Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £16,966 to £16,966
Volkswagen engineering and quality in a better-value package, ample space with a huge boot, economical and high-tech engines, keen handling and an excellent ride.
Styling is staid to some eyes.
This is effectively a roomier Golf at a lower price. The Octavia is a complete and very capable car, and a very smart buy which should bury any lingering Skoda stigma for good.
Anti-lock brakes with Brake Assist are standard, as is a traction control system which includes a device to stop engine drag from causing a skid if the driver has failed to match engine revs during a downshift. Electronic stability control is optional, but will be standard on the 4x4 models; the package includes tyre pressure monitors.
If, despite all this, the Octavia should hit something solid, a minimum of four airbags - two front, two front-side - cushions the impact. Rear side airbags and full-length side curtain 'bags are optional. Other safety features include pedals which break away under heavy impact to minimise injuries to ankles and feet, optional 'active' head restraints which move the head forward under a rear impact to counter whiplash, and a structure designed to direct the engine under the front floor in a major front impact. The Octavia has achieved a respectable four star score in the EuroNCAP crash tests, with a good further four stars for child protection (with Skoda's approved child seats) and two stars for pedestrian protection. A rolling-code immobiliser and deadlocks are standard, an alarm is also standard on Ambiente and Elegance models.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Skoda Octavia Estate
wrote on 13 09 2007
wrote on 12 05 2007