It's a Skoda, ain't it?

"KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs" (kusabisensei)
10/07/2015 at 05:09 • Filed to: None

The Internet connection at the hotel was less than ideal, but behold! Avis Nederland gave me this piece of magnificence!

I’ll find out which engine it has later.

DISCUSSION (46)

Svend > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/07/2015 at 05:19

Really glad you got an Octy. I’m sure you’ll appreciate it.

Amoore100 > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/07/2015 at 05:28

Lovely! I do like Skodas since to us Americans they’re a bit of a forbidden fruit, and the latest generation cars are brilliant lookers! Would this be a brown(ish), manual, diesel station wagon?

Flavien Vidal > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/07/2015 at 05:31

Something tells me you need to learn how to park with it lol

Svend > Flavien Vidal
10/07/2015 at 05:44

Ye’, those tyre walls aren’t loving it at the moment. :(

Svend > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/07/2015 at 05:53

I’m going to guess it’s 1.2TSi Style or Ambition.

pip bip - choose Corrour > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/07/2015 at 06:00

Kinja'd!!!

Bedford CF!

pip bip - choose Corrour > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/07/2015 at 06:01

Kinja'd!!!

yellow smart!

AndrewFi > Svend
10/07/2015 at 06:57

It’s a rental. They’re all invincible. Built from purest Adamantium!

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/07/2015 at 07:04

Kinja'd!!!

No way dude. It’s a Vitz.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Flavien Vidal
10/07/2015 at 07:27

I used to park like that (although the curb was only a couple centimetres high) because our street was so narrow. When a van came by they had to drive on the opposite pavement to get past.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
10/07/2015 at 08:02

*Yaris

You philistine.

Cé hé sin > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
10/07/2015 at 08:21

Even more no way. Europe is a Vitz free zone, it’s a Yaris. Made, unexpectedly for some, in France.

Cé hé sin > Amoore100
10/07/2015 at 08:22

It’s going to be a manual unless something else was specifically ordered. As for diesel, probably but wait and see.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
10/07/2015 at 08:26

#KeepNamesJDM

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Cé hé sin
10/07/2015 at 08:26

#KeepNamesJDM

Smoggi - powered by 3 cylinders > Svend
10/07/2015 at 08:28

My bet is on 1.6TDI

Jetstreamer > Svend
10/07/2015 at 08:35

It’s a 1.2. You can get info based on license plate number for free in the Netherlands. It's not 100% correct all of the time, but it shows this one as a 1.2 gasoline manual. So no diesel or automatic, and no 1.4/1.6 :).

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Cé hé sin
10/07/2015 at 09:31

Knowing him personally, unless his granddad requested it there’s not a chance of a request for auto. The only thing auto he has right now is a GMC truck.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > pip bip - choose Corrour
10/07/2015 at 09:35

The Bedford *is* the most important thing here.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/07/2015 at 09:36

I hereby proclaim it to be Gaius Skodus Octavius. The little-known Czech Caesar.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/07/2015 at 11:04

Yes! eská republika FTW. I love Škodas.

Svend > Jetstreamer
10/07/2015 at 11:12

I know how to do a licence plate check in the U.K. But don’t know how to do it elsewhere. I was basing my answer in the wheel design in the car.

Jetstreamer > Svend
10/07/2015 at 13:23

Sorry, I didn’t mean it to come across as rude, haha. Apologies if it did, I was in a bit of a rush when I wrote the comment.

Anyway, I have no clue which countries have an open to the public license plate lookup, so I thought I would just share that tidbit. It does look like an Ambition.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Flavien Vidal
10/07/2015 at 14:23

With higher curbs, yes. However, this was on purpose, since I have someone with limited mobility getting in and out of the back seat.

Also, streets are NARROW in Den Haag. The Octavia isn’t exactly best described with the word “small”

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/07/2015 at 14:24

Winner winner chicken dinner.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > pip bip - choose Corrour
10/07/2015 at 14:24

Belongs to the bicycle shop down the street from here.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Svend
10/07/2015 at 14:26

Even if it is a goddam 1.2 TSI with 6 speed manual.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Jetstreamer
10/07/2015 at 14:27

And you need all 100hp just to get it going to 70km/h

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Amoore100
10/07/2015 at 14:29

It can be any color you like so long as it is black, with petrol, and a six speed manual.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Cé hé sin
10/07/2015 at 14:29

If it was Avis France, it would be a TDI. But because this is Avis Nederland, it’s a 1.2 TSI

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
10/07/2015 at 14:30

My grandfather isn’t driving, so fat chance in hell I’m paying extra for an automatic.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Svend
10/07/2015 at 14:33

205/70/16s (or something like that) can take a Dutch kerb with no issue.

As stated elsewhere, when you have people with limited mobility, you sometimes do things that look to be wrong, on purpose, for an express reason (raise the seat height to make it easier to get in and out of, you know)

Svend > Jetstreamer
10/07/2015 at 17:00

No worries I didn’t think you were being rude at all.

I didn’t know The Nederlands had the system like we do in the U.K..

Svend > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/07/2015 at 17:06

Ye’, the 1.2TSi is a good engine for the Octy (got the 1.4TSi in our Superb estate) and will give you a good drive, it’s not going to be blisteringly fast by any means but will be responsive enough for rounds the Centrums and keep up with other cars on the motorways.

Amoore100 > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/07/2015 at 20:22

Is it black? Looks more dark purple to me but could be the light tricks....still quite a nice ride, especially with the 6 spd!

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Svend
10/08/2015 at 03:14

You don’t feel as if you are a complete liability on the motorway, and you are still faster than most campervans and caravans. Which is good.

The other piece is that it would never sell in the US with a 1.2 or 1.4. Perception, even when it’s completely wrong, is reality.

I’d be fine with the 1.2 for commute duty only. Most likely I’d choose the mid range engine.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Svend
10/08/2015 at 03:28

Also, the tires really didn’t love driving over the, literally, asphalted rocks at Westkapelle waterfront.

I got some pictures and got to walk down the beach. I’m not crazy enough to swim in the cold North Sea.

Svend > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/08/2015 at 04:10

I think if they tried to sell the 1.2 or 1.4 in the U.S. The majority would just laugh at the salesman and not even entertain the notion to test drive it.

The vRS however would sell very well, very well indeed though the diesel in the current climate of ‘dieselgate’ would take a bit of convincing for many.

Svend > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/08/2015 at 04:17

The asphalted rocks and brick cobbled roads of the Centrums aren’t comfy at the best of times especially with the sharp turns on the narrow street often protected by large bollards and cyclists whizzing about.

The wheels fitted to yours are 16” alloyed and so probably have the comfiest ride over those roads as the 17” and certainly 18’ can lead to a firm bumpy ride.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Svend
10/08/2015 at 09:01

On the beach, these were paved over boulders. I didn’t get a picture but it was far worse than cobblestones. The centrums were quite comfortable by comparison.

I had to roll each wheel over each one, it was about as annoying as moguls.

Even a Defender would have a tough time with the surface.

Svend > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/08/2015 at 09:45

I used to live about an hour away from where you are in Veghel near Helmond and the brick cobbled roads were bad enough.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Svend
10/08/2015 at 17:02

Kinja'd!!!

Yeah, I drove on the solid surface at the right. That’s more unpleasant than any Belgian city center.

That is to say, not the water. :)

Svend > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/08/2015 at 17:19

How are you getting on with the car?

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Svend
10/08/2015 at 18:13

So after Amsterdam -> Blankenberge via the N57 road over the Delta Works -> Colleville sur Mer, here’s my thoughts.

1) 103HP is, to use Rolls Royce terminology...adequate. It’s more than enough to get you nabbed by speed cameras. It’s not enough to make you forget how to judge how fast other cars close on you when you switch lanes on the motorway.

2) Top speed is allegedly 122MPH. This will be tested later on the Autobahn derestricted sections. Note that this is still faster than the last Euro rental I had (B180 CDI Merc which was quoted at 118MPH top speed or so).

3) I would gladly give up larger wheels and runflat tyres in order to get to the smoother ride of the 16 inch wheels with fat, normal tyres. You aren’t going to win many handling challenges with it, so why bother.

4) The engine could use a bit of tweaking. It revs at the low end like a diesel, but once it gets going, it seems OK in the midrange. Fuel economy is being observed at around 37MPG(US), although that is influenced by me flooring the throttle to get moving on the French autoroutes.

5) Handling in the curves will be tested later on when I stop by the Green Hell if they have any ticket availability.

6) This thing swallows stuff. A folded wheelchair laid flat, and suitcases on top of it, and a duffel on the 40 side of the 60/40 split seat and I can still see out the back.

7) OK, I admit that the interior isn’t as nice as some Euro VWs, but here’s the thing: It’s absolutely on par for American VWs. So it’s not like VW would give up anything by building the Skoda, and shipping it over to the US and slapping VW badges on it and calling it the American Golf (or some nonsense like they did with the Passat)

8) Prices start in the Netherlands for a base 1.2 around €22,000. With the Ambition model, 16 inch alloys, and navigation system (and a few things that should be standard like tinted glass and hill holder), the total for this rental spec car is just under €26,000. A similar VW Golf Estate will likely cost more.

So far, then, here’s the score

7/10 - Good, solid car for every day use, especially by families. If you have two kids, you don’t need Jeremy Clarkson’s Volvo XC90 or a BMW X5 or something like that. This would work just as well.

Svend > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/08/2015 at 18:42

I think you hit Skoda right on the nail. It doesn’t do anything perfectly but does everything greatly. The car you have is pretty much the base model (I think on the continent the Active is lower down, U.K. vehicles are named differently) with the base size engine.

Kinja'd!!!

The Octy is essentially a five door hatch/estate of the Golf anyway.

The good thing with the Octy is you can have it from the 1.2TSi Active (manual only) all the way up to a 2.0TSi/2.0TDi RS with either manual/automatic, 5 door hatch back/estate (vRS in U.K.) with even a 4x4 rough road (Scout). So a car for all tastes really.

Never had ours up to top speed but will cruise easily and happily at 90mph all day with no excess noise intrusion.

dogisbadob > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs
10/18/2015 at 17:37

Kinja'd!!!

I love the Echo/Yaris hatchback! I wish they had sold these in the US (but at least Canada got them)