New 2009 Skoda Octavia 1.4tsi (Skoda Octavia in general)

Member Name: Steve80

Product:	Skoda Octavia in general
Date:	02/09/09 (497 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Small punchy and economical engine. Comfortable and spacious interior. Great value for money.

Disadvantages: Rather bland looks.

New 2009 Skoda Octavia 1.4 TSI

I grew up at a time when Skodas were the butt of many car jokes, such as, "Where's the dip stick in a Skoda? In the drivers seat."
A car from the eastern block couldn't really be taken seriously, and no self-respecting person could possibly be seen in one.
Then Volkswagen stepped in to work with Skoda.
Ever since VW started having an input, Skoda started to turn out some quite credible cars such as the Felicia. Dull to look at and uninspiring to drive it nevertheless marked an upturn in Skodas fortunes.

Skoda is now a very viable contender in the market. For nearly a decade their cars have been near the top of well known owner satisfaction surveys. Scoring well on value for money, reliability, practicality, comfort, and a good dealer network.

One of Skodas most successful cars, the Octavia has just had a facelift for 2009.
The Octavia range now benefits from the latest VW group TSI engines.
So I set out to see just how good the new Octavia is mated to a 1.4 TSI engine.

The profile of the car is the same as the previous model, but the new front end gives the Octavia a more upmarket look. I can't really call it attractive, but it certainly isn't an ugly car.

On the inside it's all Volkswagen. The quality of the interior is very good and you get Volkswagens touch screen entertainment and information system. The drivers seat has plenty of adjustment and the steering adjusts for height and reach. The Driving position was spot on for me.
Room in the back is very generous too with good head room. The boot is a very practical 585 litres for the hatchback which expands to 1455 litres with the rear seats folded.

But what is it like on the road?
Lets start with that engine. The TSI engine combines a turbocharger and a supercharger with direct injection. This means that you have a small capacity petrol engine with torque characteristics of a diesel, and the higher revs of a petrol.
The power from this little 1.4 is 122bhp and has 148lbs/ft of torque available from 1500rpm. To put that into perspective, a 2.0 litre petrol Honda Accord produces 142lbs/ft of torque from 4500rpm.
Having this much torque from only 1500rpm makes the Octavia surprisingly punchy and it can haul itself up some pretty steep hill without having to change down.
This makes it a pleasure to drive around town.
On the open road when you start to explore the upper reaches of the rev range, the engine starts to feel underpowered. Don't forget that the Octavia is a big car, and 122bhp leaves it feeling sluggish accelerating up to motorway speeds.
On the twisty stuff the Octavia handles surprisingly well for a car of its size. There is a bit of roll through the corners, but the steering is very direct, if lacking a bit of feel, and it turns in nicely. It also smoothes out the bumps quite well, and is not put off by hitting a bump mid corner.
Cruising on the motorway is a pleasure. The Octavia has a 6th gear and it is very quite and refined, and with that low down torque, motorway inclines are no problem.
The 0-60mph is 9.7 seconds which is just about adequate. The official combined mpg is 44.8mpg, but with normal driving I found that I could easily beat that with 48mpg.
With the torque from so low in the rev range you hardly have to use much throttle at all for pulling away and getting up to speed, and you can always use a higher gear than you could in other cars. This is why I think I managed to easily beat the official mpg figures with hardly any effort.

The model I tested was the Elegance. Standard equipment includes:
16" alloys
Rear parking sensors
Auto dimming rear view mirror with rain sensor.
Cruise control
Dual zone air conditioning
Air conditioned storage compartment with adjustable arm rest between the front seats.
Aux socket for mp3 player
Front fog lights
Maxi-dot trip computer.

In this trim the on the road price is £14,765
This car really does represent value for money. Not many rival manufactures can offer a car with so much space, equipment and quality for this price.
An equivalent Ford Focus will set you back £17,245.

The 1.4tsi Octavia is a very capable car. The only thing that niggled me was the lack of power at the top end. So if it was my money I'd go for the 1.8tsi. 0-60 in 7.8 seconds, 185lbs/ft of torque from 1500rpm. And only £1400 more.

Skodas are no joke, but a very serious contender.

Summary: Great practical family car.

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