Right - have come back from the test drive of the Saab 9-3ss 1.8i and the Octavia vRS Estate. (See 9-3ss section for my thoughts on the Saab).
I must be getting old - I think I have ruled the Octavia out of the running, for my choice to replace my company VW Passat 2.0SE. It was not as quick as I was expecting - especially from low speeds and in second gear. Mid range was what I would have expected though. I drove a Leon Cupra 180BHP a while back, and that was definately quicker - I expected them to be very similar given that the engine's pretty much the same, but the Octavia seemed a bit sluggish. Obviously, a lot quicker than my Passat, but low down felt no quicker than a 150BHP 1.8T Golf I drove recently. I even wondered if there was something wrong with the car I test drove. Good turbo whistle though
Problem I have is I always compare fast cars with my old 2.3 9000 Carlsson. Even the 180BHP Leon Cupra felt lacking compared to the Carly. There seems to be nothing I can afford which gives me that power surge. Apart from possibly a standing start where the Carly always struggled to get the power down, the Carlsson would beat this Octavia in all other speed increments. Not so sure about the twisties though
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Handling was probably on a par with the Saab 9-3 sports saloon, though I believe the hatch has a different setup, and will be stiffer than the estate.
Quality of materials and finish were excellent in the Octavia (as I expected) - a lot of the switches feeling higher quality than the Saab.
This inevitably pushes me more towards the Superb. I like the comfort of my Passat, though would like more pace. The Superb PD130 Comfort gives me the comfort, the quality, the pace, with loads more goodies thrown in Shame I can't test drive one just to be sure Think I'll get hold of other Skoda dealers to see if they have a demo. Some dealers seem to think it is acceptable to order a car you haven't even test driven!
I must be getting old - I think I have ruled the Octavia out of the running, for my choice to replace my company VW Passat 2.0SE. It was not as quick as I was expecting - especially from low speeds and in second gear. Mid range was what I would have expected though. I drove a Leon Cupra 180BHP a while back, and that was definately quicker - I expected them to be very similar given that the engine's pretty much the same, but the Octavia seemed a bit sluggish. Obviously, a lot quicker than my Passat, but low down felt no quicker than a 150BHP 1.8T Golf I drove recently. I even wondered if there was something wrong with the car I test drove. Good turbo whistle though
Problem I have is I always compare fast cars with my old 2.3 9000 Carlsson. Even the 180BHP Leon Cupra felt lacking compared to the Carly. There seems to be nothing I can afford which gives me that power surge. Apart from possibly a standing start where the Carly always struggled to get the power down, the Carlsson would beat this Octavia in all other speed increments. Not so sure about the twisties though
Handling was probably on a par with the Saab 9-3 sports saloon, though I believe the hatch has a different setup, and will be stiffer than the estate.
Quality of materials and finish were excellent in the Octavia (as I expected) - a lot of the switches feeling higher quality than the Saab.
This inevitably pushes me more towards the Superb. I like the comfort of my Passat, though would like more pace. The Superb PD130 Comfort gives me the comfort, the quality, the pace, with loads more goodies thrown in Shame I can't test drive one just to be sure Think I'll get hold of other Skoda dealers to see if they have a demo. Some dealers seem to think it is acceptable to order a car you haven't even test driven!
