The Skoda Octavia, in spite of its saloon-y appearances, is a family members hatchback competitor for the VW Golf and also Seat Leon with which it shares a framework and engines, and the ubiquitous Ford Emphasis. When this generation of Octavia got here, we fretted ‘Skoda could be in danger of shedding what little identification it kept. Being a ‘spending plan Golf’ is all well and also good, but shouldn’t a cars and truck be extra?’ Well, with over 23,000 changed in the UK up until now, it shows up folks are none also worried regarding a common childhood if the Skoda’s vital statistics and general simplicity of use are on factor.
2020 Skoda Octavia
As well as rather frankly, they are. Basically, you obtain a Golf platform with a roomier body, and also though the cabin products aren’t rather as great as well as you’re rejected some optional in-car technology, the up-side is the Octavia is less costly as well as uses just the same oily little bits, which are proven excellent’uns. Okay, it’s no wonderful drinks to drive either, with even the virtual reality hot hatch having the enjoyable of a GTI or Leon Cupra slightly engineered from it. So it’s quite vanilla, a little white-good. It’s not a device to fancy then, yet as an honest workhorse that’ll play to the head rather than the heart, the Octavia is a real unsung hero amongst the family members hatch rankings.
2020 Skoda Octavia
All have 5 seats, whether you go hatch or estate, all are turbocharged, with three-cylinder gas making up the base of the petroleum range, and also four-pot diesels doing the heavy lifting particularly on the fleet market. You can have a six-speed guidebook or a six-speed DSG car, and that has to do with it truly. Oh, and there’s a removable torch in the boot cellular lining that charges up as you drive. Mmm, sensible.
Is Skoda Octavia a good car??
Plainly, you can see there’s a little bit more heft to the Octavia than the Golf, as well as therefore the fine characteristics of the Mark VII are a little diluted. The steering is light and also accurate sufficient, with enough weight to satisfy small-to-medium sized helmsmiths, however those of a more apex-splitting persuasion will certainly require something much less docile. It bobs about on its springtimes a little bit too, though there’s enough framework sorcery in this MQB platform to keep you delighted, equally as long as this entertainment doesn’t begin with ‘N’ and end in ‘ürburgring’.
2020 Skoda Octavia
The upside of the slightly podgy suspension though, is a totally placid flight as well as fantastic freeway improvement. Cross-continent journeys in among these would certainly be a painless experience, so long as you spec something larger than the 1.2-litre TSI gas engine. It struggles a bit, and with a little weight on board you get the feeling you ‘d need to stir the gearbox frequently. Our suggestions would be to go diesel, and also to go huge. Both 1.6 and 2.0-litre TDIs are fracturing electric motors.
2020 Skoda Octavia
What’s that? You do not depend on diesel not to layer the lungs of city urchins with a tarry paste? In that situation, for short journeys only, might we provide the 113bhp 1.0-litre TSI motor. Once again, with downsizing befalling of fashion this engine may also be a jeopardized types, yet it’s so light-weight in the Octavia’s nose, it can be moderately good fun to hurl around. Still a bit unsuitable in a– how can we put this– airport terminal taxi vehicle, yet it’s a surprise treasure that just loses to diesels as a cost suggestion over long mileages.
Layout, finish and space
It’s ruddy lovely. Strong. Heavy. Reliable. Erm, Golf-like. All designs obtains the exact same central touchscreen as their VW relatives (with a close to the same layout, too) yet there’s absolutely nothing incorrect with this when the ergonomics are area on, the driving position is excellent as well as the ambience excellent. As expected, all the products are extracted from nearby asteroids, as well as the head, leg as well as boot area is excellent. The latter is actually spacious. Literally. It’s all simply a little bit too … VW. With each succeeding generation, the Octavia – and Skoda itself– is losing uniqueness. Still, we’ll take absence of individuality over the Ford Focus cockpit each day of the week. As well as the weekend too.
Is Skoda Octavia based on VW Golf?
Optional coincides eight-inch touchscreen system existing in the current VW Golf, in addition to the same defects. Removing the rotary knobs for map zooming, list scrolling and volume control has actually made operating the user interface without removing your gaze from the roadway more difficult than keyhole surgical treatment on a trampoline, and even for a passenger the hand steadiness required to effectively navigate the infernal sun menus would certainly make an RAF drone pilot sweat.
Interestingly, 2020 Skoda Octavia does not (yet) use a digital set of dials in the Octavia. If you desire a screen-heavy cockpit, VW as well as Audi keep the gadgets on their own. Negative? A bit, but the Octavia’s clocks are clear (take that, VW) as well as well, free of charge, so take that as even more of a monitoring than an issue. Tech for tech’s purpose is seldom a development.
In addition to costs beginning under those of a Golf, and also making life tough for the hard-punching Koreans nowadays, the Octavia has sensibly valued alternatives (that you largely do not need to trouble with– adaptive suspension? Who are you joking?), as well as the engines, as we have actually said, are going to be equally as avaricious as in various other VW Team applications. There’s even a 1.6-litre TDI Greenline variation on eco tyres that’ll return up to 80.7 mpg as well as 90g/km of CARBON DIOXIDE. Residuals aren’t as strong as somewhere else in the VW realm, predictably, however on the plus side Skodas dealerships have actually earned a strong online reputation for customer care in the last decade especially, consistently fighting it out with Lexus for leading area in contentment studies.
2020 Skoda Octavia
And also if you’re the sort of person that irons their socks right into sets and also alphabetises your DVD collection, you’ll like the ice-scraper matched the gas filler cap. The parking lot ticket owner included into the windscreen border. The grippy cupholders which enables you to open up a container one-handed while driving. Which smart torch that resides in the boot and will certainly never need a new battery. It’s not top chat-up line stuff, however those features are bound to get the Octavia owner out of jail from time to time, as well as are the closest point the 2020 Skoda Octavia has to personality.