2014 Škoda Octavia Combi: The Oppositelock Winter Review

"E. Julius" (soonerfrommi) 01/20/2015 at 13:30 • Filed to: Oppo Review

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I had the good fortune of receiving this wonderful little car as a rental on my recent trip to Switzerland with my girlfriend. We had originally booked a manual Golf, only to find they had no cars of that class with a manual when we arrived. The rental agent offered to give us a free "upgrade" to the automatic version, but I asked if we could receive a manual car since that was what we reserved. Fortunately, she agreed and gave me the keys to the car we came to affectionately refer to as "Clyde".

( Full Disclosure: Volkswagen wanted me to drive this car so bad they sold tons of them to Europcar rental centers all over Europe)

We found Clyde to be extremely well–suited to our needs traveling around Switzerland. I got the chance to drive in the city, on clear highways, and on twisty mountain roads in various state of water/slush/snow coverage. Due to the fact that it was a rental in a foreign country with my girlfriend as a passenger and insurance through a parent's credit card, I didn't get a chance to push the car to its limits, however, I do feel qualified to speak about its attributes in a range of common driving situations.

Exterior: 6/10

By and large, the details of the Octavia's exterior worked well. The surprisingly attractive dark blue–gray paint was a tiny bit different, without calling any attention to itself—a good compliment to the Octavia's character. There were no ugly black plastic trim pieces or fake vents/scoops to detract from the design, and the lights matched the overall design language of the car and fit with the body lines.

Roof rails give the car a more active appearance, but the nondescript alloys didn't do much besides exist. I found the corporate grill to be rather unattractive, but it does let you know it's a Skoda and makes its appearance a bit more distinct. Where this car really loses points is in the proportions. The stubby front end that houses the transversely mounted engine does not pair well with the long roof. A wagon should have a nice long hood, à la the classic Volvo bricks. For this reason I found the car a bit awkward looking taken as a whole, despite the successful execution of most of the individual elements.

Interior: 8/10

These days, Volkswagen cars are often lauded for their quality interiors. In this respect, the Octavia did not disappoint. Our car had a little over 3,000 miles on it—basically brand new—so there were no blemishes or damage whatsoever. The height, rake, and distance adjustable seat (although manually operated) with a tilting and telescoping steering wheel allowed a comfortable position to be found pretty easily. Visibility was good all around, and although the stubby hood looks a bit awkward, it increases visibility when parking.

I found all of the hand controls to be excellent, with great ergonomic design. They had a solid, responsive feel, and almost everything besides the climate control could be comfortably operated from the steering wheel with minimal hand movement. Even the touch screen infotainment system was fairly smooth and intuitive, although the radio was so easy to control from the wheel I hardly used it.

The materials were excellent considering Skoda's position in Volkswagen's brand hierarchy. Although everything besides the seats was plastic, all the critical touch surfaces (steering wheel, shifter) had a nice synthetic material that was soft to the touch, and never got sticky or made my hands sweaty. The rest was at least decent soft touch plastic, with the exception of the hard decorative trim pieces. Nothing to write home about aesthetically, but the interior really punched above its weight given the price of the car.

Acceleration: 7/10

The Octavia isn't fast, but it's not supposed to be. On–ramps were still fun to someone who mostly drives a 10 year old Civic, especially with the stick, but nothing special for a modern car. The best thing in this department though was the torquey motor that was surprisingly eager to rev. Drop down a couple gears, mash the pedal, and the car will give you an extra 10-20 mph in short order. This made overtaking and maneuvering on the highway a blast, and even on the steep mountain roads it would give you a good boost if you were in a low gear. The little diesel instantly made this car at least twice as fun. I guess that's why us jalops like them so much.

Braking: 5/10

Completely average. The brakes felt totally up to the task, but I never really got the opportunity to push them. Pedal feel was decent, although I couldn't get much through the large insulated boots I was wearing most of the time. The handful of panic stops I tried assured me there was no need to worry about being able to stop in time, and it was easy enough to avoid braking too hard in the low–traction winter conditions.

I experienced absolutely no fade coming down the mountain roads, although I suspect this isn't unusual for a modern car with disks all around, and as I mentioned before I was driving fairly conservatively. My only complaint would be that the throw of the handbrake felt a tad short to me, but the car does its best to ensure you'll only need it when parking (more on that later).

Ride: 6/10

No complaints here. My first time driving a modern VW product without a sporty suspension setup, it felt comfortable and quiet. There was a fair amount of tire noise on the dry pavement, but I'll chalk that up to the snow tires. Bumps were felt, but never in a spine–shaking way, although the general quality of the Swiss roads didn't give me many opportunities to evaluate this. Even on the switchbacks there wasn't much body roll, so no motion sickness here. Overall, nothing special, but competent.

Handling: 7/10

The Octavia never inspired anything but confidence in normal driving. Although I didn't get to push it to its limits—not something you want to try for the first time on narrow snowy roads perched above a cliff—I would guess that it would understeer if gently pushed, given what I know about modern suspension design for cars like this. The handling was excellent in one area though, which made this the perfect car for our trip.

The snow tires and AWD made for an unbeatable combination in all of the wintery conditions we encountered. Being from Michigan, I have a decent amount of experience pushing cars in the snow. With the amount of grip this thing had, I got the feeling that when it finally did break loose, it would be at an entirely unsafe speed. I retained excellent control under a full ABS stop on snow, and never felt a wheel slip in normal driving. I was continually surprised with how quickly I could safely drive the snowy roads, with my girlfriend's will to go faster giving out well before the tires did. We rented snow chains with the car, but even in the worst conditions I never felt they were necessary.

Gearbox: 5/10

I'm conflicted about this one. The length of the throw was comfortable, because it knew exactly what it needed to be: unpretentiously long. The Octavia wasn't trying to make you feel like you were driving a Porsche, so shifts were fairly direct without requiring a huge amount of focus. I effortlessly picked the right gear every time, even when fairly distracted by conversation and the spectacular views. On the other hand, the engine/transmission combination was more questionable.

The free revving engine was quick enough to allow rev–matched downshifts as fast you could toss the stick around, but the suggested shift points (as conveyed by the dash display) produced less than stellar results. More often than not, when the car suggested I upshift it would drop the revs right into an extremely rough 1200–1400 RPM range. Cruising in 5th or 6th gear around 1000 RPM there was minimal vibration, accelerate a little and upshift into 1500 RPM and it felt the same. Between the two speeds though, you could feel it throughout the car. My girlfriend kept blaming me for dropping the revs too low until I showed her that if I slowed down a bit the car kept cruising just fine and the shaking went away.

I learned to work with it and ignore the car's advice, but the fact that there was almost no torque below 1300 RPM meant I often had to rev the car higher than necessary or be forced to endure an unwanted VAG massage when I was on a slight incline. Overall, these highs and lows combined with a predictable clutch earn the gearbox a middling rating.

Audio: 3/10

The radio reception was really good considering the mountainous terrain, but the stereo was entirely unimpressive. Same junk you'd find in any car under $40k. Major points lost however for the completely non–functional iPhone integration. Despite around 20 hours spent in this car, including an hour stuck outside of a tunnel, we were unable to get either of our iPhones (4 and 5C) to ungray the USB option on the media interface. Slightly redeemed by available SD card slot, but overall a major shortfall for a late–model car.

Toys: 7/10

Surprisingly, the Octavia had some pretty cool toys, especially for a rental model. Well calibrated rain–sensing wipers and parking sensors were nice convenience features, especially given the tight roads and highly variable precipitation we encountered. The car also had a very well–done engine stop/start system. It was completely unobtrusive, even with the manual, and I only turned it off once in heavy traffic. It even started the car back up if the engine stalled, avoiding the need to reach up to the ignition and back to the gear lever. An excellent feature for both convenience and safety.

More points were earned by the Octavia's hill assist system, which held the brakes for two seconds or until you started releasing the clutch when on a hill. Very useful on the steep mountain roads we encountered. There was also a little cozy for the battery (for the cold I'm assuming), but my favorite feature of all was a built in ice–scraper conveniently stored on the inside of the gas flap. How cool is that?!

Here's the battery cozy:

Value: 8/10

According to our rental documents, the value of this car when purchased was 32,000 Swiss Francs, which would have been equivalently to a slightly larger amount in USD before the Swiss central bank's recent actions. So for pretty close to the average cost of a new car (welcome to 2015 people), you can get a diesel, manual, AWD wagon that's very comfortable to drive with some pretty neat features. On top of it all, we got 45 mpg, even with all the high–revving mountain climbing we did. This car is an excellent value, and my girlfriend and I both agreed that if they were available used in the US, we would absolutely love to own one.

I had an amazing time with the Octavia, and came away seriously impressed. It was fun to drive, capable in a variety of conditions, with plenty of cargo room. This is a highly practical car that only proves the American affinity for crossovers is incredibly misguided. Wisen up North America, then maybe we can convince the Europeans to give us the good stuff.

62/100
Engine: 2.0L TDI Diesel
Power: 148 hp @ 3,500, 236 lb ft. @ 1,750
Transmission: 6-Speed manual
0-60 Time: 8.7 seconds
Top Speed: 132 MPH
Drivetrain: AWD
Curb Weight: 2,970 lbs. unladen
Seating: 5 people
MPG: 45 (observed)
MSRP: ~$33,000

If you enjoyed my writing and would like to hear more about my adventures with Clyde, stay tuned for my upcoming writeup of the journey through Switzerland.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 13:34

4

I would totally buy one of those. Diesel, manual, AWD, wagon. If only it was brown... *sniffs*

T off the New > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 13:45

6

That is actually a really great idea

Medium_sized_dane > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 13:45

1

Its funny. In Denmark Skodas are considered beigemobiles. And there are no Camrys anywhere so we would probably like them - for a while at least

Gary Yogurt > T off the New 01/20/2015 at 13:53

2

I immediately wanted this and I will find a way to make it happen.

E. Julius > Medium_sized_dane 01/20/2015 at 13:53

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A Danish jalop should do a hilariously enthusiastic review of a Camry.

T off the New > Gary Yogurt 01/20/2015 at 13:59

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I'm going to seriously figure out a way to diy this

wuzilla > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 14:00

5

So basically, you drove the car that America can't have: a Jetta TDI Sportwagen with manual transmission and AWD.

And yes, I'm going to search the part number for that ice scraper to see if it fits my Jetta wagon :)

E. Julius > wuzilla 01/20/2015 at 14:02

1

Yep, pretty much! Let me know how it goes, I know some folks who may be interested.

G42dog > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 14:02

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The reason you got such great radio reception is due to particular quirk in Switzerland. For some reason, the Swiss government long ago decided that excellent FM reception was a national priority. This was way back in the days before privately owned radio, and led to repeaters being built all over the place, including in their hugely long tunnels. I remember riding in my parents' car on a family vacation in Switzerland back in 1980 and my dad remarking at least once every hour how useful that was, and how we (the Germans) could seriously learn from a bunch of stuff the Swiss do (he was also very fond of the rather well-engineered roads and tunnels).

So this current Octavia is already built on MQB right? That means it's basically a very close relative to the Euro Passat, with very similar dimensions. I don't know if they're planning on ever bringing the US/China Passat onto that platform anytime soon. Given the success of the Subaru Outback, I keep scratching my head as to why VW doesn't hit that segment. This Octavia proves they can build a highly competitive product in that niche for reasonable money. They seem to think the Jetta wagon (also MQB based, but smaller - it's the Golf estate, basically) will do the job, but I have a hard time seeing that making it against the Subie - too small and too expensive for what it is. That TDI, though - that engine might get me to overcome my fear of VW reliability (and residual value) issues...

MQB also explains the stubby hood. Yes, it looks less wagony than a proper two-box Volvo - but hey, there's some very efficient packaging going on, creating a lot of interior space within a very reasonable vehicle footprint (always an issue in most places other than non-urban North America).

Love the fact they gave you proper winter rubber on a rental. In the US, if you rent an AWD vehicle in the winter in a place like Denver, Salt Lake, Portland OR, Reno (which means you're extremely likely to be on a ski trip, going to places that are hopefully snowy), you'll get all-season tires. Complete crap. They charge you for a specialty vehicle for winter driving (hey, they even market it that way) and then stick you with useless tires. Never understood that.

Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 14:02

4

That's a neat idea.

Medium_sized_dane > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 14:03

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I seem to like all the cars that i dont see very often. A Camry would be considered a VERY large car in Denmark. The engine would probably be described as quiet, lazy and very thirsty.

Due to the cost of fuel and the taxation of cars being dependent on their fuel consumption most new cars here are tiny little boxes with 1 liter engines.

E. Julius > G42dog 01/20/2015 at 14:06

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Yeah I knew they had the repeaters in the tunnels when I a couple stations came in ridiculous clear in the middle of the mountain, and figured that's what so many of those towers I saw on the mountains were. Didn't know that was motivated by the Swiss government—interesting. We were very fortunate to get the winter tires, and they even threw the snow chains in for free. They definitely take the winter driving very seriously in Switzerland.

E. Julius > Medium_sized_dane 01/20/2015 at 14:08

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That's been one of my favorite things about staying in Europe: seeing all the different ways countries do their roads and cars. Haven't made it out to Denmark yet, but I'm intrigued by the thought of all these tiny cars.

The Stig's graphic designer cousin > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 14:11

2

No bluetooth for the audio? That's an instant 1/10 in my book. That's pretty much a standard feature, and no matter how much I liked a (new) car, it would have to be one hell of a great car, or great deal, to let that oversight pass.

Maybe not as big of a deal for a weekend toy, but for a daily driver, yeah, it's pretty much a requirement now.

Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 14:11

5

Skodas really are the best choice for a new "beige" car in Europe. The funny thing they are not as boring as the Toyotas and we here don't get the great sin that is the Camry, but both the Avensis and the Corolla are bland as fuck.

Skoda is just right, it is to be looked as a applience, but somehow, even for me that see shitton of them every day, they feel exciting, maybe it is that knock-off old Audi styling, which make them look more expensive then they are. I will gladly get an Octavia vRS, if I was on the market for such car.

E. Julius > The Stig's graphic designer cousin 01/20/2015 at 14:13

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You know, I feel dumb now but I honestly didn't even try that.

E. Julius > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 01/20/2015 at 14:13

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I was surprised with how much I liked it. Just goes to show you what a fun transmission can do to an otherwise mundane car.

admnoyce > G42dog 01/20/2015 at 14:14

4

Also thank the Swiss for the snow tires- they are mandatory for all cars between November and (I think) April. And the chains- all cars have to have them.

Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 14:25

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I just went to my country's Skoda website and for under $30k I got the vRS with a lot of aditional extras, but no navigation, that is so great, for that price you can't get the most basic 3-Series or a C-Class. And with such setup the Skoda is so much better car than the "luxury" choices.

inlinesexzylinder > T off the New 01/20/2015 at 14:32

6

It's part of the Simply Clever package which also gets you some nets and a trash in the doors IIRC. Even Skoda's slogan is Simply Clever.

inlinesexzylinder > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 01/20/2015 at 14:33

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I don't think you can really compare the D3 premium cars (D3 as in Deutsche Drei as in Audi, BMW, MB) to low-cost Skoda's.

inlinesexzylinder > The Stig's graphic designer cousin 01/20/2015 at 14:35

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That's how it is with German cars. You get basically nothing as standard. Even the higher specs don't add anything at all.

inlinesexzylinder > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 14:37

1

All-season tires aren't much popular in Europe. They don't have good reputation, and frankly, they are definitely worse than full-on winter tires.

This year, in some countries, it is mandatory to carry with you even a shovel!

ColonialSaab > Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa 01/20/2015 at 14:45

1

Skodas are upper cresty in India. But apart from the really established marques, car sales in India are very strangely divided by market dynamics that I do not understand.

Shady Balkan Subject, Drives an Alfa > inlinesexzylinder 01/20/2015 at 14:47

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For me I can, you get much more value for your money with a loaded Skoda than a bare BMW/Merc with the most basic engine. A lot of people in Europe I think do cross shopping rather wierd, even with a budget of 40k Euro($46k) will go for a loaded Skoda, rather than almost bare 316i or C180. I am talking sensible people here, not badge snobs.

Cé hé sin > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 14:49

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"More often than not, when the car suggested I upshift it would drop the revs right into an extremely rough 1200–1400 RPM range."

CO2 rules. My father has a diesel Focus which I occasionally drive and it's the same. The little display starts nagging you to engage sixth at what seems like an alarmingly low speed and while the car copes well enough you get distinct vibration for a couple of hundred revs.

Then again, it does nearly 70mpg (Imp) on a long run so there's that. It also does the "restart if you stall" thing.

kaheff (L20E) > T off the New 01/20/2015 at 14:57

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Look what can be found in the doors of the Superb.

StalePhish > Medium_sized_dane 01/20/2015 at 14:59

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I had the unfortunate luck of getting a 1991 Camry as a free "loaner car" from a local repair shop while they put some new brakes into my car. The worst part was the dead zone in the steering wheel. Not even kidding you, 25 degrees either way of center literally did nothing. You could drive like in those green-sceened movie clips where the actor is wildly swinging the wheel back and forth, and the car barely budges. It was also quite slow. It's a small-to-average sized car by American terms I suppose.

StalePhish > T off the New 01/20/2015 at 15:00

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Until the ice impedes your gas cap and thus you are ironically blocked by ice from retrieving your ice scraper.

E. Julius > Cé hé sin 01/20/2015 at 15:04

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Ahh that makes sense.

E. Julius > kaheff (L20E) 01/20/2015 at 15:06

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Until I read "of the Superb" I was super mad I hadn't discovered this when I had the car.

SpazzyMcGhee > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 15:08

4

Have had Skodas as our family cars since 2003. First one diesel VRS Fabia, kept for 10 yrs. Replaced with petrol VRS Estate. Fantastic cars.

Dave on bass > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 15:13

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"unwanted VAG massage"

Octavia, no! Stop! This is entirely unprofessional! I am TRYING to do a review here!

E. Julius > Dave on bass 01/20/2015 at 15:15

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If only I could find a photo of Martin Winterkorn winking…

KirkyV > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 15:15

1

It took me a second to wrap my head around, "reach up to the ignition and back to the gear lever"—I hadn't considered that particular difference between LHD and RHD cars before.

Anyway, good review! I've never been overly keen on the idea of owning a Skoda myself -while I respect them immensely, I tend to find most ordinary VAG cars a tad dull to drive, at least by comparison to their competition - but the Octavia estate is probably the best sensible car in its segment.

E. Julius > KirkyV 01/20/2015 at 15:19

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I didn't think about that either. I guess every LHD car is kind of like a Porsche then, cool! The Octavia certainly wasn't a super exciting car, but I thought it was a great car for what it was, and it was really fun to drive after four months without being behind the wheel of a car.

emjayay > StalePhish 01/20/2015 at 15:27

0

It's an intermediate, like Ford Fusion or the US Honda Accord. Current standard family car size. And that one was 24 years old. With the V6 since 2007, current Camrys are pretty fast.

Confused Miata > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 15:29

2

I would definitely trade my Jetta for this.

emjayay > inlinesexzylinder 01/20/2015 at 15:30

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They should also require carrying a ten pound bag of clay kitty litter.

StalePhish > emjayay 01/20/2015 at 15:44

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I feel like a Fusion, at least the newest generation, is larger than a 1990s Camry. I have a friend who used to have either a Camry or a Corolla, and it looked TINY parked next to my Pontiac G8 (Holden Commodore / Vauxhall VXR8). I mean, the G8 is a pretty big car, but it absolutely dwarfed their car.

acetech09 > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 16:03

0

I could be wrong... but I almost recall reading that shift lights were originally designed to show most efficient shift points, since it's a much harder point to know about and learn.

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 16:15

2

Well written, I am anticipating the description of your journey through Switzerland.

ratonbox > Medium_sized_dane 01/20/2015 at 16:45

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Last summer a friend of mine came to visit me in Romania, from Moldova, in a Toyota Camry Solara. First time I've ever seen one. It looked cooler than a BMW 3-series to me. The hell with the Skodas, they are a dime a dozen over here and to me it feels that most idiots on the road are driving Octavias.

To be honest, I even got excited by seeing a Nissan Maxima a couple of years ago. Especially because Nissan isn't selling any saloon car over here, the closest you can get to that is a Qashqai or the new Pulsar. Hmm, that looks cool. Great, now I'm stuck configuring Nissan Pulsar. Thank you Internet!

E. Julius > acetech09 01/20/2015 at 16:48

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I have no doubt that it's much more efficient than what I was doing, and fuel efficiency and emissions go hand in hand, so I think both statements are accurate.

E. Julius > Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready 01/20/2015 at 16:48

1

Thanks! My girlfriend is still here and classes are just starting up, so I've been pretty busy. Hopefully I'll have it done sometime next week.

hancox > T off the New 01/20/2015 at 16:52

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An ice scraper next to something that regularly gets OIL on it - what could possibly go wrong? :)

T off the New > hancox 01/20/2015 at 16:56

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wut

zipfuel > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 16:56

2

We also ditched the "free upgrade" automatic Corrolla sedan in NZ for a supposedly lesser Hyundai i30 hatch.

I was so glad of the ability to downshift and engine brake with all the mountain driving we did.

QQXQXL123 > Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor 01/20/2015 at 17:08

3

Vander > G42dog 01/20/2015 at 17:11

0

Love the fact they gave you proper winter rubber on a rental. In the US, if you rent an AWD vehicle in the winter in a place like Denver, Salt Lake, Portland OR, Reno (which means you're extremely likely to be on a ski trip, going to places that are hopefully snowy), you'll get all-season tires. Complete crap. They charge you for a specialty vehicle for winter driving (hey, they even market it that way) and then stick you with useless tires. Never understood that.

No idea how it goes in the US, but winter tyres are mandatory in winter, so the rental company basically has no choice to make here.

If summer, drive whatevere tyres you want. If winter, mandatory winter tyres.

Aaron Paul: Oppo's Resident Fake British Actor > QQXQXL123 01/20/2015 at 17:12

0

That's more like it!

Confused Miata > kaheff (L20E) 01/20/2015 at 17:37

3

I rented a Superb wagon last year that I drove around Austria, Switzerland and Italy, sadly I either missed or didn't have that feature.. It was good on gas for the most part, very comfortable, and not terribly slow. It had an insane amount of rear leg room for what seemed to be a silly looking Passat wagon.

E. Julius > StalePhish 01/20/2015 at 18:04

0

Just like the little can of lock de–icer that most people immediately toss in their glovebox after receiving in a Christmas stocking.

tapzz > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 18:05

0

The modern taxi driver's favourite! Mind, the old guard still drive MB E class, so maybe that bodes well. Škodas tend to come out on top in customer surveys too.

Clive > Confused Miata 01/20/2015 at 18:10

2

Last October I bought a 1.8 TSI Superb wagon with DSG, and it's a Rather Good Thing.

It cost me ridiculously little and is very competent indeed. Also, the interior's a decent place to spend time while the world rolls by.

BigManLittleHair > SpazzyMcGhee 01/20/2015 at 18:48

0

2 proper jalop cars. well done that man.

ly2v8-Brian > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 19:48

2

So, everything Czechs out?

sporkalicious > E. Julius 01/20/2015 at 20:36

2

I had one of these as a rental for 2 weeks on a business trip to germany in october. great car, 100% would buy if sold in the US. basically a Passat TDI Wagon at a 15% discount.

plus I love that they rent manual transmission cars in europe

YukaCL > The Stig's graphic designer cousin 01/20/2015 at 20:46

0

Why?

I mean, I have a line-in for the sound system inside the car and i've never used the BT.

I can connect *anything* through it and the cable is non-intrusive at all (Subaru has them inside the globe box or center box; Mitsubishi has them in the center console, underneath it). Now, since it's line-in, the thing you attach has to be decent to actually hear it, but I don't complain. My iPod is enough to drive satisfy the line-in.

Svend > E. Julius 01/21/2015 at 05:56

0

Standard battery covering.

Mine.

Svend > E. Julius 01/21/2015 at 05:59

1

'Stubby' front end. With the size of the rear of the vehicle it makes sense to reduce as much as possible here to reduce the overall length of the vehicle. By transversely mounting the engine you can bring in the front end moving the driver further forward for better visibility at the same time increasing the practical and useful cabin and luggage space.

Svend > E. Julius 01/21/2015 at 06:07

0

Skodas new grille and leading edge is more in tune with modern design over the previous Octavia.

Svend > E. Julius 01/21/2015 at 06:22

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I think I recall suggesting going with a Skoda Octavia if you could.

I'm glad you got to experience a Skoda first hand and liked it.

Looking at the wheels I believe you were driving what we'd call in the U.K. the Elegance which is very well speced.

I think next time you return this side of the pond you'll have to try out the Skoda Octavia vRS manual 184 2.0TDi estate.

E. Julius > Svend 01/21/2015 at 06:30

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It makes a lot of sense from a functional standpoint, I just found the look awkward for my specific evaluation of the exterior.

E. Julius > Svend 01/21/2015 at 06:30

0

It does look better than the old one. Still not a knockout in my book.

E. Julius > Svend 01/21/2015 at 06:31

0

Is this on a Skoda as well? I've never seen this before, although I don't spend a lot of time under the hood of newer cars. Is this something that's common these days?

E. Julius > Svend 01/21/2015 at 06:34

1

If you did suggest the Octavia, then thanks! I didn't pick it intentionally, but good choice. Also, thanks for identifying the trim level. I tried to, but I had a sort of tough time comparing what was listed on the UK website to the car I had. I'm still in Europe until June, and I think I m going on at least one more trip where I rent a car. I'll definitely keep an eye out for something like that vRS—love the color!

Svend > kaheff (L20E) 01/21/2015 at 06:39

1

This and the removeable recharging led torch also on the Superb.

In the boot as a boot light.

It's 'dock' and 12v power outlet circled off to the right.

The torch when removed as two light settings and has a magnetised base allowing for hands free use for say when changing a tyre.

It's the little bits that have been thought out and add to the appeal of the car.

Such as the led down lights that light the centre console in a low glow which doesn't distract you from driving but subtly light features you may need such as the hand brake and gear lever.

kaheff (L20E) > Svend 01/21/2015 at 06:41

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The Superb is great! I am really looking forward to the new model.

Svend > Confused Miata 01/21/2015 at 06:44

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Ye', that's maybe the greatest feature I love on my Superb. The limousine level of legroom.

A friend loves how in previous cars his kids annoyed him on long drives by kicking the back of the driver's seat, now, they can't reach it. Lol.

Svend > The Stig's graphic designer cousin 01/21/2015 at 06:57

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The car featured is the Elegance and is fitted as standard with the Amundsen radio unit which is Bluetooth enabled.

Svend > E. Julius 01/21/2015 at 06:58

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The car featured is the Elegance and is fitted as standard with the Amundsen radio unit which is Bluetooth enabled.

E. Julius > Svend 01/21/2015 at 07:05

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I still have a center console full of mix CDs in my car, haha. Does this trim level have the lower spec 2.0 engine? I honestly didn't know when I wrote the review, but when I read the specs I seemed to remember it being faster than the 1.6L was portrayed.

Svend > sporkalicious 01/21/2015 at 07:06

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Manual is pretty much the standard really.

Svend > wuzilla 01/21/2015 at 07:12

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http://www.skodaparts.com/product/rapid-…

It's the Ice Scraper magnifying glass.

Though the actual scraper part is easy to come by for I guess it'd be about $5.50 with $8.00 postage it's the fuel door that maybe an issue as it has a holder for it. I also guessing it wouldn't take much to fashion a holder to stick onto the inside of the fuel door though either.

Svend > E. Julius 01/21/2015 at 07:15

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This is my friend's Superb. The stubby nose makes for great space in the rear.

Svend > E. Julius 01/21/2015 at 07:18

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The knockout one is the vRS front end.

The lower valance gives it a more purposeful stance.

Svend > E. Julius 01/21/2015 at 07:20

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This is the battery of my Skoda Superb 1.4TSi estate, yes. It just keeps the excess debris that has got into the engine bay away from the battery.

Svend > E. Julius 01/21/2015 at 07:37

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I think the great thing about the Octavia is it's something for everyone. It's available in a 1.2TSi up to a 2.oTSi vRS for petrol engines, 1.6TDi and 2.0TDi vRS for diesel engines, almost all are available in either saloon or estate with either manual or DSG, FWD or 4x4 so pretty much a good all round hitter.

No worries, if I couldn't identify the car from the Amundsen head unit and the 17" 'Teron' alloy wheels I think I'd have to leave the Skoda forum I'm on. Lol.

Here's a thing. Have you noticed how when you use the windscreen wipers the wipers don't always return back to the original seat when turned off? Every four operations the wipers move on to the next of the three seatings so as to protect the wiper motor from wear, ice build up, etc... It's a tiny insignificant thing, but means the car has been really well thought out to the tiniest detail that nobody even notices.

Svend > kaheff (L20E) 01/21/2015 at 07:45

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I've been looking at the spy shots with light and heavy camo and I'm actually a bit 'hmmmm' about it.

Svend > E. Julius 01/21/2015 at 07:54

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The full engine range for the Octavia Elegance.

Depending on the model there are different engines available with in it.

The 1.4TSi sounds small but is the same engine fitted to my Superb estate and works really well.

E. Julius > Svend 01/21/2015 at 09:57

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That's really neat! I love little things like that. Props to the engineer who thought that up.

E. Julius > Svend 01/21/2015 at 09:59

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Looking at the prices, I suspect my guess of the 2.0 was correct. Thanks for the info!

sporkalicious > Svend 01/21/2015 at 19:41

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very punny. slow clap. mic drop. :)

derekson > Svend 01/24/2015 at 22:22

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I really don't understand why VW doesn't bring the Octavia to the US as the Jetta and the Superb as the Passat. They are both a bit larger than the euro versions of those respective cars and a bit cheaper, which seem to be the two goals they specially aimed for in making US-specific Jetta and Passat models for the current generation. Just put a new front and rear clip on each of them with the VW family styling and build them in Mexico/Chattanooga and they'd have 2 massive winners on their hands.

derekson > Svend 01/24/2015 at 22:23

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Preferably they'd also bring the wagons, but even just the sedans would be great.