Skoda Octavia
Has our roomy family hatch measured up? It’s verdict time
LOTS OF PEOPLE are obsessed with the legend of Bigfoot, a large, hairy, ape-like creature that’s said to roam around the wilds of North America. Some cryptozoologists devote their lives to studying and searching for such things, and there have been thousands of alleged sightings over the years. Well, I’ve been studying a similar legend over the past few months, and it’s called Big Boot. Otherwise known as the Skoda Octavia. And it wasn’t at all difficult to find and document.
With a load capacity of 10 carry-on suitcases below its parcel shelf, the Octavia’s boot is far larger than those of any of its rivals in the family car class and even beats the capacity of quite a few large SUVS. It’s the family hatchback equivalent of the Ever Given, albeit rather less likely to get stuck in the Suez Canal.
For the money, you won’t find anything that comes close to matching the Octavia in this respect – and it’s probably the main reason why you’d choose this model over, say, the more conventional Skoda Scala or our 2021 Family Car of the Year, the Seat Leon.
That’s great if you have a growing family, but the price you pay for this exceptional practicality is a fairly dull driving experience. With loose body control and a tendency to run wide of your chosen cornering line without much provocation, my Octavia felt decidedly uninterested whenever I pointed it down a twisty country road, and switching to the Sport driving mode made so little difference that I rarely bothered. The Octavia felt far more in its element on the motorway, where its soft suspension allowed it to waft along in comfort.
That wasn’t the case around town, though. For a car with such a relaxed set-up, my Octavia’s low-speed ride was surprisingly unsettled and noisy, crashing and thumping over sharp bumps and potholes and bouncing dramatically over sleeping policemen.
In hindsight, my decision to upgrade to 18in wheels from the standard 17s was probably partly to blame, and I’d seriously consider the optional adaptive suspension next time around in the hope that this might improve the ride (although I can’t guarantee that).
The Octavia’s interior was also a mixed bag for me. The microsuede material that adorned the dashboard and seats of my SE L First Edition model (now discontinued in favour of regular SE L trim) added a welcome touch of class, and I had no complaints about the driving position or seat comfort, but from a user-friendliness standpoint, the interior left a lot to be desired.
In particular, I found the touchscreen infotainment system awkward to use, while the steering wheel controls for adjusting things on the digital instrument panel weren’t much better. There was also a bit of duplication of functions going on between the infotainment screen, the few physical switches and the instrument panel that I didn’t find helpful.
The Octavia’s familiar 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine was as gutsy and smooth as we’ve come to expect, although my car did prove quite jerky at low speeds until it had warmed up. It was fairly frugal, too; my average of just over 40mpg wasn’t bad and it could hit 45mpg on a steady motorway run, but it dropped to the high 30s if I spent much time around town.
In the end, I’d happily have traded some of that luggage space for a better driving experience and a more user-friendly interior. Having said that, I can’t deny that it remains fine value, and you get a lot of space and equipment for your money. In those respects, the Octavia is as good as or better than it’s ever been. If those are the qualities that matter most to you, you might want to consider looking into the legend of Big Boot too…