Love For Cars
Volkswagen threw a lot of cash at their new Mk6 Golf, with extensive sheet metal changes and an all-new interior. But not every carmaker has their resources: Skoda's efforts to freshen up the Octavia for 2009 are a little more modest. In comes the new corporate face, adopting new light clusters and a grille that stretches across the bonnet, while at the rear there are new tail lamps. Inside, the Octavia gains a new steering wheel, classy new instrument panel graphics and the option of a new touch-screen sat nav. The big changes are under the bonnet. Say goodbye to the old 1.6 petrol, replaced by a turbocharged 1.4 and a 158bhp 1.8 turbo from the Superb. Both are available with the recent seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. The diesels are less impressive. With the exception of the sporty range-topping vRS, the range is stuck with the old pumpe duse engine, rather than the smooth and refined new common-rail diesel. That aside, the Octavia is as impressive as ever, offering near-Passat space for Focus money - but are the mild tweaks enough to keep it at the front of the pack?
Skoda has consistently remained one of the darling brands of the JD Power customer satisfaction surveys, and the 2008 survey is no exception. Out of 100 cars the Octavia was fourth, with Skoda second only to Lexus as the brand with the most satisfied ownership. Inside the Octavia doesn't cosset as well as the Golf. The plastic steering wheel doesn't give you the impression of a budget Audi, but everything feels constructed with a typically Germanic feel of solidarity, so there's little to complain about. The decision to stick with the old pumpe duse diesels, rather than VW's new common-rail engines, means that the 2.0 TDI is a little noisy under the bonnet. There's also less flexibility throughout the engine, although a remap has addressed some of these issues. Perhaps surprisingly, performance has not suffered: the diesel offers 0-62mph in 9.6 seconds and onto 129mph, which is normal for this class. Handling is impressive. The nose felt well-planted in a bend, even at speed.
When the front tyres do eventually relent, the nose gently pushes forward but coming off the throttle helps neutralise the understeer. The last time the Octavia was crash-tested by Euro NCAP, it received four out of five stars for adult occupancy protection - a decent result back then. Unfortunately, five stars is now the class norm. All is not lost: the Octavia now comes with additional standard safety equipment, so it may receive that coveted fifth star next time it's tested. It's just a shame that life-saving ESP is only a 拢365 option. An alarm and immobiliser are fitted as standard. Here's where the decision to stick with the old diesel engine hurts. The 2.0 TDI averages 51.4mpg and emits 145g/km of carbon dioxide, putting it into VED band C and the 20% Benefit-in-Kind company car tax bracket. But that's no worse than the 134bhp Focus TDCi - proving Skoda's old engine is still a contender. Disappointingly, the less powerful 103bhp 1.9 diesel fails to slip into the lower VED band B, with its 130g/km CO2. The new turbo 1.4 petrol averages 42.8mpg and emits 154g/km of CO2, meaning it slips into VED band D while company car users pay 18% BIK tax. Impressive for a petrol. Ride comfort is impressive, especially for those who plump for the SE trim.
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