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Skoda Octavia SE Technology tested: the 70mpg company car

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Skoda Octavia SE Technology tested: the 70mpg company car | Top Gear

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Possibly the least sexy car Top Gear’s tested this year. Probably cheapest to run, though

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Skoda Octavia SE Technology tested: the 70mpg company car

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Wow, a base spec Skoda Octavia Estate. You really are spoiling us.Even at Top Gear, we can’t exist purely on a diet of jet-powered solid-gold LaPaganini McHyperthrusts.Sometimes there’s joy to be found in a simple, honest, sensible car.And there’s joy to be found in a basic Skoda Octavia, is there?Joy might be stretching it. Satisfaction though, and smugness? Absolutely.This isn’t even an Octavia vRS. Go on, impress me.

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Skoda Octavia SE Technology tested: the 70mpg company car

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Possibly the least sexy car Top Gear’s tested this year. Probably cheapest to run, though

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
Skoda Octavia SE Technology tested: the 70mpg company car

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
Possibly the least sexy car Top Gear’s tested this year. Probably cheapest to run, though

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Possibly the least sexy car Top Gear’s tested this year. Probably cheapest to run

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a base spec Skoda Octavia Estate. You really are spoiling us.Even at Top Gear

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we can’t exist purely on a diet of jet-powered solid-gold LaPaganini McHyperthrusts.Sometimes there’s joy to be found in a simple

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sensible car.And there’s joy to be found in a basic Skoda Octavia

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is there?Joy might be stretching it. Satisfaction though

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and smugness? Absolutely.This isn’t even an Octavia vRS. Go on

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welcome to the opposite end of the Octavia range. Here there be very small alloy wheels and engines designed to attract a low rate of tax

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rather than the ire of the police.An Octavia SE Technology is your classis fleet special company car

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like a Holiday Inn or a RyanAir flight. Only comfier. You get ugly 16-inch rims wrapped in enormous balloon tyres

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several blank buttons scattered across the steering wheel and dashboard

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and a weaker set of engines than a lawnmower showroom.The one to go for if you’re spending any time on a motorway is the 2.0-litre turbodiesel. Good for just 113bhp – the same as a 1.0-litre VW Polo – it’s not what you’d call muscular. But it is quite possibly the most economical car Top Gear has tested in 2020.This roomy family estate car

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with a manual gearbox and no hybrid back-up

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and averaged out at 65 miles per gallon. Skoda only claims a best of 62mpg. Quite frankly there should be a page in the instruction manual that reminds owners how to use a petrol station. The bulbs in the fuel gauge will probably die before the tank gets empty.Still sounds like pretty miserable transport if you ask me.On the contrary

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the Octavia is Top Gear’s favourite among the new crop of VW Group hatchbacks. The touchscreen is easier to use than the new Golf’s or Seat Leon’s. Skoda hasn’t bothered with the dreadful touchpad climate controls

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and just stuck the climate toggles in the touchscreen. We’d still prefer knobs and buttons.There’s less glossy black plastic in an Octavia. Even this base model has a mature ambience about it

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even if the materials are cynically 18 per cent tinnier than a Golf’s. And for a user-chooser company car customer who just looks at the spec on a spreadsheet

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the Octavia SE Tech is pretty well loaded.Plenty of toys?As standard there’s dual-zone climate control

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the 10-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

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the 10-inch digital instrument display and even umbrellas in the doors.Then there’s the stuff Skoda doesn’t go on about

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but is nice to have. The seats are remarkably comfortable after several hours in the saddle. The gearshift – it’s manual only in the diesel – is a little notchy but kinda pleasant. It steers and rides quite nicely

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and the door bins are carpeted so your spare change and keys don’t rattle about.On the down side

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there’s more road and tyre noise than in a Golf

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probably because VW demanded Skoda binned a load of soundproofing to ensure the Octavia was quantifiably worse at something than its foster parent.And how much

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for all this reasonableness?For the wagon

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which isn’t a lot for such a monumental amount of space. It’s like a Black Friday sale on tiny wheels: a nearly Passat-sized car for sub-Golf money. With CO2 emissions of around 118g/km

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and there are iPhone contracts that costs more per month to finance.7/10£24

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Possibly the least sexy car Top Gear’s tested this year. Probably cheapest to run, though

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Wow, a base spec Skoda Octavia Estate. You really are spoiling us.

Even at Top Gear, we can’t exist purely on a diet of jet-powered solid-gold LaPaganini McHyperthrusts.Sometimes there’s joy to be found in a simple, honest, sensible car.

And there’s joy to be found in a basic Skoda Octavia, is there?

Joy might be stretching it. Satisfaction though, and smugness? Absolutely.

This isn’t even an Octavia vRS. Go on, impress me.

Nope, welcome to the opposite end of the Octavia range. Here there be very small alloy wheels and engines designed to attract a low rate of tax, rather than the ire of the police.

An Octavia SE Technology is your classis fleet special company car, y’see. It’s no-frills, like a Holiday Inn or a RyanAir flight. Only comfier. You get ugly 16-inch rims wrapped in enormous balloon tyres, several blank buttons scattered across the steering wheel and dashboard, and a weaker set of engines than a lawnmower showroom.

The one to go for if you’re spending any time on a motorway is the 2.0-litre turbodiesel. Good for just 113bhp – the same as a 1.0-litre VW Polo – it’s not what you’d call muscular. But it is quite possibly the most economical car Top Gear has tested in 2020.

This roomy family estate car, with a manual gearbox and no hybrid back-up, managed a peak of 70.6mpg on a long run, and averaged out at 65 miles per gallon. Skoda only claims a best of 62mpg. Quite frankly there should be a page in the instruction manual that reminds owners how to use a petrol station. The bulbs in the fuel gauge will probably die before the tank gets empty.

Still sounds like pretty miserable transport if you ask me.

On the contrary, the Octavia is Top Gear’s favourite among the new crop of VW Group hatchbacks. The touchscreen is easier to use than the new Golf’s or Seat Leon’s. Skoda hasn’t bothered with the dreadful touchpad climate controls, and just stuck the climate toggles in the touchscreen. We’d still prefer knobs and buttons.

There’s less glossy black plastic in an Octavia. Even this base model has a mature ambience about it, even if the materials are cynically 18 per cent tinnier than a Golf’s. And for a user-chooser company car customer who just looks at the spec on a spreadsheet, the Octavia SE Tech is pretty well loaded.

Plenty of toys?

As standard there’s dual-zone climate control, the 10-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, keyless go, LED headlights and taillights, automatic lights and wipers, voice control, the 10-inch digital instrument display and even umbrellas in the doors.

Then there’s the stuff Skoda doesn’t go on about, but is nice to have. The seats are remarkably comfortable after several hours in the saddle. The gearshift – it’s manual only in the diesel – is a little notchy but kinda pleasant. It steers and rides quite nicely, and the door bins are carpeted so your spare change and keys don’t rattle about.

On the down side, there’s more road and tyre noise than in a Golf, probably because VW demanded Skoda binned a load of soundproofing to ensure the Octavia was quantifiably worse at something than its foster parent.

And how much, for all this reasonableness?

For the wagon, it’s £24,530, which isn’t a lot for such a monumental amount of space. It’s like a Black Friday sale on tiny wheels: a nearly Passat-sized car for sub-Golf money. With CO2 emissions of around 118g/km, it’s in a 30 per cent tax bracket, and there are iPhone contracts that costs more per month to finance.

7/10

£24,530
2.0-litre 4cyl turbodiesel, 113bhp, 184lb ft
0-62mph in 10.4 seconds, 127mph
62.8mpg, 118g/km CO2
1,373kg

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Wow, a base spec Skoda Octavia Estate. You really are spoiling us.

Even at Top Gear, we can’t exist purely on a diet of jet-powered solid-gold LaPaganini McHyperthrusts.Sometimes there’s joy to be found in a simple, honest, sensible car.

And there’s joy to be found in a basic Skoda Octavia, is there?

Joy might be stretching it. Satisfaction though, and smugness? Absolutely.

This isn’t even an Octavia vRS. Go on, impress me.

Nope, welcome to the opposite end of the Octavia range. Here there be very small alloy wheels and engines designed to attract a low rate of tax, rather than the ire of the police.

An Octavia SE Technology is your classis fleet special company car, y’see. It’s no-frills, like a Holiday Inn or a RyanAir flight. Only comfier. You get ugly 16-inch rims wrapped in enormous balloon tyres, several blank buttons scattered across the steering wheel and dashboard, and a weaker set of engines than a lawnmower showroom.

The one to go for if you’re spending any time on a motorway is the 2.0-litre turbodiesel. Good for just 113bhp – the same as a 1.0-litre VW Polo – it’s not what you’d call muscular. But it is quite possibly the most economical car Top Gear has tested in 2020.

This roomy family estate car, with a manual gearbox and no hybrid back-up, managed a peak of 70.6mpg on a long run, and averaged out at 65 miles per gallon. Skoda only claims a best of 62mpg. Quite frankly there should be a page in the instruction manual that reminds owners how to use a petrol station. The bulbs in the fuel gauge will probably die before the tank gets empty.

Still sounds like pretty miserable transport if you ask me.

On the contrary, the Octavia is Top Gear’s favourite among the new crop of VW Group hatchbacks. The touchscreen is easier to use than the new Golf’s or Seat Leon’s. Skoda hasn’t bothered with the dreadful touchpad climate controls, and just stuck the climate toggles in the touchscreen. We’d still prefer knobs and buttons.

There’s less glossy black plastic in an Octavia. Even this base model has a mature ambience about it, even if the materials are cynically 18 per cent tinnier than a Golf’s. And for a user-chooser company car customer who just looks at the spec on a spreadsheet, the Octavia SE Tech is pretty well loaded.

Plenty of toys?

As standard there’s dual-zone climate control, the 10-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, keyless go, LED headlights and taillights, automatic lights and wipers, voice control, the 10-inch digital instrument display and even umbrellas in the doors.

Then there’s the stuff Skoda doesn’t go on about, but is nice to have. The seats are remarkably comfortable after several hours in the saddle. The gearshift – it’s manual only in the diesel – is a little notchy but kinda pleasant. It steers and rides quite nicely, and the door bins are carpeted so your spare change and keys don’t rattle about.

On the down side, there’s more road and tyre noise than in a Golf, probably because VW demanded Skoda binned a load of soundproofing to ensure the Octavia was quantifiably worse at something than its foster parent.

And how much, for all this reasonableness?

For the wagon, it’s £24,530, which isn’t a lot for such a monumental amount of space. It’s like a Black Friday sale on tiny wheels: a nearly Passat-sized car for sub-Golf money. With CO2 emissions of around 118g/km, it’s in a 30 per cent tax bracket, and there are iPhone contracts that costs more per month to finance.

7/10

£24,530
2.0-litre 4cyl turbodiesel, 113bhp, 184lb ft
0-62mph in 10.4 seconds, 127mph
62.8mpg, 118g/km CO2
1,373kg