[theMAG]

Nikhil

Congrats! You should consider heading to a formal race track to safely time an 1/8th mile drag race between the Civic and the Skoda; its unpardonable if that consideration hasnt already been planned. For the race, the Skoda needs to be in Track/Race mode if the option is selectable, just so you dont forget !

[Vik0728]

Saw you fly by the Madhavan park Nikhil in your VRS last evening.

And I got to agree with you buddy, it looks way too gorgeous in person and the pics actually only brings out half its beauty.

You have not yet registered the car, or just that the RTO folks have not yet approved the registration of this model?

[srivatsahg]

Congratulations on your new Flight.With those horses you can literally fly on highways. It is a definite Stunner!!

Not sure if it was Yours. But I saw one on Saturday near 3M Car Care/Ovion car interiors. The color blue just looks bodacious.

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Congratulations Nikhil, and welcome to the TSI club. Must say, it's quite the entrance!

This has to be, undoubtedly, the first time I've ever seen someone buy a Skoda for 'reliability' and daily driver duties in lieu of a Japanese thoroughbred.

And yes, I know it's probably not feasible to top her up with 97 / 99 Octane on a regular basis, especially considering your driving schedule, but do give it a try at some point. I believe it will make a difference, in the same way the drop in tyre pressure and a round of balancing did to your driving experience.

Enjoy her in the best of health, and drive safe.

Thanks Suhaas! Will try to top up with 97/99 Octane whenever possible!

Originally Posted by theMAG

Nikhil

Congrats! You should consider heading to a formal race track to safely time an 1/8th mile drag race between the Civic and the Skoda; its unpardonable if that consideration hasnt already been planned. For the race, the Skoda needs to be in Track/Race mode if the option is selectable, just so you dont forget !

Thank you Maggie! There are some plans to do a Quartermile test on a closed road. A track doesnt work for this as it's not possible to stop on the straight and do a standing start. A closed road (near NICE Road-Clover Leaf) is our best bet.

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Saw you fly by the Madhavan park Nikhil in your VRS last evening.

And I got to agree with you buddy, it looks way too gorgeous in person and the pics actually only brings out half its beauty.

You have not yet registered the car, or just that the RTO folks have not yet approved the registration of this model?

Thanks Vik! It couldnt have been last evening though as I didnt remove my car at all from my parking slow since Saturday afternoon! . There is one more Blue Octy vRS prowling around Bangalore with a white coloured number plate which looks permanent but it actually a temp plate. KA 01 TY something.

The RTO hasnt yet received the details of the new car, so I am waiting for that to happen. I am pushing the TAFE team to get it done asap.

[jagxf]

Congratulations Nikhil!! love the seats! hoping to see the RS on the track soon :P :P

[aks_karthik]

Congrats Nikhil,

One of the powerful car in drool-worthy color in sub 30L.
Though it drinks vastly/costly, will go out of mind whenever pressing the 'C' pedal.
Enjoy the beast, pamper and tame it carefully

Red on brake caliper looks nice on Blue, do you have any plan to change it.

Love to have the same in my garage too

[Nikhilb2008]

Went on a slow, leisurely drive today to see how my 9 month old daughter behaves on a road trip.

Covered 400kms before lunch!

Originally Posted by jagxf

Congratulations Nikhil!! love the seats! hoping to see the RS on the track soon :P :P

Thanks man! Hope to see you soon!

Originally Posted by aks_karthik

Congrats Nikhil,

Red on brake caliper looks nice on Blue, do you have any plan to change it.

No, I dont have any plans to change it right now.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Went on a slow, leisurely drive today to see how my 9 month old daughter behaves on a road trip.

Covered 400kms before lunch!

Hey Nikhil, I have a very funny feeling that your "9 month old bundle of joy" was just an excuse buddy

THE REASON:

2333Kms in under 2 weeks ??


And all this in-spite of resting the VRS the previous weekend?

[HarshD]

Dear Nikhil,

I really am impressed by the fuel economy, that too with a car which is barely run in.

My daughters too are kicked up about the long drives with the sunroof open.

Plan to use this excuse for a long drive every weekend.

Now waiting for the 21st Sept to take delivery.

Best Regards,
Harsh.

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Went on a slow, leisurely drive today to see how my 9 month old daughter behaves on a road trip.

Covered 400kms before lunch!
Attachment 1675647

Thanks man! Hope to see you soon!



No, I dont have any plans to change it right now.

[Nikhilb2008]

So, I've been driving the car extensively and here is my 2350 kms update. By this weekend, I should be hitting 2500 kms.

Last week I went to the Hosur Road showroom of TAFE and got the "Accessories Kit". This is something compulsory that they make you buy for 8,999/-

It includes 2 cables, one lightning and one micro-USB, 2 vRS branded pillows (I'm assuming each pillow adds about 10 bhp), front mudflaps and a rubber mat for the boot floor.








Also saw this lovely Red vRS being readied for delivery.



After that I got the car washed and waxed at this new place in HSR Layout, Bangalore called Feynlabs. Run by a very passionate gentleman from the North of Karnataka called Krishna Kumar. He's a very humble person and I really enjoyed talking to him. A detailed review will be up in the TBHP Directory as I whole heartedly recommend this place, at least for a wash and wax.










Post that, of course it started raining! Didnt expect anything else from the weather Gods. So, while I was taunting the slower RWDs from a particular German marque......



It rained quite heavily and allowed me to take some nice pictures of the water beading thanks to the nice wax used by Feynlabs.





However, that evening my good friend sunnyboi insisted on coming home and applying a thin layer of Collinite 845!

Again, true to form, just as he finished, it started pouring cats and dogs. Some of the heaviest rain I've ever witnessed in Bangalore. A lot of trees fell around my house. So, even though my car was inside, under a fibre sheet as a roof, there was a lot of water blown onto the car. Gave me a chance to take some more nice pictures of the water beading effect!






The next day went on a nice long drive with some friends. I was pretty aggressive during the drive and was pretty hard on the car. I still got a fuel economy of almost 10. I'm pretty happy to be honest. I feel if I am very hard on the car, it may drop to 6-7kmpl. This drive I was very aggressive and then followed by certain periods of very slow cruise controlled driving at 80kmph.









After 2350 kms and a substantial number of them on the highways, I can jot down the following points.

The seats are quite comfortable for long drives. They really hold me in place tightly when I do some hard cornering. Initially I mentioned that the seats were not perfect for me, but after having my bum in the seat for so long, I can say that these are immensely comfortable. I’m just glad I am not even marginally bigger. Someone bigger than me can have problems. I wholeheartedly recommend any prospective buyer to at least sit in the seat of a demo car before buying it, especially if the buyer is a bit overweight.

At the end of a few hours in the driver’s seat, I need to get out and stretch a bit, but this I think is quite normal. After a bit of stretching, I feel ready to drive for a few more hours. I feel I can easily do 1000 kms in a single day of driving in this car. I hope I get a chance to test this theory soon. After many hours in the seat, I don’t have any back pain or anything. The lumbar adjustment is quite useful. I’ve still not figured out my final seating position. I’ve been experimenting with a variety of settings. A little higher, a little lower, a little closer to the steering, a little farther away and so on. The car has excellent adjustment options and it should be easy to find a perfect seating position.

My Civic was similarly comfortable. I’ve done 1200kms in a single day in my Civic and I felt ready to go on one more drive!

Suspension is bearable but definitely stiff. Hitting a rut or something at speed is unpleasant. On Concrete Roads, there is definitely a bit of bounciness and more vibrations filtering into the cabin. Of course, like a typical European Sports car, the ride improves as the car picks up speed. So, at 100kph the ride is far better than at 40kph.

The stiffer suspension really shows its class while I am cornering hard, changing lanes or making sudden manoeuvres. On the highway, this car really comes into it’s own. The suspension ensures the car is absolutely planted and feels like it’s running on rails. At no point, at any speed, did I feel that the car is trying to get away from me. There was one moment on a tricky piece of dry road that the ESP or whatever kicked in. It automatically braked the car to supposedly more manageable speeds. I wasn’t going too fast, I wasn’t anywhere close to losing control. However, there was a crest and a dip immediately at a corner. Probably one tyre lost a bit of traction and the car’s safety features kicked in to help me out. It’s a different story that I didn’t actually need help and the car was perfectly planted. It was my first experience of software interfering with my driving. I’ve taken that particular piece of road dozens of times in my Civic and it was always the most exciting part of the highway. So, I was in absolutely no danger, but it was an interesting experience to see how the safety system works.

The tyres were also subjected to some stress tests yesterday and I am impressed with these Hankooks. I feel justified in my decision of sticking to it and not throwing money by “upgrading” to Michelin PS4s. The PS4 of course is a brilliant tyre, but it will definitely not be worth the huge amount of money I would lose by throwing away the Hankooks which are almost on par for my kind of driving.

It’s always worth keeping in mind that for our kind of driving, on Indian roads, the difference will be incremental. Unless you get some really crap tyres from the factory, chances are, your car doesn’t need to get upgraded tyres. A lot of new cars are coming with tyres that are well-sized. Even Honda, who are notorious for undersizing their car’s tyres in the interest of fuel economy are now giving 185/55-16 tyres which are adequate for the cars. VW, Skoda, Hyundai, Maruti are all giving 185-195 section tyres which are more than enough for 99% of Indian drivers.

The reason I’m mentioning this is a lot of people, TBHP-ians included think that a tyre upgrade is absolutely essential when you get a new car. Unless you specifically want an upgraded tyre, there is no reason to waste money after just having spent lakhs of rupees buying a new car.

In the case of my vRS, the Hankooks are excellent, they are 225-section tyres which further help them grip the road and the suspension too does a lot of work in keeping the car glued to the road. If at all, I am considering..... hold your breath because the next part is sacrilege...... 225/50-17 PS4!




Why in heaven's name would I use a tyre with a taller sidewall, risking increased body roll, etc etc etc?

Well, 225/50-17 would definitely make the suspension feel softer in the city (where 75% of my driving time is spent) and the marginally increased body roll will not create any major problems for me on the highway. Only at the very limit will there be a significant different but again, I dont drive on the limit very often. Nor will I be taking it to track with the intention of setting fast lap times. Also, the raised suspension along with the stiffness of the springs makes me confident there wouldnt be any scraping of the tyre with the wheel well.

The Air Conditioning systems works very well. It’s quite effective. I always had a doubt in the back of my mind about this. European cars supposedly don’t cool well compared to Japanese cars. My Honda Civic’s AC system was fantastic. Off-late though, it doesn’t seem to be cooling too well. Probably showing it’s age. However, the vRS’s system works very well and as of now I have no reason to complain. It has been very cool and humid so, the AC system too hasnt been pushed to it’s limit.

The steering is a “Variable Ratio Steering”. Damned if I know what it means! TBHP's resident ex-VAG guru robimahanta, now jumped ship to BMW, explained it to me simply as the ability of the steering to weigh up at higher speeds. Well, all I can say is that it works. Steering feel at higher speeds is very nice. Feels very precise and accurate. For an EPS, this is as close to perfect as I can expect. My Civic’s steering feels better though!

I also tried the Gearbox in Sports Mode. I thoroughly enjoyed that part.
Sports mode works very intuitively. It's very aggressive. Sometimes I might have upshifted, but the TCU holds the gear and when I get back on the throttle, the car just flies. Absolutely insane response.

Engine is quite silent but in Sports mode, the exhaust can be heard especially when accelerating hard. Saturday was the first time I properly pushed the engine and what an experience it was! It picks up speed like it’s no one’s business. I realise I’m always going faster than I expected to! And this was mostly at part throttle! I’m still learning the capabilities of the car and I didn’t have the courage to actually go full throttle every time I saw a small piece of empty road simply because of how quick this car is!

I am loving the sound insulation of this car. At high speeds, I can just about hear some wind noise. There’s barely any engine noise unless I’m accelerating hard, in which case, I can hear the exhaust a little bit.

I was on a 410km drive with my 9 month old daughter and my wife and at times I was doing a bit more than the speed limit, but no one realised. The cabin itself was very quiet and peaceful. My wife and I could whisper to each other and be clearly audible. The ride comfort is very good when cruising on the highway and my daughter slept well, my wife too!

Do note, the car comes with ISOFIX mounting points but as of now, I'm using the older carseat I bought 10 months back. At that time, we didnt have a single car in the house with ISOFIX. Now, I am seriously considering buying an ISOFIX car seat.

Proud moment: I can safely say that my daughter has never travelled more than a kilometre COMBINED without a car seat. That one km too was an emergency when my wife had to take her to the kid's hospital in the middle of the night. Distance from home to hospital = 400metres.

I've insisted on using the car seat to transport my daughter from the day she was discharged from the hospital. It is simply not worth the risk of carrying a baby in the car. We've made this a habit for my daughter and now, 9 months later, she doesnt complain or get fussy.






I have been using normal IOC petrol till now which is 91 Octane. I haven’t had any issues with the car. Performance might be suffering, but I don’t really mind. It’s still faster than almost anything on the road. Fuel economy is around 10.00 even when driving very fast. The on board computer shows exceptionally high readings when I am cruising. Evidence that the car will give phenomenal mileage if driven with a light foot.

In the city, mileage will not cross 6kmpl, at least with Bangalore's notorious traffic. My turbo Civic was giving around the same mileage in the city, so it doesnt hit me too badly.

Overall, I'm really enjoying the car. It's a completely different beast compared to my Turbo Civic.

I only hope and pray that the famed Skoda DSG woes dont haunt me and their service will not bite me in the ass!

Originally Posted by HarshD

Dear Nikhil,

I really am impressed by the fuel economy, that too with a car which is barely run in.

My daughters too are kicked up about the long drives with the sunroof open.

Plan to use this excuse for a long drive every weekend.

Now waiting for the 21st Sept to take delivery.

Best Regards,
Harsh.

I hope they wont be putting their heads out the sunroof when the car is moving!

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

So, I've been driving the car extensively and here is my 2350 kms update. By this weekend, I should be hitting 2500 kms.

Absolutely wonderful update there Nikhil! Thoroughly enjoyed reading thru...
And looking at the black interiors, it would have been great if Skoda provided the black leather option in the regular Octavia.

By the way, congratulations! Looking forward to your future updates

[Santoshbhat]

A bit late to the party Nikhil but, congratulations on a fantastic car and a wonderful write up as well. The VRS has a huge fan following in our country. Skoda didn't do justice with the Laura VRS, but boy this one is the full monty! Wish you a great time with the car. The car will beg you to get atleast a small portion of the myriad modifiable options available for this car. Let's see how long you can resist!

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

The steering is a “Variable Ratio Steering”. Damned if I know what it means! TBHP's resident ex-VAG guru robimahanta, now jumped ship to BMW, explained it to me simply as the ability of the steering to weigh up at higher speeds

Variable ratio steering is actually a steering rack that changes the ratio of the steering to wheels depending on the angle of the turn. Basically what is does is when you have to take sharp turns you don't have to turn the steering as many times as a normal steering. You can see that full steering lock to lock, the number of turns will be less. My X3 also has this feature which I had read up, hence the gyan

https://legacy.bmw.com/ca/en/newvehi...ering.html#t=l

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steering_ratio

[derek]

Super write up and pics mate. Many congratulations. I can't wait for my car to be delivered. A quick question for you guys, I want to change the rims on my Octavia 1.8 l&k as and when the car is delivered. However the showroom guys said don't because the TPS or whatever it's called will have to be recaliberated. Any truth in that?

[vvb8530]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

In the case of my vRS, the Hankooks are excellent, they are 225-section tyres which further help them grip the road and the suspension too does a lot of work in keeping the car glued to the road. If at all, I am considering..... hold your breath because the next part is sacrilege...... 225/50-17 PS4!

Why in heaven's name would I use a tyre with a taller sidewall, risking increased body roll, etc etc etc?

Well, 225/50-17 would definitely make the suspension feel softer in the city (where 75% of my driving time is spent) and the marginally increased body roll will not create any major problems for me on the highway. Only at the very limit will there be a significant different but again, I dont drive on the limit very often. Nor will I be taking it to track with the intention of setting fast lap times. Also, the raised suspension along with the stiffness of the springs makes me confident there wouldnt be any scraping of the tyre with the wheel well.

Hi Nikhil!! Congrats on the new car.

I drive a 2015 Octavia 1.8 TSi which is on 225/50/17 tyres for the past 6 months and I would not really advice you to go for it although I am aware that you have better knowledge about tyres but I am only talking from my experience. I am using Yokohama Advan Sports and though I had thought that it will be a better idea to have taller sidewalls as it would also help keep the expensive TSW wheels safe on bad roads however what I am now experiencing besides the increase in body roll and much bouncier ride on highways is that the ABS kicks in earlier now and also more of torque steer than before during sudden acceleration.

It was a wrong decision I now feel and am planning to change to the 45 profile soon even though I may not be very happy with the change in stance with the lower profile since my car is not even lowered unlike yours.

Regards,
VVB

[shovan]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

So, I've been driving the car extensively and here is my 2350 kms update. By this weekend, I should be hitting 2500 kms.

Hi Nikhil, congrats on the car! I too plan to book the vRS this month, my only concern is that in case of any problems, being a CBU do you think the parts would need to be imported? or would local service centres be able to manage repairs and the spares?