Practicality 3.7/5

MODEL TESTED: Skoda Octavia Hatch VRS 2.0 TSI 220 DSG PRICE: £25,850 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl, 217bhp

THINGS get more gloomy for the Kia when it comes to practicality. Although the five-door body means access to the rear is easy, and the cabin is spacious enough inside, the 380-litre boot is a long way off even the Renault’s, let alone the cavernous luggage room offered by the Skoda.

Storage is okay, with a tray in front of the gearlever and a pair of cup-holders up front, but it’s no better than the competition offers.

The higher roofline at the rear means access is good and there’s enough headroom for taller passengers, but while it’s on par with the Mégane in terms of legroom, the Cee’d GT is dwarfed by the Octavia’s interior space.

SKODA is celebrating 15 years of its VRS badge in the UK in 2016, and it was the original Octavia that marked the debut of the performance brand. This third-generation car launched in 2013, and the VRS hatch is a natural rival to the Renault and Kia. It comes with a choice of three engines, in two bodystyles, with a pair of transmission options, while even four-wheel drive is available. But here we test the £25,850 Octavia VRS 220 Hatch with a DSG box.

Styling 3.9/5

COMPARED with the more conventional bodies of the Renault and Kia, the Skoda’s rear end sticks out in more ways than one. But it’s still a hatchback and boasts even more practicality than its competitors, as that big boot door opens to reveal a larger load bay.

The VRS modifications are less aggressive than the transformation from regular Cee’d into the GT model and stick closer to the Renault’s recipe, but there’s still plenty of presence thanks to the VRS bodykit.

A deeper front bumper, with three big black inserts to match the sportier grille, gives the Octavia an even sharper look from the front. The car’s design is characterised by its angular lines and simple surfaces, but it adds up to an impactful effect.

Subtle lines flow back along the bonnet from the corners and the centre of the grille, while a pair of more defined creases run the length of the car’s sides, connecting the headlamps with the tail-lights and creating a strong shoulderline in the process.

At the rear there’s a pair of bright silver tailpipes surrounded by a gloss black plastic insert to match the Renault and Kia’s exhaust treatment, while the bootlid features a few more angular lines that help to catch the light and add a sporty look, along with the VRS badging and the red strip in the rear bumper.

The Octavia’s design doesn’t feature a spoiler at the top of the rear screen, so instead there’s a more obvious wing on top of the bootlid to mark this out as the high-performance model in the range.

There are more cues inside that do the same, including the VRS badging on the steering wheel and the £925 optional leather-trimmed, heated sports seats. Some carbon fibre-effect inlays tie in with this theme, but while the Octavia’s cabin feels well screwed together, material quality is solid rather than stunning. And after nearly four years on sale, the Skoda’s interior is starting to look dated compared with cutting-edge rivals like the Renault.

It features a reasonable amount of equipment as standard, though, with Bluetooth, DAB and sat-nav all included. However, heated seats are a £250 extra if you don’t want to go for the leather pack which brings this feature. Metallic paint is cheaper at £360, but a reversing camera costs £300; the other cars here include this as standard.

Driving 4.1/5

WHILE the VRS is the most expensive car here, it offers more power, with 217bhp from its larger 2.0-litre turbo engine. Our performance figures are for the VRS estate, which is only slightly heavier than the Hatch, but even so the Skoda blitzed its competitors in a straight line at the test track.

With the help of launch control from the six-speed dual-clutch box, the Octavia sprinted from 0-60mph in 6.4 seconds. It also has the slickest transmission of our trio, and this helped it carve out a 1.5-second gap over the Mégane and Cee’d from 30-70mph. Add a big torque advantage – it has 70Nm more than the Renault and 85Nm more than the Kia – and it was also the punchiest performer in the lower gears. In fifth and sixth it couldn’t match the Cee’d GT or the seven-speed Mégane, but this is explained by the Skoda’s longer ratios (it read 2,000rpm at 70mph), which meant it was also the most refined car at speed.

It’s underpinned by the most capable chassis, too. Even though it has no trick tech like the Mégane’s four-wheel steering, the Skoda uses the VW Group’s MQB platform, which gives it lots of grip and agility.

The steering is responsive and it doesn’t take much lock to direct the Octavia into a corner. Go for Skoda’s £850 Dynamic Chassis Control with adaptive dampers, and in Sport mode body control is great.

The suspension ties down the Skoda’s mass so it responds sweetly to the steering, but even in the sportiest setting the dampers take the brutality out of big bumps with greater finesse than its rivals.

In Normal the ride still feels firm, partly due to the 18-inch wheels, but it’s acceptable and has a bit more composure where the Renault or Kia lose control of wheel movement and tend to thump over potholes.

Yet despite its responsive set-up, the Octavia is still an easy car to cover long distances in, with the DSG box taking the effort out of driving. It provides quick, smooth shifts, while the extra torque means you don’t have to spend as much time changing gear.

Ownership 4.3/5

SKODA always performs well in our Driver Power satisfaction surveys, and its third place overall in 2016 shows owners consistently rate the brand highly. Its dealers finished mid-table in 15th, but the Octavia was voted the seventh best car to own in our top 150 list.

Autonomous braking is available for £315, although the VRS gets upgraded brakes as standard. Add this to seven airbags, lane assist and Skoda’s postcollision braking system, and it’s no surprise that the Octavia earned five stars in Euro NCAP crash tests.

Running costs 3.9/5

BUSINESS users paying tax at the higher rate will save £171 a year by choosing the Skoda over the Kia. This is because the Octavia emits 24g/km less CO2 than the Cee’d, at 146g/km, and attracts a five per cent lower Benefit-in-kind rate. But the 134g/km Mégane will be another £568 per year cheaper.

Skoda’s £279 two-year servicing deal represents similar value to Kia’s £399 three-year package, but the Renault will be the cheapest car of this trio to maintain, thanks to its £299 three-year package.

Practicality 4.3/5

A LARGER hatchback opening means the Octavia offers a sizeable 590 litres of boot space, plus its maximum capacity with the seats folded down is the largest, at 1,580 litres. It’s the easiest to load, too; although there’s a small lip, the hatch rises high out of the way.

A longer wheelbase and body mean it’s also far roomier inside. Legroom in the back is great and even tall adults won’t feel cramped, while storage in the front gives you all the room you’d need, too.

Despite having the longest wheelbase on test, the Skoda is as easy to manoeuvre as the four-wheel-steered Mégane, with a 10.4-metre turning circle. However, front parking sensors cost an extra £350.