Living with an Octavia VRS for 4 years

Advantages: BHP for £ - practical, fast, overall reliability
Disadvantages: Immage, Niggly repetative faults, finding something to replace it

...if played too loud. This brings me to my biggest problem - Finding something to replace the Skoda with, I have a 2nd car - a Lotus Elise - so am looking for something as an every day car. But the Octavia VRS does everything just a little too well.. Any other car I get now, will either be slower, less practical, or do a lot less MPG - it's strange to explain but am finding it very hard getting something else and have been looking over a year now. For the first 2 - 3 years of ownership depreciation was minimal - mine is still fairly low millage and upto about a year ago they were still selling for close to £6,000 this has now dropped to £4500-5 tops with the current climate. If you're happier with higher millage you can pick these cars up from £2000 and it's an awful lot of car for the money - but be warned, anything afterwards will...

gallan947 20.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of Skoda Octavia RS

Skoda Octavia 1.6 GLi

Advantages: Spacious, comfortable, economical to buy and run.
Disadvantages: Not a car for the fashion conscious.

...Skoda have a bad reputation for their cars, and these days its definitely a reputation which is undeserved! About a year ago, my husband and I decided that we needed a new car, and started our investigations, at first we looked at the more popular Ford Mondeo, but all the second hand ones we could find in our price range were much older than we wanted, so we turned out attention in other directions. My mother had recently bought a Skoda Felicia, and was very happy with it, so we thought, OK, why not give Skoda a look, after all it couldn?t hurt could it! What a pleasant surprise we had when we discovered that not only was the Octavia much more highly recommended by the various car review magazines than we had thought it might be, but that for approx. £5,000 we could probably afford a 2 year old car, and the level of trim we were...

vialdana 20.06.2002 · Read review
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Review of Skoda Octavia 1.6 Hatchback

Octavia Elegance TDI PD 140 diesel Jan 2005

Advantages: Refinement, relaxed power, fuel economy, space
Disadvantages: remote locking range and sensitivity, noisy seat belt warning, standard lights

...We wanted refinement above all - to us this means a peaceful driving experience wrapped in an integrated and responsive package. Ample power at low revs goes a long way towards providing much of this and, since diesels have improved, we thought one might be the answer. My wife and I both enjoy driving, if given the chance, and over the years our mid 1970s Austin 1800 has been the favourite until recently. Now we agree about the Octavia too In late 2004 we tried out 7 interesting 2 litre diesel candidates, really looking for a hatchback. The engines were quieter than expected but, except for the Honda Accord which had exceptional steering feel, needed to be revved a bit more, and did not have a hatchback, most were spoilt by tyre noise or were a bit dull to drive. The Octavia we tried was the 1.9TD which also stood out from the rest...

tranx 29.07.2006 (10.11.2007) · Read review
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Review of Skoda Octavia 2.0 Hatchback

Octavia 2.0 Tdi Elegance

Advantages: TDI diesel 140BHP - economy, room, handling, versatility
Disadvantages: Only on a VW Golf platform not the Passat- still a Skoda

...Having owned a previous Skoda Octavia, it was a bit of a no-brainer when the time came to change the car after 5 years. Had a test drive in the new 140BHP 2.0 Diesel TDi - what a difference! Advantages: larger car all round (my over 6 Foot son can now sit in the back in comfort- extra legroom/headroom) Boot space is enormous for this class of car and it's adjustable via the split seats and the fold-flat seating (including a ski slot - or something for long thin packages anyway). Net comes as standard - very useful if you haven't quite filled the boot!! Comfort - seats good - could be better but an improvement on the old car as better side support. Driveablilty - could mention the power - but everyone knows about that now - torque low down means excellent pulling power from 20-60 mph. 6 gears on the elegance option...

petergee 10.03.2006 · Read review
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Review of Skoda Octavia 2.0 Hatchback

Octavia 1.9 Tdi SLX X reg (2000)

Advantages: Well built, economical, reliable, family car
Disadvantages: Hard to get hold of second hand - they're really that good!

...Fantastic car !!!!!...My partner and I were looking to replace our main car after it was written off in an accident. We knew we needed a family car with plenty of boot space; a car that would tolerate the stop start driving you experience within towns but also manage long distance trips to Scotland without breaking the bank in fuel costs. We also knew that we wanted a well built car that had a good rating in the Euro Ncap crash tests (We started to look around at what was available and then I spotted a Skoda during one of our trips to Scotland and suddenly my eyes were opened!! We then did a lot of research, particularly on the internet and using car price guides and decided that the car we wanted was an Octavia 1.9 Tdi SLX. My partner test drove one at a local dealership but unfortunately they wanted too much for it so we kept looking...

quickstepqueen 18.11.2003 · Read review
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Review of Skoda Octavia 1.9 Tdi Hatchback

Octavia Elegante 2.0TDI

Advantages: Comfortable, spacious, quiet, powerful, clean and economical.
Disadvantages: Lacks a touch of style here and there.

...When I came to change my 1.8 petrol Astra I decided I wanted a German diesel-powered car with zip ... but could't afford one. The Octavia has turned out to be an excellent, value-for-money alternative. A big selling point was the boot; my 'cello wouldn't fit in the boot of previous cars but no problem with the Octavia. Its also well-lit with nets an anchorage provided for awkward packages and CD changer's in there too, out of temptation's way. The security system is naggingly reassuring. You can't drive without your seatbelt on unless you can put up with the pinging reminder. One press on the remote unlocks only the driver's door while two presses (is tricky to perform but) opens everything. The dashboard is reminiscent of old green-screen PC monitors which is a bit of a shame. Also the speedo changes calibration at 80mph but...

Diederik 27.01.2006 · Read review
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Review of Skoda Octavia 2.0 Hatchback

CzechMate!

Advantages: Comfort, Performance and Economy. This great car is a pleasure to own and drive
Disadvantages: Minor niggle is no radio controls on the steering wheel

...2009 sees both me and my Skoda Octavia enjoying a golden jubilee! I neither mean to imply that I bought it the year of my birth nor my car has lasted 50 years. But on January the 6th 1959, the Czech car manufacturer Skoda introduced its newest car model to replace the Skoda 440, also known as 'Spartak'. Reported in their company magazine Ventil, they announced "Our new vehicle has a new name too - the Skoda Octavia, as it is the eighth model produced by our nationalised industry." The new Skoda Octavia was the first ?in-house?model to be developed 1989 after Skoda became part of VW. The first concept car was created in 1992 and was finally launched in 1996 as a hatchback followed by the estate version and 4-by-4 two years later. In 2000 a new, modernised Skoda Octavia was introduced that is still manufactured in Mlada Boleslav to this...

bigdoug 19.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Skoda Octavia RS

Check Out This Czech

Advantages: Specification, economy and price
Disadvantages: Still has the "Skoda" badge

...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 taxi-drivers since it made its first appearance on the Irish car market around 1997. I heard on the grapevine that Skoda were giving it a bit of a “facelift” for its 2001 appearance, so popped in recently to one of the local...

the_mad_cabbie 19.01.2001 · Read review
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Review of Skoda Octavia 1.9 Tdi Hatchback

VW/ Audi with a Skoda badge

Advantages: Family saloon by day, sports car by night.
Disadvantages: Low front skirt

...I have now owned my Skoda Octavia VRS for 5 months and I am very impressed with it as an all rounder. I am lead to believe that the Octavia is built on the VW Golf chassis and has the same engine as the Audi TT. Inspection under the bonnet reveals parts with the VW/Audi logo printed on them. An Audi with a Skoda badge but much cheaper! The VRS is impressive as both a performance saloon and a family car. The 1800cc turbo charged engine boasts an impressive 180 BHP and this comes with little turbo lag. Great acceleration pushes you back into the seat and the disc brakes all round with ABS ensure you can rein it in quickly. A rigid chassis and firm, low suspension give great cornering and road holding, very similar to the Audi A4 with lowered sports suspension. Good boot space and cabin space turn the Octavia into a roomy family...

Ravid21 19.02.2005 · Read review
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Review of Skoda Octavia RS

BMW quality Fiat price

Advantages: performance, economy, reliability, value for money, rarity value, looks, handling, comfort, boot space
Disadvantages: rear leg room

...a little and 50mpg is easily achievable - giving a tank range on the 55 litre (12.1 gallon) tank of 600 miles! I remember being astonished at the official fuel figures for the Audi 80 1.9TDI back in 1994 - one of the first cars to have this Direct Injection engine. 10 years on and it still appears to have better economy than most other circa 2.0 turbodiesels and is now a very well proven unit. I also read years ago of an earlier Golf diesel that was still running strong on its original engine at well over 400,000 miles! I paid £2850 for my 1998 Skoda Octavia GLX (90bhp) 1.9TDI in April 2003. £100 for a 'tuning box' which squirts 20% more fuel into the engine for a given throttle opening (DON'T pay £400 for one of these - just look on a certain very well known Internet Auction site instead) and £45 for a free - flow airfilter - make...

supermotoman640 27.11.2004 (28.11.2004) · Read review
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Review of Skoda Octavia 1.9 Tdi Hatchback