By Jonathan Crouch
Introduction
A Skoda Octavia was once the least sophisticated of all the Volkswagen Group's family hatchback products. But that changed with this MK4 version. Almost nothing was held back for this fourth generation version. It was still bigger and better value than most of its rivals, a Mondeo-sized medium range hatch for the price of a Focus-sized one. The difference with this MK4 design though, was that it was clever enough to change the way people thought about Skoda. Here, we look at the pre-facelift 2020-2023-era version of this MK4 design as a used buy.
History
You can trace the Skoda success story of the last few decades back to the original launch of one model: this one - the Octavia, the fourth generation version of which was launched in 2020. By then, the Octavia had long been the Czech maker's best selling model. Back then it accounted for around a third of the company's total output and by 2020 over 6.5 million Octavia's had been sold over the previous quarter of a century, courtesy of production not only in the Czech Republic but also in India, Russia and China too. That was in addition to the further 363,000 'Spartak 440 and 445' Octavia models sold in the Sixties, that post-war model being one of Communist Europe's favourite family runabouts of the Cold War period. In all then, it was quite a legacy for this MK4 Octavia to live up to, hatch and estate versions of which were launched here in the Spring of 2020.
Right from its very first appearance in 1996, the Octavia has been a car that's always super-sized its value proposition, offering more space than the class norm. For first and second generation versions, respectively, the 'Typ 1U' and 'Typ 1Z' models, that class saw competition amongst Focus and Astra-class family hatches. The MK3 'Typ 5E' model of 2012 took a step up in the world, still a family hatch-sector car but by then virtually big enough to compete with Mondeos and Insignias in the larger medium range segment. This fourth generation version continued to offer that kind of proposition, with increased dimensions and improved practicality.
What changed though, was that the simple, straightforward virtues that had previously characterised Octavia ownership had been embellished quite a lot. In fact, Skoda claimed that this car could redefine sector standards for equipment and technology, much as its VW Group cousin the MK8 Volkswagen Golf had done - and in this case do so with a much stronger value proposition.
This Octavia used all the same engineering as that Golf, shared also in 2020 with latest versions of the SEAT Leon and the Audi A3. So buyers got the option of Plug-in Hybrid and mild hybrid engineering. And a completely new digitalised cabin with the kind of media and safety tech that until late in this century's second decade, family hatch folk could only dream about. Plus there was striking fresh exterior design and a big step up in perceived quality, all of which delivered a signpost to the kind of direction the Czech brand wanted to go in the future. The MK4 Octavia sold in this form until Spring 2024, when it was lightly facelifted. It's the pre-facelift 2020-2023-era MK4 Octavia models we look at here.
What You Get
Octavia design has always centred on simplicity - though this model line has previously been worked upon by some of the industry's most noted stylists. Where before, there was a slight feeling of the bodyshell being touch over-sized for its Golf-derived family hatch platform, in MK4 form this car seemed much better proportioned, both in hatch form and as the alternative estate. From the side, you get a better perspective on this MK4 model's slightly larger dimensions - the hatch version is 19mm longer than its predecessor and the alternative estate got a 22mm length increase. Which was enough to make both variants quite a lot larger than the class norm - the hatch for instance, was a full 311mm longer than a comparably-priced Ford Focus.
And behind the wheel? Well there was a huge quality improvement from anything that Octavia owners had been served up before. In many ways, it was all rather grand - there were seven trim changes on the dashboard alone, one of them featuring a stitched finish, and wherever you look, squidgy soft-touch surfaces predominate. It's all another world from what you'd get in, say, a Focus or an Astra from this period - and that's before you start looking at a car whose original owner dressed it up with options. Get a car with a cabin dressed up a bit with leather upholstery and the optional coloured ambient lighting strips that flow across the central chromed trim panel and it all looks very up-market indeed. Especially given that large hi-tech screens predominated across this MK4 model's dash. Almost all variants got a set-up with a 10.25-inch 'Virtual Cockpit' customisable instrument binnacle screen and a big 10-inch centre-dash infotainment monitor. Conventional switches were largely replaced by capacitive touch buttons and most models got Skoda's 'Laura' voice control 'digital assistant'. In short, if you were waiting for a more sophisticated kind of Octavia, here it is. Yet it's still practical in here, with loads of space to store things and a very spacious feel.
Let's consider the rear, a compartment you enter via wide-opening doors. Once inside, you start to really appreciate the benefits of this MK4 Octavia's unusually long 2,686mm wheelbase - that's 67mm lengthier than a Volkswagen Golf from this period. As a result, it's more spacious in the back than any other family hatch-segment model of this era - at least for legs and knees anyway.
Raise the rather heavy rear hatch and you'll find yourself looking at one of this Octavia's major selling points. A huge aperture opens the way to an absolutely enormous 600-litre load area. Once the 60:40-split rear bench is folded, there's quite a step up from the boot floor. Still, just consider all the space you get - 1,555-litres in the Hatch, a figure that would rise to 1,700-litres in the Estate.
What to Look For
In our ownership survey, we struggled to find many people who didn't like this Skoda. There are things to look for. Some of these Octavias will have been used for taxi work and will have high mileages. Look out for these - and the giveaway signs - eg a sagging driver's seat - and avoid them if you can. We've heard of issues with the water pump. And a few electrical issues - plus media glitches like malfunctioning navigation system. Ensure that all the infotainment features work as they should. Thoroughly test drive models with the DSG auto gearbox and make sure it changes through the gears smoothly. We've also heard of owners reporting issues with the battery, the bodywork and interior trim.
Otherwise, it's just necessary to look out for the usual family hatch issues - kerbed alloys and evidence of damage from unruly children on the interior plastics. Obviously, you'll want a fully stamped-up service history.
Replacement Parts
(approx based on a 2020 Octavia 2.0 TDI 150PS excl. VAT autodoc) A pair of front brake pads are between £28-£85 - depending on brand. Think around £21-£50 for a set of rear pads. A pair of front brake discs start at about £28-£95 - for rear discs, think about £21-£50. Air filters sit in the £7-£32 bracket. Oil filters cost around £6-£20. A fuel filter is around £9-£16. A wiper blade is in the £5-£11 bracket. A water pump is in the £31-£100 bracket.
On the Road
On the surface, much was different with this fourth generation Octavia: it's sleeker, digitalised, equipped with various electrified engines and in almost every way, a touch more up-market. Yet under the skin lay much the same MQB platform that had underpinned its predecessor, which meant that all the engineering stuff that really mattered was much the same. Exemplary refinement helped here too, something that had particularly marked out this Skoda ever since it had been mated to the VW Group's rigidly sophisticated MQB platform. After using this car, a drive in an ordinary rival mainstream Focus-class family hatch might seem quite noisy. That'll be evident whichever powerplant you choose; as with the previous generation Octavia, only those units developing more than 150PS entitled your Octavia to be fitted with properly sophisticated multi-link rear suspension. Otherwise, there was a cruder torsion beam set-up.
What about engines? Well back in 2020, diesels were still popular with Octavia folk. For this new generation model, there was a much improved 2.0 TDI EVO unit, primarily offered in 116 and 150PS states of tune. The mainstream TSI petrol range meanwhile, was still built around 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre units. The three cylinder 1.0-litre version got 110PS and the four cylinder 1.5 was offered in 150PS form, which managed excellent WLTP-rated figures - up to 50.4mpg on the combined cycle and up to 127g/km in manual form. For those original customers who specified the optional DSG auto gearbox, both these lower-powered TSI engines came with Skoda's mild hybrid 'e-TEC' package.
If you want to take a further step towards electrification in this car, there's a couple of PHEV variants to consider, either the 204PS Octavia iV (which can offer an all-electric driving range of up to 37 miles) or the sporty 245PS vRS iV model. The vRS gets fine-tuned sports suspension lowered by 15mm and could also be had with a couple of conventional non-electrified units, a 245PS 2.0 TSI petrol and a 200PS 2.0 TDI diesel. Whichever version of this Skoda you choose, you'll find the dynamic recipe much as it's always been in an Octavia, with comfort and refinement prioritised over more engaging drive dynamics. Which is exactly the way typical buyers will want it. They'll like the way that this fourth generation model showcased a whole new generation of media and active driving assist technology. The car's 'Travel Assist' system, for instance, which allowed for 'level 2' partially-autonomous driving at speeds of up to 130mph. The Adaptive Cruise Control system had been enhanced to be predictive, meaning it could anticipate and adapt to road conditions before you reached them.
Overall
How will modern era used market buyers cope with a version of this Skoda that's quite a lot more expensive and sophisticated? It'll be interesting to see. There's certainly lots to like here from a car that feels engineered to a depth that many rivals can't match. Even the trendy digitalised cabin manages to deliver quite a mature blend of form and function. The electrified engine options are welcome. And the media features and autonomous driving tech are cutting-edge, as is the safety tech with up to 26 assistance systems available.
The Czech maker knows the kinds of people it's aiming at here and by 2020, no longer wanted to serve them as a 'value brand'. That market was left to the Chinese. Instead, this manufacturer wanted a higher quality image developed alongside higher quality products - cars like this one. The company was looking forward to an era where the purchase of something like an Octavia would be viewed not as a cheaper choice but instead as rather a clever one. Here, we were minded to think that this time might already have arrived.
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