BY rights this shouldn’t work: I mean, an estate car with a 1.0-litre engine.
Sounds too puny, right?
Well,funny you should say that, but no.
We’ve been trying out Skoda’s latest Octavia at its most practical best in estate car form.
The boot has a 610 litres capacity, which is enough for your everyday business work – but fold the rear seat down and you get a full 1740 litres.
It’s taken the family on holiday to the Norfolk Broads, including two teenagers, and all luggage went in the boot.
But how did that engine work out?
Fully loaded, in the above Norfolk Broads spec, the turbo three-cylinder engine goes modestly.
But run it in business spec, as I did most days, and you have a spritely, and highly entertaining car helped along by the eager revviness of the three-cylinder engine. It goes rather differently than its slightly demure exterior, in denim blue metallic, suggests.
More than that, you can play the sportscar card but you still get amazing fuel economy. Over 50mpg? Yes, you’ve got it.
It’s like that this Skoda. Full of surprises. It’s the art of the impossible. Seemingly.
Skoda Octavia SE Technology Estate 1.0 TSI 115PS
- Power – 115PS
- Torque – 148Nm
- Transmission – six speed manual
- Top speed – 124mph
- 0-62mph – 10.1 seconds
- CO2 emissions – 110g/lm
- Company car tax band 2018/19 – 23%
- Fuel consumption (official) – 58.9mpg
- Fuel consumption (actual) – 57mpg
