Faults:

Trapped wire on the ignition caused the car to cut out or lose power. 4 trips to the dealer to fix.

Split turbo hose, replaced under warranty, blew off again 2 miles from the dealer!

Clutch burnt out whilst at dealer, would not admit fault. Offered to replace for a discounted £500. Got it done at a specialist for £300.

Rattles from roof, creaking from off side rear.

General Comments:

Took me two months before I got the seat position right. It gave me terrible back ache at first, I thought I was going to have to sell it.

After all the negative things I have said, I still think this is the best car I have owned. That includes a WRX wagon and a Civic VTi.

It is quick enough to see off most cars on the road, but I still managed 47mpg on a 35mile trip! forget that in the WRX or VTi.

It also has climate control (but in a stupid place) parking sensors, cruise control 6CD changer, electric everything and all for half the price of a similar spec used A4.

Compared to the WRX it is less than half the running cost, and it doesn't feel that much slower in normal driving.

Huge boot, but little rear leg room.

Looks nice with the 16 inch alloy wheels and green metallic paint.

Very disappointed with the dealers though, can't compare to my Honda dealer.

Faults:

Nothing so far.

General Comments:

I've had my Octavia for only a week, so I can't post any meaningful comments on long-term reliability. However, my expectation is that this car will prove to be as well built as any from the VW-Audi group.

The performance from the 110hp TDi is great. Although 0-60 is obviously slower than a lot of cars, the 50-70 time is really very quick and on a par with a lot of 'high-performance' cars. The low down torque suits 'real-world' driving and makes overtaking easy and safe (and fun). On top of that I recently averaged just over 60mpg on a 400 mile round trip.

Equipment levels are generous on the Elegance model – climate control, electric windows/mirrors/sunroof, CD changer, alloys etc. The look and feel of the interior is good. You can see the VW influence over the switchgear (much of it from the Golf) and the choice of plastics. I would say that it feels (deliberately) slightly downmarket from the Golf on which it is based. But to be honest, if that's really important to you, buy a Golf instead.

The driving position is very good. The seat goes a long way back (I'm 6'5") and the steering wheel is adjustable for reach and rake. Both front seats are also adjustable for height and lumbar support. Legroom in the rear is a little tight, but sufficient for children. We have a child car seat in the back and our 3 year old has enough room. To be fair this could cause a problem for some people so if in doubt, check it out before you buy.

The boot is huge. I was initially looking for an estate, but settled for a hatch as there were more available and it has more than enough space for our needs.

The exterior is quite understated, but elegant. It lacks the prestige of the VW/Audi brands, but again, if that's what you're after don't buy a Skoda.

In summary – I love it (so far) and I plan to keep it a long while.

Faults:

Nothing so far, regarding mechanics and general performance.

The quality of some interior plastic parts is average in the best of cases (they got scratched easily)

Brakes are effective, but noisy, specially on rainy days. According to the dealer, this is absolutely normal.

General Comments:

The engine performance is great, considering the fact that in no part of this country you can get more than 89 octanes RON gasoline (even at the highest level -Premium gas- the octane power is not above this later number) I always have to use additives or octane boosters to improve gas quality. The car requires at least 93 octanes gas, but it works well and smooth with the 89 Oct. gas, though with less power.

Plenty of space inside, however the rear room leg it's a bit cramped for the bigger ones (I'm 1,79cm -an average size)

Solid look & build, it's not Peugeot or Honda handling, but does the job quite well, above average. Acceleration it's a bit sluggish from 0 to 60 km/h, but after wards goes like a rocket. Engine delivers plenty of power and torque (approx. 80% of total available) in the midrange (2.000 to 4.000 rpm)

Executive look, person inside is very well represented, not a teenager-look car like the Polo, for instance looks like a family car, however you can add 16" alloy wheels and a rear spoiler and then the look "slightly" changes to one of a more "performance" car.

Replacements parts are generally a lot cheaper than the ones from VW or Audi, though 90% of the parts from this car got those symbols (VW, Audi) on them. Guess it's a matter of "image"...

Riding quality at high speeds is very good, though a bit noisy on rough roads (what do you expect, for 12.500 euros this is what you get, it's not a Mercedes) nothing out of ordinary.

Braking sensation from high speeds is fairly good, but when suddenly stopped brakes got a squeaking noise like some old rusty door. The noise seems to increase in damp days. The brake pads are made of some sort of metallic compound, not from asbest, and they got covered by a rusty cap when not in use (even in a single day). When used frequently, as well as when the brakes heat up, the noise seems to slightly fade away. I don't care, since I always drive with the air conditioner on and with music all over the way.

Seats quality is OK, but could be improved, specially what regards to side-attach and secure.

In a word, if you need a car for making the day-to-day job in difficult weather conditions (tropical weather, lot of corrosion) ), driving trough rough streets and continuously jammed traffic, the Skoda is a choice to consider. It worths a lot the money you invest on it.