2010 Skoda Octavia Reviews

Graham Smith reviews the 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 Skoda Octavia as a used buy. Under the plain packaging, Skoda's mid-sizer delivered affordable European motoring. New The Octavia was the flag bearer for Skoda when the Czech brand was relaunched here in 2007 after a lengthy absence. By then, the Skoda badge was part

Ewan Kennedy reviews the second and third generation Skoda Octavia sedan and wagon as a used buy.

Skoda is one of those brands that muddles along in the mid-size market, rarely having any impact.NEWIt could be that we have long memories and recall the cars sold here in earlier times, cars that were poorly put together, had little or no manufacturer support and, well, were pretty ordinary devices from an Iron Curtain country.While all of that was true then, it's not now when the company is owned by VW, the Czech factories they're produced in are owned and run by VW, and the cars are VWs under the skin. The re-born Czech brand returned to the market in 2007 after a long absence and promised VW motoring on a budget.The mid-sized Octavia was one of the first models to be launched and remains the brand's main weapon with a large range of models, including hatchback and wagon body styles, a number of petrol and diesel engine options, and various transmissions.It isn't particularly stylish, but in today's terms when all cars look alike, the Octavia could be said to stand out with its more traditional grille. Get past the looks and you find a practical, roomy and well-equipped car that does everything without fuss.The Octavia is based on the VW Golf, which ensures it has a European feel about it. There's a wide choice of petrol and diesel engines, they're all VW units, and they all perform strongly while delivering decent fuel economy.Backing them up is a range of manual and auto transmissions, including the much-maligned dual-clutch DSG auto. Inside, the Octavia is neatly laid-out with room enough for four adults in comfort, or five at a squeeze. Thick pillars can create blind spots for the driver, and the cabin noise level tends to be a little higher than you might expect for a car in this class.NOWWith relatively slow sales you'll have to look long and hard to find the car you want, they're not plentiful like some other makes and models. It also means prices are more affordable if you're buying. If you're selling it means resale is affected.Few complaints about Skodas have reached Carsguide, which is interesting given the huge amount of mail we get complaining about VWs. It could simply be a case that too few Skodas are out there to generate comment, or perhaps Skoda takes a different view to VW when dealing with complaints. Or it could be that Skoda owners are a contented lot.Whatever it's important that any car is thoroughly checked, because there's no reason to think Skodas are immune from the problems that plague their VW cousins. Engines, the 1.8 TSI in particular, can give trouble. Many have had to be replaced quite early in life, so be wary and check service records carefully.The other problem area is the DSG, which can be brilliant when working correctly, but it can equally be a nightmare when it's not, and there are plenty of examples of both.Clutch packs, computers, wiring can all conspire to bring the DSG to a halt, so test drive DSG-equipped cars carefully. Things to be noted are shuddering, incorrect gear selection, hesitations, reluctance to select gears, going into neutral at inappropriate moments. In fact, be wary of anything that doesn't appear to be normal, they're expensive to fix.Check service records for evidence of regular maintenance, make sure cam belts have been changed when needed, and watch brake wear. Note that Skoda recommends the use of Premium unleaded fuel.SMITHY SAYSNeat, practical mid-sizer, but is burdened by some of VWs flaws.Skoda Octavia 2009-2011Price new: $29,290 to $38,290Engine: 1.4-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged, 90 kW/200 Nm; 1.6-litre 4-cylinder, 75 kW/148 Nm; 1.8-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged, 118 kW/250 Nm; 1.6-litre 4-cylinder turbo-diesel, 77 kW/250 Nm; 1.9-litre 4-cylinder turbo-diesel, 77 kW/250 Nm; 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo-diesel, 103 kW/320 NmTransmission: 5-speed manual, 6-speed auto, 6-speed DSG auto, 7-speed DSG auto, FWDEconomy: 7.8 L/100 km (1.6), 6.7 L/100 km (1.8T), 6.3 L/100 km (1.9TD), 5.7 L/100 km (2.0TD),Body: 5-door hatch, 4-door wagonVariants: 1.6, 1.8 TSI, 1.9 TDI, 2.0 TDI (2009) 75, 77, 90, 103, 118 (2010)Safety: 4-star ANCAP

Getting Skoda circa-1970 mixed up with Skoda 2010 is like mixing up your restaurant table and sitting down with Margaret Thatcher instead of Monica Bellucci. The brand is owned and run by Volkswagen, is the most profitable arm of Volkswagen and regularly gets quality car and value car awards. What kicks it in the nether regions is a belief that it's a discounted Volkswagen and should be cheap. Rubbish!VALUEThe bad news is that someone probably said that Skodas should be cheap because they're made in the Czech Republic. More rubbish. The tech-savvy nation - also known for pilsner and its citizens' ability to drink it in volumes - knows how to build things. If it wasn't for those crazy Russian occupiers in 1968-1990 and their slap-happy assembling technique, Skoda would have always had a quality name.The Octavia wagon here costs $29,290 as a seven-speed DSG automatic. That's not cheap but Skoda has refrained from stripping out the car, including alloys, cruise, eight-speaker iPod-compatible audio, trip computer and for those cold mornings, heated mirrors.As a hauler, the wagon is Tardis-like, being relatively compact on the outside and roomy on the inside.TECHNOLOGYIt doesn't break the automotive mould - having four wheels, an engine and steering wheel - but it has some tricks.The engine is a weeny 1.4 litres but delivers the goods thanks to a turbocharger and, as a $2300 option, the direct-shift gearbox (DSG) transmission that makes the car more fuel efficient than the manual version. The drivetrain comes from Volkswagen's Polo and claims a miserly 6.5 litres/100km (I didn't try and got 7.2 l/100km) with low emissions.The rest of the car is, well, a car.DESIGNYes, the Russians did leave a legacy. Conservative is a word that springs to mind about the wagon's looks. It's functional, unobtrusive but doesn't get your attention in the way that, say, a Kia Sportage drags the eye.Inside it's simple, utterly workable and beautifully assembled. There are hiccups - some switchgear has illegible markings - but the impression is solid, durable and resoundingly one of quality.As mentioned, it's big on the inside with a boot that will accommodate vast volumes of luggage. This massive boot still has a bit left over for a full-size spare - can every other carmaker hear this?SAFETYNo scrimping when it comes to family safety, too. The 90TSI gets six airbags, electronic stability control, four-wheel discs and ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution and anti-slip regulation. It's all gobbledygook, of course, but it means the Octavia is up there in the safety department with the big boys.Its predecessor has an ANCAP four-star crash rating that appears to have been done before curtain airbags became standard. The test has yet to be repeated.DRIVINGYou wouldn't know this has a 1.4-litre unless you start pushing very hard. The wagon, at 1425kg dry, isn't particularly light but it gets along very smoothly and surprisingly briskly. It will perform well despite four adults aboard - a feat achieved primarily by the low-end performance of the turbocharger and the ratio spread of the gearbox's seven cogs.Most notably, it feels very solid. The feedback through the steering wheel is positive and lacks the vagueness of many similar electro-hydraulic systems. Bumpy roads transmit virtually no noise and fail to produce any hint of body flex. This all results in a wagon that has surprisingly high levels of road adhesion and defies its rather bland appearance by being a bit of a fun car.VERDICTMakes sense for people who want durability, versatility and frugal ownership costs and less of the pizzazz and baubles of some modern cars. It's probably the next best thing to a Peugeot 404 or 504 or Renault 16 of the 1970s.

Until the (almost literally) Superb wagon arrived this year, Skoda was about as widely known as Rob Oakshott. If the re-aligned and re-priced Octavia line-up is unlikely to bring the major parties to their knees, it should win votes from buyers who for the first time can get into a European-made medium-sized car for Toyota Corolla money.The Octavia range of liftbacks and wagons is Skoda’s mainstay, essentially a VW Golf underneath a body that’s larger and, according to European quality and reader surveys, better-built. Regarded over there as VW’s budget brand, so far it’s had but a token local presence under $30,000.The whole range is getting extra fruit, including standard sat-nav in models from the 118TSI on up, but that’s the next rung. Most of us with less than $30K of our own money to spend are after a Mazda3 or Hyundai i30 – and that’s where the new 90TSI comes in.VALUEAt $24,990 for the entry six-speed manual liftback, this is, on a metal for money basis, the best value European car Australian money can buy. As in “made in Europe”. It’s near twin, VW’s Golf Wagon comes out of Mexico and starts $2K dearer.That’s where the wagon version of the Octavia starts too, with the same direct-injection turbo petrol engine but a load space (580 litres backseats up, 1620 down) almost 200-litres greater than the VeeWee. That’s important, because when you get to the car we drove last week – the $29,290 Wagon with DSG - the Skoda’s price advantage is a matter a few hundred bucks.The 90TSI is no stripper, with Pyxis alloys in its chunky 15-inch Dunlop tyres, semi automatic air-con, multi-function steering wheel, trip computer, cruise control, remote locking and MP3. Essentially it’s compatible with Golf’s Trendline trim. A six-speed manual is standard; DSG adds $2300.A new entry diesel range, with a 77kW/250Nm TDI engine, is available shortly, from $26,990.TECHNOLOGYThis is where Skoda’s VW association distinguishes it from our northern neighbours. An old world four speed auto remains prevalent in this segment; the Czech gets a seven speed dual clutch jobbie, essentially an automated manual, with a meaningful sport and manual mode. It is ultra-efficient and – when on the move - redefines notions of seamlessness.With direct injection and turbo charging, the Octavia’s 1.4 litre four cylinder is good for 90kW and 200Nm, all of it available down low where it does the most good. This is a drivetrain to make the others seem just a bit 1990s. It does insist upon 95 RON thoughSAFETYAs is true of the latest Golf, the Octavia is a much updated and re-skinned take on the 2004 model.No bad thing that - it’s still at the fore of its class - just that the Skoda’s four star crash safety rating carries from tests done on the original which lacked curtain airbags. Now it has them, making for six in all. There are also anti-skid brakes, a stability program, brake assist, an anti-slip regulator and a full-size spare.DRIVINGIf you still equate capacity with capability, you’ll rapidly forget that quaint notion. While this is the least engine of the range, the blown 1.4 is never less than adequate and almost always more than enough, making light of the wagon’s 1410kg kerb weight and generally matching the performance of 2.0-litre atmo engines while bettering them for consumption and emissions.The 0-100km/h time is less than 10 seconds. One tires of hearing grown men whine about the abruptness of DSG off the mark and in low speed maneuvering. This characteristic is easily driven around, more so in this seven speeder than the older six, so harden up.Coming from the Czech Republic, where the roads are among Europe’s poorest, Skoda’s ride/handling compromise is the best in the VW Group for our battered bitumen, infinitely more so than certain “prestige” Euros. Despite the weight gain, it loses little or nothing dynamically to the Golf, which is about as good as it gets in a family front-wheel-drive.There’s a price to be paid in road and wind noise for the Octavia’s longer glasshouse, but aside from its practical application, the wagon is easier on the eye than the dowdy liftback.  If the wagon looks under-tyred on 15s, and it does, it feels so only when sorely provoked.VERDICT: Middle European mid-sizer invades Asian hatch territory and carries off the spoils.

Space. The final frontier. The place where Gene Roddenberry went to find inspiration for his Star Trek behemoth and where, on his death at age 70, he was rocketed to end up in a planned eternal orbit.For Gene, space was everything. For new car buyers, space is often hard to find.  That is, unless you travel off the beaten track and go Czech.Skoda, once a miserable reflection of how an invasive communist regime can really numb any desire to enjoy motoring, is packaged space.  Its Octavia Scout - effectively an Octavia Estate wagon with extra height and plastic pseudo-macho body panelling - is based on components from the Volkswagen group. That's not surprisingly because Skoda is owned by Volkswagen.Space and fit-outThe Octavia models are aimed at biggish people who like comfort, reliability, durability and space. People, indeed, like us.  So the Octavia sedan and wagon derivatives are very roomy and, to suit family life, functional and versatile.Indicative of the volume inside the Octavia Scout is the size of the boot. It's simply colossal. You swear you could park a small car in the back.  Golf bags? It sneers at golf bags. Prams? Octomum, come on down. Mountain bikes get swallowed up and even luggage items will fit within the squarish hatch opening.One of the most amazing features is that despite the Scout having all-wheel drive - which means bulky drive components under the floor - the depth, length and width of the luggage area defies logic.It's made even harder to understand when you realise that there's a full-size spare wheel under the boot floor.  Subaru - which has a rather budget-size boot, a high floor and a space-saver spare wheel - should take notes.Engine and gearboxBut the Scout is more than just about space. Skodas are no Cold War carryovers.  The Octavia gets the drivetrains and chassis expertise from the VW Golf and Passat so the fuel economy and performance are up with the best in class.In the Scout's case, it's a 2-litre turbo-diesel mated to a six-speed manual with all-wheel drive and a drive system that allocates power to the wheels with the most traction.We would, of course, prefer an automatic gearbox. I'm told that the Volkswagen DSG dual-clutch gearbox which is effectively an automatic - is to become available in a matter of months.For those who can't wait or who like changing their gears, the manual model is a really enjoyable drive. The gearchange is crisp, the clutch light and the torque of the turbo-diesel sufficient so you can start skipping cogs and taking corners in third.And as for fuel economy, the 6.7L/100km in city and suburbs was excellent for a car with this performance and of this size. Last month I tested the smaller BMW 123d manual coupe with stop/start technology and had problems getting less than 7L/100km.StylngOf course, with so much going for it there has to be a downside. And there is. It is a very conservatively styled car.  Skoda last year changed the headlights and grille to "modernise" its Octavia range and made so much fuss at the time you would have sworn they were about to lay eggs.On the road it is a tad frumpy - functional, but frumpy - and in a sea of flash models with headlights like crystal slivers, raked windscreens, subtly slitted grilles and tapering side glass, the Skoda is a gramophone to their iPod.DrivingIt's also noisy, particularly at low speeds. This is unusual given the same engine is used in heaps of Volkswagen and Audi products and they're all quiet, hinting that the Skoda is thin on sound deadening.  At cruising speed it's almost inaudible but press the accelerator and the engine responds like rolling gravel.It is, however, a solid performer. I was surprised it hits 100km/h in more than 10 seconds because it feels quicker. You also have to watch the cruising speed because it'll creep up and easily put you outside the law.On-road handling is excellent and reflects the Passat's solidity and confidence. That's backed up with all the top-end safety gear including stability control and six airbags.In the dirt the Scout competes directly with the Subaru Outback, though the Skoda's Haldex drive system allocates power to all wheels in a more effective way than the Subaru system of braking the tractionless wheel.Both cars, in fact, are very similar in their ability. Both could do a beach run with enough tyre rubber to allow deflation, though both have limited ground clearance.  Firm sand, gravel tracks and some mud should be the limits in both cases.The Scout gets a superb list of standard features to more than justify the price - including iPod-compatible audio, cruise control and trip computer - and it's only bugbear is the lack of an automatic gearbox and, sadly, its name. Buyer haven't yet caught on to this car and that's a shame.Rating: 83/100