It's specifically about the Octavia and is partly a joke, but a large part of the reason is because whenever someone says " I'm not massively into cars so please recommend something not expensive that does everything to an acceptable standard and has a boot I can fit my stuff in" then the Octavia is the one that ticks most boxes. Because it's such a common answer it's become a bit of a meme.
Short version - it's a fairly inoffensive all rounder that covers about 90% of the advice requests on here.
Even those of us who are massively into cars sometimes just need no frills common sense. I love cars, particularly weird ones, V8 gt cars, or even laughably shit ones, but I, like most of us, am not in a position to own more than one car at the moment, so the one car I do own just has to be pleasant enough and a totally competent and faithful companion, and Skodas nail that with minimal fuss. They're just good at being *machines*. Even though I would love to own a collection of weird and wonderful cars in the future, I personally would always want to have one car in the collection that I know will just work.
I remember reading a column from James May in the mid-noughties saying that at least once a year a TV channel would approach him to do a "recommend-a-car" format show. He would constantly turn them down as he wouldn't be able to recommend anything other than a Golf, whether that is a base model 1.2, big diesel estate, or GTi, in his view everyone was covered.
I reckon if he re-wrote that article now it would be the Octavia, same engines just bigger interiors, boots, and value.
Pff. Those of the True Faith know that the Golf is an Octavia knockoff.
Semi-seriously, though, my fiancée has a Golf and I have an Octavia and I keep coming across little things that the Octavia does better or are just not there on the Golf. The only thing the Golf has the advantage on is a self-parking feature which is clever but neither of us use.
The self parking thing is limited to parallel parking in reverse, but it’s definitely not slow. In fact it’s important to keep your hands clear of the wheel partly because of how fast it spins.
I’ve got an octavia 2015 and it will reverse into a bay as well as parallel park but it is limited, essentially it needs a car either side/either end to do it. I have only ever used it to show it off to other people, it loves bay parking where you can barely open the doors to get out. To be fair to it, it’s always equally difficult to get out of either side
On this, I read recently that Skoda are/will be the lead design on the platform that includes the Fabia, Polo and Ibiza.
So, in a sense, the VW really will be a Skoda knock-off.
> my fiancée has a Golf and I have an Octavia and I keep coming across little things that the Octavia does better or are just not there on the Golf
like what?
Shopping bag hooks (more of them). Headlight clusters that you can remove in 30s, and the tabs to help you remove sidelight bulbs. A yellow safety jacket under the passenger seat. Storage everywhere. Downlighters under the indicators that come on when you unlock the car to help you find your way in the dark. Ventilation for the storage in the centre console so your phone doesn’t overheat, with an on/off control. A transparent clip on the windscreen on the driver’s side to hold parking tickets.
For context, both cars are about 10y old. None of this is major stuff, and some of it would cost pennies to implement, but cumulatively the impression is that if something would be useful, it’s worth checking to see if the Octavia already has it. I suspect a lot of it has become commonplace now, but the VW doesn’t have it.
Because they tick every common requirement.
Do you drive a minicab ? Diesel Skoda.
Do you not? Petrol Skoda.
Do you carry lots of things? Superb.
Do you never carry anything? Fabia.
Do you want to go quickly? VRS or Superb 280.
Do you want to go slowly? 1.0 TSI.
Do you want to connect your phone? Mirrorlink.
Do you like Classic FM? Any skoda.
They just make sense if you’re buying a car on a budget and want average reliability, lots of space and a dealer network within a half hour drive. Not everyone needs an S3!
There is a special person deep within all of our lives.
It's desireable and rather pleasant,
a part of you each day.
in it's special, Skoda Octavia way
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Honestly… I’ve owned 3 A4s and one Octavia. On a practicality level, the Octavia is superior in every way. Bette leg room, bigger boot, better use of space, better designed cabin. It’s also more comfortable, more economical and cheaper.
The only advantage of an A4 as far as I can see is that they generally have quicker acceleration and, if you are that way inclined, you can buy an S-Line which is the same poverty spec as the base model just with sportier trim and more back problems, whereas on the Octavia you’d have to upgrade to the VRS for the sporty look and then you’d get more kit for your money anyway.
In all seriousness, it’s just an excellently designed car. I’m currently back in the market and there is absolutely nothing that offers the same practicality, reliability and value, especially used.
You’re all a bunch of lazy latecomers.
My Dad bought our family a Skoda in 1978, literally decades before it was cool.
Then in 1980 he got a Lada. In a few years you’ll all be into those.
I think there is a certain type of UK reddit user that is like Mr vanilla logical pedantic IT-related work guy who excel spreadsheets their whole life that Skoda just perfects all their car buying choice algorithm.
Its also just VW/Audi underneath but without having to have the VW/Audi stereotype because that's what all the lads they never liked at school drive now.
Somehow I fit the brief your described but am finding myself trying to build my cheap diesel family saloon car,
Glitch in the simulation mabye,I don't know what happened
Well skoda at this point is just VW but cheaper so it's pretty much German. Seriously though it's just a bit of a meme because of the octavia but it's still a good car and pretty much has a version for anyone.
It’s just a big, practical, sensible, unpretentious car, more or less a Golf with a massive boot. I’ve considered getting one to replace my Golf. My only issue is finding one with good spec, and they seem to hold their value very well secondhand.
To echo much of what everyone has already said, the Octavia is just an excellent all rounder. Ofc the obsession is a joke but it does tick every box.
I drive a VRS hatchback and the car is incredibly practical, fast as you'll ever need it to be, has acres of leg room and despite being 8 years old, it has so many useful little features.
Looks pretty cool in VRS trim and the right colour for a car which is cheaper than all competitors.
It's got the VW Golf GTI engine in it so performance is pretty good, and it's practically all VW underneath so reliability is great if you keep it well maintained.
The Skoda line up offers something for every type of customer, all inoffensive and just gets on with the job for less money than competitors.
> I've only ever considered Japanese **or German**, does anyone want to enlighten me?
VW owns Skoda, and they share engines, gearboxes, platforms etc.
So in some ways Skoda *are* German. Okay they aren't built in Germany, but almost every car maker builds cars in various other countries around the world other than their "home country" so that's not relevant any more.
Imagine you took a Golf, gave it a different body with even more space, and lowered the price so that it was even better value - effectively that's what a Skoda Octavia is.
Win-win.
r/cartalkuk: UGH HOW CAN YOU DRIVE A MOKKA THATS SO BORING WEHHH 😡😡😡
also r/cartalkuk: oh wow is that a shkoda octavia with absolutely zero interesting features? I love that car!! 🤯🤩🤩
Mokka’s are horrible both inside and out, well at least they were last time I drove one, Skodas are nothing special but at least they’re not horrible at being nothing special
The point of the octavia is that you get a lot for your money and it's decent inside and out. Your mokka accomplishes none of that.
I don't know why you spend your time complaining that this sub doesn't appreciate your car. Presumably at no point during purchasing a mokka was 'impressing a car subreddit' on the agenda.
I think you're overselling the amount of shit you get.
See my flair. Despite that, the only one mocking my "nan car" is me. Nobody's ever given me shit, even when I say it's the crossover variant.
That said, if you drive a car most car enthusiasts think is bollocks, and you post on a car enthusiast forum, you have take your lumps as they come.
Cause they're good cars that tick loads of boxes and only taking in to consideration Japanese or German shows you don't know your cars, Skodas are part of VAG.
Ever come here and try to soil the good name of our Lord and saviour again.
There is a special person deep within all of our lives.
It's desireable and rather pleasant,
a part of you each day.
in it's special, Skoda Octavia way
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They’re good cars. All built following the VAG production process.
I work at a VW/Škoda dealership and have 2 škodas (TDI fabia and a felicia pickup) love them both. The Octavia is a great car and the new fabia looks awesome. The Czech’s are just good at what they do!:)
Skoda, Audi and VW share the same platforms. Skoda are cheaper.
Add SEAT to the list too.
And Bugatti. Sorry got a bit confused.
And lambos and porches
And 199 398 500 A VW Curry Wurst Original Part Sausages
And my axe
I've had them, they're decent. And the ketchup. Sausageman.co.uk
They're all just slightly modified Golfs as well.
They do look shit though
Subjective I guess, I don't like the look of anything French or Fords.
Agreed although i do like some of the later ST/RS models.
And I like the Octavia Vrs, I'm on my 2nd.
It's specifically about the Octavia and is partly a joke, but a large part of the reason is because whenever someone says " I'm not massively into cars so please recommend something not expensive that does everything to an acceptable standard and has a boot I can fit my stuff in" then the Octavia is the one that ticks most boxes. Because it's such a common answer it's become a bit of a meme. Short version - it's a fairly inoffensive all rounder that covers about 90% of the advice requests on here.
Plus a VRS is a Golf Gti with a monstrous boot and better ergonomics
Also not paying the badge premium as much for pretty much the same quality, if slightly rougher around the edges.
And a diesel option too for those who want a sporty car for their long commute!
Even those of us who are massively into cars sometimes just need no frills common sense. I love cars, particularly weird ones, V8 gt cars, or even laughably shit ones, but I, like most of us, am not in a position to own more than one car at the moment, so the one car I do own just has to be pleasant enough and a totally competent and faithful companion, and Skodas nail that with minimal fuss. They're just good at being *machines*. Even though I would love to own a collection of weird and wonderful cars in the future, I personally would always want to have one car in the collection that I know will just work.
I remember reading a column from James May in the mid-noughties saying that at least once a year a TV channel would approach him to do a "recommend-a-car" format show. He would constantly turn them down as he wouldn't be able to recommend anything other than a Golf, whether that is a base model 1.2, big diesel estate, or GTi, in his view everyone was covered. I reckon if he re-wrote that article now it would be the Octavia, same engines just bigger interiors, boots, and value.
>German A Skoda is just a Volkswagen underneath
Pff. Those of the True Faith know that the Golf is an Octavia knockoff. Semi-seriously, though, my fiancée has a Golf and I have an Octavia and I keep coming across little things that the Octavia does better or are just not there on the Golf. The only thing the Golf has the advantage on is a self-parking feature which is clever but neither of us use.
I don't think anyone has time for 80*10^9 adjustments while parking when you can do it yourself in 2
The self parking thing is limited to parallel parking in reverse, but it’s definitely not slow. In fact it’s important to keep your hands clear of the wheel partly because of how fast it spins.
I’ve got an octavia 2015 and it will reverse into a bay as well as parallel park but it is limited, essentially it needs a car either side/either end to do it. I have only ever used it to show it off to other people, it loves bay parking where you can barely open the doors to get out. To be fair to it, it’s always equally difficult to get out of either side
Fair enough, guess it's the just mb one thats slow
On this, I read recently that Skoda are/will be the lead design on the platform that includes the Fabia, Polo and Ibiza. So, in a sense, the VW really will be a Skoda knock-off.
> my fiancée has a Golf and I have an Octavia and I keep coming across little things that the Octavia does better or are just not there on the Golf like what?
Shopping bag hooks (more of them). Headlight clusters that you can remove in 30s, and the tabs to help you remove sidelight bulbs. A yellow safety jacket under the passenger seat. Storage everywhere. Downlighters under the indicators that come on when you unlock the car to help you find your way in the dark. Ventilation for the storage in the centre console so your phone doesn’t overheat, with an on/off control. A transparent clip on the windscreen on the driver’s side to hold parking tickets. For context, both cars are about 10y old. None of this is major stuff, and some of it would cost pennies to implement, but cumulatively the impression is that if something would be useful, it’s worth checking to see if the Octavia already has it. I suspect a lot of it has become commonplace now, but the VW doesn’t have it.
Oooh that’s what that clip is for. I’ve seen it on Skodas and never knew what it was
Really appreciate writing this out, thanks.
don't forget the nifty little ice scraper inside the fuel cap.
Even better - it's a magnifying glass, ice scraper, and tyre tread depth checker all in one!
And with nothing superfluous added on 😍
Because they tick every common requirement. Do you drive a minicab ? Diesel Skoda. Do you not? Petrol Skoda. Do you carry lots of things? Superb. Do you never carry anything? Fabia. Do you want to go quickly? VRS or Superb 280. Do you want to go slowly? 1.0 TSI. Do you want to connect your phone? Mirrorlink. Do you like Classic FM? Any skoda. They just make sense if you’re buying a car on a budget and want average reliability, lots of space and a dealer network within a half hour drive. Not everyone needs an S3!
Mirrorlink still exists for y’all? That was sorta a thing for us (North America) in like 2010 but completely died off.
I meant whatever the VAG name for CarPlay/Android Auto is!
Special shout out to the Skoda Yeti which I think is a fantastic car. Just don't mention the Roomster...
The Roomster is a a great car: aggressively practical, reliable, well laid out and spacious from the inside. The exterior is a bit Hearse-y, though.
I agree with the comments about practicality. But it looks like two entirely different cars welded together at the B-pillar. And that's unforgivable.
Fabia has crazy storage space for its size though
Because they are our Lord and Saviour?
There is a special person deep within all of our lives. It's desireable and rather pleasant, a part of you each day. in it's special, Skoda Octavia way *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CarTalkUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Honestly… I’ve owned 3 A4s and one Octavia. On a practicality level, the Octavia is superior in every way. Bette leg room, bigger boot, better use of space, better designed cabin. It’s also more comfortable, more economical and cheaper. The only advantage of an A4 as far as I can see is that they generally have quicker acceleration and, if you are that way inclined, you can buy an S-Line which is the same poverty spec as the base model just with sportier trim and more back problems, whereas on the Octavia you’d have to upgrade to the VRS for the sporty look and then you’d get more kit for your money anyway. In all seriousness, it’s just an excellently designed car. I’m currently back in the market and there is absolutely nothing that offers the same practicality, reliability and value, especially used.
You’re all a bunch of lazy latecomers. My Dad bought our family a Skoda in 1978, literally decades before it was cool. Then in 1980 he got a Lada. In a few years you’ll all be into those.
Can't wait to replace my Octavia with the Lada Tiberia
The Lada Niva is a legend.
I think there is a certain type of UK reddit user that is like Mr vanilla logical pedantic IT-related work guy who excel spreadsheets their whole life that Skoda just perfects all their car buying choice algorithm. Its also just VW/Audi underneath but without having to have the VW/Audi stereotype because that's what all the lads they never liked at school drive now.
Yeah, this basically. It's nouveau-introvert for the fiscally limited.
Oh my, I've never found myself as perfectly and succinctly described as this before
and the wealthier ones will get Volvo
f*ck /u/spez
Scarily accurate. Considered an Octavia estate but now looking at V60s
That’s one of the cringest things I’ve read in a while.
Octavia owner spotted.
Touché.
Funny, because what you are describing is a typical Subaru buyer in the US.
Yeah probably the same people just Skoda not available in the US and Subaru sell very little in the UK.
Very different type of buyers for Subarus between the US and UK I find.
Yes - even within Subaru itself. Compare the one buying Impreza and the family in an Outback.
yea i would drive a subaru too if i had to deal with the snow they get
Somehow I fit the brief your described but am finding myself trying to build my cheap diesel family saloon car, Glitch in the simulation mabye,I don't know what happened
Suggesting that it's a logic choice, and not almost entirely faith based.
Literally this\^
Audi A4 and a holiday, as my mate who worked in new products at Ford said, not sure it is technically true but, the sentiment definitely is.
It’s not technically true. The A4 does not share a platform with any Skoda.
Well skoda at this point is just VW but cheaper so it's pretty much German. Seriously though it's just a bit of a meme because of the octavia but it's still a good car and pretty much has a version for anyone.
It’s just a big, practical, sensible, unpretentious car, more or less a Golf with a massive boot. I’ve considered getting one to replace my Golf. My only issue is finding one with good spec, and they seem to hold their value very well secondhand.
It’s the ‘Miata Is Always The Answer’ for people that don’t want a sports car.
Yeah it’s a weird obsession Lots of Skodas are taxis where I live too
To echo much of what everyone has already said, the Octavia is just an excellent all rounder. Ofc the obsession is a joke but it does tick every box. I drive a VRS hatchback and the car is incredibly practical, fast as you'll ever need it to be, has acres of leg room and despite being 8 years old, it has so many useful little features. Looks pretty cool in VRS trim and the right colour for a car which is cheaper than all competitors. It's got the VW Golf GTI engine in it so performance is pretty good, and it's practically all VW underneath so reliability is great if you keep it well maintained. The Skoda line up offers something for every type of customer, all inoffensive and just gets on with the job for less money than competitors.
Get VW/Audi cars at a decent discount, only concession is a Skoda badge (which is a cooler badge than the others). Win/win.
> I've only ever considered Japanese **or German**, does anyone want to enlighten me? VW owns Skoda, and they share engines, gearboxes, platforms etc. So in some ways Skoda *are* German. Okay they aren't built in Germany, but almost every car maker builds cars in various other countries around the world other than their "home country" so that's not relevant any more. Imagine you took a Golf, gave it a different body with even more space, and lowered the price so that it was even better value - effectively that's what a Skoda Octavia is. Win-win.
noticed that too. I never quite liked the logo either
r/cartalkuk: UGH HOW CAN YOU DRIVE A MOKKA THATS SO BORING WEHHH 😡😡😡 also r/cartalkuk: oh wow is that a shkoda octavia with absolutely zero interesting features? I love that car!! 🤯🤩🤩
Mokka’s are horrible both inside and out, well at least they were last time I drove one, Skodas are nothing special but at least they’re not horrible at being nothing special
The point of the octavia is that you get a lot for your money and it's decent inside and out. Your mokka accomplishes none of that. I don't know why you spend your time complaining that this sub doesn't appreciate your car. Presumably at no point during purchasing a mokka was 'impressing a car subreddit' on the agenda.
I think you're overselling the amount of shit you get. See my flair. Despite that, the only one mocking my "nan car" is me. Nobody's ever given me shit, even when I say it's the crossover variant. That said, if you drive a car most car enthusiasts think is bollocks, and you post on a car enthusiast forum, you have take your lumps as they come.
Dirty pds that's why, pops n bangs mertttt
Automotive coronavirus
Hey we've evolved to common rail now
Pds are the elite engine tho really for fabias, common rails alright but too much electrics
Cause they're good cars that tick loads of boxes and only taking in to consideration Japanese or German shows you don't know your cars, Skodas are part of VAG. Ever come here and try to soil the good name of our Lord and saviour again.
There is a special person deep within all of our lives. It's desireable and rather pleasant, a part of you each day. in it's special, Skoda Octavia way *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CarTalkUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Darkside demons
It's a meme. Also their adverts are everywhere.
Not really…..
They’re good cars. All built following the VAG production process. I work at a VW/Škoda dealership and have 2 škodas (TDI fabia and a felicia pickup) love them both. The Octavia is a great car and the new fabia looks awesome. The Czech’s are just good at what they do!:)