I drove the Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDi elegance for two years and did over 40k in nearly two years. I can stay without a doubt the best car I have very owned. It was a company car when I was told it would be a Skoda I was initially very disappointed (so was my wife). How wrong was I, it would return over 55mpg (and that was giving it a hard time - even manage 62 mpg). The engine is quick and very responsive the car is well built with lots of extras in the price and would happy recommend the car to anyone (so would my wife!!). I have since left the company and my car is now a sporty Saab tourer which costs me a lot more in tax and costs over 8k more. What a total waste of money (I had no choice) give me a Skoda anytime. I would love to get the new Superb as my allowance has gone up but they are not currently on the company list.

As a private hire driver who has owned and driven a lot of vehicles most of which were far more expensive and with better sounding makers names, I can state without fear of contradiction that the Octavia Tdi is the best medium sized car on the road for the money. Driving the Octavia is a pleasure although the seats are a wee bit hard after a full shift. The car handles beautifully and without fuss. MPG is best in class and boot space in the A4 is incredible. Almost 70% of private hire drivers now usw Skoda, if that doesn't tell you something then what will.

I have been driving my April 02 plate since February 2003, when, with our second child on the way, we needed a bigger car, with a few modern safety features - ABS, Airbags and Isofix car seat mounts. I purchased the car for about £9750, after negotiating £600 off the price, as it was 6 months old, an ex fleet car with 16k on the clock and not hired out since October 2005. Current mileage 46750.

The car is a pleasure to drive, whether around town, on the motorway or country lanes. The car averages 49 mpg around town and around 59 mpg. Although getting caught behind a lorry doing 40mph, the fuel consumption increased to 72.5mpg.

Faults - an oil seal failed under warranty and a brake light switch failed earlier this year (£10 to replace).
Tyres - replaced 3, one was 2 years ago and 2 were replaced last month.
Servicing - Brooklyn Skoda, costs - around £140 for an annual inspection and oil change (for £30 worth of parts) service. Going to try an independent in the next few weeks.

Any niggles, nothing really.

If you haven't got one - why not? Skoda is now owned by VW. You are driving a car based on the VW Golf. The dashboard is Passat and the engine is a VW/Audi, and it has the badges on the hoses to prove it.

We have owned the Octavia (bought just prior to the face lift so got a good deal. 90 bhp variable service met paint leather pack alloys and basically RS trim) for 2 yrs now and have been very pleased until the last four months, First off the drivers door electrics went walkabout (rusty contacts in door) and then the clutch pedal lost all pressure half way around r/bout (new master cylinder). AA said it was a problem that VW Golf have not common but known. All this done on the 3 year warranty (sighs of relief!). So I feel a bit worried but Skoda have been great with no hassle warranty sorted.

Bought my Skoda Octavia Hatch in July 2004, 2nd hand with 16K miles on clock for £9,000. 52 reg plate. Wanted a good tow car for a touring caravan, not disappointed! Drives and tows beautifully. 1.9tdi diesel engine, 110bhp, pulls very well.
Normal driving everyday, the car seems faultless. Slight engine noise, but it's a diesel..

Had 4 Octavias and one Fabia so far. Now have the 2005 Skoda Octavia Elegance, with the 1.9 TDI (105 bhp PD), with DSG, ESP, all round airbags. Bought via the Internet with a VERY good discount. Only done 1000 miles so far - getting about 45mpg, but that's because it's new and I'm still "testing" it a bit. The DSG (6 speed auto - which includes Tiptronic) is absolutely fantastic - first auto I've ever had - once you try this, and the benefit of cruise control, you'll never want anything else. You get a great package of AUDI bits at a reduced price. Also got a TUNIT module fitted which makes it at least as quick as the 2.0 TDI at far less cost. Plan to keep this "near perfect" car for much longer than all the others since it's got ALL the features I need.

I have the 130 bhp Skoda Octavia Hatch 1.9 TDi, I bought it 3 months old from Skoda themselves. I've done 9,000 miles in 9 months. I've been getting 51mpg in the winter and now warmer weather is here I'm into the mid 50s - this on a real mix of journeys from "to the shops" to a virtual non-stop 200 miles round trip to Heathrow. My local dealer is a family firm and I've nothing but praise for the way they've looked after me on this and my previous 2.0 petrol Octavia

I bought my Skoda Octavia Hatch 1.9 TDi Ambiente (90hp) TDi as an ex-demo with 2000 miles. Since then - in a little over three years - I've added another 83000. I'm not a minicab driver, just someone who nees to do a lot of mileage; mostly on the M9/M74/M6/M1, but quite a lot on rural A and B raods too.

I normally get between 52 and 55mpg (one, over 70 on a downhill 20m commute into Cardiff!); nothing has gone wrong (it's needed two new sidelamp bulbs and two sets of tyres, and a new handbrake cable they replaced free). It's been astonishingly comfortable (the seats have adjustable height and lumbar support); and spacious (the boot is simply vast, and when you puut the back seats down it's simply embarassing). The equipment is pretty well complete (my children would have liked a sunroof). And I have to say that the performance, especially overtaking, is more than OK.

I will buy another. And I'll think very hard about a Fabia to replace our other, smaller car.

I bought my Skoda Octavia Hatch 1.9 TDi for taxi use 2.5 years ago
after two years what happened
1 the gear box was broken from inside to outside
2 the turbine was broken too
3 four days ago THE ENGINE WAS BROKEN.
it was not overheated it was ok with the oil level but the third cylinder only was destroyed from a topic overheat
VERY UNRELIABLE CAR

Forget whatever bad things you have heard about old Skoda cars, this Skoda Octavia Hatch 1.9 TDi is simply a restyled VW Bora.
From the minute you get close, this is obviously a quality bit of kit, and the closer you look the more you will be impressed!

My own 110bhp Elegance has covered 10,000 joyful miles and still drives and looks like new.
It will hit a real 120+mph, or over 60mpg if you are careful with the right foot. Not many cars this size give you this kind of choice!

Composure at any speed is great, the firmish ride encourages sprited driving, and noise levels rarely raise an eyebrow, although I understand there are quieter cars available in this class.

Equipment levels make the opposition weep! The VW sourced Climate control, Cruise control, Alloys, ABS/ASC etc are all top notch items which all work as they should (Cheaper aircon does not match this for example) and the little touches (centre sunvisor, one-touch windows, front armrest etc) are further proof of Skoda's total superiority in the non-designer-name segment.

After owning many BMW's and Mercs over twenty years, I chose this model because of the opinion of so many owners, and the JD Power survey results (7th place) It is as good to own as a BMW and as good to drive as the Mercs but it IS possible to park without attracting unwelcome attention unlike the German cars!

After reading this, you will inevitably still be sceptical of the Octavia so go and take one for a test drive and prepare yourself for the unexpected!

The new version has the VW 130PDi motor, so it is even quicker, but around the same economy is claimed.

I have no complaints about my Octavia, it has Character, Style and is great to drive. The dealer (Willis Motor Co) collects it for free when it needs a service, and it uses half as much fuel as my previous Toyota 2.0 Picnic.