there was such a thing. Certain cars lend themselves to bigger wheels. The A6 was one and the Octavia vRS is another. It may only be another inch, but the 19-inch wheels make a considerable difference to the way the vRS looks.
With its lowered sports suspension, they really fill those arches. Combined with the black finish on the grille and the Meteor Grey paintwork, I'm really pleased with how our Octavia vRS looks. It may not be a traditional sporty colour like red, but it still has plenty of road presence. Plus I've not seen another vRS this colour on the road yet. And I'm always one for having a car that's a little bit unusual.
I love the design of the Xtreme alloy wheels. The telephone dial-esque look is reminiscent of those fitted to the Alfa 156 GTA albeit with a dark grey finish. And despite their big size and the low profile tyres, the ride of the Octavia vRS is still very comfortable. It's what make the Skoda such a great all-rounder.
Kerbing looks worse than it is. And it looks awful
However, there is a downside to having big alloys. And it's that they can be easily kerbed. I suppose it was inevitable - and I'm impressed we managed two months of them being pristine - before one day I noticed a horrible scuff on the passenger side front wheel. According to my other half who was parking it in Baldock at the time, the offending kerb was much bigger than it first looked. So while trying to squeeze into a parallel parking spot, and with a screaming child in the back, the Octavia wheel took a smack.
It's not that bad at all. It's more a scuff than a proper kerbing, but on dark grey wheels this big, any small mark is going to be very noticeable. And I'm one of those people that hates having any damage or the like on my car.
So I will get it fixed in the next few weeks and get the Octavia vRS back to looking its pristine best. Either that or I'll let it get very dirty over the winter and hope no one notices. Wheel kerbings aside, the Octavia has also developed a bit of a problem when changing from second to third gear. It often doesn't want to go easily into third and takes a few attempts.
Strangely, it seems to happen more when you're driving slowly and changing gear gently. Although even when you're going quicker, it does occur. I'm not sure what's causing it as every other gear change is fine and there are no issues coming down from fourth to third. It's something I'll keep an eye on over the next few weeks.
Octavia vRS Estate against the competition
Our Octavia vRS is a rare breed. A performance compact estate for £25k. So what else can you get for the same money?
Date: 6 November 2015 | Mileage: 1344 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 32.2mpg
If you want a performance-based compact estate like our Octavia vRS, there are actually very few cars around to choose from. So looking at the competition, the short list is very err, short. And most of the alternatives do in fact come from the same Volkswagen stable as the Octavia.
They also have more power than our 220PS 2.0 TSI vRS. So if you want more performance there's the SEAT Leon Cupra ST which uses the same engine but with power turned up to 280PS. But then you do pay for that extra power - the Leon Cupra ST starts at £29,670 - around £4500 more than our Octavia vRS.
There's also the even more powerful Volkswagen Golf R Estate which has no less than 300PS along with four-wheel drive and a DSG auto box as standard. The price? A hefty £33,585. And if you want to go more premium there's the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG Shooting Brake for a mere £43,510. The only other real petrol alternative we could think of was the Vauxhall Insignia VXR. It's slightly bigger though and at £31,919 considerably more expensive.
Suddenly the £25k for our Octavia vRS Estate looks good value. Even with the options on our car, including electric leather seats and the Black Design Package plus, it's still less than £29,000. But one natural competitor does stand out - the Ford Focus ST Estate. Now available with TDCI diesel power as well as a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol, it's the main alternative to the Skoda.
Focus ST Estate is the only natural rival for the petrol Octavia vRS
A mid-level Focus ST-2 Estate is priced at £25,345 - so only a few hundred pounds more than our Octavia vRS. And in terms of equipment it's similar too. Like the Octavia you have to pay extra for navigation and metallic paint but it does come with figure-hugging Recaro leather sports seats as standard. Leather is £925 extra on the vRS.
The Focus wins on power with 250PS compared to the 220PS in the Octavia and that means it's quicker from 0-62mph. Only slightly quicker though taking 6.7 seconds compared to the 6.9 seconds of the vRS. Of course these figures are only on paper. In real world driving both feel equally as quick. The big difference is in the nature of the two.
While the Octavia vRS feels like an estate with a dash of hot hatch-ness added in - it's civilised, easy to drive and refined - the Focus ST is every inch a hot hatch that happens to be an estate. It's lively under acceleration and struggles for front end grip in most situations, particularly in the wet. The ride is firmer, the seats clamp round you and it has an unbelievably short first gear. Often it's easier to pull away in second.
The two cars offer very different things. The Focus is far more involving to drive and on a summer's day on the perfect roads, it's in its element. But in everyday driving, such as sitting on the A1 in the rain, the Octavia is far easier to live with and actually easier to drive quicker. The Skoda also has a considerably bigger boot with 610 litres of space - 134 litres more than the Focus.
While I like the Focus ST for what it offers, as an everyday car I'd always go for the Octavia vRS. It's a better all-rounder and far more relaxing. Yet still offers enough performance when you want it, without the need to compromise on comfort. The ultimate test? My other half loves the Octavia vRS but found the Focus ST far too uncomfortable to drive.
The magic of the vRS button
The Octavia vRS comes with a grandly named Performance Mode Selection button. And it's always on in our car - but for reasons you might not imagine.
Date: 20 November 2015 | Current mileage: 1791 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 32.7mpg
I'm not always a fan of too many various settings in a car. I know most Audi models come with various settings in Drive Select but I'm the kind of person that just leaves everything in 'auto'. Yes I sound old but I always think that a car should be set up to be capable in all conditions and I'm never that convinced by the differences the various driving modes give you.
I'm not saying it's a gimmick - the fact that you can tailor how your car drives and feels is something I could only dream of when I got my first car - a 1980 yellow Ford Fiesta with a MW-only radio. And not even a cassette player. But the standard settings should surely suit the car best?
However, my mind might just have been changed thanks to our Skoda Octavia. It has a vRS button that has several modes - Normal, Sport, Eco and Individual. The different set-ups basically change the throttle response and the gearshifts (if you choose a DSG) plus the sound of the engine.
And it's the latter of these which is the reason the vRS button is always illuminated in our car. Of course it's not actually the sound of the engine. Switch that button on and from the outside no one notices any difference. But in the cabin, it's all hot hatch noise. That's thanks to the 'Performance Sound Generator'. Yes that's a thing. It basically creates an engine noise inside for you all to enjoy.
The Octavia vRS gets a well deserved spruce up
Now usually that would annoy me. And indeed when I first drove our Octavia vRS and turned it on, I very soon switched it off again. But there is an added benefit. You see our seven month old daughter isn't always that keen on sleeping in the car. To put it mildly. But the engine sound recreated by the magic vRS button sends her off in seconds.
In fact it's so good, she no longer wakes up when we stop in traffic. As long as I keep blipping the throttle and she can hear the noise, we're treated to sleepy times. Although what the person next to me at the traffic lights thinks is anyone's guess. I'm certainly not offering to have a drag race at the next green light.
So sporty vRS button aside, the Octavia Estate has been treated to a wash this week. The filthy weather has done few favours to the nice Meteor Grey paint - it seems to attract dirt especially at the back. Which isn't great when you have to lean into the boot to lift a pushchair out. Cue dirty jeans.
The slightly reluctant gear shift from second to third seems to have cured itself too, so the Octavia is now running perfectly. I've decided not to put winter tyres on this year (which could come back to bite me) but as the weather is so mild at the moment, I'll hold off until 2016 and might even just stick with the standard tyres throughout.
The vRS 230 - worth the extra?
There's a new Octavia on the block. And it's better than ours. Dammit. So is the vRS 230 worth the extra £2000.
Date: 8 December 2015 | Current mileage: 2177 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 33.3mpg
So there I am being all smug in my sporty Octavia vRS thinking it's posher than all those normal Octavia Estates when, boom! Suddenly I'm yesterday's news. Because our Octavia vRS has already been usurped by a shiny new - and better model. The Octavia vRS 230.
It's not a huge boost in power - only an extra 10PS over the standard 220PS Octavia vRS - but it does cost an extra £2120. That's a hefty premium, pushing the basic price to £27,550 for the estate. So is it worth the money?
Well it's much more than just an extra 10PS you get for your money. Skoda is billing the 230 in a similar way to Volkswagen's Golf GTI Performance - and it gets a similar mechanical locking front differential. This works by directing 100 per cent of the engine torque to either front wheel if needed. The idea being that it gives you more traction when exiting a slow corner.
And in terms of standard kit, Skoda has given the vRS 230 a lot more equipment with leather seats including electrically adjustable and heated front seats, electric mirrors and the Amundsen touchscreen navigation. To make it stand out, the 230 also gets the Black Design Package plus - which we chose as £800 extra for our car. This adds the 19-inch Xtreme alloy wheels (in black rather than the grey of the normal vRS) plus black mirrors caps, grille and roof rails. Of course just to be sure, it also has a '230' badge down the side - although the car in our pictures doesn't have them.
Octavia vRS 230 gets subtle styling extras over the standard vRS
Unless you're a real Octavia vRS aficionado, you're unlikely to notice the differences. But those in the know (and are a bit geeky like me) will spot the black exhausts and the black 'v' on the vRS badge rather than the standard grey. Inside though, the 230 is identical to the standard vRS - with the exception of the leather heated sports seats, something which cost an extra £925 in our car.
In everyday driving, you won't notice the extra 10PS power. The increase in power is more a token change in order to differentiate the two vRS versions. It's the front diff that makes a big difference, but will only be appreciated by those who drive their vRS with gusto. With the kids in the back you're unlikely to ever see the benefit, but if you are able to find a twisty bit of road, you will notice a marked improvement in traction from a slow corner.
The 230 also gets a 13mm lower ride height which does mean the ride is noticeable firmer. Our standard vRS is fitted with identical 19-inch Xtreme alloys, yet is much smoother and forgiving over rough roads. It's simply a more comfortable car.
In terms of value for money, you do get a lot with the vRS 230 for your £27,500. The basic price of our vRS is £25,030 but with all the extras, including most of those found on the 230, it comes out at £28,840. While I like the extra traction of the new diff, the ride is slightly too firm for me - and in everyday driving there's little difference between the two - 0-62mph is only 0.1 seconds quicker. For me, getting a standard vRS and adding the options you want makes more sense.
Which child car seat for our Octavia?
It's time to upgrade to a new car seat for our 8 month old but which is the best for the Octavia?
Date: 22 December 2015 | Current mileage: 2488 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 33.8mpg
Amazingly our little girl is now eight months old and already very keen on standing up. Walking doesn't look like it's too far away either. Yet it doesn't seem any time that we were coming home from hospital with her. Back then it was in a BMW 2 Series Active Tourer with her safely strapped into a BeSafe iZi baby seat. Happy times.
But our daughter is growing up fast and already gets fussy when having to lie down in her baby seat. The iZi should be good for up to 15 months but it's become very apparent that she's going to be a very determined little girl. So we've decided to upgrade to something that will let her sit a bit more upright. So what to buy and what will fit in the Octavia?
When you start to look into buying car seats, you'll find a huge choice of different makes and models. It can be quite baffling in fact, so having some idea of what you want it do to helps. For us, we wanted a car seat that would last several years, having already invested in a seat that's only been used for 8 months we don't want to do have to buy another one anytime soon.
We also wanted one that swivelled - we have friends and family who have these and they've all highly recommended them. This narrows the choice down considerably but also ups the price. The 360 swivelling seats are all top of the range and cost from around £375 to £400. The good news is that not only do they make it far easier to get your little one in and out, they also can change from rear facing to forward facing. The bad news is that they're all big hefty units and won't fit onto a pushchair.
All smiles and happy in her new Nuna car seat!
So of the four swivelling seats on the market - the Cybex Sirona, Britax Dualfix, Maxi-Cosi AxissFix and Nuna REBL - we went for the the Nuna. It's not a name we'd heard of before but after comparing them all we felt the REBL suited us best. You can read a full review of it here. Most of our friends have the Cybex which is available in a great range of colours including the signature burnt orange. However, after trying it out we found the Nuna to be easier to use.
It's not cheap at £395. And it took us a long time to decide this was the right one. Like most parents, money is tight so we have to make sure that what we're investing in will last. Reassuringly, it feels a top quality product too and we reckon it will have no problem lasting four years and still being in good condition. Even when it does get covered in bits of biscuit and half chewed banana. Lovely.
What we didn't know was that the Nuna is actually suitable from birth so we could have actually saved money by choosing this in the first place, had it been on sale then. Although getting a newborn in and out doesn't seem that easy. And they say never wake a sleeping baby, so the extra money of a portable car seat is well worth it.
We checked on the Nuna website to make sure the REBL would fit in our Octavia. It lists the hatchback rather than the estate so we made sure by testing one out at our local Mothercare. If you're buying a new seat, we'd always suggest you try it for size in your car if you can. Most shops like Mothercare and John Lewis will let you. The angled sports seats of our Octavia aren't the best for baby seats which are happier on a more horizontal base, but it's still secure thanks to the footrest.
So now we have one much happier little girl and a quality car seat that will last her until she's four-years-old. Which means happy parents!
Our new Thule bike rack is pressed into service
David has always been a fan of towbar mounted bike carriers but will a new Thule bike rack change his mind?
Date: 12 January 2016 | Current mileage: 2703 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 33.5mpg
When I'm not driving up and down the A1 or preventing my small child from eating the plug sockets, I try and go out on my bike. That's push bike rather than motorbike. As I fast approach the age of 40 I'm realising that many of my shirts seem to be strangely shrinking. Especially around the middle. So in an attempt to try and avoid the dreaded middle-aged spread, I occassionally venture out to do some pedalling.
I have to admit that I'd fallen out of love with cycling on road. When I was younger I absolutely loved getting on my bike and would venture all over the shop. So getting back into cycling in my mid 30s was a little daunting. It did however give me the chance to buy a new bike. I settled on a hybrid - a Hoy Shizuoka to be precise - and I'm once again enjoying being out in two wheels again.
The cold weather recently hasn't been too much of an incentive, but it did give me a chance to look at a new bike rack for moving my bike around when the warmer weather comes. I'm planning to do the BHF London to Brighton ride this summer, so will need to train where there are some inclines.
I've never been a fan of bike racks. I remember having a cheap one when I was younger with straps that kept slipping and a metal frame that damaged the boot. It put me off them completely. Last year when I was running a Volkswagen Transporter I used a towbar mounted bike carrier which I much prefer. But with no tow bar on our Octavia my options were limited. So I started searching around for a bike carrier. First stop was the Thule website and I came across this - the Thule Raceway.
Thule Raceway bike carrier is expensive but it's a great bit of kit
Thule describes it as 'revolutionary' and the most secure and easiest to use rear mounted bike carrier. It should be given the high price. This thing retails at £280 - although if you shop around you can find it cheaper. We found the two bike model (there's also a three) online for £250 with free postage. But that's still the same price as a proper towbar mounted carrier.
It's easy to check if the Raceway will fit on your car via the Thule website. Although what's surprising is the number of cars that the Raceway doesn't fit. Our Octavia Estate is fine but some very common models, like the Honda Civic, BMW 5 Series Touring and latest Ford Focus (hatch and estate) are not on the list.
Get it out of the box though and you quickly realise this is not your ordinary bike carrier. It's hefty - indeed it tips the scales at almost 10kg - and feels like a quality bit of kit. The instructions are reasonably simple but the carrier is pretty intuitive to set up anyway. We set it at the right fit for the Octavia and thanks to the rubber ends it sits on the boot, allowing you to sort the straps out. You do have to open the tailgate to just the right angle to get the hooks in, but tightening the straps is a doddle thanks to a clever ratchet system and big easy-to-grip rubber twisters - what Thule calls FitDial.
And that's it. Fitted and ready to go. It's a secure and solid fit too and thanks to rubber ends and covers on the straps, there's no worry about it damaging the grey paintwork on our vRS. It gives you plenty of confidence when driving that it's not going to move about or worst of all - fall off. With my Hoy on the back (yes I have realised my bike and car now match...) the only problem is that the number plate is obscured. My other criticism is the lock system. You can only lock the outer bike and the lock itself seems flimsy. I wouldn't rely on it if I left bikes on the back when parked up for any length of time.
But aside from that, the Thule is excellent. It's a long way from those old flimsy and rattly bike carriers I remember. And it's so quick and simple to fit. At long last it seems I have no excuse for not getting out on my bike....
Our six months with the Octavia vRS come to an end
After six months our Octavia vRS Estate is departing and we're going to miss the sporty Skoda very much.
Date: 16 February 2016 | Current mileage: 4077 | Claimed economy: 44.8mpg | Actual economy: 33.6mpg
When you first have children, people are always very keen to tell you to enjoy those early years as your little one 'grows up so fast'. In our house it's often the grandparents who like to remind you how the time goes so quickly and it only seems yesterday that you were in short trousers. I'll be honest, when our 10 month old is screaming her head off at 2am and won't sleep, the nights don't exactly fly by...
Yet conversely, it doesn't seem any time at all since our Octavia vRS arrived. Yet it's been six months since the Skoda arrived, all resplendent in its battleship Meteor Grey. And it's proved a hit with the family from day one.
My other half absolutely loves it. And she's rarely one to be bothered by what car we're in, let alone actually go as far as to like it. And I have to say that I've also really been impressed by the Octavia. Of course I knew about the Octavia's talents before KU15 VYM arrived, but the last six months have served to prove to me just what a superb car it is.
As a family motor that's also genuinely sporty, the Octavia vRS is pretty much perfect. There are few cars I would describe as such, but the Skoda is up there. Why? Well it gives you all the performance you need in a car that rides superbly, even on 18-inch wheels, along with a cavernous and practical interior. Plus of course there's that huge boot.
Cavernous Octavia means our iCandy Strawberry 2 easily fits with room to spare
The picture above is a typical day for our Octavia. Parked at Waitrose about to embark on another shopping trip for nappies (and baby wipes), with our iCandy Strawberry 2 pushchair in the back. What's so good about the Octavia is the length of the boot and the height. It means we can put all our shopping up against the backs of the seats and then stick the pushchair in front. And we can still slide the luggage cover over the top. Something we found we couldn't even do on a Range Rover Sport recently.
It's the all-round ability of the vRS which has been so impressive. It's so easy to drive and comfortable around town thanks to the forgiving ride. My other half loves how easy it is to park too - she's used to a Volkswagen Polo so a bigger estate can seem quite daunting.
On the motorway it's effortless thanks to the smooth turbocharged engine and the 350Nm of torque. True it's not been especially economical - we've seen around 33mpg over six months which is some way short of the claimed 45mpg - but it's not bad for a car with 220PS that can also haul a hug boot full of child-related gear. We've not done a hugh number of miles in it, around 4000 in six months, so economy may very well improve with more miles in the clock.
The Octavia is going to be sorely missed. So much so that my other half is now looking to see how much a PCP deal is on a new one. That's how much it's made an impression on us. Skoda has taken what was a very worthy family estate and made it into a genuinely great performance car. And a great looking one at that. The Octavia still gets plenty of attention now. What comes to replace it has big shoes to fill.
