The tech doesn’t feel outclassed either, with the same 13-inch infotainment system – the kind of set-up that would have been unthinkable in a base-level family car as recently as 12 months ago. Even heated seats are included – a seemingly luxurious addition at this level. Also standard are parking sensors, but that’s a more sensible feature, given that the Octavia is longer than pretty much anything else in the class. You soon realise that huge boot ends a relatively long way behind you.
Perhaps the best news of all is that SE Technology versions sit on mere 16-inch wheels, and they give the Octavia, with its comparatively long wheelbase, a terrific ability to soak up bumps and scarred road surfaces. There’s so much squidgy sidewall to help cushion impacts from below that the cheapest iteration of the Skoda really is the most comfortable version available.
Of course, this spec is available only with the more modest of the car’s petrol engines – but the 148bhp 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit, complete with cylinder deactivation to boost fuel economy, is well proven from the previous version of the car.
The same can be said for the dual-clutch transmission; as is often the case, it’s not the smoothest when you’re trying
to perform low-speed manoeuvres, but in general it does a good job of jumping between ratios slickly and quickly. You’d never describe the Octavia 1.5 as rapid, but it’s brisk enough when it needs to be.
Nor, of course, is it the last word in driver involvement; this isn’t a car you buy with dynamic thrills in mind. But it has better cabin space and boot capacity than pretty much anything else in the class – and that’s what really counts.
Model: | Skoda Octavia SE Tech 1.5 150PS DSG |
Price: | £26,775 |
Powertrain: | 1.5-litre 4cyl turbo petrol |
Power/torque: | 148bhp/220Nm |
Transmission: | Six-speed dual-clutch auto, front-wheel drive |
0-62mph: | 10.4 seconds |
Top speed: | 126mph |
Economy WLTP combined/CO2: | 53.2 – 54.3 mpg/118 -121g/km |
Size (L/W/H): | 4,698/2,003/1,470mm |
On sale: | Now |