Skoda Octavia 1.9 Tdi Estate Ambiente
I have had the above for six months and 22,000 miles. My choice at the time of ordering was between the mid spec Skoda and a Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI LX Estate.
On paper the Skoda won due to the better spec, bigger boot, better looking dash and inverted snobbery. The only lead the Focus had over the Skoda was a better crash test result.
The car arrived in August last year having been driven up from our lease company?s pound in Oxford and so had 400 odd miles on it to start with and since then I have followed the breaking in advice in the FAQ section. Oil consumption has been higher than other diesels I have had but nothing too scary (2 litres odd in the first 10,000 miles). I have averaged around 46 mpg with mainly 5th gear driving and a full heavily laden boot. In fact the car looks better with a full boot as it sits a bit lower.
Starting inside, the seats are a bit too narrow but are an improvement length wise over the old car. A lot of the ?missing? space is used up by a cubby and plastic covering for the seat mechanism so why no wide seats?
It?s easy to get a good position behind the wheel likewise my passengers are comfortable too. The space in the back is much improved over the previous model although my daughter?s car seat still has to sit behind the passenger one.
The dashboard is made from robust materials and feels and looks better quality than the Mk 5 Golf. The juries out on the plastic silver strip across the dashboard but it lifts the all black appearance. The driver?s internal door handle is showing signs of wear from the seatbelt clip bashing against it but other than that it looks as good as new inside. The boot shape is very good as well but the exterior handle is a pain when the car is dirty as your hand gets filthy. The load lip that gets many car magazines irate is no problem at all and is actually a help as it stops stuff falling out.
Outside, the silver paint is holding up well but the rear bumper is not up to the abuse the car gets parked outside my house and is already scuffed and a bit worn looking. On the bright side the doors have seals that stop a lot of muck getting in.
Not many days pass when I don?t wish I had plumped for the 2 litre diesel as it is a bit sluggish sometimes on clear A roads. The lack of a sixth gear makes motorway driving a bit noisy if pushing on. I quite like the turbo lag around town though as it remains easy to stay in 3rd gear and 30 miles per hour, so no speeding tickets for me.
My main gripe is the service indicator. The first service indicator came on and only gave me 2000 miles notice which was not enough to change around my schedule to get it serviced in time especially over Christmas.
Overall the car has been a good companion and I would recommend it, although probably as a 2 litre diesel
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Thanks. That's really helpful.
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"easy to stay in 3rd gear and 30 miles per hour"
How many car mag road tests would go into such detail. Great review the detail being much appreciated.
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Excellent review. Why can't we have more meaningful reviews like this!
However I feel I must complain about the lack of political ranting and general lack of bigotry. Surely at least 90% of the car review should be given to you to vent your frustration about life and labour your grumpiness.
Signed,
Jeremy Clarkson
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"My main gripe is the service indicator."
If it's like other VAG cars pulling the trip mileage reset button should show you miles until service, then you can plan it better.
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I know where you are coming from but I do 1000 miles a week so it comes up fairly rapidly
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>>Not many days pass when I don?t wish I had plumped for the 2 litre diesel as it is a bit sluggish sometimes on clear A roads
Did you have the opportunity the drive a 2L & 1.9l diesel back-to-back? I've heard that from apart the greater bhp/torque
the 2L is more refined. I had a Skoad Superb with the 1.9 diesel a year or two back & thought then it would be much
nicer with the 2L diesel - I was sadly, a bit too early for it then.
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You are correct, I have driven the VW Jetta with the 2 litre engine and it felt more refined. The extra shove helped keep the Sprinter vans at bay.
Sadly my allowance could not stretch to the 2 Litre
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>>Not many days pass when I don?t wish I had plumped for the 2 litre diesel as it is a bit sluggish sometimes on clear A roads
I've remapped, chipped or "Power boxed" my last 3 diesel cars which transformed the driving experience for roughly £3 a week over the time I ran the cars. Not entirely practical on a company car I admit (insurance for one) but......
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