A strangely normal wagon
engine with 132kW/250Nm, but you can save $2k if you opt for the Style with the 1.4-litre 110kW unit (same powerplant as the petrol-Ambition).
If diesel’s still your thing, there are 85kW and 110kW oil-burners available in Ambition-trim only, for $39,990 and $40,900.
We rather like this one. It’s not a car for showing off in, but it doesn’t hurt to have surprisingly perky performance on tap when you need it. The Style 132 gets to 100kmh in 7.5 seconds, which is sufficient to show your average family car a clean set of heels. Snappy gear changes are guaranteed, with the Volkswagen Group’s ubiquitous seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox fitted as standard.
It’s not a particularly sporty wagon and doesn’t pretend to be. In this guise the Octavia is built for comfort more than speed, and it lopes along very nicely indeed. It is slightly sharper than before, thanks to a 20mm increase in rear track.
If you want to go all sporty you can, because Octavia is based on VW’s MQB platform (same as Golf, although it’s larger) and has the same electronic architecture. So you can add Dynamic Chassis Control ($2500) or drive-mode selection ($350), but whether chassis-fettling is Style-appropriate is another matter.
An expanded range of driverassistance features is also part of the revised Octavia range. All models have Front Assistant, which incorporates autonomous city braking, and a reversing camera. The Style also gets Lane Assist and Blind Spot Detection, while Adaptive Cruise Control is a worthwhile addition for $950: our car didn’t have it, but experience with the technology on other models tells us VW’s system is a good ‘un.
You can also order a Driver Activity Assistant to annoy you when it thinks you’re tired ($350) and automatic parking ($1650) that includes Trailer Assist, which might appeal to wagon-types.
The problem is that you tick a few boxes and suddenly your Style’s price starts with a ‘‘5’’. And that might be over-reaching when the go-faster RS version starts there.
Inside, the new Octavia is still focused on simplicity and good build quality, but some flash bits have been added. The centreconsole screen has Android/Apple phone projection and the whole unit is covered in a very shiny glass frontage; the shortcut buttons along the side are all now touch-sensitive. There are other trim upgrades, including the cupholder grips from the Kodiaq: the tractive lining allows you to open a bottle onehanded.
The Octavia is a genuinely large and practical wagon: a monster 610 litres of cargo capacity in five-seat configuration, or 1740 litres with the rear chairs folded. You also get the obligatory Skoda boot-light-that’salso-a-removable-magnetic-torch. Which we love.
Amid the current fashion for wagon-bling, the Octavia Style is a huge appealing return to wagon basics: unpretentious, good to drive and just-plain-practical. Old-school? Maybe, but it’s also a very modern car on a very modern platform.
But you can see why an Octavia wagon is still a hard sell against the Kodiaq SUV. For less than Style 132kW money you can have the entry-level Kodiaq 110kW in frontdrive form ($39,990), which is a lot of metal for the money and boasts seven seats. Although funnily enough, the big fella doesn’t have a lot more luggage space (630 litres).
Even the Kodiaq Ambition+, with all-wheel drive and leather upholstery, is just $44,990. Or the Octavia Scout 4x4 also looks tempting, for $45,890 with the same 132kW engine (although it only has a six-speed gearbox).
But they’re both SUVs, right?