About the Skoda Octavia
Auto Detailing Ringwood purchased this Skoda Octavia used for $23,000 (including all on-road costs) in 2021. Auto Detailing Ringwood would buy this car again because: “Absolutely, and I most definitely will when I can! We are no strangers from the Volkswagen Group, this being our sixth Skoda and previously owning a couple Volkswagens.
The performance and economy alone is enough for me to buy another one with a long term average of 6.3L/100km In mixed driving conditions! It’s a car that makes you look back at every time you park it and one I would never have ever chosen to get rid of, but unfortunately it was written off by another careless driver in September this year. “
How reliable has your car been? Tell us about any issues.
After purchasing the car with around 140,000km and full Skoda service history, we made it to 206,000km whilst only having to replace a few known issues. These were pricey, but they where all genuine parts. The list is short but includes:
- Electric tailgate struts ($908)
- Aircon compressor (which unfortunately was replaced only a matter of days before our collision, $999)
Occasionally a driver’s door card error would pop up, but it would disappear within a matter of seconds.
For a car with such high kilometres, overall I’m very happy with how everything lasted. From my understanding and pre-inspection, everything was original. There were no signs of anything about to fail either.
Interior quality was a huge improvement over the previous generation, with more soft touch and quality materials used throughout.
We always take the utmost care of our cars with everything being done on time, washing weekly (as I am also a car detailer) so interior and exterior have held up very well with little to no wear and tear.
What do you think of the ownership experience with your car?
Our ownership experience was delightful. It never failed to make me smile, and never left me disappointed.
It must be a Skoda thing as not once did I ever regret our purchase. I must say being a part of the Skoda community is awesome. The most effortless ownership experience I’ve ever had, it’s something that will be missed and one that I also wish I could have continued for much longer!
Although our experience was cut short, I’m glad I was in such a safe car when the accident occurred. A driver failed to give way and pulled out across multiple lanes of 80km/h moving traffic where I was unfortunate enough to T-Bone them.
Both front airbags as well as a drivers knee airbags deployed. There was severe damage to the exterior of the car, but it protected me exceptionally well.
Are you happy with the price and features of your car?
For the most part yes! Our Skoda was a weirdly optioned model that more focused on looks over features with the addition of a full panoramic sunroof, the black pack which adds black mirrors, roof rails, grille as well as upgraded wheels however they had then been upgraded again to the 19-inch extreme wheels, which we then painted black so that looked awesome with the black pack and Steel Grey paint!
Our previous Mk2 Octavia RS had heated seats (the best thing on a cold winter’s morning) which this one was missing, although it was optional, our previous one had them standard.
Another feature I wish came as standard was keyless entry and push start, yet again ours didn’t have it (part of the tech pack) which would also work in our favour meaning you would never lose the keys!
Other features included dual-zone climate, front and rear sensors, a decent reverse camera, Canton sound system which is excellent, as well as some trademark “simply clever” features including the bin in the drivers door, reversible boot liner, cooled glovebox and gripping cup holders which actually work a treat!
What do you think of the performance and economy of your car?
Whilst only putting out 135kW of power and a respectable 380Nm, there is plenty of up and go from a standstill.
The DSG for 95 per cent of the time is by far the best transmission in my opinion, delivering insanely quick and smooth gear shifts when getting up to speed.
The only time it would ever get annoying is during manoeuvring through carparks where it would occasionally be a little jolty. Sometimes in Sport mode, it would also hold on to the gears for a little too long but that’s not a problem when you use the paddle shifters.
Probably the best thing about the Octavia has to be the economy. For a family wagon that isn’t exactly light, while also offering abundance of space and returning a figure between 4-7.0L/100km depending on conditions. This is great especially with fuel prices getting higher, it really paid off to buy an economical car.
What do you think of the technology in your car?
Technology was very good for a car of this year, CarPlay and Android Auto as standard with Bluetooth technology which works seamlessly.
The multi function display was nice and crisp with all the information you would need. The centre infotainment screen was nice and responsive storing plenty of useful information.
The one downside is definitely the button for “Traffic” which actually does nothing! Had this worked, I would have given a higher score.
What do you think of the ride comfort and handling of your car?
Standard ride comfort was definitely good enough for our roads. Maybe a little firm, but I would also put that down to our road conditions especially when accidentally hitting a couple of potholes here and there, you can definitely feel them a lot more compared to something Japanese.
The seats provide excellent comfort and support which does make everything that bit better.
Steering is also nice and direct, but could have been better if they had an all-wheel drive variant of the Octavia RS. Chuck the driving mode into Sport and the steering is noticeably heavier. Body roll is also minimal/barely existent.
There are 4 driving modes which include:
- Economy
- Sport
- Normal
- individual
Individual allows you to tailor the car to your likings, can have sport drive without the fake exhaust sound and heavier steering or change it up have standard drive with the sport sound through the speakers.
For the most part, I left the car in normal configuration and changed it when I needed.