Faults:

Nothing, I hit a fox on a country drive, damage caused to the front bumper and driver's light. Repairs were EXTRAORDINARILY cheap, very impressed.

General Comments:

After looking at Mazda's and a variety of cars, I chose the Octavia 118TSi. Very solid car, loaded with clever features that would normally be on much more expensive cars. It shares the same engine as the Audi A4, and the same 7 speed gearbox.

It has an enormous boot/hatch, good space for my small family.

Fuel economy is great, especially on long drives, and the DSG gearbox is superb. I really don't like autos, and while it changes gear automatically, it does so smoothly, and nearly always seems to find the right gear.

Compared to Japanese or Korean cars, the Skoda's interior feels incredibly solid. I sit in a Mazda or a Ford or Holden, and really notice how flimsy they feel.

Very impressed so far; after hitting a fox, I was forced to replace my front bumper and driving light. It was a test, expecting a horrendous repair bill, I was pleasantly surprised, $420 for a front bumper (original from VW) and an original driving light $120. Those prices are below most Japanese and Korean cars, and the parts are from Europe.

Faults:

The steering wasn't correctly aligned when I collected the car, and it took three visits to the selling dealer to try and resolve. Eventually went to another dealer in another city to get it sorted, and many discussions with Skoda UK.

Purchased the bluetooth for £480.00, which is only compatible with really old model mobiles, so have to mess about swapping my SIM card to an old phone that Skoda UK supplied after many complaints. Selling dealer didn't advise what phones the system would work with.

General Comments:

The car is great once all the niggly bits were sorted.

I went for the diesel for the economy, and it has loads of torque, and the DSG box is great for ease of driving, but I am a petrolhead at heart, and wished that I had bought the petrol version with a manual gearbox, which is far more exciting to drive.

Overall, the car does everything right, but it doesn't get me as excited as my previous VW R32, but it does it at half the running cost of the VW.

Generally a great car; massive boot, ideal for swallowing two sets of golf clubs with electric trollies, well equipped good stereo.

Optional items I went for include rear park sensors, full leather, coming home lights, proper spare wheel, bluetooth (waste of money, should have purchased an after market item).

Faults:

The door panels started to lose some color, but nothing noticeable. Maybe the Elegance pack would solve this?

General Comments:

For city traveling, it is not fantastic. First gear is very short, and the second does not quite match the end of the first one. (In first, it is very easy to stall the engine from stationary, and in second, it is very easy to stall the engine at low speeds). It should had been fitted with a 1.5 gear to go from first to second.

Apart from this issue, it is a fantastic car, very good on the motorways, low fuel consumption, good looking car, reliable (as it is a VW), with a big boot.

I think it is missing a cruise control option, a big failure.

It is a VW Passat with Skoda badge. Excellent value for money. If you're looking for 4 door family car, reasonably priced, this is the one.

Faults:

Passenger door speaker made odd distorted noise - corrected itself after a few weeks.

Heater blower fan currently making clicking noise - due to be corrected at next service.

General Comments:

In summary, it's a good, practical, family car. It handles well without being sporty, and is super comfy on long trips, while being cheap to run in the mix.

The Good:

- It has a huge boot/trunk with all sorts of tie down points and handbag/shopping bag hooks. Very very practical car. And it's actually the same length as the wagon's load area.

- Very comfortable cruising on highway - exceptionally stable and quiet.

- Economy around town is about average 7.0L/100km, but this drops down to about 6.0L/100km within a few minutes of cruising at 100km/h. Even when fully loaded with 4 adults and luggage.

- Seats seem hard initially, but are actually very comfortable, even after an 8 hour journey.

- It has more convenient cubby holes and cup holders than any other car I've driven, and all nicely lined. So I can keep the interior tidy, and without rattles.

- The stereo is awesome. Big, easy to read touch screen. Sounds good too. I can control all my iPod's functions from the factory touchscreen and show song titles on the dash. Very convenient.

- The diesel has tremendous torque, good in-gear acceleration. Lazy driving style preferred.

- The brakes are strong, the handling is actually very good for a family car. The DSG makes driving smooth and easy (with one exception - see below)

The Bad:

- The DSG can be jerky at speeds of between 20-40km/h. Particularly if you are going around a roundabout or something. It cruises in 3rd. But when you go to accelerate, it hesitates, then suddenly drops back to 2nd.

I get around this usually by recognising the type of intersection where it will happen, and locking it into 2nd or 3rd as I approach. That seems to help on the exit. Alternatively accelerating like I have an egg shell under the pedal seems to help it decide better.

- The DSG doesn't hold gears like a true manual would, even in 'manual' mode. If I plant it in 5th from 60km/h, it drops back to 3rd, even if 'locked' into gear. Some don't mind this, but I don't like it.

Otherwise, nothing to complain about. Although I might be fitting a rear sway bar soon. The suspension has settled now, and is a little softer than it was when new. My point? If you think the suspension is a little too soft when testing a demo, by 15,000km it will be way too soft for you.