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“My interest in cars extends no further than a desire...”

written by eddiemarsden on 26/08/2007

Good Points
You may feel pretty smug driving a Skoda. It's economical and roomy.

Bad Points
Not easy to find any but it could be more comfortable.

General Comments
My interest in cars extends no further than a desire for reliability, economy and space, so I'm not able to comment on anything technical. I've had an Octavia diesel estate for five years and it has 127,000 miles on the clock, with 12,000 of them being mine. I've been well impressed with it's reliability; it has cost me little in repairs and has maintained a consistent performance which, as far as I am concerned has been excellent. And this is great news, because having to spend money on my car is truly heartbreaking. For a car of this size it has great acceleration, even in 5th gear, although I don't force this because I try and drive for economy, a tactic which has paid off, because fuel consumption is low. I was surprised that I was able to drive a car of this size off the main roads and still obtain between 45 and 50mpg.



The boot is massive, albeit at the expense of some leg room in the back when the front seats are forward, a position which I generally use as I am tall. Leg room in the front is extensive though and with rear passengers I can move the driving seat forward and find an adequate compromise without suffering discomfort.



With the rear seats down, you could hold a party in the back, although this position leaves a step in the floor, which can be a bit of a nuisance if you want to slide a wardrobe in there. There's also a raised section at the back (I'm sure that there's name for it), which has to be negotiated when you're putting heavy stuff in. Here practicality seems to have been sacrificed for design and I would have preferred the traditional estate design of having a flat floor which stays flat to the back of the car. The seats are comfortable but could be better.



It's been great workhorse and on a recent trip to Scotland it sailed effortless along. Other comparable makes and models may be better cars - I don't know - but they are certainly more expensive. I bought this car originally because I'd read good reviews, not least from Jeremy Clarkson who, I seem to remember, was pushed to find anything seriously wrong with it. Fine praise indeed.



If you need a big car which will give outstanding value for money, then I would recommend a Skoda Diesel estate. And don't worry about the name. Skoda have done a good job on making that name look the business and as far as I'm concerned, it is.