17 Jul 06
Another month of Skoda motoring and another month during which I find myself wondering which organ I can sell on eBay to raise the £18,375 needed to buy the Octavia vRS estate. It really is that good.
Sorry, I know it's getting boring for you to hear me harp on about how wonderful the Skoda is, but this car really does tick every box. It's fast, engaging, spacious and well appointed. It's flexible, affordable, economical (given its performance) and terrifically understated. And it stands head and shoulders above it rivals in its value-for-money stakes.
I've racked up some hefty mileage this month. Trips to Stansted, Peterborough, Ealing, Rye and Milton Keynes have added another 2,413 miles to the Octavia's total. And I've enjoyed every one of those miles - primarily because the vRS is the nigh perfect Q-car. Its ability to embarrass a lot of far more expensive and extravagant metal, to bullet past dawdlers and effortlessly flatten inclines makes even the longest of journeys an entertaining event. The only downside to the long journeys is the tyres' susceptibility to surface changes. On old rough tarmac, they're always a little louder than expected, but on new roads, they are whisper quiet - which means the M25 has a tiring loud-quiet-loud-quiet soundtrack.
