103 vs 132

[tigger73]

Watching a very old episode of 'New Tricks' tonight. The Asian liaison officer joked that his name "Pushkar" was Hindi for Skoda.
Probably true for the time and I think that reputation still lingers here in Australia.

Honestly, I think you will find even the new Octavia a bit of a squeeze width-wise for three across the back for long journeys, and they are not going to get smaller over the next three years.
I think the diesel Mondeo is a wider and still has a big boot otherwise you are looking for a bigger diesel SUV. My friend is very pleased with his 2nd hand Toureg.

Yes wife says if I bring home a Skoda she'll have the divorce papers ready for me! Given that it's primarily my work car I've told her that I have to be happy driving it around. She wants a Jeep

A couple of the requirements (which I didn't say before) that the company I work for has is combined fuel economy has to be under 9.6l/100km and also has to be under 5 years old/140,000km. Which really means I have to buy something new or near new with low kms so that I stay under these limits. I know a larger SUV is probably what I need but there's 2 problems - budget and driver engagement/enjoyment/performance. In the ideal world I'd get a near new Q5 3.0TDI but these are $60k+ and same with a Touareg.

What I don't want to end up with is a larger SUV with a small engine and no grunt. I guess stepping out of a stage 2+ Tiguan is going to be a hard act to follow as it's a great mix of performance, price, driveability. Which is where I see the Skoda fitting somewhere in that equation of price/performance (without the badge of course!).

[Transporter]

I still have to get the wife over the line on this one... and I think that may be the biggest hurdle to me owning a Skoda (badge snob haha)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just tell her that in the automobile history it's a second oldest car manufacturer still producing the cars.

[brad]

• low km MkII vs new/demo Mk3 - is the extra $10-15k worth it?
• boot space - hatch vs. wagon
• road noise - hatch vs. wagon
• rear seat legroom for 3 kids (6, 9 & 11)

If I was buying right now I'd look a 2nd hand MK2. There are some great cars at good prices out there. When I bought the 1.8tsi in July 2008 there were no 2nd hand units around & a huge waiting list on Golf GTI & Golf GT with 2nd hand units at premium prices.

I have a hatch because when I bought the wagons were $1500 extra & hatches were getting free on-roads & delivery - effectively hatches were ~$5k cheaper than wagons . If I was doing it again I'd buy a wagon.

Minimal difference IMO. Both need extra insulation in the rear & careful attention to wheel alignment & tyre selection to minimise road noise.

My 162cm & 167cm kids don't complain about the legroom in the Octavia but we usually take the wife's (larger) company drive on long trips. If I was buying tomorrow & it had to fulfill family duties I'd look at a 2nd hand Superb twindoor. Fuel economy wouldn't be an issue because the money saved would pay for the extra fuel costs. They truly are a bargain buy.

[Paul_R]

For those that are interested, the Octavia was deemed (by my wife) to be too small across the rear and the lag with the DSG / petrol 132 combo in town was terrible. Absolutely no confidence in pulling into gaps and that was for me as well - dealer said afterwards that the car has a problem and they've put it into the workshop. I don't know I believe that.

Looked at Superb and Passat. Both very nice. Diesel and 6 speed DSG so much nicer to drive all round. Surprised how quick they are once on the move (remember I drive an R). I probably would have gone Superb but the deal VW are doing on a 130 Highline wagon makes them $7000 or $8000 cheaper at the mo. Superb just felt more expensive and refined although they need to fix the cruise control display so it actually displays the set speed...lol

Turns out the biggest issue for my wife was losing her high driving position from the SUV! The trip computer currently reads 21l/100km having not left town since last fill up. We've talked about priorities.

The other thing that swung her was the standard of service from our VW dealer when she went for the test drive. It is the best dealership I've ever had to deal with by far. She couldn't believe the standard of service / attentiveness compared to Skoda (who I'd describe as normal) and her Mazda dealer (shockingly bad on multiple occasions, both with sales and service).

Passat wagon it is then. Cheers.

[donweather]

Can't complain about choosing the passat. Good choice. I assume the deals are there to clear old stock before the new model comes out next year?

If your wide didn't like the delay on take off why not choose a manual? And all other reviews to date on the 132 have said it's impressively zippy.