Skoda Octavia Hatchback (2004 - 2012) 1.6 TDI CR Elegance 5d Owner Review

A good car, excellent economy and reliability - it is why you see so many of these Octavia's as taxi's I the UK. I had an older 2003 Octavia that did 55 MPG, this newer one does over 65 MPG! Cannot say fairer than that. Elegance model is the one to go for - lots of electrical equipment. Looks good in metallic blue with alloy wheels. Comfort is average despite good space - stupid arm rest falls forward and rubs your elbow. Still it is better than the older cars silly design which got in my way all the time - you would think Skoda had not heard of ergonomics! Seats are OK though. Climate control if fiddly as per modern car, you get used to it, but they are all the same now. As Parkers says in their review I find to be accurate - it is a good economy car with lots of space, comparable to bigger cars like the Ford Mondeo, rather than smaller rivals like the VW Golf. I would class it as a larger family car, but it is in the smaller segment. At average height and weight I have no problems getting comfortable, despite the smaller issues mentioned above. To drive its not very exciting - the 1.6 diesel does the job and no more. Handling is OK. Reliability has been average for me however - had a few wear and tear items that were expensive (but expected at age and mileage - 8 years and over 90K), but the biggest disappointment was a repair bill for over £500 for faulty injectors! It is just as well this car is cheap to run because when it does go wrong, it gets expensive as any car. Modern diesels are expensive to repair so only buy if you do the mileage to justify the fuel saving costs, otherwise get a petrol. So overall a decent car, not great, not bad. Just average, jack of all trades. If you are looking for refinement / excitement - look elsewhere. If you are looking for a reliable family car, jump right in, you cannot go wrong with a well cared for example with history at a good price.