Skoda Octavia I Combi 1997 - 2010 test drive -

Faces "Octavia"

Skoda-Octavia offers more options than it might seem at first glance


Skoda Octavia, presented by the European public in the fall of 1996, took a worthy place in our market next year. In 1998, the hatchback compiled a company universal company, and the line of centuries was marked by a small restyling model. Classic, Ambiente and Elegance with a new interior decoration, fashionable crystal headlights, updated bumpers and a whole package of changes (in detail - ZR, 2000, No. 11) were replaced by standard equipment LX, GLX and SLX. For those who are not very well oriented in the platforms of Volkswagen, we recall: when viewed from below, octavia differs little from golf and vento, as well as Seata-Topledo.
 
WHAT IS THE PRICE?
We inform: 12 750 green. This is the price of octavia with a body of hatchback, a 1.6 liter engine, 75 liters. With. Classic: the driver’s airbag, a janitor on the rear window, washer washer and wires for a radio. This is exactly what visited our test. You can order a very naked car, but it will still not work below $ 12,000.
 
Octavia-shaotchback with a more frisky 100-horsepower 1.6-liter engine is offered in the basic configuration of Ambiente and costs $ 14,680, and better equipped with Elegance or with an automatic gearbox even more expensive: 16-18 thousand. The minimum Classic station wagon with the same engine will pull 14 thousand - 75 -horsepower combi, but a pity. The 1.8t engine with five valves on the cylinder and turbocharged produces 150 liters. With. and accelerates octavia to 100 km/h in 8.4 s. It also involves the Elegance set and raises the price of up to 18,500 units. There are apart cars performed by Laurin & Clement with a full set of additional equipment, including leather upholstery of the cabin. The minimum price for them is 23,500, and in good weather it will rise above 26 thousand dollars.
 
Along with the listed modifications, there are diesel ones with and without and without it (1.9 liters; 68, 90, 110 hp), as well as a two -liter gasoline with a capacity of only 120 horses and with a very good moment in the characteristic. Due to the features of Russian taxation and the common opinion that an expensive car should have a powerful engine, these options do not use popularity, and dealers deliver them only to order with an advance payment.
 
Octavia in the city
The basic 75 -horsepower engine is what is needed for urban driving. A quick response to the pedal, confident acceleration with almost idle speeds. In combination with a clear gear shift, good visibility and powerful brakes, the motor allows Octavia to be one of the most agile herring in a street jamb.
Acute steering with a hydraulic wrap makes it possible to feel the machine well and facilitates maneuvering in tight yards. However, when it comes to parking, the car requires increased attention and experience. The raised feed limits the review back, the convex thresholds of the body and the front bumper is easy to damage about the high curb. It is not without reason that parking sensors are one of the popular options for this car.
 
Octavia broke
This happens to any car. Even with the one who has a famous eternal Volkswagen engine under the hood. This is often called the basic 75 -horsepower engine for its fans for a huge resource, and opponents - for the old -fashioned structure. However, in the first year this should not worry - a proprietary guarantee applies. Spare parts and service are not a problem in large cities in the European part of Russia and east to Novosibirsk. The cost of maintenance is quite large for the price range of machines, but it is done once a year or 15 thousand km. There are a large selection of spare parts and accessories in warehouse. Consumables are relatively inexpensive, body spare parts, glass and optics correspond to the level of the price of the car. For octavia with diesel engines, an additional change of oil is provided every 7500 km, gasoline motors are recommended the first one after 7500 km, then every 15 thousand km.
 
Octavia on the highway
Octavia with the base engine does not claim the role of a sprinter. Acceleration to hundreds - 14.8 s. But in long -distance races, it manifests itself from the best side. The traction engine allows you to almost completely refuse to shift the gears - the fifth confidently works in the range from 50 to maximum 170 km/h. However, to lovers, as they say, an active ride, the basic motor will still not like it - it is pointless to twist it above 4,500 rpm, although the revolutionary of the revolutions allows this. But those who travel quickly and far, the basic octavia will please the low fuel consumption in combination with a large tank - 700 km at one gas station is far from the limit.
 
If in the city the adapted suspensions of Skoda seem excessively rigid, especially when there is one driver in the car, then at high speed their ability to resist asphalt waves and swallow small irregularities worthy of praise. True, when Octavia repeats the profile of the road too detail, the inhabitants of the salon feel some discomfort.
 
There are no complaints about the controllability of Octavia in the standard modes, and the limits of stability are generally unexpectedly high, despite the narrow high -profile tires 175/80R14.
 
Octavia on the lane
No, this is not her element positively, although large wheels, a short base and hard pendants, it would seem, do not interfere with this. The powerful protection of the motor compartment, reliably covered pipelines, and yet, on a dirt road or in an unprofitable courtyard, do not rush. Cause? Large front overhang - the lower part of the front bumper is only 160 mm from the road. And if in the first octavia it was an independent part of unpainted plastic ($ 38 price), then after restyling the bumper became whole, and if the lips are damaged, it will have to be completely changed. The price without the cost of installation and painting is $ 150. There is a difference?
 
Octavia for passengers and cargo
The length of 4500 mm with a wheelbase 2512 mm - this combination determines a fairly short interior and a very spacious trunk. There is enough space in front of any driver or passenger, even if they are both under two meters, especially since the seats are adjusted in height, and the steering column is along the corner and length. But you should not count on the back seat in this situation. Between him and the backs of the front seats there is a gap in which the fist barely passes. There are also very few places for the feet. Well, if there is no one above 180 cm in the crew, then Skoda without any reservations is a five -seater car. But what a trunk! You can talk a lot about the aesthetic advantages of the back of Octavia, but it is simply ridiculous to deny the convenience and volume of its luggage compartment. In her class she has an outstanding indicator - 528 liters. Our dimensions (cubes of 20, 10, 5 l) showed 490 - a record in this section, and without taking into account empty space in the niche of the spare wheel, where a bunch of useful things will enter freely. And if you recall the folding back of the rear seat (40:60) and an impressive fifth door (it contains almost anything!), It can only be a dowry for family trips to a dacha.
 
 
CLASSMATES
Volkswagen Bora (1998) - four -door sedan; It is delivered to Russia with engines 1.6-2.0 liters, 101-115 liters. With. Price - $ 16,000-26 700.
 
Opel Astra (1998) - three- and five -door hatchback, sedan, station wagon. It is delivered to Russia with engines 1.6-1.8 liters, 84-125 liters. With. Price - from $ 13,500 to 20,000.
Kia noise (1997) - five-
door hatchback. It is delivered to Russia with 1.5 engines; 1.8 l, 101-125 liters. p., $ 9300-
12 900. A new model is expected in the summer of 2001.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Source: The magazine "Driving"