FIRST DRIVE Entry-level trim could be the range’s sweet spot
John McIlroy John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk@johnmcilroy
THE Skoda Octavia is a practical car, regardless of whether it’s an estate or a saloon. But can you pick a model right at the bottom of the range and still feel like you’re getting a satisfying product? This evaluation of the entry-level petrol model should give us a good idea.
SE Technology is the starting point for new Octavias, and as we’ve noted in our review of the Sportline estate, it doesn’t exactly want for equipment. Climb aboard and yes, you might find the front cabin lacks a few of the visual flourishes that you get in posher versions, but there’s still a neat finish on the dash. Indeed, the metallic-effect strip that runs right across the centre of the facia does an extremely good job of breaking up the greys and blacks and brightening the overall look.
The tech doesn’t feel outclassed either, with the same 13-inch infotainment system – the kind of set-up that would have been unthinkable in a base-level family car as recently as 12 months ago. Even heated seats are included – a seemingly luxurious addition at this level. Also standard are parking sensors, but that’s a more sensible feature, given that the Octavia is longer than pretty much anything else in the class. You soon realise that huge boot ends a relatively long way behind you.
Perhaps the best news of all is that SE Technology versions sit on mere 16-inch wheels, and they give the Octavia, with its comparatively long wheelbase, a terrific ability to soak up bumps and scarred road surfaces. There’s so much squidgy sidewall to help cushion impacts from below that the cheapest iteration of the Skoda really is the most comfortable version available.
Of course, this spec is available only with the more modest of the car’s petrol engines – but the 148bhp 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit, complete with cylinder deactivation to boost fuel economy, is well proven from the previous version of the car.
The same can be said for the dual-clutch transmission; as is often the case, it’s not the smoothest when you’re trying to perform low-speed manoeuvres, but in general it does a good job of jumping between ratios slickly and quickly. You’d never describe the Octavi
