Rightly praised for the quality of their cars nowadays Skoda is one of a special elite of manufacturers who were in the vanguard of car making at the start of the last century. Few such manufacturers survive today and Skoda has arguably done so in no small part due to the financial assistance provided by VW over the last few years. One of many successes for the Czech manufacturer has been the Octavia, whose approval was surely sealed by the terrific RS model and the fact that several Police forces have made good use of the model.

In its latest guise the Octavia still offers that much sought after mix of space, practicality, affordable running costs and a comfortable drive. My Ambiente test model used the 2.0 PD diesel engine that, whilst not as refined as some, is far from intrusive and produces a healthy 320 Nm of  torque and a top speed of 130 mph. The benchmark 62 mph is passed in 9.6 seconds and with economy in the order of 50 mpg the Octavia’s appeal begins to show its hand. All Octavia models are fitted with ABS, brake assist and anti-skid control along with driver and passenger front and side airbags.

 Inside there is plenty of space in both front and rear with an especially commodious boot expandable by a split fold rear seat arrangement. Whilst the interior of my test model - one level up from entry - offered rather too many shades of grey it had a durable, quality feel about it. The impression being that even when the Octavia has fifty thousand miles under its belt the car will continue unabashed by time, rattles and mileage.

 

Standard fare on the Ambiente model includes such items as alloys, CD auto-changer, height and lumbar adjustment on both fronts seats, remote central locking, air conditioning that extends to the glove box, 8-speaker sound system and power windows all round. Priced at £17,390 the range starts from an impressively low £11,145 for the 80 bhp 1.4 litre 16-valve engine through to £22,055 for the flagship L&K version.

My test car was fitted with the DSG automatic transmission that made the Octavia easy to drive in traffic and fun across winding routes. The DSG box is a delight and even in the more sedate diesel Octavia proves just as entertaining as some of the more interesting VW and Audi models in which it features. There are two modes - fully automatic or manual - along with either economy or sport shift. The box has sensors that monitor factors such as accelerator pedal position and engine speed and uses this information to pre-select the next gear. Faster changes are then activated and this can be felt when you compare the DSG box to a more conventional Tiptronic style automatic box. Priced at £1150 over the manual car the DSG box does add a new dimension to your driving and not just in urban driving situations as with so many automatic boxes.

The Octavia has sharp styling, bags of space, good equipment levels and a comfortable drive. Add the DSG gearbox and it becomes enjoyable even in this rather family orientated transport. Despite wider accolades the Skoda brand is still woefully overlooked in favour of some of the more obvious choices from competitors Ford and Vauxhall. This is a shame for the Octavia has much to offer and can often better those rivals in so many areas.

For: Space, DSG gearbox, quality and durability.

Against: Interior a lacks style, rather to functional.