09/06/08

• Price18,765
• We like...Keen price, big space
• We don't...Curtain airbags cost extra

Skoda badge means good value, but this is also an extremely capable and useful carPut aside everything you think that you know. And take a breath. Because we’re about to recommend that you spend nigh-on £19,000...on a Skoda. But this family-sized estate car is more than special.

First, it has the same engine as Volkswagen’s Golf GTi, Seat’s Leon Cupra and umpteen Audis. Then there’s its chassis and its running gear. These are the bits that govern how it rides and drives: in this Skoda’s case, they’re pretty similar to what you’d find under a Volkswagen Golf, which is a competent, well engineered car. Look inside the car and it's the same story. if you’ve ever owned a Volkswagen, you’ll recognise umpteen switches, stalks and fittings.

And when we tell you that a Golf GTi costs well over £20,000, and a Leon Cupra is a few quid short of that much, the penny’ll drop and you’ll see that this Skoda is, indeed, a bargain.

It ds all that an estate car should, so there’s seating for five and space behind for their holiday luggage, which holds in place using the nets and lashing points provided. There are hooks to keep your grocery bags or takeaway curry upright, and a strong load cover to keep everything neat. The seats split, then double roll and flip forward to create enough space to cram in a sofa.

The interior is sober and well made. The leather and suede seats look as sporty as you’d want in a 200bhp car. But they’re restrained: you wouldn’t feel embarrassed by the car should you need to chauffeur an important client. The rest of the cabin is no-nonsense smart: it’s solid and looks to be of good quality.

The things it dsn’t have are gadgets. Other cars costing the same or more may have headlamps that light themselves as the sky dims, or wipers that swing into play when it rains. The Octavia has neither, nor ds it sprout buttons for the stereo from its steering wheel. But we admire this no-fuss approach – it’s a sensible way to keep the price down.

Outside, this Octavia sports a body kit, albeit a restrained one. But the main visual cue to its ability lies with its spindly, dinner-plate alloy wheels and the red-painted brakes that sit behind them. The skinny-sided tyres they wear mean the car rides stiffly but there’s enough movement to sponge away the worst bumps.

Around town, this car punts around smoothly and is an easy drive. Only the chunky rearmost pillars cause problems because of the blind spots they create while backing into a space. Find a quick, traffic-light road and the car comes alive, growling sweetly as it spins up the revs. It’ll crack on or cruise to suit your mood.

What else can you get for the money? The Octavia’s an in-betweenie – bigger than a VW Golf or a Vauxhall Astra Estate but smaller than a Ford Mondeo. Neither the Golf nor the Astra fields a performance model, while the Ford ds, mustering 217bhp from a 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol. It’s an even better car than the Octavia, but well it should be because it’s £3000 dearer. So that leaves the Octavia is a class of its own.

If you want hot-hatch speed but space for loads, it’s an alluring prospect.

• Engines2.0 turbocharged
• Power200bhp
• 0-60 mph7.3sec
• Economy35.8mpg
• CO2g/km188
• Insurance groups15E
• EuroNCAP
• Airbags4
• Seats5

Motors.co.uk value verdict: