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.
On test the Golf sprinted from 0-60mph in 6.8 seconds, trailing the MINI by four tenths. The less powerful GTE was also slower in gear than the Countryman, although it only trailed the MINI by two tenths from 30-70mph through the gears. The DSG box shifts quickly, but it can sometimes be a bit clunky when coming to a stop. It鈥檚 not the only flaw. The firmer set-up also means the GTE suffers in terms of ride quality compared with more normal Golfs. However, it鈥檚 no worse than the MINI here, and although both these cars are on the firmer side, the damping is plusher than the Mitsubishi鈥檚, which tends to crash over imperfections. Apart from the firmer edge to the ride, the GTE is refined. There鈥檚 some road noise, but it鈥檚 no worse than in the MINI, while the engine isn鈥檛 as coarse as the Outlander鈥檚 when revved. Testers鈥?notes: 鈥淕TE gets five driving modes, including e-mode, hybrid, battery charge and GTE. The Outlander PHEV has proved a real sales success. When it launched, price parity with the diesel model and attractively low running costs ensured the Mitsubishi became Britain鈥檚 best-selling plug-in hybrid.
Although our pictures show a top-spec 5hs, it鈥檚 the 拢31,805 Kotu model we test to see if it still has what it takes against newer rivals. The Outlander PHEV鈥檚 powertrain operates in a narrower window than either of its rivals. Due to the car鈥檚 1,845kg kerbweight the 2.0-litre petrol engine feels strained, while the boost from the battery and electric motors isn鈥檛 as noticeable. The single-speed CVT automatic gearbox isn鈥檛 as responsive as the transmissions in its competitors, either. This setup meant we couldn鈥檛 record any in-gear times, but the Outlander accelerated from 0-60mph in 9.0 seconds. As well as being the slowest car, it鈥檚 also the worst dynamically. The high centre of gravity and slow steering mean it doesn鈥檛 handle as sweetly as the VW or MINI, and it doesn鈥檛 deliver as much comfort. The chassis isn鈥檛 as well set up because the car isn鈥檛 as composed as its rivals over bumps. Once the battery has been depleted the naturally aspirated engine doesn鈥檛 feel as punchy as its turbocharged rivals, while the fuel economy dips further due to the heavier body.
