It was as though the Skoda Octavia knew it was going back into storage and had started to express its dismay through the medium of its sat-nav.
At least, that’s how it seemed. Just a few days before the car’s return, the system decided that I wasn’t on the M25, heading west, as my eyes would have me believe, but rather that I was on a north-easterly path, driving through the Hampton Court Palace Golf Club.
I rather hoped that wasn’t the case – apart from anything else, I’d just had the Octavia cleaned before it went back – but the asphalt beneath me was testament to the fact that I was still on the M25. I pulled off the motorway to take a photograph of the offending sat-nav screen and continued on my way.
The glitch sorted itself out by the time I embarked on my journey home, but it seems that it isn’t an unknown problem with the Octavia. Owners’ forums suggest it’s caused by either a connection fault with the GPS aerial or a problem with the aerial itself. At least it’s an easy fix.
Despite that minor niggle, I will admit I was a little sad when the chap from Skoda came to whisk our six-year-old Octavia vRS back to the firm’s heritage collection. By the way, the car’s provenance goes some way to explaining its low mileage and rather high value.
I’ve loved my regrettably short time with the Octavia vRS. It’s been a superb jack of all trades, and while there is the inevitable caveat that it’s the master of none, the estate has nevertheless been very good at the majority of things.
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And so ends another VAG
And so ends another VAG advertorial......
Octavia has been my best car
My Octavia was the same vintage as this, but a standard engined hatchback. At 4 years old there were the beginnings of wear showing on the leather seats especially round the bolsters. The previous one had no such trouble but I'd changed that at 4 1/2 to get the updated gizmos. Even so, it had been the most all-round car of my 34 years of driving. The latest model became too big and made some very strange choices. I was distraught. Regrettably I went to a taller big car and got an XC60. It does not have anything like the practicality, even though it is smoother and quieter. I still miss my Octavia.
Economy 39 with lots of short runs, 43 on longer journeys. Faults: leather wearing.
Have you taken it in for the
Have you taken it in for the emissions update yet? Please do and report back the differences on how it runs etc and get it on a rolling road. Or will Skoda heritage not allow you to??