The Octavia is important to Skoda.

In terms of sales, four out of every ten Skodas sold around the world are Octavias.

That’s an astonishing fact when you consider the breadth and depth of the Skoda range these days with Fabia, Roomster, my favourite the Yeti, the ever so cute Citigo and the emerging Rapid.

So, when a new Octavia came out recently, the pressure was on. Skoda has played safe with an emphasis on clean lines, good equipment levels and terrific engines. It looks very similar to Rapid, but the tell-tale difference is the pair of body-coloured diagonal strips either side of the Octavia’s grille. The clean lines, similar to the Audi A4 of a while ago, will age well.

That’s right. Some might say it’s unimaginative, but today’s quirky new car quickly becomes dated. Octavia is purposefully classy.

But it’s more than just looks which mark Octavia out as an accomplished car.

It succeeds in terms of space (the boot is amazingly deep and wide and the cabin is bigger than you might expect). And some of the engines offer a fantastic combination of economy, power and low emissions.

It’s not quite all new, with engines carried over from the previous model. There are 1.2- and 1.4-litre petrols and two diesels in 1.6 and 2.0-litre capacities, all with stop-start tech.

The entry-level offering is a 104bhp 1.2-litre petrol, which records over 55mpg and is cheap for road tax. It’s also more than £2,000 cheaper than the 1.6 litre diesel tested here and it won’t be that much more expensive to run.

That’s definitely one to look at. But the 1.6 litre diesel has its virtues, too.

It’s flexible, smooth, quiet and powerful, yet it will also return 72.4mpg on a run. I know we say this a lot, but that sort of economy used to be the preserve of superminis. Now it’s offered by pretty luxurious executive saloons. Stunning.

On the face of it, with 90mm extra length, a great deal of extra height and a width increase to deal with, the 1.6 engine copes fine.

I’m told the 1.2 is pretty impressive, too, but I’d prefer the bigger diesel engine any day.

If you can pair it with a seven-speed twin-clutch DSG gearbox, which raises the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, you will be impressed.

If the majority of its life is likely to be spent in town the smooth, rapid DSG shifts are fantastic.

The one downside to the Octavia’s shape on the road is that the high boot line obscures rear visibility too much, making reversing harder than it needs to be.

The Octavia is in the same market sector as its cousins the Volkswagen Golf and SEAT Leon, but it majors more on space and practicality than either of the others.

An extra 108mm has gone into the wheelbase and the bulk of it has been sent to the rear of the cabin to provide massive legroom for rear passengers.

The boot is a mere five litres bigger than before at 590 litres, which isn’t much bigger than that of the smaller Skoda Rapid, but for growing families the hugely spacious Octavia is in a class of one at this price.

Depending on the model there’s a spectrum of ‘Simply Clever’ features to make everyday life with the car easier.

The Elegance, which sits above SE and entry-level S, has the full spread including a twin-sided removable boot floor to protect the main carpet.

One side is easily cleanable rubber, so boots and dogs can be tossed in with no worries and no need for tarpaulins.

Among many other perks there is also an ice scraper under the fuel filler cap, a clip to hold parking tickets or permits and eight cup- and bottle-holders, sized differently to securely hold both small bottles and the larger 1.5-litre ones you often get with takeaway meals.

Elsewhere in the cabin there’s a significant investment in the depth of equipment.

Even the S has a borderline miraculous amount of safety equipment to add to its breadth of must-have luxury items.

The Elegance is overwhelmed with treats like sat-nav, part-leather electrically-adjustable seats, 17-inch alloy wheels and an upgraded stereo system.

Although you can’t call it cheap, the Elegance model compares to cars a class up for equipment, luxury and technology, and side by side with any of its competitors it still looks like something of a bargain.

* Octavia is already picking up honours. Hot on the heels of being voted Tow Car of the Year, it has succeeded in the National Car Awards from reviews website WeLoveAnyCar.com. It was voted ‘Best Large Car’ by users, more than 58,000 of whom took part to rate hundreds of models from more than 40 brands. Ratings are based on economy, comfort, reliability and driving excitement.

Skoda as a brand also performed exceptionally well. It was voted ‘Best Overall Manufacturer’ and ‘Most Recommended’, as well as being ‘Best Diesel’ marque.

 

 

Skoda Octavia Elegance 1.6 TDI CR 105PS

PRICE: £28,985 with extras. Standard model is £22,340. Octavia begins at £15,990 for the 1.2 TSI S trim five-door model
ENGINE: A 1.6 litre turbodiesel unit generating 105ps via the seven-speed DSG gearbox
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 121mph, 0 to 60mph in 10.5 seconds
COSTS: combined 72.4mpg
EMISSIONS: 102g/km
WARRANTY: Three years, 60,000 miles