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The time has come for the Skoda Octavia III to shine on this digital septic tank. But the Skoda Octavia III is no longer that forgotten cousin from the countryside, today it is a mature car, ready to take the cake of VW sales.

The story begins in 1996, the same year that Dolly the sheep became the world’s first cloned mammal. VW was deeply impressed with this experiment and wanted to clone something as well. So they thought of cloning a Golf IV, their most popular car at the time. It’s just that VW has never been recognized for its innovation or its ability to bring new technology, so the result was almost successful: Skoda Octavia I.

The Skoda Octavia I has always been a bigger, cheaper and poorer Golf IV. Still, some people were taken by the mirage of the simplicity of this car that they continued to buy it new up until 2010. That kind of man who will tell you how it used to be and how hard it snowed when he went to school. He usually has a leather cap on his head and a bottle of surgical spirit in the glove compartment. If the respective Octavia had a glovebox, which was optional.

Then came along in 2005 the Skoda Octavia II, which was a bigger, cheaper and slightly poorer Golf V. It was no longer as cheap as its predecessor, but there was still a big difference in quality compared to the Golf V. However, the Skoda Octavia II proved to be very popular in Europe, being one of the few cars that most people could afford to buy brand new.

Then 2013 came along and globalization has its say, Skoda Octavia III being very close to Golf VII in terms of quality of materials. It still remains a favorite of sales agents and managers, but now it is no longer the Rowan Tree Hill of the automotive world.

Skoda Octavia III Engines

Petrol

• 1.0 TSI of 115 horsepower – Launched in 2015, this David was supposed to be reliable and powerful enough to move the Skoda Octavia III and VW Golf VII, but that’s about it. Sadly however it’s also too small and way too addicted to engine oil.


• 1.2 TSI of 105 horsepower – 4 cylinders and a timing belt. An honest, city engine, made for people who don’t want to die in style, at 150 km / h on the M2. People who want to die peacefully, in their sleep, not screaming like their passengers. A decent engine that is not undersized. There is also the 85-horsepower version, but that doesn’t deserve a place here.


• 1.4 TSI of 140 horsepower – The not-so-good-not-so-ol’ 1.4 TSI has returned spectacularly from a concussion and is ready for action. Not as spectaculoar nor as miraculous as Michael Schumacher, but it has solved all of the issues and is one of the best engines for this sales office on wheels.


• 1.8 TSI of 180 horsepower – Launched all the way in 1996, the same year as the Skoda Octavia I and the Good Charlotte band, this engine proved to be good enough for our times. It is still a notorious addict of engine oil, but now it is stronger, more reliable and more economical.


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  2.0 TSI 220 horsepower – We are already used to this engine from the other cars in the VW cheerful group. Consumption of 1 liter of oil per 1000 km is normal, according to VW. Thanks VW. Legend has it that the engine can be easily tuned up to 280 horsepower.

  
  

Diesel

• 1.6 TDI of 90, 105 or 110 horsepower – As with the Skoda Octavia II Facelift, the 1.6 TDI 105 horsepower is reminiscent of the past. It was supposed to be an honest, unpretentious engine that is reliable, economical and hauls the car at a decent pace. Instead, it is extremely bad for urban driving and has frequent issues with the EGR, double mass flywheel, injectors and just about anything.


• 2.0 TDI of 140, 150 or 185 horsepower – Eternal, timeless 2.0 TDI from VW, now in the Common-rail flavor. An engine with few issues, also sensitive to bad diesel and urban driving. Keep in mind that all engines come with a double-mass flywheel, which is expensive to replace, and when it dies it can take the gearbox with it.

Skoda Octavia III General Issues

• The DSG7 gearbox is notorious for its issues. It needs regular oil changes (60,000km or 6 years), and faulty gearboxes tend to jerk when changing gears. And then there’s the Mechatronic unit as a bonus issue. Literally issue.


• The electrical gremlins have a small battalion, spread everywhere. Like mosquitoes that abuse every square inch of your skin each summer evening, so do electronic gremlins get busy everywhere in your car’s wiring.


• Diesel engines all come with a particle filter. As with snuggles with struggles, it doesn’t matter if you like it or not. Very important to consider if you are going to drive more than 2 meters in the city.

Skoda Octavia III Verdict

Any car that has been used as a taxi or fleet car is automatically a reliable car. And Octavia III proved that it can be modern, finally getting rid of the image of “I’m 40 years old, 2 children and I gave up my dreams”. Pay attention instead to the facelift version, which is as beautiful as a champagne bottle dropped on the floor. All in all, a car worth buying, even second-hand. A car that is a serious alternative to VW Golf and even Passat.