Living with a Skoda Octavia vRS Estate: am I still smitten after 1,500 miles? 

I’ve had a Skoda Octavia vRS in my life one way or another since my parents bought one way back in 2008, and I was really excited to take delivery of a new vRS Estate to live with for a few months.

I’ve covered 1,500 miles in this fast wagon now, and it’s clear to me that this is one of the best family cars you can buy if you’re after something fast, practical, sporty-looking and affordable to run. You can find out more about the spec on my car in the first report, but here are some of my initial thoughts on the Skoda Octavia vRS Estate.

Skoda Octavia vRS Estate first impressions: how’s it been in the first 1,500 miles?

I do a lot of driving for work, taking in a range of motorway, country road and city driving, and the Octavia vRS Estate is proving to be an excellent companion on all these trips.

Despite its sporty nature, it’s still really comfortable for bumbling around town or slogging up the motorway. There’s a definite firm edge to the suspension, but it copes with bumps and potholes very well, especially with the adaptive dampers in their softest setting. It’s only over smaller imperfections that it can feel a bit jiggly.

A common criticism of the Octavia vRS is that it isn’t as fun to drive as something like a Volkswagen Golf R or a Ford Focus ST, and while that may be true I don’t think that’s the point of a vRS model.

It may not be as playful or agile as some hot hatches, but it’s a really easy car to drive quickly on a country road. The steering is well-weighted and precise, and it behaves in a predictable way. You always know exactly how it’s going to react to your inputs, and that gives you the confidence to get a wriggle on.

I do have one gripe with the way this car drives though – it doesn’t have much front-end grip. Nipping out at a roundabout with even the slightest bit of gusto will be rewarded with wheelspin, and when you do lose traction there’s quite an unpleasant vibration through the cabin. I find myself being overly gentle with the throttle when pulling out, especially in damp conditions.

Another annoying issue I’ve uncovered is a slightly temperamental infotainment system, specifically the wireless Android Auto connection. There have been a few occasions where I’ve jumped in the car and it’s just refused to connect to my phone, and to fix it I have to get out, lock the car, wait for a minute and then try again. On the morning of the day I’m writing this I installed a software update in the car, so I’ll see if that fixes it and report back.

Small niggles aside, I still really like the Octavia vRS. I’ve made good use of the umbrella in the door for the dash from the car park to my flat, and the ice scraper behind the fuel door has come in handy a few times as well. I’m also getting an average of 36mpg over the last 1,500 miles, which is within spitting distance of the 40mpg claimed figure.

It’s really easy to live with, while also being good-looking and fast. Stay tuned for more updates as I continue to pile the miles on this car.

An introduction to my Skoda Octavia vRS Estate

Here’s everything you need to know about my Octavia vRS Estate, starting with the performance. Under the bonnet is a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine with 265hp. It should be able to do 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds, but I might have to put that to the test at some point on the Carwow drag strip.

Seeing as I spend a lot of time commuting up and down the motorway, fuel economy is important. It’s a shame that there’s no diesel Octavia vRS anymore, but this petrol model should return up to 40mpg. I’ve struggled to get more than 35mpg so far, but it’s still early days.

There are quite a few nice options fitted to this car as well. I’ve got the Assisted Drive Package, which includes a remote parking feature you can control from your phone, a Canton sound system, a deployable tow bar, a panoramic roof, and a head-up display.

On top of this there’s the Winter Package Premium, which adds heated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel and a heated windscreen. Finally, there’s the Simply Clever package. This gets you some additional storage compartments and a false boot floor.

Once you add up the cost of all the options, and the £855 Royal Green Metallic paint job, this Octavia costs a shade under £50,000. If you spec a Golf GTI to a similar level you’ll pay roughly the same, but the Skoda is miles more practical.

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