BUYING GUIDE
Skoda Octavia
This family car may put function before fun, but it’ll put a smile on your face in plenty of other ways. Here’s how to buy the best
In production 2020-present Price from £12,000 Our favourite version 1.5 TSI 150 SE Technology
Oliver Young
oliver.young@haymarket.com
DURING THE SPACE race, two superpowers – the United States and the Soviet Union – competed for superiority among the stars. After years of close competition, Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon, said those famous words and sent the US flying past the finish line in first place.
Today’s space race is dominated by Czechia, Skoda’s home country, only it’s a different kind of race: the boot space race. The Skoda Octavia’s boot is huge compared not only with those of its family car rivals, but also with many in the executive car class.
It’s not just efficient with space, either; the Octavia’s engine range is economical too. On the petrol front, things kick off with a 109bhp 1.0-litre unit, with a 148bhp 1.5-litre the next step up. There are also 2.0-litre diesels that produce 113bhp and 148bhp, plus a 201bhp petrol plug-in hybrid (PHEV). At the top of the range, you have three sporty vRS variants to choose from: a 197bhp 2.0-litre diesel, a 242bhp 2.0-litre petrol and a 242bhp petrol PHEV.