Meet the property model of Skoda’s best-selling automotive. Now in its fourth era, the all-new Octavia has a contemporary look and all the most recent know-how, however most of all – it strikes the sport on.
Longer, wider and taller than its predecessor, the Octavia Property is out there with a selection of environment friendly petrol and diesel engines, plus a brand-new plug-in hybrid (badged Octavia iV).
Priced from £22,210, the most recent Octavia has inched upmarket and it’s now very near the Golf when it comes to the standard of supplies used, tools and general end.
There are numerous trim ranges – beginning off with the SE and ending with the efficiency VRS. We’d recommend going for the mid-range SE Expertise which comes with local weather management, LED headlights, a ten.25-inch ‘Digital Cockpit’ driver’s digital and a 10-inch central touchscreen with Columbus satellite tv for pc navigation.
We examined the Octavia Property powered by a 1.5-litre (badged TSI) petrol turbo, creating 148bhp. Paired with a six-speed guide gearbox, it’s able to 0-62mph in 8.3 seconds and a prime pace of 139mph.
Skoda claims its CO2 emissions are as little as 130g/km with gasoline financial system as excessive as 49.6mpg.
As ever, if you happen to spend a lot of your time on motorways and/otherwise you run an organization automotive, then the 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel model may make extra sense – it could actually handle as much as 65.9mph, whereas CO2 emissions are as little as 112g/km.
Inside, it’s a lot the identical as we’ve come to count on from Skoda – nothing to flash, however spacious, comfy, intuitively laid out and nicely put collectively.
Our solely slight gripe is that virtually each management on the up to date major infotainment system is accessed through a touchscreen. Superb for many issues, however we’d want bodily dials for heating – essential within the winter.
On the plus aspect, there’s class-leading house within the again for adults, whereas the boot boasts a 640-litre baggage capability, increasing to an enormous 1,700 litres with the again seats flipped.
Naturally, the cabin is affected by useful storage areas, plus there’s Skoda’s trademark umbrella within the driver’s door, plus smartphone pockets on the seat backs for rear passengers and an ice scraper mounted within the gasoline filler flap.
Awarded a most 5 stars in Euro NCAP crash checks, the Octavia is out there with security and driver help equipment together with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise management and blindspot screens, plus further collision avoidance tech.
As an example, there’s Flip Help (it detects oncoming site visitors when turning left at a junction) and Exit Warning (it warns if a car or a bike owner is approaching from behind when a automotive door is open).
On the street, the punchy and refined 1.5 TSI gives greater than sufficient energy for many, whereas the six-speed guide is pleasantly slick. There are Eco, Regular, Consolation and Sport drive modes out there, and you may have a little bit of enjoyable within the latter, however stick it in Eco on a protracted, stress-free motorway run and 50mpg+ may be very achievable.
The Octavia’s experience is on the smooth aspect, which means that there’s slightly physique lean in tighter corners, however that’s a small compromise given the automotive’s spectacular general driving expertise.
Add gentle steering, responsive brakes and an honest quantity of grip, and it’s clear that this inexpensive all-rounder will proceed to be a preferred selection with patrons.
Verdict: The inexpensive all-new Skoda Octavia property continues to supply a profitable mix of house, practicality, consolation, financial system and worth for cash. Now with cutting-edge tech and a sharper new look, it’s cemented its place as a class-leading household load-lugger.
Skoda UK