[Mpower]

Originally Posted by amit

but then it's also a costlier car. Also, internationally VW have discontinued the 1.8Turbo engine and replaced it with a 2.0 Turbo 200hp engine.

Dosent the Beetle still come with the 1.8T 5 valve engine?

[Abhay]

And the Audi TT ? I think that also has a 1.8Turbo in it..

[karthik247]

I personally don't fancy the look of the Civic, so i would definately go for the Octy.

And if ur looking for mods, i would say just drop ur octy at Autopsyche's and get everytin u'll ever need. awesome exterior, killler performance, and sporty interiors. that should be more than enough to crush the civic

[kroner]

amit, Bomi, karthik247 you guys are echoing my thoughts.

A follow up question for anyone out there:

What does the Octavia Rider 1.8T lack in comparison to the RS?

Seat, dash, other interior treatments, xenon, stereo, alloys, sunroof and skirts aside what's else?

What is the difference in suspension? Totaly different shocks or revised versions of the same? I know the RS is stiffer.

Someone mentioned a hardened underside to resist knocks?

What else am I leaving out?

I ask b/c if I get the full Autopsyche treatment I may be wasting money on the RS. Correct or complete BS?

[karthik247]

The RS and the 1.8 ride on the same suspension i think. The things missing are the seats, xenons, sunrrof, alloys, spoiler, climatronic ac, 3spoke steering, sporty gear knob and pedals, headlamp washers, sexy exhaust tip, lower front bumper...and ofcourse the RS Badge

[v1p3r]

It is well known that Honda make the best engines in the world...

Please remember that you can get upto 235+ bhp in India fromt the 1.8 turbo engine on the RS, through remaps and sports intake and exhaust systems.

BUT this is available only since the car is available. Once the Civic comes out, there is a very high probability that it will be similarly upgradable.

Oh come on guys, 1.8 Turbo with 150bhp and 1.8 n.a. with 140bhp...your turbo running at over 7 psi means you have a 50% increase in power, so your precious 1.8 Skoda engine originally produced only about 100bhp...and let's not even talk about mileage...

Ask me...as of now...between the two, I'd pick the Civic.

Best of the lot...Octavia/Fabia 1.9 TDI + remap + exhaust = 135bhp and over 15kmpl. My final choice!

[v1p3r]

Kroner, it seems that you have more or less decided on the Skoda...my personal suggestion...stick to the 1.8 Rider, save 40k for your 200bhp upgrade. Screw the Xenons, get 16 inchers and leather and a killer sound system, and your car will still be cheaper than an RS.

Just my 2 cents...and you know who to call for your 200bhp remap!!!

[amit]

Dosent the Beetle still come with the 1.8T 5 valve engine?

Hey Mpower, the 2006 Beetles are just beginning to roll into VW showrooms here. There are two engine options as of now, 2.5L 150Hp and 1.9 Tdi 100 hp. We still don't know if the Beetle will get the 2.0 Turbo from Jetta and Passat.

And the Audi TT ? I think that also has a 1.8Turbo in it..

Yes it does but the car has 255hp. Don't know what Audi has planned because the A3 and A4 have already been given the 2.0 Turbo as base engines instead of the 1.8 T.

[racing4cure]

Originally Posted by v1p3r

Kroner, it seems that you have more or less decided on the Skoda...my personal suggestion...stick to the 1.8 Rider, save 40k for your 200bhp upgrade. Screw the Xenons, get 16 inchers and leather and a killer sound system, and your car will still be cheaper than an RS.

Just my 2 cents...and you know who to call for your 200bhp remap!!!

i totally agree with that....u can save the money get the after market identical badging, rims abd skirts...but buddy beware.....couple of months later there is gonna be a replacement and of thats ok....then go ahead to the skoda.....else join the waiting list of the civic and enjoy immortality...cheersss

ps. the engine superiorty was a personal opinion..i was talking outta my hat

[kroner]

Dammit (I can say that, yes?) people you're giving me ulcers. Skoda vs. Civic. Skoda vs. new Skoda !!!!!!

The way I see it, if it makes me grin like an idiot while driving it and it makes others gape in astonishment, its my kinda car. Old one, new one, I can't take it any more.

Oh, ok, fine! I'll bite. When are they launching the new one? Will it have the nice turbo engine? Will it cost a sh*t load more?

Real info guys, rumors & showroom BS I have plenty of already.

Why am I up so late thinking about this rubbish?

[racing4cure]

look kroner..if u base u r decisions on u r instincts...then listen to u r self...if u want the rs go for it. but be preparedd for the newer models... i would also suggest the facelifted corolla...dont hink u can go wrong with that either..

[amit]

Hey Kroner buddy, I can sense that your mind is made up on the Skoda. As you said, if the car makes you grin when your driving it, then thats the car for you. I totally agree with you on that. I, remember, when I was buying the Palio S10 in 2003, everyone of my friends and relatives said don't go for that car but I knew that the Palio was THE car for me. I never regretted the decision.
As for new models coming in, thats going to happen with all car makers. At least Skoda will not change head lights and grilles of the car every 6 months like the Japanses and Koreans. A totally re-designed car is acceptable but I, personally, would feel cheated if I bought a car and the manufacturer launched a different variant in the next couple of weeks.
.

[amit]

as of engine the honda is light years ahead of skoda in technology...so here the honda wins hands down!

Engine of the year awards.
1. International engine of the year
We all know BMW 5L V10 won the award. VW's 2.0L turbo FSI is at no. 4. The only non-hybrid Japanese engine is Honda's diesel! No petrol engines from Honda made it here.

2. Best New Engine

BMW 5L V10 again. No Japanese non-hybrids.

3. Best Fuel Economy
Toyota Hybrid won this segment. If you look at Non-Hybrids Fiat's Multi-jet took the honours.

4. Best Performance Engine
BMW V10 again. No Japanese engine in this category here.

5. Best 1.0 to 1.4 L engine
Traditional Jap strong hold. Think again. Fiat's 1.3 L multi-jet took the honours.

6. now here is the surprise. Best 1.8 to 2.0L engine
Surprise Surprise. Guess which engine won? VW 2.0L Turbo FSI. Yes, the same engine that may grace the Octavia here. No. 2 spot went to the Honda S2000 2.0L.

I am not saying Honda engines are bad but just trying to clear some pre-concevied notions many Indians have about Japanese engines. Sorry for going


P.S. Honda's 2.2 diesel won the 2.0 to 2.5L category. The point remains that not a single Honda Petrol won any category.

[racing4cure]

I agree man...thanx for the insight...after all knowledge is power!

[Bomi]

Kroner, you asked two Qs - when is the new Octavia going to be launched in India. The answer is Q1 2006, but only the diesel model not the new RS. The new RS was launched in UK barely 4/5 months ago and is not planned to come to India until 2007. (source - Silvertone Motors, Delhi, the largest Skoda dealer in India)

Your 2nd Q was - differences between the 1.8 Rider and RS. I guess the biggest difference is Rider does not come in the eye-catching yellow or racing red colour. If you want to make a statement, these are the colours. The other important differences (to me) are rear-parking sensors (very useful in tight parking slots), xenons(must for night driving with confidence), rain-sensor for wipers and the 16" rims. The 1.8rider comes with 15" rims. That extra one inch matters a lot going over speed-breakers with 2 or more persons in the car. Leather seats, cruise control, sunroof, front and rear spoilers, aluminium pedals, headlight washers and a MP3 player instead of a CD player, are other differences, but matter less.

Whether to buy some of these from the market and affix to the rider alongwith a remap or to go for the RS, is a choice you have to make. I feel we don't have the roads to even use the car's potential in stock form, so why pay for something which voids the 2 year warranty? Also market add-ons don't fetch much value when you want to sell the car.
Bomi