Skoda Octavia Review: Puny Guns, Big Punch

Under the hood

Had you told me just two years ago that a car the size of a Skoda Octavia would today be powered by a puny 1.2-litre engine, I’d have happy-slapped you and recorded it on my iPhone 3GS. A car that’ll schlep half a footy team to and from the pitch needs a manly set of lungs, right? An emphysemic 1.2 just won’t do.

Wrong. That downsized day is upon us, so it looks like we’ll have to man up and play ball. So what’s this 1.2 Skoda Rapid XL lookalike packing then? UK-spec cars come with the more powerful of the two turbocharged 1.2s, which means we’re rocking a healthy 104bhp. Mated to a six-speed manual, it’ll tip-toe through the 62mph barrier in 10.3sec and flat out, you’re doing 196... km/h. Or 123mph. Sorry for the let down...

Behind the wheel

Hats off to Skoda; they’ve put the new Octavia on a diet, making it considerably lighter than the cab you’ll be soiling after necking 11 Jaeger bombs in Clapham. In fact, this model only weighs 1155kg, which makes it lighter than a little Lotus Exige S. Impressive.

This means (he says begrudgingly) that a 1.2-litre engine is a decent fit in the new Skoda Octavia. The engine’s pretty torquey, so you don’t have to punish the gearbox and rev range to make smooth progress, and it’s even a happy unit for motorway usage, offering surprising punch when you want to break the speed limit. It’s quiet too.

What it doesn’t do well, however, is put its hands down your pants for a hearty rummage on B roads. There’s not enough grunt to drag you out of corners, meaning that rummage you crave is more of a distant tickle from a second cousin.

But hey, this car isn’t aimed at those with 'questionable' lifestyle choices. This is a motor you’d recommend to your folks or to growing families. The new Octavia is refined, as "simply clever" as Stephen Fry and offers a boot the size of Wales. It’s truly massive with a best-in-class 585 litres of luggage allowance.

The interior’s all smartness and light, too, with masses of passenger space, comfortable seats and typically German build quality. Sit in this thing blindfolded, have a good prod around, and you’ll be convinced that it’s a BMW or Audi you’re perched in. The generous equipment levels in this model are standard on Elegance-spec models (not available in the UK on 1.2 motors), which is worth bearing in mind.

Out on the open road again, the Octavia’s low weight makes it easy and pretty entertaining to chuck about, should the mood take you. The steering’s light and accurate, the same of which can be said of the six-speed manual ‘box. Grip levels are decent, too, and ride quality fair. Only over broken roads does the ride become noticeably jiggly.

Splash the cash?

What the new Skoda Octavia offers in spades is value-for-money, refinement, safety and ‘that premium’ feel we’re all after these days. It’s non-offensive to look at (Skoda calls its design 'timeless') decent to drive and puts rivals to shame in terms of interior space and practicality. Mums, dads and growing families should check it out.

Oh, and as a side note; if you're after proper performance with the Octavia's practicality to boot, you only need to wait until the summer when we get the 2.0-litre turbocharged vRS version, which packs 220bhp!