test drives

By Tim Saunders

When I drive a new car I like to do so with little knowledge of the vehicle. Then when we have made our acquaintance I enjoy a journey of discovery. I’ve not strictly been able to do this with the Octavia because I have driven a number of them over the years. After all, this model has been around since 1996 but each one over that 25 years or quarter of century if you like, gets better and better yet externally it has changed little. So when I first drive this particular model I am adamant that it is a 2-litre petrol because there is plenty of pull. But I am completely wrong - by some 500cc. This cavernous estate is powered by a tiddly 1.5-litre petrol engine, which is quite some achievement. As I drive an old Ford Fiesta 1.4TDCi, I am still used to smaller cars having smaller engines but this is no longer the case. It is striking that the Skoda squeezes out 150bhp compared to 68 in my 19 year old Fiesta. While both are as efficient returning around 50mpg the Fiesta produces 114 to 119g/km of CO2 compared to the Skoda’s 129 to 153 g/km but these figures are misleading because diesel fuel is more harmful to the environment. “…while diesel fuel contains slightly more carbon (2.68kg CO₂/litre) than petrol (2.31kg CO₂/litre), overall CO₂ emissions of a diesel car tend to be lower,” according to theconversation.com. “They can also produce more nitrogen dioxide, making diesel one of the main sources of this toxic gas.”

Not so long ago fitting a small engine in a large car would have been extremely embarrassing. For instance, when the engine of my dad’s 2-litre Vauxhall Carlton blew up he resorted to a 1.6-litre Vauxhall Belmont and wished he hadn’t. Even though this model of car was not enormous by any means it was so underpowered. “Get out and push,” my dad would laugh as we attempted to climb a steep hill. Thankfully times have changed and the Skoda is a pleasing car to drive. My only qualm is that the six speed manual gearbox is notchy particularly when changing up from second to third.

It reminds me very much of the popular old Ford Cortina in the way that it has found a place in the nation’s hearts as a trusty family car available in both saloon and estate configurations. But the Skoda is so much better built and more efficient, too. Outside it is as exciting as an estate car can be but there are hints of luxury about it from the rear privacy glass, chrome roof rails and of course the striking petrol blue metallic paintwork.

Inside there’s comfortable microsuede upholstery and Henry (5) has discovered that there’s a sliding cover over where drinks bottles can be stored in the front centre console. For the rear passengers there’s iPad storage behind the front seats so that square eyed occupants can hide their addictive devices, if only they can tear themselves away for long enough… In a bid to help the nation’s mental health there should be a padlock on this storage and a key that only works to lock it and then self-destructs... 

There’s a sat nav and even heated steering wheel and front seats. This model is fitted with a foldable tow bar with adaptor and Park Assist. It’s surprising that a car of this size does not come with a reversing camera though – I do find these helpful.

The boot is large enough to easily swallow four 50 litre bags of compost and two 25kg bags of mortar.

It’s comfortable rather than engaging to drive and the build quality is good. Overall it’s an attractive family car.

By Tim Saunders

The Subaru XV Boxer packs a powerful punch, if slightly subdued compared to its ancestors. It has road presence as you would expect and commands respect from other road users. Interestingly, they don’t seem to tailgate the Boxer in the way they do other cars that I drive. It might be that there are comparatively few of these on Britain’s roads and that there’s a healthy interest about what it is that is in front of them. Certainly during the test I do not see a single Subaru on the roads making me feel that I am driving something rather special.

This all wheel drive five-door car is basically an estate with raised ride height. An attractive alternative for those not wanting a traditional 4x4 but certainly as competent. When I was at school one of the parents was a farmer and he always preferred a Subaru to a Range Rover. I can see why; there’s a lot on offer here for an attractive price. In fact at that time Subaru was known for its world rally team, too. That, for me, has always given Subaru a particularly sporty appeal.

Paddle shifts either side of the steering wheel allow the driver a choice between lazy automatic or more involved driving. This petrol hybrid clicks over from petrol to an electric motor at low speeds or when slowing down or at least it should do. Trouble is the motor doesn’t kick in very often. I find this a lot with hybrids. You see, I expect them to be able to handle speeds of at least up to 30mph for, say for a mile regardless how heavy your right foot but I am always left bitterly, bitterly disappointed. Unless the driver nurses the car along whispering sweet nothings about the environment it completely forgets it’s a hybrid. When driving there’s a graphic in the middle of the dashboard showing the electric motor charging. That keeps the children entertained but it’s unnecessary and I question how much more efficient this really is over a standard model because Subarus have always been fairly thirsty and so’s this one. The cruise control is easy to operate and automatically brakes or accelerates depending on what the car in front is doing. One annoying thing is that on damp days the windscreen mists up quite quickly and the blowers have to be put on full to clear it. I find this in other large cars. Smaller ones don’t seem to suffer as much.

There’s a comfortable driving position and the black leather seats are hardwearing. In the back there’s a good amount of space for passengers meaning that oldest daughter Harriett (9), who has now grown out of using a booster seat, has some room, which isn’t often the case in other cars.

The large boot easily copes with the weekly shop and there’s a neat cover that can be pulled over for security.

Another bonus is the sizeable tilt/sliding glass sunroof that fully opens; a joy on a sunny day. A problem though is that when the sun shines it hits the plastic on the screen of the centre console and bounces off forcing both driver and front passenger to squint. A shame to have to pull the blind over the sunroof to stop this.

Externally it looks striking and different to the competition. The front bumper has character and the alloy wheels are chunky. It feels a well constructed vehicle and one that can be relied on.