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* The Skoda Octavia. |
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* The Octavia's rather spartan cockpit. |
This will sound comical but I have just got out of a car where it seemed Big Brother
was watching me!
The
fictional character in George Orwell's novel 1984 kept a sinister eye on
everyone and that was how it seemed in the Skoda Octavia.
As soon as I turned
the ignition a message came up telling the driver not to press the accelerator
when starting. Oh, sorry but I always do that.
Then
I slipped it into neutral while following a stream of slow moving cars
downhill. Another message telling me not to do that either. Later I dared to
open the window while driving and was ticked off for doing that as well.
Of
course there was nothing sinister going on, the messages that come up in the
driver's binnacle are all tips to improve economy, so good for Skoda. The
company has always tried to show consideration for its clients and the
telescopic umbrella stored under the passenger seat is another example of its
caring nature.
Skoda
has grown in stature over the last two decades and is doing particularly well
at the moment. Being part of the Volkswagen-Audi empire helps but it has worked
damned hard to build a solid reputation from the days when its cars were
considered nothing more than a joke.
Octavia
has played a big part winning over the Brits and is still Skoda's best seller in
the UK. At first Octavia carved a niche of its own sitting between VW's Golf
and Passat so it was the price of a Golf but nearly as big as a Passat. Now it
is more into Passat territory, still offering good value for money and a huge
amount of space.
Open
Octavia's tailgate and it is like looking into a cave. To give you an idea
about what this car can take I travelled three up loaded with three sets of
golf clubs and three power trolleys. Impressive or what?
Come
to think of it Octavia's boot capacity has always been the main talking point
but this time it has been eclipsed by its engine. On the face of it the idea of
a one litre petrol, with just three-cylinders, providing the power for a car of
this size is barmy, isn't it? I thought so.
One
litre three-cylinder petrols are nothing new. They have been popping up faster
than weeds offering an alternative to the small diesel, punching well above
their weight on performance, economy and, more significantly, puffing out lower
emissions. But they are generally used to power smaller city cars or superminis
with a few family hatchbacks thrown in like Ford Focus and Honda Civic.
Surely
a one litre can't work in a five seater Octavia, a car than transport three
hefty adults and all their golf gear? The build up has hardly been subtle so
you can guess the answer.
The
first thing I did when the car was delivered was check the journey's economy
stat. Just over 50mpg at the end of 156 miles so an encouraging start. What I
really couldn't wait to find out was whether a one litre could haul this
cavernous five seater.
I
got the answer within a few hundred yards. Octavia's first job was to pull up a
gradient from my cul-de-sac and that is when I knew this engine was something
special. Three-cylinder engines are good for picking up at low revs and this
was effortless and smooth with none of the putt-putt clatter from engines of
the past.
For
the next week a day didn't go by when I marvelled at how such a small engine
could provide such impressive performance in such a big car. Even Mrs Rogers,
who normally finds things to complain about in test cars, could not hold back
on her praise for Octavia's sprightly performance.
And
the 120 mile round trip to Bull Bay golf course on Anglesey yielded 52.4mpg. I
think that just about covers all that's good about this engine.
You
do not hear many complaints about Octavia, yes the interior is a bit funereal
but that's the way it is when you are part of the Volkswagen quartet. Nothing
flash, no creeks or rattles, and everything laid out with typical Germanic
precision.
The inset eight inch touchscreen for navigation, radio etc is
quickly mastered and the heating controls are separate. Just how I like it.
Octavia
is a solid, safe buy, I would even go so far as to say it is one of the great
family cars. And guess what, I stopped pressing the accelerator to start the engine.
Well, I didn't want to get ticked off again.
Key
facts
Octavia
SE Drive
£20,440
1-litre
TSI 6sp manual 115bhp
0-62mph
10secs; 127mph
48.7mpg
combined
110g/km.
1st year road tax £150
Boot
space 1580 litres max
Insurance
group 14
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