VRS VS Levorg

[Alfa6]

Interesting review, these are the two cars that made my list to buy. Looks like I went the right way.

[HPRS230]

Yea very interesting.
"The Octavia RS adds adaptive dampers", are they on the current cars now? or have they got that wrong?
RS230 will not have them I'm told.

[code618]

+1 on the right choice
Skoda is larger, cheaper (depending on options), longer service intervals, better support, better looking (IMHO) and only marginally slower 0-100- no brainer

[Tuan]

+1 on the right choice
Skoda is larger, cheaper (depending on options), longer service intervals, better support, better looking (IMHO) and only marginally slower 0-100- no brainer

Well, it also depends on whether the buyer wants an Euro or a Japanese car

CVT a deal breaker ... YUCK !

[Jondalar]

+1 on the CVT deal breaker, plus "Levorg" to me is one of the most unappealing car names ever...

[woofy]

I've been waiting on this review, the sheer size difference means they are chalk and cheese. They seem the same but Subaru suck at interior space. This article also isn't comparing the same price group, to get half the stuff you need to spend 8k more to begin with and its still missing things Skoda has.

No accident Subaru have recently made their eyesight system standard on the Liberty either when Skoda did the same effectively with all Octavias. I think they are feeling the hurt a bit locally.

[Lams]

was excited to hear Levorg was coming, having seen some last year in Japan.
CVT killed it for us. If we wanted auto we would've gone Passat/Superb wagon!

[HPRS230]

A bit of movement on the Active Dampers with in the comments of that review.
I found the Spec sheet, March 2014. Would like to think the reviewers would have up to date info.
I'll keep a look out, Fingers crossed the Active Dampers come to Au soon.

"EDIT: Further to this, Matt Brogan advises that the car tested was fitted with an adaptive damper switch. We're making enquiries with Volkswagen/Skoda now."

[raraku]

I had a 2013 Subaru GT Premium and got rid of it earlier this year and replaced it with an Octavia RS.

Absolute chalk and cheese between the cars. I was incredibly disappointed in a large number of factors in the Subaru, I had a conventional 5Sp gearbox which was rubbish (would gear up/down randomly through roundabouts), had a significant amount of interior rattles, the best fuel economy I got on it was 13.1/100. The worst was the Subaru service and support (dealership specific I guess).

I've now had my Octavia RS since May and have loved every single km. I know there are 3 years between the cars but if the new Subaru is anything like a recently new one, I know I made the absolute right decision.

[Jondalar]

I had a 2013 Subaru GT Premium and got rid of it earlier this year and replaced it with an Octavia RS.

Absolute chalk and cheese between the cars. I was incredibly disappointed in a large number of factors in the Subaru, I had a conventional 5Sp gearbox which was rubbish (would gear up/down randomly through roundabouts), had a significant amount of interior rattles, the best fuel economy I got on it was 13.1/100. The worst was the Subaru service and support (dealership specific I guess).

I've now had my Octavia RS since May and have loved every single km. I know there are 3 years between the cars but if the new Subaru is anything like a recently new one, I know I made the absolute right decision.

Sounds like they didn't improve the gearbox from the 2004 Subaru Outback 3.0R Premium I had. Similar story with fuel use too. A totally clear sunroof was a deal breaker in Queensland too.

Cheers,
Karl

[DETROITCANDY]

That article pretty much sums it up, I sized the Levorg up before purchasing my RS wagon, suspected the same downfalls without actually test driving one. CVT is a deal breaker, if it had a proper 6sp auto box its shortfalls would possibly be worth overlooking. Whenever I mention a CVT gearbox to someone asking for advice on a car, if they don't know what a CVT gearbox is I say "go ahead and buy one, you're not going care". If they DO know what CVT stands for they generally are enough of an enthusiast to know to look somewhere else.
(just add, manual would be preference but auto is a must for our 'family' car. I don't want to go through that struggle at this stage in my life to teach someone how to drive a manual properly, DSG is best of both I think).

[HPRS230]

A bit of movement on the Active Dampers with in the comments of that review.
I found the Spec sheet, March 2014. Would like to think the reviewers would have up to date info.
I'll keep a look out, Fingers crossed the Active Dampers come to Au soon.

"EDIT: Further to this, Matt Brogan advises that the car tested was fitted with an adaptive damper switch. We're making enquiries with Volkswagen/Skoda now."

Reply form Old mate in the comments

"OK, finally we've got to the bottom of it all. The car tested had a Sport mode switch, which was assumed to change the mode for adaptive dampers we understood were fitted, as the spec list indicated.
The spec list you found on the public domain website was up to date elephino, but the specs we were working from were published by a dedicated media portal - and hadn't been updated by the company operating the site.
Upshot of it all: No adaptive dampers in this Octavia RS 162TSI...
Sorry to all for the confusion. "

[k_rider]

I'm (pleasantly) surprised at the quoted re-sale values, with Skoda holding better value than the Subaru after 3 years. Would've thought it'd be the other way around.
I believe the Subaru CVT is one of the better CV transmissions around. I do know the CVT in my son's Lancer is dreadful though...

[code618]

Well, it also depends on whether the buyer wants an Euro or a Japanese car

CVT a deal breaker ... YUCK !

I'd want to purchase the better car, irrespective of country of origin - Ie the Skoda

[aware]

RS is by far the better car and even more so when you look at the cost of them. Interesting to read about the poor suspension control in the Levorg - that was certainly my experience with Subaru, and the Skoda is by far the more composed vehicle.

I had a 2013 Subaru GT Premium and got rid of it earlier this year and replaced it with an Octavia RS.

Absolute chalk and cheese between the cars. I was incredibly disappointed in a large number of factors in the Subaru, I had a conventional 5Sp gearbox which was rubbish (would gear up/down randomly through roundabouts), had a significant amount of interior rattles, the best fuel economy I got on it was 13.1/100. The worst was the Subaru service and support (dealership specific I guess).

I've now had my Octavia RS since May and have loved every single km. I know there are 3 years between the cars but if the new Subaru is anything like a recently new one, I know I made the absolute right decision.

I had a 2014 XV before my Octy - the air conditioning made odd noises, (usually grinding), or wouldn't work some days, or would make the car idle erratically in traffic, electrical gremlins (sat nav was hopeless and would freeze), clunking suspension and the final straw was bubbling clearcoat in multiple spots around the car. All on a car with 6,000km (and some of the issues started within weeks of delivery) and Subaru responded with 'they all do that', or 'we can just keep fixing it'.

Parents also had a Forester of the same vintage (2.5i-S) - had a spot welding issue in the B-pillar and grinding noises on start up - and the auto boot had a mind of it's own. And the CVT, whilst being one of the better CVTs, was still a CVT. They bought a Scout just after I bought my Octavia.