The arrival of the Skoda brand in Ireland has been one of the motoring success stories in recent years. If you listen to their radio ads, which are voiced by the velvet tones of Brian de Salvo, you will know that there is a Skoda for every occasion. Brian would probably agree that the Octavia is their most popular car as 40% of all new cars manufactured by Skoda are Octavias.
The name Octavia originates from the Latin word ‘octavus’ which means eighth. It is traditionally a female name, often given to the eighth-born child or representing a sense of completeness and wholeness.
The first-generation Octavia was launched in November 1996 and was built at the company factory in Mladá Boleslav in the Czech Republic. The car was introduced to Ireland two years later, and to-date over 55,000 Octavias have found Irish homes, That’s a fair endorsement of Skoda’s best-selling motor. Overall Skoda has produced over five million units of their Octavia in the past 30 years.
I have driven a few different versions of the Octavia in recent years. Last week I got to drive the new Heritage version which was really classy.
When I picked up the 2.0-litre diesel from Automotive in Sandyford, the range with a full tank of diesel on board said 820km. Plenty of power with 150 horses working under the bonnet. Skoda recently launched their new electric Peaq which has a range of over 600km, but I haven’t yet driven an electric car that is capable of doing 800km after a full charge.
Naturally the diesel version was not as quiet as an EV, but it wasn’t noisy either. Externally it’s much the same as your regular Octavia but it comes with lots of goodies. Inside the tan-coloured seats are really classy looking.
The driver and front passenger’s seat extend a few inches, but if that extension is annoying you, simply push the extension back. And you also get that tan look on the dash. With that huge boot it’s a really long car, you might think at first glance that it was a station wagon. I’m nowhere near six foot tall, but in most cars I drive, I can reach from the driver’s seat into back seat and grab my bag; not possible in the Octavia and that proved how large the interior is.
We are currently in the fourth generations and in between those generations, we have seen several face-lifts. I drove the Heritage version which offered a plethora of extras. The Heritage trim is a celebration of the rich history of the Octavia model with an emphasis on quality materials and feature passengers experience.
When Skoda came on the market, they were the first to have a simple plastic clip on the inside of the windscreen where you could display your parking ticket (the ones you pay when parking on a street, not the other ones). Glad to see that the Heritage version also has that plastic clip on the windscreen. Skoda press cars used to have a small umbrella that slotted into the inside of the driver’s door, but that service has ended.
I used to think that the boot in the Skoda Superb was the largest in their range, but Ray Leddy from Skoda told me that the boot in the Octavia is the same size. I don’t play golf, but that boot should hold enough clubs for a Ryder Cup player.
Prices for the 2.0-litre diesel version that I drove start at €46,470. Road tax is €200.
Skoda’s European headquarters are now in Mladá Boleslav in the Czech Republic, but did you know that back in the sixties when Ireland had a car assembly business, Skoda Octavias were assembled by O’Shea’s in Cork. No wonder Irish people love the Octavia.
