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RS162 Wagon - New Owner 1st Impressions
So I finally picked the Wagon! Now, I'll admit there's a lot about the car I still don't know but after driving it for a day (around 100k's) and a mix of city and Hwy driving here's what I've found so far:
-A lot quieter than I was expecting after reading reviews where ppl bagged its NVH. Some even comparing it to the Mazda... and as a Mazda owner, I can tell you first hand this car is MILES ahead in that department. In Eco Mode the Octavia is whisper quiet.
-Suspension definitely not as hard as I thought it would be. Again, reviews online mention it being a bit too busy and too harsh for a family car. God knows what Cadillacs these guys have for a daily driver 'cause if anything I thought the suspension was a bit soft (more on that later).
-Love Love Love Android Auto! How could I live so long without you?? Just need a few more apps but it's clearly on the right track. Being able to just press a button on the steering wheel and dictate/reply to a sms (or Whatsapp) is ridiculously handy! Again, Mazda's infotainment should be ashamed of itself. Only thing I miss is the speed/redlight camera warnings. If there's such an option in the Octavia I haven't found it yet!
-The Canton sound system is good. Not amazing but good. I was expecting a lot more bass/kick for the price. Then again it may be better when listening to a decent CD. I tried mostly radio and Pandora (high quality settings).
- Steering becomes a bit too heavy at speed. Like, unnecessarily so... no deal breaker and I'll probably get used to it. But coming from a car with a great steering feeling, the one on this car feels a bit 'numb' and heavy. The 19" wheels and tires are probably partly to blame so maybe smaller/lighter wheels would fix this.
-Brakes are pretty good. Didn't play much with them to be honest but they seem to be a good match for the power/weight.
-DSG. I had auto cars before but my last car was a manual. This is my 1st DSG vehicle and again, reviews seem to be a lot harsher than what I found in reality. Only real issue is that 'hesitation' when going from brakes to gas... bit annoying when approaching a roundabout for example but seriously, it's nothing. I drove lots and lots of automatic cars that would be a lot worse than this. Gear changes are fast and smooth when you want them to be or fast and violent and you WANT THEM to be! Was expecting Ferrari 355 F1 gearbox bad from what I read on the reviews...
Now, back to suspension. Like I said above, I found it to be very compliant if a bit on the soft side. Especially the front suspension. Car could definitely use a sharper turn in and that becomes obvious when you trailbrake into a corner as it sharpens the front end but then the DSG gearbox hesitates before applying power and you not only lose momentum but cause the car to lose grip when you need it the most. Weight transfer. I can see why so many ppl go for a thicker rear sway bar on these... might have to go down the same route at some stage. I haven't looked into it but someone told me there's a software upgrade you can do to those gearboxes too. Could really use that.
Like I said, these are just my 1st impressions and I have only done like 100 ks on it... so far it's either met or exceed my expectations! I'll be driving it from Sydney to Brisbane in a months time and that'll probably be its real test!
Show off picture of the car whilst it's still clean... it's black. It won't be this clean very often.
-A lot quieter than I was expecting after reading reviews where ppl bagged its NVH. Some even comparing it to the Mazda... and as a Mazda owner, I can tell you first hand this car is MILES ahead in that department. In Eco Mode the Octavia is whisper quiet.
-Suspension definitely not as hard as I thought it would be. Again, reviews online mention it being a bit too busy and too harsh for a family car. God knows what Cadillacs these guys have for a daily driver 'cause if anything I thought the suspension was a bit soft (more on that later).
-Love Love Love Android Auto! How could I live so long without you?? Just need a few more apps but it's clearly on the right track. Being able to just press a button on the steering wheel and dictate/reply to a sms (or Whatsapp) is ridiculously handy! Again, Mazda's infotainment should be ashamed of itself. Only thing I miss is the speed/redlight camera warnings. If there's such an option in the Octavia I haven't found it yet!
-The Canton sound system is good. Not amazing but good. I was expecting a lot more bass/kick for the price. Then again it may be better when listening to a decent CD. I tried mostly radio and Pandora (high quality settings).
- Steering becomes a bit too heavy at speed. Like, unnecessarily so... no deal breaker and I'll probably get used to it. But coming from a car with a great steering feeling, the one on this car feels a bit 'numb' and heavy. The 19" wheels and tires are probably partly to blame so maybe smaller/lighter wheels would fix this.
-Brakes are pretty good. Didn't play much with them to be honest but they seem to be a good match for the power/weight.
-DSG. I had auto cars before but my last car was a manual. This is my 1st DSG vehicle and again, reviews seem to be a lot harsher than what I found in reality. Only real issue is that 'hesitation' when going from brakes to gas... bit annoying when approaching a roundabout for example but seriously, it's nothing. I drove lots and lots of automatic cars that would be a lot worse than this. Gear changes are fast and smooth when you want them to be or fast and violent and you WANT THEM to be! Was expecting Ferrari 355 F1 gearbox bad from what I read on the reviews...
Now, back to suspension. Like I said above, I found it to be very compliant if a bit on the soft side. Especially the front suspension. Car could definitely use a sharper turn in and that becomes obvious when you trailbrake into a corner as it sharpens the front end but then the DSG gearbox hesitates before applying power and you not only lose momentum but cause the car to lose grip when you need it the most. Weight transfer. I can see why so many ppl go for a thicker rear sway bar on these... might have to go down the same route at some stage. I haven't looked into it but someone told me there's a software upgrade you can do to those gearboxes too. Could really use that.
Like I said, these are just my 1st impressions and I have only done like 100 ks on it... so far it's either met or exceed my expectations! I'll be driving it from Sydney to Brisbane in a months time and that'll probably be its real test!
Show off picture of the car whilst it's still clean... it's black. It won't be this clean very often.
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