Cars

Skoda Octavia: Now with more of everything

Skoda has ramped up the generosity quotient for its new Octavia

Skoda Octavia
Skoda Octavia Skoda Octavia

SKODA has ramped up the generosity quotient for its new Octavia, writes William Scholes.

Basically, it offers more of everything than its well-regarded predecessor.

The latest Octavia is more spacious and more practical, safer, better connected - very important these days, apparently - and even, so says Skoda, more emotive.

Dialling up the emotion might not be too difficult, as the Octavia has tended to be the most strait-laced of family cars, so prosaic that it makes even a regular Volkswagen Golf seem as outrageous as one of Silvio Berlusconi's 'bunga bunga' parties.

The Octavia is big business for Skoda. It's the company's best selling model ever, with more than seven million produced.

Compared to the outgoing model, this new fourth generation car is longer - by 19mm for the hatch and 22mm for the estate - and wider, by 15mm.

Skoda Octavia
Skoda Octavia Skoda Octavia

The boot is even larger too, up by 30 litres to 640 litres of volume in the estate; the hatchback is up 10 litres to 600 litres.

As is by now traditional, the Octavia shares much hardware with its Volkswagen Group siblings, particularly the Golf, Seat Leon and Audi A3.

That means the latest LED lamp technology, in-car infotainment and safety kit, among other things.

Skoda Octavia
Skoda Octavia Skoda Octavia

A wide range of petrol and diesel engines are offered, and for the first time you can have a company user-pleasing plug-in hybrid version of the Octavia.

Skoda Octavia
Skoda Octavia Skoda Octavia

Skoda says the car will be available to order in June and in dealers from July.

The new Octavia will launch in Northern Ireland in both hatchback and estate body styles and initially with three of the engine options - the 148bhp 1.5-litre petrol and the 2.0-litre diesel in 113bhp and 148bhp flavours.

The petrol and lower-powered diesel come with a six-speed manual gearbox, while the more potent diesel comes with a seven-speed double-clutch automatic transmission.

Mild hybrid double-clutch automatics paired with 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre petrols are due to arrive later, as well as the plug-in hybrid.

At launch, Skoda will offer the Octavia in SE First Edition (from £22,390), SE Technology (from £22,640) and SEL First Edition (from £25,150) trims.

Other trim levels are expected to join the Octavia range later, including an entry-level S model and the sporty vRS.

Skoda Octavia
Skoda Octavia Skoda Octavia