Skoda Octavia Estate vs rivals

Carrying cargo – whether it’s flown across the globe or lugged along the motorway – is much easier if you have plenty of space at your disposal.

And the great thing about the latest compact family estates is that they rival cars in the class above for boot size. Upmarket appeal has improved markedly, too. The newest car in the class, the VW Golf Estate, aims to offer the best mix of talents necessary to become the new front-runner.

• Skoda Octavia Estate in-depth review

• Volkswagen Golf Estate in-depth review 

• Kia Cee'd Sportswagon in-depth review

Unfortunately for VW, it has to face up to some very strong rivals – and we’ve lined up two of the best for its first test. First up is the Skoda Octavia Estate. It’s our reigning Estate Car of the Year thanks to its big boot and excellent quality, and as it’s based on the same running gear as the Golf, it should be closely matched when it comes to performance.

We’ve also brought along the Kia Cee’d Sportswagon. The Cee’d offers a tempting combination of value-for-money pricing and a decent amount of standard equipment, while the 1.6-litre CRDi diesel engine is more powerful than the 1.6-litre TDI used to power the VW and Skoda.

Practicality

The Octavia has the biggest boot here, but the floor isn’t completely flat with the seats folded. The Cee’d is the only car here with a level floor, although you have to flip up the seatbases to benefit. The VW and Skoda get four bag hooks each and come with a through loading hatch (below). Remove the Golf’s false floor and it has the most space underneath – plus a spare wheel – while the Kia has some useful storage trays under its boot floor.

Tailgates

The Golf has a more upright rear end and its tailgate opens wider than its rivals’, so there’s less chance of hitting your head against it. The Kia’s tailgate is hinged further forward and has the least amount of space underneath.

Economy

It's the most powerful car here, but the Cee’d also managed to return the best economy, at 47.4mpg. Some of that advantage is down to the fact that you don’t need to work the engine quite as hard to make progress. The DSG-equipped Golf returned 46.1mpg, which was better than the manual Octavia’s 45.2mpg. Official figures claim the six-speed manual VW will return 72.4mpg, compared to 70.6mpg for the seven-speed DSG, so you can expect it to be better than the Skoda, too.

1st place - Skoda

Another victory for the Octavia Estate, but it’s an extremely close result. While it has the largest boot here and plenty of neat touches, the Golf is nearly as practical and the Octavia lags slightly behind for comfort and quality. Better standard kit and aftersales support tip the verdict in the Skoda’s favour.

2nd place - Volkswagen

The latest Golf Estate runs the Octavia close for space and has a number of useful, practical features. It matches the Golf hatch for interior quality, handling and refinement. However, the level of standard equipment isn’t quite as good as in its rivals here, and it looks rather plain, too.

3rd place - KIA

Third place seems harsh on the Cee’d. It’s not as big as the Skoda inside and the cabin is quite dark, yet there’s lots of kit for your money. You also get a powerful diesel engine plus the reassurance of fixed-price servicing and a seven-year warranty. But poor residuals and emissions let it down.