Skoda Octavia Combi 2.0 TDI 2010 Review

Skoda Octavia Combi 2.0 TDI

Road Test

Price Guide (recommended price before dealer and statutory charges): $37,790
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): nil, none, zero, didlysquat
Crash rating: Four-stars
Fuel: Diesel
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 6.4
CO2 emissions (g/km): 169
Also consider: Mazda6 wagon; Volkswagen Golf wagon

About our ratings

The small wagon's role in today's new car spectrum has largely been taken over by higher-riding compact SUVs. While an increasing number of these softroaders are full-on pretenders -- sporting only front-wheel drive underpinnings -- they've attracted buyers courtesy of the belief that they are somehow more versatile and (often wrongly) more secure.

In reality, although the higher driving positions of softroaders give some vision advantages, there's little if any positive difference when it comes to real world safety.

For a time, this sentiment and the resultant migration to softroaders left the local small-medium wagon cupboard pretty bare. Now, things are on the improve.

In the small car class family stalwarts like the Astra and Corolla have gone by the wayside, but Hyundai has entered the market with its i30 SW. Volkswagen also has just launched the Golf wagon for the first time in Australia.

In the medium car class, Subaru's stranglehold courtesy of the popular Liberty five-door continues but Volvo's V50 has been a (more expensive) quiet achiever. Mazda has also gained some traction with its handsome 6 wagon. Ford's Mondeo is almost a class bigger and both Audi and BMW are happily picking up dollars via their A4 Avant and 3 Series Touring at the top end... Benz's C-Class Estate too...

In the middle of this reconstituted 'real' wagon market -- in terms of both size and dollars -- is Skoda's Octavia range.

Offered in both standard and hot-hatch-ish models, after a rejig and facelift in mid-2009 Skoda Octavia wagon buyers now have the choice of five engine outputs in diesel and petrol versions priced in the $27-43K range. At the heart of the range's appeal is the fact it delivers honest performance, decent engineering, enough space for most conventional families and the sort of quality interiors we've come to expect from the Volkswagen Group.

That's right, Volkswagen.

There's still some ignorance out there regarding the Czech brand's provenance. Purchased lock, stock and barrel by the German conglomerate in the early 1990s, Skoda benefits from almost unfettered access to its engineering resources. And not just in a hand-me-down sense. Though the current Octavia was created using the Golf 5 platform, the latest Skoda Fabia light car (for example) debuted the platform on which the very latest Polo is built -- and did so almost a year ahead of the VW-badged supermini.

The particular Octavia wagon we lived with for a week or so was a 2.0-litre turbodiesel equipped with VAG's six-speed DSG automated sequential dual-clutch gearbox. Unusually for a tester it was totally unadorned. Inside, sturdy but handsome cloth trim prevailed, and outside even optional metallic paint was eschewed. Refrigerator white and proud of it.

Handsome but not beautiful, even in its latest form, the Octavia is a touch gruff on start-up and like many diesels could be quieter. If you're looking for Golf 6 levels of refinement, you'll need to wait for the next generation Octavia methinks.

Once rolling there's plenty of performance to be had from the 2.0-litre turbodiesel but from a standing start it's a moment or two before the turbo spools up and in combination with the DSG gearbox gets its act together. One aspect that caught us out initially was the DSG box's habit of allowing the car to roll back a couple of feet on start up on a slope. You can overcome this by using your left foot on the brake or being a bit quicker on the transition from brake to accelerator.

Noise levels subside once on the move and the good habits the car has inherited from its Golf cousins are manifest. On 16-inch alloys and conventionally profiled tyres, the car responds eagerly to steering input and rides the lumps and bumps ever more common on our suburban roads with a nice balance of control and comfort.

Cabin plastics are half a peg down from VW's but compare favourably to the likes of the latest Subaru models. There's plenty of incidental storage but Skoda could win more points by making Bluetooth connectivity standard like emerging Asian brands. At least a 2.0 TDI level the standard stereo system is of good quality, offering plenty of speakers and iThingee compatibility.

For this tester, the front seats are a touch narrow under the knees (the cushion tapers to offer in-seat storage bins) but the profiling of both squab and cushion is generous and locates you well. There's plenty of adjustment in both seat and wheel (tilt and reach) to get comfortable.

Matching the Golf (and Jetta) in terms of wheelbase dimension, there's an impression of more legroom in the Octavia. Luggage space is huge for the car's overall size (Skoda calls it a medium car, but it's only a touch larger than most VFACTS Small Car segment hatches). Drop the splitfold rear seat and a near-six-footer can lay down flat. Adding to the volume is the fact the luggage area floor is around 70mm lower than the rear tailgate's sill.

In pure practical terms, there's much to recommend the Octavia wagon as a family car. But, as much as we enjoyed our time with the 2.0 TDI version at this stage we wouldn't go diesel. Priced from around $2500 less, the new 1.8 TSI direct-injected turbocharged petrol Octavia delivers diesel like midrange torque and the refinement of a thoroughly modern powerplant (and new seven-speed DSG). It therefore becomes the pick of the very accomplished bunch.

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