Independent Reviews of ŠKODA New and Used Cars

The last ŠKODA Octavia took quite a big step forward in size; this one has grown more slightly, the hatchback version 19mm longer than before with the ever-popular estate variant now 22mm lengthier. In both cases, width has increased by 15mm. Visually, you'd certainly recognise this as an Octavia if you'd owned one before, but the car looks a little more mature and sophisticated now and features full-LED headlights as standard. LED lighting also features in the wider, thinner rear lamps. Where work was needed on this model line though, was in the cabin. ŠKODA interiors have always been smart and functional but a little dull. This one could almost fool you that you were sitting in a VW Passat, which is another way of saying that quite a big step forward in perceived quality has been now made. Engine-wise, most petrol sales will be of either a 1.0-litre three cylinder TSI petrol unit offering 110PS (which has mild hybrid tech in auto form); or a 1.5 TSI 150PS unit. For diesel fans, there's a 2.0 TDI EVO unit with either 115 or 150PS.

Jonathan Crouch finds in ŠKODA's Kodiaq vRS all the car he might ever need....

The Octavia name - based on the latin for 'eight' - is an almost inseparable part of ŠKODA's history, dating all the way back to 1959 when it arrived to designate the eighth design produced by the Czech brand following World War II. In modern era guise, Octavias have sold prolifically, enough, if placed end-to-end, to fill three lanes of the complete M25. Many of those sales of course, date back to a time when this was a slightly smaller and certainly much less sophisticated car. But in 2017, buyers were offered this very different kind of Octavia - one able to deliver an almost Golf-like air of quality. The technology on offer certainly matches that of a Golf though, perhaps inevitably, from new an awful lot of it was either optional or only found right near the top of the range. Ultimately, this is one of those instances where much changed, but much also remained the same. Many will continue to choose an Octavia for exactly the same reasons that people have always bought into this model line: solid build, sensible pricing and, most significant of all, more interior space than any other Focus or Golf-segment rival can offer. To that practical perspective, this improved third generation design added a welcome bit of polish. By 2017, it was no longer the cheapest choice you could make in this class but arguably, it remained one of the very cleverest. The same holds true for the used car buyer.

The CITIGOe iV is ŠKODA's first full-electric car. It makes value sense too. Jonathan Crouch reports.

ŠKODA's fourth generation Octavia Estate continues to go large. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.