Skoda Octavia I test drive - 2010 -

Big step

In September 1996, the European Automobile World closely monitored the debut of the new Skoda model. Two months later, Octavia was presented in our journal (motor 7). More than a year passed, the car managed to somehow show itself, and we can already talk about the features of its operation and about the place that it will take on the Russian market.
 

What determines the popularity of any mass car? The cost, prestige of the brand, the reputation of the manufacturer, reliability in operation, efficiency ...
 

The price of Octavia is quite attractive. In the Czech Republic, the car costs from $ 13,000 and is designed for not too rich people. The Russians, taking into account our crazy duties, taxes and VAT, will cost $ 20,000-23,000, which is quite acceptable for such a large and convenient car.
 

The prestige and reputation of the Skoda brand have been known to the older generation of our citizens since the 60-70s, when a considerable number of copies of the reliable and unpretentious Skoda 1000 mv were brought into the country. The younger generation will surely buy information about the cooperation of Skoda with Volkswagen. For this reason, the new Czech is actually half a German. The car is really European, designed taking into account modern safety and environmental purity requirements. At least 5-6 years intend to release it, and great opportunities for modernization are laid down in the design.
 

There should not be problems with maintenance and repair either. The base unified with Volkswagen and Audi allows the use of appropriate spare parts and a network of service stations, and a galvanized body - not to be afraid of the harsh winter and Mendeleev tables under the wheels.


And finally - a modern and very stylish look. Czech designers who created the body showed that they are in no way inferior to their famous Italian and French colleagues. In the new car, of course, there is a charm. The dynamic front end goes well with a massive and solid stern, elegant, even exquisite, hood - with low and long windows of the rear doors that cause associations with military equipment.
 

The totality of these advantages suggests that Octavia in Russia is doomed to success. If not for duties ...
 

We already shared our impressions of the driving qualities of the car about a year ago. Now let's try to evaluate the Skoda Octavia from the point of view of suitability and ease of operation in urban conditions as a business car.
 

The driver who first hit Octavia will not be preoccupied with the search for governing bodies or control devices. Everything is in their places, within the reach of the hand or gaze.
 

The engine instantly responded with even bass rumbling to turn the key in the ignition lock. The idle speed during heating does not rise above 1700, which will favorably affect the engine resource. Two minutes after starting the arrow of the temperature indicator, she fluttered and literally crawled to her eyes to the middle of the scale. Quick heating eliminates the need to start moving, sitting in a cold salon with fogged glass, and fuel saves.
 

The machine confidently gains move, evenly accelerating in the first three gears. Immediately pays attention to the bright red scoreboard of an electronic flow meter located in the lower part of the tachometer. Exactly 4 liters of gasoline were flooded in my eyes in the dry tank of the mechanics car. Well, I accept the proposed game in savings - I will try not to get out of 8 l/100 km. The smallest and economical engine from the gamma is installed on the machine - 1.6 liters, 75 hp, therefore, we can hope that at least 50 km will be able to drive in the existing amount of gasoline.
 

At first, it is not possible to save, after switching the programs, terrible numbers are displayed-25-30 liters, but after two to three kilometers I will adapt to the character of the machine, and when starting from a traffic light or acceleration, I hold on to permissible 14-15 liters. Yes, Octavia is able to overtake even in the regime of rigid savings, you only have to work more actively. During calm movement, the flow meter shows 6-8 liters, and if, moving under the hill or by inertia, turn on the 5th gear, rolls to zero, you can get rid of a bad habit of moving the swing on neutral to save gasoline.
 

It was dark imperceptibly, it's time to turn on the light. It is controlled by a traditional German switch located on a torpedo to the left of the steering column. Octavia headlight is strong, with a clear torn horizontal, which can be adjusted using a remote corrector. The lighting area on the left is sharply limited - when driving along the dark streets, two meters in front of the bumper is not visible. True, this problem is easily solved using fog headlights.
 

Devices are very well illuminated. The color of the backlight is red, but not alarming, like on BMW, but a softer, calm tone. On the left door is a pleasant trifle: a luminous circle around a button that controls the outer mirrors. Although it is rarely necessary to use it - it’s good when you don’t need to look for the desired regulator by touch.
 

Mindful of the limited supply of gasoline, he drove for a gas station, but for the purity of the experiment, not a tank, but a canister, filled. When maneuvering at gas stations, the largest, perhaps, lack of machine was revealed. The rear review is trouble, you can’t get any other word. Moving along the streets of the city, I drew attention to the fact that only windshield and roof are visible in the rear -glass traffic lights - the hood and the bumper are obscured by the tall Octavia trunk.
 

When you go forward, you don’t attach much importance to this, you are rebuilt in the stream, guided by the side mirrors. But if you have to take it back, torment begins. Not only is the feed is high, but there are also massive roof racks form vast dead areas on the left and right. The car is wide, the seats are installed at a decent distance from the sides and quite low, so stretching the neck and turning your head is ineffective. The most correct in this situation is to open the door in the old fashioned way, hang around the threshold and try to look around the corner of the car. So it’s better to call on sites without through passage more often.
 

Moving through the streets covered in snow porridge, I often had to use the wiper. Standard operating modes - fast, slow and intermittent - are supplemented by a solitary power regime that allows you to brush up random drops of water or dirt and not care about turning off the wipers. In addition, there is the possibility of a stepless adjustment of the interval between the strokes of the brushes, from minute to second.
 

The car was shod in all -season rubber Continental Super Contact of the size of the size of the size - 195/65R14. These tires allow the car to keep the wet road perfectly, the vast majority of irregularities extinguish and are very confidently rowing along the snow virgin lands.
 

An unpleasant moment arose in a deserted park, where we came for filming. Again, due to a limited review, turning around, I drove into the ditch with the rear wheels so that the car practically sat on the belly. The first reaction is to try to get out. Useless. The front, leading wheels instantly threw loose snow out of themselves and stalled on clay soil. Turning the wheels to the stop to the right and left and switching the gears forward and forth with a sharp bit, he tried to rock the car. Gradually, the car began to be supplied to the left, rolling out with the rear right wheel on the road. A few more seconds - and the car is free.
 

The testimony of the odometer was exceeded 50 km. I am reconstructed closer to the side of the road - I am preparing for a sudden stop. It was possible to drive another 7 km, after which the engine stalled. Moreover, he stalls, it turns out, not immediately, for some time still works at idle, stopping reacting to the pressing of the gas pedal. The refueling from the canister is not a problem: you only need to bend the petal-valve installed in the neck (we used the oil probe), and you can pour gasoline through a regular funnel. Having accurately calculated the consumption, he received 7.01 l/100 km. For a car weighing 1200 kg - very good. True, you can’t call an economical mode of operation especially pleasant, you have to deny yourself small joys - sharp overtaking and fast start. By the way, when moving in the usual style, the consumption did not exceed 8.5-9 liters (though by eye - no special measurements were made).
 

I had a chance to feel like a passenger, both front and rear. Everything is fine in front, nothing more: spacious, the armrest on the door is convenient, there are enough adjustments. It is very convenient to sit back. A huge doorway allows you to do this easily and naturally. The legs for the legs are more than enough, and even the three of them are not crowded. But together - even better. What is not a business class ...
 

The trunk lid is not inferior in size in size, it is the rear window, and it is the back panel. It can be raised very high, so that the lower edge will be at the level of the roof - it is convenient to load large -sized objects. The carrying capacity declared by manufacturers is 510 kg, so that Octavia can be used as a commercial car. Of course, if it comes to someone's head.
 

In a few days, during which the car was at the disposal of the editorial office, several of my colleagues managed to travele it. After conferring, we made a verdict: a solid car, qualitatively collected and universal. The SLX equipment provides the level of comfort above average, considerable weight contributes to the stability and smoothness of the course, and good heat and noise insulation make it very cozy. A 1.6 -liter engine is recommended for those who consider money or you should go quieter than the commandments ... and for those who love hotter, there are more powerful motors.
 

The Octavia model is a giant step forward Skoda. If the Czechs continue to move in the same way, then the next step, and look, they sweep away from the company's road - Volkswagen.

 

Evgeny Romantovsky
 
 

 

Source: Motor magazine [No. 2/1998]