Elegance 1.6 TDI CR 5dr Estate

Disappointing, after years of owning Skodas this will be my last.

After having two Octavia 1.9 Tdi's which were tough, reliable and economical I expected the 1.6 to be a step up. It is certainly more refined but in every other way it has been a severe let down. It seems to lack power but far worse has been the economy, mid 40's being the norm, when I easily beat 50 in the 1.9. Worse still has been the catalogue of reliability problems. Injector failure, DPF problems, suspension bushes all very costly as it was out of warranty. I also had to have the cam belt done at around £500 (admittedly this is routine maintenance but other marques go for much longer without replacement). On top of this the VW diesel scandal has destroyed my faith in the brand. I've decided to dump it and downsize to a Fiesta after less than two years. It's a pity because I've been a big fan of Skoda and the local dealer is excellent. But enough is enough. My mechanic characterises the new 1.6 diesel as "fragile". I can't put it better.

Report as offensive