Team-BHP - Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sankar (Post 4389789)

The previous Octavia and Laura were late comers in the Indian market, so do not go by the Indian lifecycle. Only the 3rd generation Octavia came on time in 2013 soon after it was released abroad.

The model lifecycle of the Octavia is 9 years, so it is NOT going to be phased out by 2019.

Octavia 1996 - 2005 (9 years)
Octavia 2nd Gen/Laura - 2005 - 2013 (9 years)
Octavia 3 Gen - 2013 - 2022 (probably 9 years)

Skoda has already announced their plans to debut the next gen Octavia in 2020-21. As per reports, the new Octavia will be a bigger car (size close to present Superb) based on a revised MQB platform and will have a completely new Skoda styling (similar to Vision X). The new car may feature hybrid powertrains.

I just hope Skoda India will be able to continue sales of the current VRS till then. I'm not a fan of Skoda's Vision X designs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtremeshock (Post 4398037)

Hey Guys,

I'm seriously considering taking the plunge and purchasing a VRS. Just wanted to know from the guys who have purchased same, how much booking amount have you paid? Gurudev is asking for Rs. 3 lakhs with delivery within 5 months.

I paid 50K booking amount, but 1L is standard on VRS. Also dealer did mention, Skoda has asked them to pause VRS booking (back in mid-April). They had backlog which is planned to clear in Jun\Jul and then restart bookings with delivery around festival time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyer (Post 4398748)

VRS looks stunning in Black. :thumbs up Congrats on your new car. A black alloy upgrade will look cool. Can you post some latest pics of your car?

Here are some more pics. Black for me is always 1st choice and it looks elegant on these Europen cars. Although I must say red VRS looks best. Its the same red on Rapid, but with added muscle, VRS looks stunning.

Does this car have an electric tailgate?
It does have an auto boot release, but is it an electronic closing one as well?

And moreover how bad is the ride quality compared to the Tsi? Is it too stiff?

Have been thinking of booking one but am yet to see one in person. Will be visitng the dealership soon to view a car which is for a customer. And maybe go for a ride in it.
Any input is appreciated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sj911 (Post 4402485)

No electric tail gate or auto opening. You can unlock the boot from the key though.

Ride quality is considerably stiffer but in a good way. It is not uncomfortable at all. The TSi has a soft cushy ride that does cause it to roll a bit around corners. The RS doesn’t have this problem. Ride is flat but be sure to change factory Hankooks to Michelin PS4’s.
Do get a ride in the RS before you pull the trigger though. Opinions on ride comfort are subjective.

I currently own both the RS and The 1.8.

Hey Guys, have gone and booked my self a BLACK VRS :)

Have been reading the reviews and views from all the people in the forum and special thanks to a couple of people who have had ownershiper reviews which helped me immensely, I was confused between the VRS (the heart) vs the Innova (the head, as we are a family of 6) vs the AUDI A4 (very close call but slightly out of budget)

Thank Guys for your help, also if there is any whatsapp group of VRS owners here in India I would like to be added, kindly PM :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtremeshock (Post 4408544)

Hey Guys, have gone and booked my self a BLACK VRS :

Congratulations. Great choice. Good that you followed your heart. And good colour choice too. When is Skoda expecting to deliver the car to you? Could they assure you about the colour option?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyer (Post 4408691)

Congratulations. Great choice. Good that you followed your heart. And good colour choice too. When is Skoda expecting to deliver the car to you? Could they assure you about the colour option?

Hi Flyer, thanks a lot. They have promised me an assured delivery time of September. However am pushing them for the earliest possible date, since this will be my 5th Skoda purchase from them, I'm becoming a little bit more demanding :D Also the Government Policies changing on a frequent basis want to register the car as soon as possible, scared that may just randomly increase the taxes once again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtremeshock (Post 4408544)

Congrats xtremeshock
I too made my booking :Cheering: with Gurudev, Chennai for Octy RS (white/blue)

But I got a call from SGA Cars, Coimbatore to make a booking with them as I had enquired earlier. But on the sidelines he was telling me that RS production is going to be halted this Dec'18 as Skoda wants to make RS a cult brand.

Not sure how true it is. Can someone throw some light.

Quote:

Originally Posted by autofreak (Post 4411901)

I too made my booking :Cheering: with Gurudev, Chennai for Octy RS (white/blue)

Congrats on your booking.

Quote:

But on the sidelines he was telling me that RS production is going to be halted this Dec'18 as Skoda wants to make RS a cult brand.

How does stopping the production help Skoda have a cult following? Didn't quite understand this part. Why would Skoda stop bringing the RS to India when there is such a demand for the car here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by autofreak (Post 4411901)

But I got a call from SGA Cars, Coimbatore to make a booking with them as I had enquired earlier. But on the sidelines he was telling me that RS production is going to be halted this Dec'18 as Skoda wants to make RS a cult brand.

Not sure how true it is. Can someone throw some light.

Absolute rubbish, Skoda needs more sales and whether its comes in the guise of 1000 vRS's or 1000 Kodiaqs, they will do anything to get these numbers as opposed to restricting number for "brand" purposes.

Bottom line is that the dealer wants your money and close the Q1 finance reporting with your sale included!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyer (Post 4411987)

How does stopping the production help Skoda have a cult following? Didn't quite understand this part. Why would Skoda stop bringing the RS to India when there is such a demand for the car here.

It might be something similar to what RE did. RE Classics were commanding 6 months waiting period where company could have increased production to bring down waiting period.

The mental picture one gets when he hears 6 month waiting period is :Shockked: But when you dont have compelling product in similar price and category, you end up booking it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajmat (Post 4411995)

Even after price hikes on RS, still its aggressively priced for what it offers. Its just a lakh more than fully kitted Octy Diesel L&K. May be SKODA INDIA is losing by selling RS.

Fact is Skoda India has zero say in how many vRS Octy come to India.

Everything is dependent on the production of the kits at the mother plant(s) which is a carefully orchestrated marketing strategy, coupled with the global demand for the RHD kits.

India usually comes way down the list.

Tried the Skoda UK vRS configurator which resulted in a cost of 29,465 pounds.

This equates to INR 26,52,659 which is eerily close to the ex-showroom INR of the car.

The biggest difference is that the UK price is OTR, whereas the OTR India price is quite high.

I'd say Skoda should be quite happy selling off the vRS inventory in India as a niche product.

I just saw an interesting bit of information about the vRS, in the UK, 20% of the sales are of this version, Germany is the other big market. This should be good news for enthusiasts and aspiring owners alike, the model will continue to be available and more importantly parts availability should be good down the line. The UK gets the diesel and petrol versions.

Link to the article here. https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/n...-autumn-reveal