Skoda Octavia
New from £28,150 / £267 p/m
Is the Skoda Octavia Estate a good car?
Read our expert review
Words by: Dan Trent
"A long-standing favourite, the latest Skoda Octavia estate cruised to an easy five-out-of-five review on our first drive. So, what does this sporty vRS version bring to the party, other than snazzier looks and a meaningful increase in performance? Well, the Octavia vRS has always benefited from shared engines and other bits with the Golf GTI and often pulled the neat trick of being more affordable, practical and fun to drive than its close relatives in the wider VW family. This updated one gets more power, much improved infotainment and a few other tweaks but is otherwise true to the formula, the estate for our money better looking than the hatch as well as being more practical. Click here for our Expert Review on the standard Skoda Octavia."
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Running costs for a Skoda Octavia vRS estate
4/5
The lack of a plug-in hybrid Octavia vRS option this time round will be a blow to those hoping to sneak one as a company car. Indeed, the sole option of a 2.0-litre petrol pretty much rules it out for those paying Benefit In Kind given the CO2 figure. It’s better news for private buyers, the price nestling beneath the £40,000 threshold where you’d be hit with the ‘premium car’ VED rates which feels a bit of a win given the performance. While it’s a little less powerful and front- rather than all-wheel drive it’s going to save a lot of money over related hot estates like the Cupra Leon that we enjoyed as a long-term test car and the Golf R equivalent, though it’s worth pointing out the Leon is still available as a hybrid.
Reliability of a Skoda Octavia vRS estate
4/5
Skodas are generally considered dependable, and the brand ranks above others within the VW group using the same engines and parts like Seat, Cupra, Audi and Volkswagen itself according to the latest What Car? reliability survey. Older Octavias score well individually, too, though the version previous to this did suffer infotainment issues common to the Golf and others sharing the same tech. We’ll hope this has been sorted with the updated kit on this version.
Safety for a Skoda Octavia vRS estate
5/5
Safety tech is among the upgraded features for this latest Octavia, forward radar sensing hazards and applying the brakes if it detects vulnerable road users like pedestrians or thinks you’re about to turn across oncoming traffic. As the top model in the range the vRS also gets useful features like upgraded lane keeping (annoying, but you can turn it off easily from a shortcut button on the wheel) and blind spot alerts (genuinely useful) you’d pay extra for or aren’t available on some of the more basic trims.
How comfortable is the Skoda Octavia vRS estate
5/5
Park your prejudices about Skodas feeling cheap, the vRS in particular seeming very well put together with some expensive feeling materials. The all-black upholstery and trim feels a little gloomy but the vRS branding and red stitching help lift the ambience and the figure-hugging shape of the standard sports seats up front is especially pleasing. Those in the back get lots of space as well, though the centre passenger has to straddle a lump in the middle of the floor. Boot capacity has, meanwhile, always been an Octavia selling point and the vRS’s combination of performance and practicality continues to be a winner, the amount of space available proving there’s more to life than SUVs while the estate’s boxier shape is both cooler (in our eyes) and more useful for dogs, luggage or whatever else you need to lug around. As the sportiest model in the range the vRS does get firmer suspension, and the option of an adjustable set-up branded DCC you can customise to your heart’s content via a slider on the touch-screen. This has an impressive bandwidth, going from controlled but comfortable at one end to teeth-clattering firmness at the other. A nice-to-have but we found the standard, non-adjustable set-up struck a perfectly acceptable balance and would probably stick with that and save the money.
Features of the Skoda Octavia vRS estate
4/5
Skoda had an example of the previous version of the Octavia vRS for comparison purposes, helpfully highlighting just how slicker the graphics and interface for the upgraded nav system are. You can, of course, pair your phone and use the apps if you prefer but it’s nice to know the built-in system is up to standard. Dedicated 19-inch wheels, a sports exhaust and full package of branded exterior and interior styling features meanwhile set it apart from the rest of the Octavia range, the lurid Hyper Green exclusive to the vRS, the estate also getting the option of the rather fetching Phoenix Orange which we rather liked and stands apart from the monotonous greys, blacks and silvers most people opt for. As befits its range topping status the vRS also gets additional goodies like an extra umbrella in the nifty storage holsters hidden in the front doors, a power tailgate that opens with a wave of your foot under the rear bumper if you have your hands full of shopping and plenty more.
Power for a Skoda Octavia vRS estate
4/5
There’s just the one engine option for the vRS for the moment, this being an uprated 265 horsepower turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol driving the front wheels through a clever system for putting the power down without spinning up the tyres on slippery surfaces. It’s a proven bit of hardware Skoda inherited from fancier versions of the Golf GTI and Cupra Leon for the previous Octavia vRS, and pretty much makes up for the lack of the all-wheel drive you get in the much more expensive Golf R estate. If you’re on the power early through the corner or when leaving a wet roundabout you may just feel a murmur of movement from the steering wheel as it does its thing but you soon learn to trust it, and appreciate the ability to use more of the performance more of the time. A pity there’s no manual option any longer but, in fairness, the DSG automatic is slick, effective and suits the car’s character. Overall, there are faster and more powerful cars out there. But the vRS makes a virtue of its impressive performance being more accessible and usable in the real world, which plays to Skoda’s no-nonsense values and means you can enjoy the sporty character with few real compromises in comfort or practicality and at a pleasingly affordable price. Bravo.
Lease deals
These deals are based on terms of 8,000 miles, for a 36 month lease with a 6 months initial payment.
£413.79
Monthly payment
£2,482.74
Initial payment
£398.71
Monthly payment
£2,392.26
Initial payment
Standard equipment
Expect the following equipment on your Skoda Octavia Estate. This may vary between trim levels.
Other vehicles in the Octavia family
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