Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the car so far.

General Comments:

Although it is relatively early days in my ownership of this car I have been so impressed with it I wanted to submit this brief revue. The Octavia is an ideal family car. There is more than ample room for five adults and the car has a huge boot affording great luggage carrying capacity. This was an important consideration for us as myself and my wife and two kids go camping.

When we bought the Octavia we had the car serviced and the timing belt changed. The total cost for this was 200 pounds. We have only covered about 1700 miles so far so I suppose I can't really comment on reliability. At the risk of tempting fate I can say it has proven reliable so far. The t.d.i. engine is a gem affording a good balance between performance and economy. In fact the fuel consumption for a fairly big family car is amazing. If you drive really steadily then mid 60's to the gallon can easily be achieved. Perhaps mid 50's would be more the case in normal use.

The Octavia is fitted with power steering and electric windows all round. A plus point about the windows is that all four can be controlled by the driver as well as at the individual windows. The Blaupunkt cd / stereo provides a high quality sound system.

The whole package seems well put together in terms of quality etc. and the driving experience is a pleasurable one.

Faults:

Engine warning light has come on for no apparent reason- soon fixed by dealer, and little else.

General Comments:

My previous car was a 98 Mercedes E320 and when I came to change it, I decided to ignore badges and hunt out a bargain model which could deliver the goods regardless of image.

After hearing good things about Skoda, now under VW ownership, I decided to try the Octavia RS Turbo. It was often overlooked in the press, but whatever reviews it did get seemed to be brilliant- fast, refined, practical and understated. After a test drive, I immediately purchased it. The RS is a super piece of kit at the price- it is quicker then my E320 and more economical, too, averaging about 36 mpg.

Performance is simply astounding: above 4000 rpm it really sprints hard, and although the brochure states 7.9 seconds to 60, I suspect that it is indeed quicker and magazines have proven me right, getting times of 7.6s down to 6.7s and 0-100mph in under 17 seconds. With a well run-in engine of 70000+ miles, my RS simply destroys anything slower than a BMW 330i, with V6 X-Types being totally slaughtered, and although insurance is high, the low price makes it worth it. It is reliable and well made, and while handling brilliantly, only a slight lack of steering feedback and average brakes stop this being perfect. A very, very good car overall.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

The Octavia Classic 1.9SDi gives over 50mpg. I fill up with 10 gallons and regularly get over 550miles per tank full.

Had a tow bar fitted for a trailer, it does not make a difference to the acceleration.

Comfortable on long distances, but the road noise level is noticeable.

Good handling, excellent brakes and Anti-lock brakes are standard fit.

Has a good standard of specification for an entry level medium size car with PAS, central locking, Immobilizer, dual airbags, height adjustable driver seat (good for my short wife!) rake and reach steering and much more.

I use fully synthetic oil (£11 per litre, ouch!) but the upside is that the service interval is 30,000 miles.

The longer the journey the better 1.9SDi engine gets, seems to be more responsive after a hours driving, so I feel very confident of the cars abilities on long journeys.

Massive boot space!

Changed the standard fit Skoda 2 speaker radio/cassette for a Pioneer with 4 extra speakers with boot 6 stack CD changer, well worth the extra money.

Overall the best car I have brought, and to date I have travelled over 500,000 miles in 15years