Popular car

[notflyingscot]

Cannot help notice the popularity of the Mk3 wagon here in Iceland. They are everywhere. Not uncommon to see three or four parked alongside each other in a parking lot. A high proportion of them also sporting 4x4 badging on rear which I suppose understandable given the climate here. Have not seen a single sedan that I can recall. Maybe they only sell wagons in this market.
Sadly our rental company didn't supply a Skoda but a Opel Astra Turbo. Handy enough performance but a gear linkage that feels as if composed entirely of rubber. Also quite a comparison from the clear and simple controls of the Mk7 Golf we had last week in Canada. This GM device has a central dash section with about 36 push buttons and four rotary controls all grouped together. As an unfamiliar rental, it's a nightmare. The only control I'm expert in using is the heater, needed here even in summer!
NFS

[readerr0r]

So they're the ones stealing our factory production slots!

[Gerrycan]

It seems that a lot of countries have their own particular favourites and while there should be some underlying strengths I think that the success of the local marketing plays a big part.
I can see why a 4x4 mk3 wagon would be popular there with its combination of price, internal space/versatility and handling (compared to the conventional soft-road SUV). Any country that produce an artist like Bjork would love the quirky Skoda adverts that don't really have broad Aussie appeal.
Mazda have been particularly successful with the long running 'zoom-zoom', Jeep's resurgence with the "I bought a Jeep" and escape imagery.
Ford are a company that has had no idea how to market their products here until they started copying what the others were doing for the Ranger/Everest range, and for their success with the Mustang they did best when they did nothing.
Have you seen the latest ad for the Kuga? Guy dressed as a rocket with their child 'inside' him - truly weird.

[woofy]

The "regional dealer of the year 2015" for Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler which is right near my office in Hawthorn and only opened a few years ago as part of the Bayford group that had VW next door completely shut down and closed the entire operation two weeks ago. Makes me wonder whether it was our declining AUD or the fact people realised we were paying way too much for what a cheap and pretty unreliable cars in the US. I don't think Mazda still do the zoom zoom anymore but it did work well to lift what had become a boring company at the time along with the new designs. I find with my Mk3 Octy compare to our Mk2, the simply clever stuff is gone, a lot of storage nooks and bits and pieces I loved putting things in are gone. And now realising had they used the electric brake like the Golf did there would be at least some more room around that area that seems pretty wasted with the handbrake (on the passenger awkward side now). The jumbo bin has lost some of the extra clips etc that used to be inside the lid as well. Centre dash console is now a speaker, no extra bits around the seat and in the RS at least the storage box under the passenger seat is gone.

[k_rider]

Yep, agreed that the Mk3 has taken some hits from the bean counters' knives. Evidence of cost cutting in quite a few places. That said, there have been a few upgrades along the way (at least in the RS variant), like the bi-xenon headlights, LED tail lights, the little LEDs above the interior door handles and in the overhead console, upgraded infotainment and the car does seem a bit quieter than my Mk2 - once the Soundaktor is turned down!

[woofy]

Hmm I never notice the LEDs above the door handles, is that a comfort pack thing or my blindness. I noticed the one in the console in front of the gearstick ala old ashtray location and the ones near the sunroof controls. Notice that there is no longer leather door cards and just a lot of hard shiny plastic in places there wasn't before. Even the jumbo box instead of having fibre sides is now hard plastic with just the felt on the back of the seatbelt buckle instead. Xenons etc have been built into the price locally, I paid 36k driveaway in 2008 for the sunroof RS hatch with a few options, the same thing is close to 45k so they haven't really given anything "free" in the Mk3, just crept the prices up over time.

[Gerrycan]

The Skoda range appear to be notably cheaper in the UK and Europe compared to VW according to those on Briskoda, but I cannot say the same is true here in Australia.
When I bought the Mk2 wagon in 2008 there was no VW equivalent, and when the Golf wagon appeared here a few years later in Mk5 form, the internal packaging was far less efficient. The Skoda was not much cheaper though
In 2014 when we got the mk3 wagon I did seriously look at what was on offer in the Golf mk7 wagon the packaging of which now compared more favourably with the mk3.
What swayed me to the Octavia was not price but the availability of a manual transmission, the better rear legroom a 20% more powerful engine (and slightly better consumption figures) and the fastback styling of the Octavia making it easier to load bikes in the back. The Golf only had multi-link rear suspension to offer and a 'swisher' interior. While it was sad the Octavia no longer had multi link rear suspension as standard on lower spec'd cars it has not proven to be a big issue for us.

Had there been a manual Golf wagon available at the time then the choice between the two would have a been a bit harder as VW's hold their price better, at least until Skoda get more public acceptance, rather than just critical, acclaim.

[k_rider]

Hmm I never notice the LEDs above the door handles, is that a comfort pack thing or my blindness. I noticed the one in the console in front of the gearstick ala old ashtray location and the ones near the sunroof controls. Notice that there is no longer leather door cards and just a lot of hard shiny plastic in places there wasn't before. Even the jumbo box instead of having fibre sides is now hard plastic with just the felt on the back of the seatbelt buckle instead. Xenons etc have been built into the price locally, I paid 36k driveaway in 2008 for the sunroof RS hatch with a few options, the same thing is close to 45k so they haven't really given anything "free" in the Mk3, just crept the prices up over time.

No idea if the LEDs above the door handles are a comfort pack thing or not, but they are pretty dim, so not surprised you haven't spotted them (assuming they're fitted in yours)! I didn't see them at first either, it wasn't until I was driving on an unlit rural road that I noticed them.
I ended up paying about $2k more (including 2 year extended warranty) for my Mk3 than my Mk2 (without extended warranty). Both loaded with all options available (except for non-metallic paint on the Mk3) at the respective times. Given the extra kit fitted to the Mk3, that's not a big increase, Mk3 cost cutting measures notwithstanding!

[afterdarker]

And here is what the police use in Porto, Portugal

[woofy]

Ah ok, have noticed the LEDs above the door handles inside. The new RS I find very dark but I put that down to the pano sunroof causing the middle interior light to not be there now compared to the smaller sunroof in my Mk2 sedan.

[ddizzle]

WTF? LEDs in the door handles? Never knew there were any. Gonna have a good look for mine when I get home!

[Gerrycan]

The Skoda range appear to be notably cheaper in the UK and Europe compared to VW according to those on Briskoda, but I cannot say the same is true here in Australia.
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I write the above a few days ago and then the 2017 Octavia comes out and it is a bargain!