Is the Skoda Octavia RS more trouble than it's worth? | ReDriven used car review 

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My 2011 Octavia RS has nearly 260,000km now. Gets driven hard fairly often but serviced every 6 months/10,000km. Been a very reliable thing.

Skoda is an absolute work horse in Europe from what I heard ( currently renting one in Croatia and I love it ). Struggling to understand why more Aussies don’t t drive wagons not to mention Škodas…

In the UK, the Skoda Octavia vRS was used by emergency services, especially the ambulance service or fast response medical teams. Some police forces also had the estate vRS as part of their line up. The vehicles are solid, were cheaper than the competition, handling is brilliant and they go ridiculously fast!

Owned a 2015 RS in wagon guise with a manual. Absolutely loved it, sold it due to a change in job. Bought it with 50000km on it and sold it with 110000km on in it. Never had a single issue and miss driving it every day.

Went to a VW dealer back in 2004 to buy a TDi Golf, ended up buying a Fabia VRs - still have it, still love it. Only problem is it seems to have bred, we now have 7 Skodas.

Guys, as czech owning toyotas I am so pleased to see Škoda in your review even with czech voice :) You would see A LOT of Octavias here, and yeah also lots of services repairing them. But believe it or not, people buy new ones after they use their old ones. It says something. I think they are not bad at all.

We've a 2012 Skoda Superb 103TDi wagon. Truly wonderful car. 180,000km, some of it towing a caravan. No dsg issues. No rattles. No oil consumption between services. The only issue we've ever had is an intermittent interior fan.

I had a 2014 RS 162tsi DSG since new until 2023. I just replaced it with a Subaru Outback XT as I'm doing lots of kms on dirt roads now. I have to say I definitely miss some aspects of the Octavia. The packaging was excellent for the size of the car, all the storage spots were perfectly sized and accessible. I absolutely loved the engine and DSG combination, every drive was enjoyable. Contrary to this video, I actually really enjoyed the steering feel, perfectly weighted and a good level of feedback. The boot is also massive at almost 600L, it's larger than the Outback by almost 100L. I didn't have any issues with electronics, except the electric gas struts did start to play up from time to time after 9 years. I had no oil consumption issues that get reported a lot. I would definitely buy one again if I needed a second car.

I purchased a 2020 RS245 facelift wagon 3 years ago exactly and I use it every day as my business vehicle and I love it. It’s spacious, refined, seats are pretty comfortable, has great power being the 245 BHP ( 180 KW) model, the DSG gearbox is brilliant and the drive is awesome. The one thing also I will say is the boot, it’s huge to say the least one of the biggest in its class and it truly shows. I’d say from what feedback I’ve had from people there’s more issues with Mercs than these things and I’m certainly looking forward to the new updated MK 4 RS next year. Pretty much though I go by this , 75% of what you see, 25% of what you hear, take one out for yourself drive it slow, and rag it rotten in both instances you’ll be pretty happy with the result. Hell, it only took me 15 minutes and I’ve ended up with the best car I’ve ever owned.

This is perfect timing! Just started looking at these and was hoping you guys had reviewed them!

2015 RS manual wagon owner here. 193,000kms on it and yes it has had some of the niggles mentioned but it has been so worth it. Water pump went at 50k, aftermarket one still going. Steering wheel rollers cracked in half, fuel line under the driver's seat rattles but easily fixed. But to any current or potential owner...for the love of god make sure you clean out the AC drain line. Mine backed up and leaked over the airbag computer that is stupidly placed right under the AC. Not cheap. But I'd do it all again. And given I'm about to swap out for a Golf R wagon I probably will!!

I was a holden v8 boy through and through. I was curious and test drove a 2016 rs162. I was hooked. The ride is sublime, i like the steering feel. I HATE the wrx type noise when you push the vrs button (normal mode for me). Done the water pump at 70,000 after bying the car at 63000. The best part, if your a petrol head...there is a plentiful supply of performance parts. Bloody great car. ** you forgot to mention the brilliant fold away shopping bag hooks in the wagon 👍

I was waiting for this review to come up! I had a 2016 Octavia RS wagon for ~3 years. Over that time it did have a boot strut go wrong and I got the front ball joints regreased as they were squeaking their head off in cold weather. Other than that, no issues at all. No squeaks, rattles etc. The DSG was definitely clunky on downshifts but this gave it character IMO - you couldn't just disengage from the drive. 6.5L/100km on trips, huge boot, comfortable and with heated rear seats (can't find this on many other VAG products in this range) make this a consummate all-rounder. I replaced mine with a MK7 Golf R wagon (since sold) and other than the 5% of time you can take advantage of the speed/power, the Skoda was a better car 95% of the time. I miss it and wouldn't hesitate to buy another provided its been serviced well

Out of all the cars I have had this is by far my favourite and first ever car I bought new. Black Octavia VRS MY23. Lookbackability 9.8/10

I had a a 147tsi manual wagon and it was brilliant. So much fun to drive and very reliable. Miss it every day.

one of best reviewer so far. Love the honesty and very engaging, very educational.

I really like these and it's still on my short list to replace my wagon but I struggle to trust VW group products with any high level of confidence.

I've been waiting for this video Redriven! Whoop! Bloody love my 2018 Skoda Octavia. So nice to drive no matter if your (sensibly) hooning or going on a road trip with the family. Gutted I missed out on the online car forum chats; I would have flicked you heaps of info. Oh well. Tips I have for other Octi owners though if anyone's interested :) .... - The traction control is over-aggressive. There's a setting to turn that off in the menu of the car pretty easily but be warned if you do the suspension will hop leading to some horrendous bang bang bang noises. However, if you modulate correctly this is definitely the quickest way off the mark. It does disable some stability safety features though so use with caution. - As a side note on the above, the factory rubber sucks. I replaced these with Michelin Pilot Sports 5s and wow what a difference. The traction control is far less agressive as you're *actually* sticking to the road. So definitely recommend binning those factory threads as soon as you can and going from some softer compound. Also helps with road noise. - Suspension is a bit soft I find. I would love to know what coil-overs this owner got please Redriven? Please please do tell! On long road trips though, I get it as you always arrive at your destination way more refreshed than say I did in my 2007 Mazda 6, but yea it'd be good if it was a little less vague sometimes. Wife's VW Polo is nicer if you want to be sporty, but you'd be shattered after 6 hrs at the wheel in the Polo, so I get it Skoda. - Don't buy genuine wipers. Get the Wipertech ones that reDriven advertise. They don't make that God-awful noise on the back windscreen like the genuines do. - I was unlucky enough to have a slipping clutch (dry cluth version) that sounded like a little squeak when the DSG changed up. Full credit to Skoda they did a full clutch replacement and software upgrade for free after which it was perfect. So watch out for that as best to get it done under waranty otherwise about $3000NZD to get fixed. - Start/Stop if not deactivated will actually stop the engine just before you've come to a complete stop. WTH Skoda?! My wife's Polo doesn't, you come to a complete stop and then it kills the engine, as you'd expect. Not Skoda, and for this reason you might lose your engine and all power assist when cruzing up to a pedesterian crossing or roundabout. Pretty dangerous, so I hit that disable button every single drive. - D mode kinda sucks. S mode engaged every time I drive the car. If you want full fuel economy then sure D is your friend, but if you like driving normally (or what I would count as normal) enagage the sports mode! - I get what you mean Redriven about the steering. It's fairly good, but I wouldn't say it has quite as good a feel as my wife's VW Polo actually. But I think most people won't notice tbh, it's just slightly more easy steering. - For a family this car is epic. Chuck a roof box on and luggage space anxiety is a thing of the past. We run a Thule roof box on one side, bike on the other side of the roof and 3 bike rack on the back. Can still overtake no worries, it's just awesome. Only thing we have found is because of slightly softer suspension with fully laden car and used to have 4 bikes on the back, the front becomes fairly light. So with soft suspension setup, weight distrubution is key and safer. - 90,000km on the clock and always do regular servicing and never had any other issues so far. Wife's VW Polo we had the coolant leaks from cracked plastic at a very early 50000km. I guess it's a known and I'm not really too concerned. I still reckon Redriven you might be over-emphasising the reliability thing on the videos imo. Like even with a few thousand of repairs here and there, these cars end up way cheaper than a Toyota Corolla in NZ at least. For what you get Toyotas are super expensive, so you definitely seem to pay for that reliability ya know. In NZ at least. - Don't get any rattles at all that I can think of. - Got a creak from the front suspension going over judder bumps. This was easily solved by application of the correct grease in the correct place by a garage that knew these cars and what they were doing. Regular mechanic I used before coudn't fix it, so make sure you go to a mechanic that knows the cars as the VAG brand has some very specific procedures for issues they have. - Bloody great car overall though, when that turbo kicks in the grins follow. Motorway on-ramps are definitely a smile space with this car :)

As a Czech person I was curious what Australians think of Škoda but didn't expect to start talking Czech to me :-D

Rapt you're finally doing the skoda! Can't make up my mind between the rs or the superb sport line.

We’ve got the same model with APR stage 1 engine tune and transmission tune. We’ve had it for a few years and had no issues except for a wee creak behind the dash, just regular servicing. The DSG is almost perfect but it is tuned so I can’t comment about stock. I haven’t heard of electrical gremlins in this model but I know the current model is riddled with them. I had a 2016 SQ5 for a brief period, but the Skoda was far more practical (much bigger boot), felt more rapid, and was more modern inside with the bigger touch screen and Apple Car Play; we decided to sell the Audi and keep the Skoda. Something he didn’t mention is that these have Golf R brakes up front as standard so they pull up on a dime. I still smile ear to ear driving this thing and my wife won’t part with it!

I love how you explaning this video. Love it

I have one of these. 10 yeas old, 102,000 and an engine rebuild, rings, gearings, pistons, and resleve, valves lapped, water pump, new belts. $9000.00. Trim is going on the doorcards. But I love this car. I can push it hard on a few mountain roads and nothing seems to stay with me. OK, I do have a hillclimb car that is faster and I have won a few trophies so I can drive quickly up a hill. I would buy a new one except for a minor problem of being 78 years old and short of cash. Don't expect too much support from Skoda, and there are places in Europe that will post parts to you for half the price Skoda Australia is asking and that included postage. I would love the DSG gearbox in my hillclimb car. As for problems in traffic, put it into sport to get going then shift into drive to get around that problem. AND, the glovebox and centre bin are airconditioned to keep your beer cold. Don't break a side window, there are NO replacements in Oz!

You must have read my mind. I just recently found out about Skoda cars and started reading about them. It was a brand I am unfamiliar with. And now one of my favorite car channels does a video on one! Thanks for the great video.

I currently have a 2014 2.0 VRS Diesel DSG estate with a tow bar. It has been brilliant & has been extremely reliable, unlike my 2006 Passat. It is the ‘do everything’ car. I’ve pulled caravans, trailers, driven through France and carried huge amounts of wine back, and put everything imaginable in the back. I have a Focal/Alpine with custom sub in it too. I love it.

I have been waiting for you guys to do this vid for years!!! I have a Nardo Grey 2020 OCTAVIA RS245 with luxury pack that is pristine. You are a man of culture sir.😉 Your description of the perfect buyer for this car is me to a tee. Caton stereo is pretty good too, so great tunes to go with the rest! Cheers guys!🍻

I've got a 2020 Skoda Octavia VRS 245 Challenge. I've changed the air filter and put a stage one chip on it. It's not pushing 300BHP. The 2020 model is much nicer than the one being reviewed. I love it!!

I own a 2016 Superb 162TSI…same engine as the RS Octavia as well as many other Volkswagen/Skoda/Audi’s. I’m glad you guys pointed out the leaking water pump/thermoreg issue. It’s not a matter of if, but when it will fail, and at over $2.2K+ (dealership price) to replace it’s a costly repair. Don’t be surprised if they recommend to replace the reservoir bottle at the same time for a further $1k+. Otherwise, they are great cars and mine is as tight and solid as the day I bought it…no rattles whatsoever.

The peach of these is the 2916-17 RS230. Had the mechanical LSD and 6sp manual from the mk6 Golf GTI Performance in a wagon with all the bells and whistles. The later RS245 had the eLSD but Auto only I believe.

Was on Carsales with in 5 minutes, love the idea of a performance-ish wagon. Would I buy one, probably a new one under warranty. Great work keep them going. Love the blooper tail...

Definately yes! Have been running two VRS in the last 16 years and about to have the third one ! Value for money and reliability for such performance !

amazing content. so informative, thanks

I've got a 2023 RS Wagon, my first ever brand new European car. It's practical, comfortable (especially on long trips), and is fun to drive. I wouldn't want to own a Volkswagen product outside of factory warranty though. I'm fully expecting it to need a new water pump at some stage inside its warranty period lol, but that's just Volkswagen things. Overall a fantastic car, can't complain at all!

I have a 2016 vrs TDI. Family car, dogs transport, furniture mover and daily driver. Not one rattle. Absolutely love it!

My partner and I had a manual 162 tsi from new for 3 years before an idiot cleaned us up on a roundabout. Went well, was comfortable, and never broke down. Great car

In 2016 I took 110tsi wagon for a test drive and bought it 25mins later. Manual so no dsg/mechatronics problems. Petrol so no egr/dpf problems. It's been the best car I've ever owned. I've put 190,000kms on it and the only problem I've ever had was the adaptive cruise radar. It sits at the bottom of the lower grill so it's really easy to knock it and have it not work properly. Other than that it's been flawless.

I’ve bought myself a new Octavia RS TDI back in 2015. so far 175.000km on the clock. Mostly very reliable. Only problems I had in all those years: waterpump broke at around 130.000km. Rattling in the early years in the dashboard, but it went away. Can return after tire changing when I used the carjack. The infotainment system and touch screen does not work well when cold. The detachable trailer hitch is stuck, but still works. Nevertheless I love this car. Reliable enough for me, very practical and does not need much fuel. Also thanks to the NoX-catalysator, I don’t need to refuel Addblue liquid.

I don't think I could ever bring myself to buy anything from VWAG, but yep these do look sweet, and probably the best looking wagon around (bar the Alfa 159 Sportwagon... especially in unicorn V6 AWD guise). Anyhoo - another great video fellas, this is fast becoming my favourite YT car channel.

I have a 2020(series 3) Vrs 2.0tdi 4x4 combi with dsg. In Spain the 4x4 tdi was only available with dsg..which I don't mind. I absolutely love it. It's spacious...3 teenagers and a German Shepherd. Goes like the clappers for a diesel, but I don't have traction issues probably because it's 4x4. I frequently tow a 1500kg caravan with it without problems. They really are a Swiss army knife car. Sadly, they have stopped selling Vrs diesels here and 4x4, although they're still available in other countries. A sign of things to come I'm afraid. I'm not using it as a daily driver and plan to keep it for years. In Europe the fun is disappearing from motoring and manufacturers are reducing their offering of fun models considerably so it's enjoy enjoy while we can!

Every car that I’ve owned with plastic trim covering the metal window frame rattles and squeaks. I actually thank VAG for keeping it simple.

My 2008 Octavia VRS manual wagon daily hack is still faultless @ 252,000 kms & 200+KW. I don’t plan on getting rid of it anytime soon as it’s too damn reliable. I’d only consider replacing with a sunroofless RS230 wagon or RS245 wagon which is the veritable unicorn. No other wagon sold in Australia offers the space, performance, practicality & affordability in a manual (for the small number of us who still like changing gears properly) Nice to see Jim not go crazy with the problems for once!

I have just bought a 2013 superb wagon with DSG. Great car, heaps of space (passenger and luggage) and loads of equipment - a relaxed long distance cruiser. Issues… drivers seat is comfy then uncomfy (maybe just my ageing back), daytime running light with a mind of its own and oil consumption (4000 km and 2.5 litres used). Driving, whilst smooth and handles well - pushing it into a tight corners is not what it enjoys. All that aside it is a keeper, great single car garage and the Superb owners group is a friendly and supportive community.

I love my vrs wagon. The missing interior door plastics are a cool feature. Brings back 80's vibes

Bought a new fastback in 2021. Great car and have had next to no dramas and what we did have was very minor. It’s still stock and other than considering some coilovers can’t see any reason to touch it 👍🏼

as a former owner of a fl 230 octavia that has a custom ecu+dsg stage 1, i only can tell that each and every time i get behind the steeringwheel, i suddenly catch myself laughing. realy a price/quality boss this is.. good rubbers, some good pads and rotors and this car has amuzed me and my wife each and every day. not to mention the nice milltek non rez exhaust sound that is realy lovely :)

Agree Adam re how good these things look in the metal. Was driving behind an under-cover cop car just yesterday and couldn't but admire at just how bad-ass they looked. It was that gorgeous darker gun-metal grey colour with darkened windows - awesome.

I looked at one of these and a VRS Superb new. They are very fun but looked up the reliability ratings on warranty wise and turns out the model below the VRS is still fun, has a full sized spare, but due to not being reliant on as many electronics (electronic suspension etc) has almost Toyota like reliability.

We did the calculations a on our (related) Golf GTI a few years ago and worked out the total per-kilometer running cost of our car was less than a Toyota Corolla (to 230,000kms at the time). Now closing in on 250,000, our car has spent thousands of kms on corrugated country dirt roads, driven on 5 minute coffee runs and sitting in stop start traffic for all its life. Not to mention abused with 20,000km service intervals and regularly forgotten oil top ups. All with a tune which has been on the car for nearly 8 years now. To be fair, it hasn't been perfect. I did have to replace one spark plug in 2019.

Cheers @Adam I’m honestly looking out for one of these

Would LOVE to see your used car review of the Skoda Superb Sportline - seems like the bigger even more practical brother to this one and I hear brilliant things about them!

A Taxi in Ireland, from 2003 has almost 1 million miles on it. It was serviced regularly - great reliability

I had a manual liftback (in grey). Traction is an issue without the stage 1 upgrade which annoyed me. I'd recommend going with the tricky diff. Hit 250 in mine back when the NT still had the derestricted speed zone. Had no trouble with it. Replaced it with an A6 Allroad which is pretty much my perfect car.

I've almost purchased one of these about 4 times since the RS wagons first lobbed into Australia - but just never got over the line. Then went to go buy a 2nd hand Mk7.5 Golf R wagon - but the prices on those ended up with me going to a Cupra garage and driving away in a Formentor VZx

I'm on my 4th VRS , LOVE EM . Latest is the 245 vrs challenger mapped to 320 on a stage one ❤

I currently own this model in diesel. One of the best cars I have ever owned. The water pump went as expected but I've had no other issues. Great I. Fuel, rides and handles well standard. I don't agree with the rattles, one thing I love a about VAG products is the lack of rattles, including my Octavia. Also disagree with the steering, perfectly weights and good feed back. Overall I've lived every minute of owning it.

Got RS162 sedan, apart from that the same year, same engine, same rims and almost identical mileage (81000) like in this video. Bought it nearly 5 years ago with 37kkm on the clock, and since then: - Replaced waterpump, more as a precaution, but no mechanical or electric issues whatsoever, with regular servicing every 10kkm + DSG oil change (twice). Never on the track, though. - No rattles at all, interior holds quite well given 3yo kid - Unitronic Stage 1 makes this car devil indeed, had tried various tyres until I settled down on Michelin Pilot Sport 4 - in my opinion, the best you can get for this car - Unitronic DSG tune made DSG gearbox way more sensible, tuned up D mode and tuned down S mode so both are very sensible, never had any complaints about it - Practicality is amazing, given small family - Fun factor 10/10. Owned Audis, BMWs, Volvos etc before, this is my favourite car when it comes to fun/entertainment factor and price to value ratio. - Complaints? The ride is firm, perhaps a bit too firm. Poor standard audio. Plastics look and feel cheap. Great car. Feels like replacement is due, but I'm seriously hesitant selling it.

I drive a Octavia vRS from 14 in black magic. it had 124000 km on the clock when i took over and its an abolute beast :) its practical, fast and the quality lvl is through the roof when factoring in the price - easly the best car i have owned so far..had a mazda 2 before the Octavia so..thats like night and day xD Thanks for a great video - Great host !

nice vids!!!!!! Can u do a biggest mistakes when visiting a car dealership? luv the vids🤘🤘👍👍👍👍❤❤❤❤💕💕

I have a race blue 2015 RS wagon with the manual transmission also here in Australia and for the most part love it. I used to own a 2016 Focus RS AWD turbo and the old Czech-spec wags is a much more fun and usable car overall - even though it's a bum dragger. I agree with everything said in this review in terms of build quality and drive satisfaction, though fortunately mine doesn't rattle - even with 105K km. It DOES however seem to have more than its fair share of electrical gremlins, as reported. Things like cruise control that drops out, cargo area lights that only turn on after you've given up waiting and fired up the phone torch, auto restart from stop start when pushing the clutch down - I often get a dash message saying 'restart engine manually' - meaning twist the ignition key - but even with all these personality traits I still love the car. It was pretty good standard, but with an inexpensive stage 1 tune in the form of a Burger Motorsports JB4 (self installed) the car is quick enough from a rolling start (forget the traffic light grand prix), yet still returns 7-8L/hunge around town, and hi-5's on the highway. I keep thinking I probably should replace it at some point, but with the new car market as overpriced as it is right now in early 2024, and the cars on offer pretty underwhelming bang for buck wise, I can't bring myself to part with the Octy ❤

My VRS is now seven years old and it's never missed a beat and whilst it does suffer annoying squeaks and burns more oil that my old Holden Astra estate and also requires the radiator topped up once a month, apart from those niggles it drives like a dream and goes like the proverbial shit off a shovel. If it is put into Sports mode it is a bullet - and I love the piped motor roar!

Reminds me of all the rattles my mk7 Golf eventually had. It was like driving around in a maraca. But I would have an Octavia RS wagon in a heartbeat

Nice looking cars but I’ll stick with my trusty locally built Holden 2013 Vf Sv6 sportswagon in Regal Peacock green. 10 years and 180,000 later everything still works perfect electrically mechanically, etc just routine consumables such as brakes at 130k tyres and fluids. Car interior still as tight as a drum. In fact my mechanic has warned me not to let go of this car. Redriven wish you could review a VF Sv6 as they are often overlooked imo.

Great review on a great car. I think some of the negative feedback is exaggerated. ŠKODA owners tend to be practical realists, but need to mix that with internet feedback which tends to be wildly positive or negative but rarely balanced. We have currently a 2016 VRS with tech and audio package and it’s bulletproof. Have had Polo to 300,000km, Amarok to 300,000km with very little spend.have also had Seat Toledo, VW Passat V6 and Touareg V6 again all rock solid. Still have VW Tiguan with no issues. Have had Commodore to 300,000km as well. Sadly my RAM diesel did turbo at 40,000km. ŠKODA is as reliable as any, but the VRS is a performance car and needs to be maintained by decent mechanics with right tools. This can be competent diy or ŠKODA/VW service but not a mechanic that doesn’t work on them. History has taught me that people that don’t work on VAG vehicles regularly are not the right people to play with them. Look after them and they are solid as any Holden or Toyota, just more fun.

2014 Rs - LOVE it. Up to 209,000kms. Amazing car been really reliable and excessively fun. Easy to drive too. Best wagon around

I have the 2017 version and other than its a lil squeeky especially the panoramic roof when on bumpy roads its a great car, replacing the mid resonator with straight pipe makes it sound a lil better too

I own a VRS230 (169kw) with Challenge Plus from 2016, sedan, grey, DSG 6sp, factory farts on evac, sun roof, leather seats, 130.000 km. The only major issue I had was "Oil sensor: workshop". Once I got that, I stopped, put the car on trailer and took it to dealership. After 3 attempts from 2 dealerships to deal with the issue, they finally found that it was an electrical failure. Needless to say I replaced all oil solenoids and sensors. I service it under 10.000 km. It's not a cheap car to maintain, but it's the cheapest for what it offers!

I only buy VAG cars. Had 2 Octavia RS (current car). Had a 2015 manual and current is a 2018 DSG, stage 1, exhaust etc… never had bad problems with any of my VAG cars (thermostat housing on A4, sunroof motor on S3 that I owned for 15 years), I find them very reliable

I test drove an rs180 on the weekend. I agree about the steering, it felt pretty vague. And the DSG... Taking off at the lights the whole car would just lurch.

I'd love to see Redriven do a review of the Mazda 6 turbo wagon in any trim level as a follow up to this review. Currently have a Octavia 162tsi RS with stage 1 and love it. Have had some of the niggles mentioned in this review but nothing to major yet but always wonder if I should get another one or the classy looking Mazda next as wagon options are fast disappearing sadly.

Had a fabia rs. Loved it. Theyre right about the taller sidewalls. I went up from 40 to 45 profile.muuuch nicer. No loss of handling etc

Great review. Can you do a review like this for the non RS Octavia?

I own a 2015 RS wagon petrol DSG since new. One of the most reliable car I have owned. Oil consumption yes, but an occasional top up easily fixes it. Haven’t had any of the reported problems so far. Fingers crossed

I like the speed reading challenge in the middle. It triggered something in my brain.

I wanted a Golf 6 GTI but then I found a top spec Skoda Octavia RS 2010 wagon and it was 3k cheaper than a mid spec Golf GTI so I went with the Skoda. Best Decision I've made.

Yeah it does it all, for a price thats still reasonable. Like many I like the older version with the solid headlights more than the " four- eyes" from the facelift. If traction or interieur quality is an issue than a Golf R Variant would be an option too, if you want AWD for less money the Seat Cupra 300 AWD could be an option :)

The thing that's great about these is that it has the VAG running gear, which when is working is marvellous, and has a 7 year warranty. Buy new, drive for 5 years and sell with 2 years of factory warranty...or drive to 7 years and then tune the crap out of it! I saw one recently which just had a tune and put down 200Kws and 450Nm ATWs...that would make for a decently quick wagon.

“I’d love to drive one of these with a manual box, I reckon it would be spectacular” I owned a manual one and eventually regretted that I didn’t get a DSG. The manual box doesn’t feel great, like it’s straight out of the VW parts bin. Not bespoke or sporty feeling.

I was hoping for this.. Because this was on the cards when I bought my fastback

My 2011 Octavia Scout has been relatively trouble free for 230,000kms. Only a DPF sensor, and a wheel speed sensor that have needed replacing. Otherwise just standard service/maintenance, and service costs are only a fraction of the $$ than the Subaru Outback I had before it.

I've got the "nardo grey" 230 Ltd edition. It's made the most perfect all rounder I can't see me ever replacing it

Yessss, I’ve always thought the Golf wagons have always looked off

Most of the problems have been addressed in the later models, 2017 onwards, go for a later model , these are are brilliant car and they do it all .

I have a 2019 model and it had not put a foot wrong yet. When it is out of warranty I might consider a stage 1 tune, but for now I am just enjoying what it is: an all round fun car

Recently I bought German origin 2019 vRS245 vagon, with manual transmission, and 50k kilometers on the clock. Same blue color, no sunroof, but I do have limited slip diff, DCC, alcantara... and no rattles whatsoever. It cost me 24k euros but the condition is 9.8/10. I'm super happy with it. The only car i would replace this one is mk4 RS6, but I don't see this happening in my lifetime.

Listening to just the audio while driving. Slowing down at a traffic light and what cuts in front of me? Lift back Octavia RS!

If your DSG is clunky at low speeds, get the throttle remapped, it often fixes it.

Great video! Do a Mazda 6/Atenza review🙏

@ 17:48 nice Maserati in the background 😍

Love my skoda octavia vrs 245 but now she pushing 480bhp and 560nm the looks you get when you beat up on a higher end car.

I have a 2.0 tdi RS 4x4 2017 DSG (i know its not proper RS). Havent any problems with electronics yet. Bought it on 145 000 km, now has 210 000 km and had only minor fixes. And yeah, it eats oil and rattles... Other than that. I LOVE IT.

I've long been a huge fan of the Octavia RS and almost bought one a few times. If they brought the AWD version here, the choice would be easy. Separately, I'm soooo curious about the Ghibli that's been in the background of the garage shots, especially for Jim's take on it.

Got an old Fabia vRS ... Its been very good overall :)

I love my vRS never had any reliability issues.

Bro. Thanks for your work and the important niche u fill. But pls pls invest in a better mic. With good headphones your voice sounds like hearing u through a tin-can. It's bad, pls fix that and keep up the rest

Im no motoring enthusiast.. Thos is the best car ive ever owned, i bought it new in 2017, now in 2023, out of warranty, 160,000km on the clock. I have absolute confidence i could own this car for another 5 years, and easily get to 250,000kms. Everything just works, and its the complete package for the perfect, sporty, sexy, yet extremely practical car. Just service it regularly and look after it, and it'll look after you

If you guys can, should do a review on it's opposition the Subaru Levorg

I’m about to trade my Datsun 120 y on a Skoda I’ve been saving for years this is going to be heaven.

Not used to seeing a car review roll straight past our old place. LOL...

just some fun facts about the name it's the Skoda vRS, which stands for Victory Rally Sport, points to our 45 years of success on both rally routes and racetracks around the world.The RS, or 'Rally Sport' model dates to the 180 RS in the 1970s. ŠKODA was forced to add the 'v' to the RS model when Ford, who use RS on their motorsport-themed models, threatened to file a lawsuit against them for using their famed acronym.