Škoda gets magic makeover

At the front there's a new radiator grille, headlamps, foglamps and bumper. Larger side mirrors have a new look and the side protective mouldings are now finished in body colour. At the back the latest Octavia has a new bumper, tail-lights and bolder 'Octavia' lettering. Overall, it's a slicker, sharper looking vehicle.

Under the refreshed skin there are some of Volkswagen's latest engine and gearbox technology.

Czech car-maker Škoda has been part of the Volkswagen Group for almost 20 years now and all its current models have been designed during that period.

Octavia's interior is obviously VW derived, with virtually identical instruments and centre-stack layouts.

The latest Octavia has a new four spoke multi-function steering wheel that's similar to a Volkswagen product used in the German company's upmarket models, and the Škoda's instrument panel now has easy-to-read white illumination for more relaxed night driving.

The cabin layout is functional and the use of good quality plastics adds to a feel of refinement. Some of our test panel found the front seats to be on the narrow side, so not always comfortable. Others liked the support, not to mention the styling. Obviously, this is one area that potential buyers have to make their own decisions.

There's good legroom and headroom in the rear seat and in a nice upmarket touch, there's a compartment in the centre folding armrest.

This will appeal to the kids as well as to adults who want to lean back and relax. Interior stoWage space is better than average, with big pockets in the doors and a decent sized centre console box. We liked the added stoWage areas built into the outer edges of the front seats. These are just the thing for small phones, loose change and the like.

Boot space of the Škoda Octavia hatchback is good and the squared-off styling of the rear of the car means the compartment is well shaped and easy to load. The multiple grocery-bag hangers were much appreciated during our time with the hatchback. A big practical station wagon is also in the Octavia lineup.

We have driven a pair of new Škoda Octavias, both fitted with the latest VW 2.0-litre TDI turbo-diesel engine mated to a six-speed DSG sequential manual gearbox, for our latest week of road testing, on the Gold Coast, as well as in Sydney. This new engine has only 103kw ofpower, which may not sound a lot, but there's plenty of torque, with 320Nm on tap between a low 1750rpm and 2500rpm.

Its no surprise that the Octavia has the solid feel that we like so much in the VW and Audi ranges. The latest Octavia has relatively firm suspension, firmer than we remember it from our test of the superseded model. This results in a fair bit of tyre/road noise on rough surfaces, particularly on the dreaded coarse-chip.

This isn't an unusual problem in European cars, even some very expensive luxury models, but try an Octavia on coarse-chip for yourself if you are likely to travel on it on a routine basis.

Also on the noise front, the new design of door mirrors seemed to create more windrush than we anticipated. Cross winds can do this to cars and the sound wasn't there for most of the time during our test periods. On the positive side, the Octavia's suspension and steering are great to sit behind on good and moderate road surfaces. Octavia is happy to change direction if asked to do so part way through a corner. You wouldn't call a car of this size nimble, but it's pretty good and keen drivers will like the feel.

The latest Škoda Octavia 2.0 TDI has gone even further up market, partly because the range isn't selling as well as anticipated, so the local importer has pushed the factory for extra equipment with no real increase in price.

Our test cars had 16-inch alloy wheels, a 'light assistant' function with coming and leaving home function, foglamps and automatic rain-sensing windscreen wipers. Škoda's Octavia offers exceptional value for money. Particularly, it has to be said, when compared with Audi and Volkswagen models with which it shares quite a few components. Definitely a car that's worth serious consideration.