Skoda Octavia 1.4 TSI SE
Mileage 7121 List price £19,530
Target Price £18,079 Price as tested £20,700 Test economy 45.7mpg
I MUST ADMIT, when I first got word that I would be the custodian of our long-term Skoda Octavia, I wasn’t all that excited. The Octavia has always done incredibly well in What Car? group tests and I’ve photographed countless examples for our Car of the Year Awards. But Skoda’s family hatchback lacks a certain joie de vivre – in stark contrast to the Renault Scénic MPV that I’ve been running until now.
If I had to describe the Octavia using one word, it would be ‘inoffensive’ – certainly in our specification. On little 16in wheels and painted in Corrida Red, details such as the bisected headlights and sharply styled bootlid simply fade away from notice. It’s a shame, because the hot Octavia VRS, with its Audi Rs-like wheels and bolder colours, is genuinely attractive.
But to ignore a car based purely on aesthetics is foolish – a lesson that has been reinforced in my first few weeks with the Octavia.
With numerous photoshoots scheduled in South Wales, I’ve spent a great deal of time on fast-flowing motorways and tight country roads. The Octavia has dealt with both brilliantly. In fact, as a pure driving proposition, I’d argue that it’s head and shoulders above rivals such as the Hyundai i30 and Vauxhall Astra.
The steering is light but direct, the six-speed gearbox is slick and accurate, and if you’re worried that the 1.4-litre petrol engine can’t be big enough for such a large hatchback, well, don’t be. The Octavia feels genuinely sprightly when the road opens up, while fuel economy of around 45mpg is nothing to be ashamed of.
Ultimately, the Octavia is exactly what you’d want from a big family hatchback, and I suspect it will continue to grow on me the more time I spend behind the wheel.