Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the car so far.

General Comments:

Although it is relatively early days in my ownership of this car I have been so impressed with it I wanted to submit this brief revue. The Octavia is an ideal family car. There is more than ample room for five adults and the car has a huge boot affording great luggage carrying capacity. This was an important consideration for us as myself and my wife and two kids go camping.

When we bought the Octavia we had the car serviced and the timing belt changed. The total cost for this was 200 pounds. We have only covered about 1700 miles so far so I suppose I can't really comment on reliability. At the risk of tempting fate I can say it has proven reliable so far. The t.d.i. engine is a gem affording a good balance between performance and economy. In fact the fuel consumption for a fairly big family car is amazing. If you drive really steadily then mid 60's to the gallon can easily be achieved. Perhaps mid 50's would be more the case in normal use.

The Octavia is fitted with power steering and electric windows all round. A plus point about the windows is that all four can be controlled by the driver as well as at the individual windows. The Blaupunkt cd / stereo provides a high quality sound system.

The whole package seems well put together in terms of quality etc. and the driving experience is a pleasurable one.

Faults:

There was a problem with electronics from the moment I bought the car. The engine control unit sometimes lights up, and the dealer couldn't figure out why. The recommended changing something (which would cost me aproximately 2000USD), with a note that they are not sure it will solve the problem :- (So every time it lights up I have to go to a service and reset the unit. It repeats quite often. Except that there were no major problems.

General Comments:

The major pro is the huge trunk (I never filled it up).

The car has a tendency to over-stear, mostly on slippery roads and no load. When loaded on back seats or heavy loaded trunk, it is better.

The engine is powerful, but the main power lies above 4000rpm. New drivers, coming from less powerful cars, often 'burn' the tires on traffic lights.

In high speeds (above 100MPH) it feels little bit unstable (although I have sport disks and tires).

No rear wiper is a drawback in heavy rains.

There isn't much space on rear seats, but its enough for average person.

Generally it is a good and reliable family car. It is quite comfortable and it served my needs very well.

Faults:

Engine warning light has come on for no apparent reason- soon fixed by dealer, and little else.

General Comments:

My previous car was a 98 Mercedes E320 and when I came to change it, I decided to ignore badges and hunt out a bargain model which could deliver the goods regardless of image.

After hearing good things about Skoda, now under VW ownership, I decided to try the Octavia RS Turbo. It was often overlooked in the press, but whatever reviews it did get seemed to be brilliant- fast, refined, practical and understated. After a test drive, I immediately purchased it. The RS is a super piece of kit at the price- it is quicker then my E320 and more economical, too, averaging about 36 mpg.

Performance is simply astounding: above 4000 rpm it really sprints hard, and although the brochure states 7.9 seconds to 60, I suspect that it is indeed quicker and magazines have proven me right, getting times of 7.6s down to 6.7s and 0-100mph in under 17 seconds. With a well run-in engine of 70000+ miles, my RS simply destroys anything slower than a BMW 330i, with V6 X-Types being totally slaughtered, and although insurance is high, the low price makes it worth it. It is reliable and well made, and while handling brilliantly, only a slight lack of steering feedback and average brakes stop this being perfect. A very, very good car overall.