Skoda Octavia Estate Review

Performance4.5/5

When it comes to selecting your preferred engine, you will be spoilt for choice for Skoda Octavia Estate performance options. Five engines are on offer – two petrols and three diesels. Entry level versions are the 1.4 TSI 122 bhp and 1.6 TDI CR 105 PS and these rise through various combinations of power and economy to the vRS 2.0 T FSI 200PS and 2.0 TDI CR 170 PS. Most of them are available with manual or twin-clutch DSG automatic transmissions.

Handling4/5

When it comes to the Skoda Octavia Estate’s handling there should be no complaints about comfort from either passengers or driver – seats are supportive and suspension feels good. The larger, 17 inch wheels make things slightly firmer, but not hugely so. Steering is light and the Skoda Octavia Estate handles well on all road types, with little body roll on bendy roads and more agility than might be expected in town. It can be a little noisy – but this is more of a small niggle than a major annoyance.

Exterior4/5

The Skoda Octavia Estate’s styling is easy on the eye, but has nothing to really make it stand out from the crowd; having said that, it does nothing to offend either. Skoda say that it ‘marries classical good looks with a sense of dynamism’ – and that just about sums it up.

Interior4.5/5

The visually rather unexciting theme carries through to the Skoda Octavia Estate’s interior, although the plastics are sturdy and well finished. Top marks, though, to Skoda for the user-friendly dash which is refreshingly simple to use; and for the superbly adjustable steering wheel/driver seat combination which will accommodate any size driver in comfort.

The Skoda Octavia Estate has ample leg and head room for six footers in the front and back; with a car full of passengers there’s still 605 litres of luggage space – with the rear seats folded down there’s a mighty 1655 litres, meaning you can do the weekly shop and bring a fridge home all in one go! Loading is slightly problematic, with the load area placed quite high and also a high loading lip – but there’s certainly lots of space to load into. Main rivals such as Renault Megane Sports Tourer and VW Passat Estate offer less stowage, so if you habitually move a lot of stuff around, the Octavia Estate should certainly be considered.

Equipment4.5/5

Skoda have been generous with their choice of Octavia Estate trim levels – there are seven in all; the S, SE, SE Connect, SE Plus, Elegance, vRS and Greenline II. As the name implies, the Greenline II  is the eco model, the vRS is the sporty number. As standard, the S (base) model comes with dual zone air conditioning, electric front windows, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, central locking, ‘SWING’ radio with CD; and the Skoda Octavia Estate equipment levels grow as you move up the range to include 15 inch alloys, touch screen radio, tinted glass, cruise control, rear parking sensors, maxi-dot trip computer, multi-function steering wheel, leather seats ... and more.

Safety3.5/5

The Octavia Estate has not had a EuroNCAP test since 2004, when it scored 4 stars. It’s fitted with driver and passenger front and side airbags, although curtain airbags come only as an optional extra on lower level models. ISOFIX child seat mounts on the rear seats come as standard on all models, as does electronic brakeforce distribution. Reliability-wise the Octavia comes up trumps with a very low level of recalls. Apart from the lack of alarm on entry level S trim, security features are good and should give you reasonable peace of mind.

Buying & Owning4.5/5

The Skoda Octavia Estate is very reasonably priced and offers great value for money. The eco GreenLine II version, in particular, makes economically good sense, offering 67 mpg and only 109g/km of CO2.  Skoda offer a three year/60,000 mile warranty, and your road tax will set you back anywhere between £20.00 - £270.00, depending on which options you choose. It is probably best to go for the SE rather than entry level S model – there’s a lot of added kit for proportionally less extra outlay.

Reviewed by cars2buy