The ideal car to buy is not one that can do absolutely everything, but one that handles its tasks perfectly. But what to do if a family has only one car? You have to be a jack-of-all-trades: a bit of this, a bit of that. And the price shouldn't bite like Malevich's brushstroke, otherwise there's little point in such a purchase. You need a golden mean — reasonable sufficiency.
The Skoda Octavia is the first thing that comes to mind in this context. Essentially, it's the same Volkswagen Golf, but more affordable. And that's a weighty argument, because the Golf is the benchmark of balance in its class. Plus, the Octavia is more practical than its German sibling, if only thanks to the trunk, which by capacity rivals a small hangar. Moreover, Skoda has always been known for its unpretentiousness, despite a rich list of options. Agree, it's silly to boast about a pen that costs twice as much as an ordinary ballpoint if it's still not a Montblanc. That's at least short-sighted.
However, the facelifted versions changed this principle. Apparently, in the Czech Republic they decided that modesty is not the best companion on the road and abandoned the strategy of "the same Volkswagen, but cheaper." Marketers remembered the brand's more than a century-long history and its original technical innovations... True, in that history there was no place for a single seven-seat convertible SUV: before joining the VW wing, Skoda in Eastern Europe was valued no higher than AvtoVAZ products.
Now the design looks more expensive. But the new face of the Octavia reminded me of a childhood prank when I stretched my eyelids with my fingers, imitating an Asian. The front itself is not bad, but with an almost unchanged rear, it looks alien. I understand it's necessary, but the aftertaste remains.
Much more important is the interior. Few details were changed, but the impression is completely different. There's a nice steering wheel, navigation with a hard drive (like on the sixth-generation Golf, Passat, and Superb), a new climate control unit, and, finally, proper instrument lighting, not that which resembled cheap Japanese radios from the 80s.
The trim materials are top-notch. Of course, Golf owners can always reproach Skoda for simplicity: they say the ceiling handles lack micro-lift, the visor mirrors aren't illuminated, and the leather is simpler. But these are all trifles. As for finding serious flaws — I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried.
The technical content is almost entirely from the Golf. The current gasoline engines are a full set, which can't be said about modern common rail diesels that went to the sixth-generation Golf. Besides the outdated 1.6 with 102 hp and the naturally aspirated 1.4 with 80 hp, there are turbocharged TSI engines of 1.4 (122 hp) and 1.8 (152 hp). Paired with the new engines are seven-speed DSG "robots" with two dry clutches.
The chassis is a spitting image of the Golf. In the city, the Octavia is easy to lift, nimble, and responsive. Handling is exemplary for a front-wheel-drive car, almost neutral. Comfort is also in place: there are rolls, but you barely feel vertical pitching, and 16-inch tires handle spring potholes well. The only thing that annoys is the small side mirrors, which make rear visibility leave much to be desired.
It's also pleasantly surprising that the Octavia, relaxed in city traffic, is capable of some driving fun. My test version with the 1.8 engine and seven-speed "robot" allowed me to play hot-hatch: the gearbox quickly shifts gears, and the engine pulls from the very bottom to the redline.
But even the "reasonably ideal" car had flaws. In traffic jams, the DSG is annoying: the robot jerks even in calm mode, especially when starting on an incline — dry clutches work more abruptly than wet ones in the six-speed version.
On the highway, the Octavia isn't afraid of ruts, and the power reserve is enough for confident overtaking of even very serious rivals. The cabin is quiet, and the gearbox jerks disappear at speed, leaving only its lightning-fast response. But crosswinds make you nervous: when overtaking a truck, you have to hold the steering wheel tighter. So there's no ideal directional stability on the highway. And that's a shame.
After all, it's stability you expect from a car with such a spacious interior and a 560-liter trunk — the largest in its class. Of course, cargo-passenger talents don't oblige the Octavia to be a country car; rather, it's a city dweller, but you want it to behave impeccably at speed too.
The same situation applies to the Scout. The increased ground clearance added sail area, rolls, and blurred steering responses. But, oddly enough, handling is still excellent, and all-wheel drive doesn't interfere at all: the car behaves like a front-wheel-drive. On asphalt, the Scout behaves much more politely than crossovers for the same money. All-wheel drive is a fourth-generation Haldex coupling (the pre-facelift had the second). And with 180 mm of ground clearance, it will give many a crossover a run for its money. It's just a pity that the all-wheel-drive version is offered exclusively with a manual gearbox, and you want an automatic.
Surprisingly, it's the "charged" Octavia RS that got everything that regular versions of the model lack. On the highway, it's truly good: it holds a straight line like a high-speed train, and the steering wheel became heavier and finally got clear effort in the zero zone. Yes, it shakes more — though not as much as the Golf GTI or the new Scirocco. Yes, it's a pity to hit the new 18-inch wheels on our roads, but the Hungarian ones, where the acquaintance with the car took place, are also far from ideal — and no problems arose. As for ride smoothness, I'd rather endure the shaking than the rocking.
In the city, the RS also turned out to be more comfortable! The six-speed DSG here doesn't annoy with jerks, unlike the seven-speed version. By the way, this time the "RS" will be sold only with a gasoline engine and only with DSG — apparently, when forming configurations, they took into account the sales experience of the Golf GTI, where most buyers refused the manual.
And, of course, it handles completely differently from the regular Octavia. Also academically, but faster, sharper, and more pleasant. In the "RS" we went out on the Euroring track near Budapest. The car is incredibly obedient — it seems impossible to crash it!
Oddly enough, when choosing the ideal Octavia, I ultimately settled on the most specialized version — the RS. And it's not about power: I'd like its suspension and seats to be offered at least for an extra charge on simpler modifications. Such a chassis not only allows you to have fun on the track but is also more comfortable on a normal highway. True, the word "normal" needs to be emphasized here.
For abnormal roads, the regular Octavia will do, and even better — the Scout: I'd call it an ideal replacement for crossovers. And if you don't need to go somewhere particularly far or particularly fast, these cars will handle their tasks perfectly.
The whole catch is in the number of Octavia versions. There are many of them, and all are reasonably sufficient: the increased ground clearance did not make the Scout wobbly on asphalt, and driving the RS won't scare a son who got a bad grade. Any modification will satisfy the needs of even the most picky driver! Moreover, all of them will be assembled in Kaluga (orders will start being accepted in September), which means there won't be a serious price spread either. How Skoda complicated everything. Good thing the Czechs didn't try to make an "all-in-one" variant — we know what that usually leads to.
Technical specifications
* — for the station wagon version
Was — became 
Behind the scenes On the race track, the Octavia RS may not be as fast as other sporty hatches, but it's extremely clear and obedient.
The RS version became lighter by 15–20 kilograms — primarily due to replacing the spare tire with a tire repair kit. For us, that's a dubious improvement.
Besides the gasoline 200-horsepower TSI engine (200 hp, 280 N•m), the Octavia RS also gets a diesel (2 l, 170 hp, 350 N•m). But we've decided not to sell that version anymore — demand is too low. No big deal: the engine is much noisier and more vibration-loaded than the gasoline one, and the working range is too narrow to get diesel pleasure. And the front suspension, to compensate for the greater weight of the power unit, is made stiffer, which didn't improve handling but worsened comfort.
Besides external differences, the Octavia RS differs from the regular one with seats, a perforated leather steering wheel with the RS logo, and a gear lever.
The front seats of the RS version are good, but in terms of lateral support, they significantly yield to the Golf GTI. On order, they can now be upholstered in leather.
Compared to the regular Octavia, the RS version is lower: the hatchback by 12 mm, the wagon by 13. 18-inch wheels are an option.
| Model | Octavia 1.8 TSI | Octavia Scout 1.8 TSI | Octavia RS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | |||
| Number of doors/seats | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Length, mm | 4584 | 4584 | 4597 (4598) |
| Width, mm | 1769 | 1784 | 1769 |
| Height, mm | 1450 (1463) | 1533 | 1447 (1451) |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2578 | 2578 | 2578 |
| Track front/rear, mm | 1531/1500 | 1531/1500 | 1528/1508 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1505 | 1545 | 1470 (1485) |
| Gross weight, kg | 2105 | 2145 | 1930 (1945) |
| Trunk volume, l | 560–1350(580–1620) | 580–1620 | 560–1350(580–1620) |
| Engine | |||
| Type | petrol, with direct injection and turbocharging | petrol, with direct injection and turbocharging | petrol, with direct injection and turbocharging |
| Location | front, transverse | front, transverse | front, transverse |
| Number and arrangement of cylinders | 4, in-line | 4, in-line | 4, in-line |
| Number of valves | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Displacement, cm3 | 1798 | 1798 | 1984 |
| Max power, hp/rpm | 152/4500–6200 | 160/4500–6200 | 200/5100–6000 |
| Max torque, N•m/rpm | 250/1500–4500 | 250/1500–4500 | 280/1700–5000 |
| Transmission | |||
| Gearbox | robotic, seven-speed | manual, six-speed | robotic, six-speed |
| Drive | front | all-wheel | front |
| Chassis | |||
| Front suspension | independent, MacPherson | independent, MacPherson | independent, MacPherson |
| Rear suspension | independent, multi-link | independent, multi-link | independent, multi-link |
| Front brakes | disc, ventilated | disc, ventilated | disc, ventilated |
| Rear brakes | disc | disc | disc, ventilated |
| Ground clearance, mm | 140 | 179 | 128 (127) |
| Performance characteristics | |||
| Maximum speed, km/h | 219 | 211 | 240 (237) |
| Acceleration time from 0 to 100 km/h, s | 8.1 | 8.4 | 7.2 (7.3) |
| Fuel consumption, l/100 km | |||
| combined cycle | 7.5 | 7.8 | 7.7 |
| Toxicity standard | Euro-4 | Euro-4 | Euro-4 |
| Fuel tank capacity, l | 65 | 65 | 65 |
| Fuel | AI-95 | AI-95 | AI-95–98 |
I took the regular restyled Octavia at the beginning of the month in Moscow and went to Nizhny Novgorod in it. And then we received an invitation to get acquainted with the Scout and RS versions in Hungary. The Euroring track near Budapest, where we were racing, is the same one where we were at the Mazda 6 presentation a couple of years ago.