Long-term tests

Skoda Octavia 2007 - long term test

A year on, how's our Octavia performing?

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10 Apr 2007

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Pros

Styling: I like the Skoda’s unassuming, subtly sporty lines. While the shape may be a touch plain, details such as the green-painted brake calipers (which admittedly are quite tricky to keep clean) help give the car a great visual boost. Engine: it’s not only the power the turbocharged unit provides that impresses, but also the smoothness and response. Yet I still regularly return 30mpg.Bluetooth: the wireless phone kit isn’t Skoda’s own equipment, but a Parrot 3200LS hands-free system, complete with colour screen. It bonds to my mobile flawlessly, and is wired to the car’s speakers so calls come through loud and clear!

Cons

Quality niggles: although there haven’t been enough faults to dent our confidence, the Octavia has suffered from the occasional piece of loose interior trim – not to mention a misaligned front tracking rod. There’s room for improvement.

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The Skoda Octavia has been named winner of the driver power 2007 car reliability survey by readers. Do we agree? Here's our view after a year and 33,000 miles in a vRS

All good things come to an end - and it's only now the Skoda Octavia vRS estate is about to depart that I appreciate how hard it's going to be to replace.

What I love most about it is the combination of hot hatch sportiness and a huge luggage space, which have made it great to live with. The deep boot easily swallows all my camera kit, the carpet has proved pretty hard-wearing, and although the seats don't fold to create a completely flat load floor, the operation is at least quick and simple.

The Octavia doesn't really have many clever features, but it's a big, honest estate that tackles any task. Even the most mundane of trips are entertaining, and having replaced all the tyres (see Issue 947), the car's low-speed traction has improved markedly.

It doesn't quite handle with all the verve of a hot hatch, but as we found out when we took it along on the recent Vauxhall Corsa VXR twin test (Issue 954), it's very nearly as fast.

With the trip computer reading more than 30,000 miles, road test editor Oliver Marriage strapped on the GPS timing gear we use to collate our performance data. This would give us an accurate idea of exactly how fast the 'sensible' family estate goes. It polished off the sprint from 0-60mph in seven seconds, while a 50-70mph time in top gear of 7.8 seconds shows how flexible the 197bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged engine really is.

The miles have taken their toll in some areas - most notably at the front, which has suffered from several stone chips and scrapes. While a few are to be expected, the paint doesn't look that deep or feel particularly tough.

But the interior trim is proving more resilient. While the material on the driver's seat has started to fray slightly, the frame remains supportive and comfortable.

In fact, the whole car is pretty similar to a favourite armchair - welcoming, homely and great to slip into at the end of a tiring day.