- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.9DT, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
77kW, 250Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 6.3L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto (DCT)
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
4/5 star (2007)
Skoda Octavia
When the Berlin Wall came down in November 1989 the tide of capitalism at first only trickled through the cracks into Eastern Europe.
Travelling in Germany and Czechoslovakia in 1990, obvious signs of Western infiltration were still difficult to spot. East Berlin remained clothed in its uniform of totalitarian grey. Prague was gothic black, as it had been for nearly 1000 years.
But a sure sign the West had won the Cold War was the presence, albeit in small numbers, of its advance guard, an elite force of warrior capitalists whom no doctrine nor diktat could keep from fulfilling their destiny.
West German car dealers sent truckloads of new and used cars into Eastern Europe within days of the wall falling. They set up shop in caravans parked on vacant lots in the big cities, hung out the coloured bunting and balloons and held out to their Eastern Bloc comrades the chance to experience freedom in its purest form - signing up for a Merc or Volkswagen, financing it on the never never and driving home happy.
The locals couldn't wait to abandon, literally, their antediluvian commie contraptions: the truly foul, chain-smoking Trabant; its poignantly monikered counterpart, the Wartburg; plus other decrepit bangers such as Ladas and old Czech-built Skodas.
By the late '80s, Skoda was actually making a few (almost) decent cars, notably the Favorit, and had been exporting to Western countries for some years.
After the Velvet Revolution, when the new Czech government decided to privatise everything, Volkswagen took a stake in 1991, converting it to outright ownership in 2000.
VW has since turned Skoda's image and hardware around. It's no longer a source of mirth and contempt. Its cars - VWs with a different badge - are selling strongly in Europe, winning awards and scoring highly in independent quality surveys.
The Octavia has been Skoda's most successful model. It spearheads the brand's introduction to Australia.
Launched in Europe in 2004, the Octavia is available as a sedan or wagon. It is built on the Golf platform and uses VW-Audi mechanical components, including direct injection petrol and turbo diesel engines.
Sixteen Octavia variants are available. Sedans range from $29,990 for the 77kW 1.9-litre diesel Ambiente, to $35,790 for the 103kW 2.0-litre diesel Elegance. These straddle a pair of petrol engine variants, a new 118kW 1.8-litre turbo manual, from $30,990, and a naturally aspirated 110kW 2.0-litre automatic, at $33,290.
Wagons carry a $2000 premium.
The wagon is also available in two all-wheel-drive models, priced at $35,490 for the 1.9-litre diesel manual and $38,990 for the 2.0-litre diesel manual.
The top-of-the-line Octavia RS sedan and wagon, priced at $37,490 and $39,490, are powered by the 147kW 2.0-litre engine from the Golf GTI.
We've tested what on paper looks like one of the picks of the range, the 1.8-litre turbo petrol Elegance wagon, priced at $32,990.
The 1.8 produces solid numbers: 118kW of power at 5000rpm and 250Nm of torque from 1500-4200rpm.
It's available only with a six-speed manual at present; in the Audi A3 Sportback it can also be teamed with a six-speed sequential manual DSG gearbox. The same transmission is a $2300 option on both Octavia diesels; it will probably be an option on this particular variant next year.
The Golf will not get the 1.8-litre engine until its next major update in 2009.
In the Octavia, it generates serious torque from low revs and will pull the higher gears from just 1500rpm or so, with virtually no turbo lag.
It is also exceptionally smooth for a four-cylinder. As revs climb it takes on a mildly sporty character that makes it more enjoyable to play with than the average 1.8- to 2.0-litre donk. A relatively frugal thirst is another attraction.
The six-speed manual is light and smooth in action, with closely spaced ratios.
As with the Golf, the Octavia is solid, secure and confident in day-to-day driving. The fact that it comes in at a relatively lithe 1300-1350kg helps give it a more agile, manoeuvrable feel than most comparably sized wagons.
It's relatively softly sprung by European standards, so a cornering demon it ain't, but the suspension has long travel, exercises disciplined control over body movement and copes well on bumpy roads.
The steering is light and accurate, with noticeable torque steer only if you're brutal with the accelerator. Ride comfort is outstanding.
Hop into an Octavia and, bar the Skoda badge on the steering wheel and a few individual decor touches, you could be sitting in a Golf. It even smells like a VW.
So you get a no-frills Golf dash, with clear white-on-grey graphics, logically organised switches and controls and steering wheel buttons for some audio and trip computer functions, the latter viewed between the main instruments.
The Skoda instruments are better than VW's though, with wider increments between different numbered speeds that makes them easier to read.
Ambiente specifications include 15-inch alloy wheels, tinted side windows, stability control, six airbags, automatic air, a full-sized spare on an alloy wheel, single CD player, cloth upholstery, cruise control and a leather-wrapped wheel. The wagon also has a cargo net and roof rails.
Elegance adds 16-inch alloys, dual-zone automatic air, extra interior lighting and storage, rain-sensing wipers, plus an in-dash six-stack CD player. A steel spare is provided, presumably because the larger alloy wheel-tyre combination won't fit in the well.
There's plenty of seat and steering wheel adjustability, so drivers of all physiques can get comfortable. As in the sportier Golfs, you sit on rather than in the driver's seat, though it leaves you in reasonable shape after a long drive.
The Octavia has front door bins that can hold big bottles, a surfeit of covered storage bins, with cooling in the centre console box and glovebox, plus a sunglasses holder.
An auxiliary socket is provided for iPod-MP3 input.
The rear seat is shaped for two, has a firm, comfortable cushion and backrest and sufficient leg room for most adults. Vents, storage pockets and door bins are provided, along with an armrest. Three child restraint anchors are on the back of the rear seat.
The light tailgate opens high; a flip-down handle is provided so short people can reach up to pull it back down. The cargo bay has a long, deep, well-styled floor, plus bins on either side. A load cover, lugs and shopping hooks, plus a 12-volt outlet are provided.
The floor extends to 183cm, long by class standards, by folding the split rear seat backs forward. Folding the cushion as well can compromise front seat travel slightly and the extended floor has a small step.
It would be a mistake to interpret Skoda's value-for-money pitch as a necessary strategy to shift second-rate product in a new market. The Octavia competes in a class dominated by Japanese blue chips, including the Mazda6, the Subaru Liberty and Honda Accord Euro, plus the impressive new Mondeo, which Ford has priced with a very sharp pencil.
Against these rivals the Octavia is certainly competitive on the road. It's also on the money as a deal, particularly the 1.8-litre Elegance wagon tested here, which at $32,990 is great value.
In the heady days of Solidarity Forever, before those decadent Western car dealers moved into Eastern Europe and destroyed the workers' paradise, you could have called it a bourgeois drive at a proletarian price.