Skoda Octavia 1.9 Tdi Hatchback

I'm in the outside lane on my regular motorway commute to work, the late model Silver Audi looms large in the rear view mirror, the driver apparently desperate to justify his car's overblown price tag. Stuck to the tail of the Audi is a late model Silver BMW - sound familiar? The motorway is just two lanes, with the inside one crammed with HGVs and the traffic in front of me down to 65-70 the Silver streak behind will have to wait. The outside lane clears so I press (fairly) hard on the 'gas'. My 'S' reg. Skoda surges forward on a wave of torque and guess what? The Audi has dropped well back ... more

Octavia Elegance TDI 110 BHP, hatch - bought new Nov/2001. This is my FOURTH Octavia in 4 years. I get a car allowance from my employer so I can swap whenever I like, subject to good sense on the money. The great thing about the tax system (now changed) over the last few years has been that you could offset the total cost of the depreciation against tax each year (if you buy and sell), after a deduction for private use. So being a "homeworker" with very little personal mileage it to worked for me. My first Octavia was a TDI 110 bhp SLX. What a revelation that was. I'd spent months checking ... more

SKODA OCTAVIA ~ ~ Does anybody remember the old Skodas that used to be the butt of many a joke in the days before this Czechoslovakian car manufacture become part of the Volkswagon empire? For certain there are few, if any, jokes or snide remarks made these days about anyone driving one of these fine pieces of engineering. ~ ~ As regular readers of my opinions will be well aware, I review cars on a regular basis for the “Irish Taxi-Driver”, a monthly publication for the taxi fraternity here in Dublin, Ireland. This particular model of Skoda, the Octavia, has been a favoured buy of ... more

Why did I buy it? It was cheaper and better specified than the VW Bora and bigger too. And I got three year warranty with three years free servicing. Why choose it? Price , comfort and it's a lot better to drive than some more expensive cars. Positives - Good performance (a few surprised faces at the lights) Good economy - on long runs, the computer clocks 55+ MPG even at 80 MPH. Comfort - best driving position and comfort in most classes bettered only by Merc 300 and BMW 735 (Autoexpress). Equipment - for the price - climate control (excellent) VW engine, VW gearbox, VW floor plan etc ... more

Following from an all-the tricks Ford focus 2.0 petrol Ghia, I purchased a mid 2005 (16k miles) DSG gearboxed 1.9 TDI Ambiente From Lightcliffe Skoda in Halifax. The Focus had devalued from 12,000 to just 6,000 pounds in just 3 years of ownership and 30k miles (sold with just 44k on clock)! I loved the readups on the skoda, but mistakenly thought that the Skoda would stuggle to match the legendary handling characteristics of the Focus. This was the only mistake I have made, as the Octavia outclasses the Focus totally as concerns every handling aspect. OK, the feedback through the steering ... more