Skoda is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the modern incarnation of its Octavia Estate - with more than 2.8 million delivered to customers across the world.
The ‘25 year anniversary’ tag here is slightly misleading, because the ‘Octavia’ badge actually dates back all the way to 1959, with Czech firm Skoda itself having a 127-year history.
Back in the ‘60s, the Octavia was available as both a passenger and commercial vehicle and initial production ran all the way up until 1971.
The big change for Skoda’s fortunes came in 1992 when the marque was integrated into the Volkswagen Group.
And VW soon set about reviving the Octavia for this new era.
It was initially offered as an Octavia hatchback in 1996, where it shared the same Volkswagen Group underpinnings as the VW Golf and the Audi A3.
The Octavia Estate soon followed in 1998, a car that’s now into its fourth generation.
And when it comes to affordable, do-it-all vehicles for both personal lease customers and businesses running a fleet of vehicles, the Skoda Octavia Estate really does take some beating.
A Skoda spokesperson tells us:
“On 3 March 1998 Skoda lifted the curtain on the first Octavia estate of the modern generation at the Geneva International Motor Show. Serial production of the future bestseller had already started a couple of weeks earlier, in February 1998, in a modern production plant in Mladá Boleslav. Over the past 25 years, the legendary model has become one of the most successful station wagons in its category in many countries. Some of the traditional strengths of the practical Skoda Octavia estate include an excellent price/performance ratio, a wide variety of assistance systems and a top level of active and passive safety. This was once again confirmed in December 2022 by the most demanding Euro NCAP tests, valid until 2028.”
The Octavia Estate goes up against rivals like the Ford Focus Estate, VW Golf Estate, SEAT Leon Estate, and the Kia Ceed Estate.
The Focus, Golf and Octavia estates all sit at a really affordable leasing price point of around £250 per month*.
And one of the areas where the Octavia trumps its rivals is in practicality - coming with a huge 620 litre boot, compared with the Golf Estate’s 611 litres and the Focus Estate’s 575 litres.
There’s a great choice of engines, from a frugal 1.0 litre petrol unit with mild-hybrid tech that’ll return up to 54 miles to the gallon, to a 1.5 litre diesel mill with power of 150 PS and which can be paired with all-wheel drive.
At the very summit of the range there’s the performance vRS Octavia Estate model (below) - which can be enjoyed with either a 2.0 litre petrol engine with power of 245 PS, or a 2.0 litre diesel engine with lesser oomph of 200 PS.
Opt for the petrol engine and you can also spec it with a manual gearbox.
The other great thing about leasing a Skoda Octavia Estate is that you get a ton of kit as standard.
Even the entry level ‘SE’ models come with a 10 inch touchscreen, dual zone climate control, a radar-based ‘Front Assist’ danger detection and prevention system, and rear parking sensors with ‘manoeuvre assist’ - which will hit the brakes for you if you’re about to reverse into a bollard.
*Prices include VAT. Credit is Subject to Status, Ts and Cs and Arrangement Fees apply. Excess mileage may apply. Stock levels and prices correct as of 06/03/23.
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