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Reuploaded Fifth Gear Test Predicted Skoda Octavia Success in 2013

I know that it says "March 2017" in this video's description, but it's actually from series 23, episode 9, released way back in November 2013. Back then, the Skoda Octavia III was subjected to the Fifth Gear Team Test, and despite only scoring 22 points out of 30, it won the reviewers over with its bland practicality and Golf tech.
Reuploaded Fifth Gear Test Predicted Skoda Octavia Success in 2013 4 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Reuploaded Fifth Gear Test Predicted Skoda Octavia Success in 2013Reuploaded Fifth Gear Test Predicted Skoda Octavia Success in 2013Reuploaded Fifth Gear Test Predicted Skoda Octavia Success in 2013
The Octavia is one of the few cars that you cannot rationally dislike. If you go easy on the options, it's one of the biggest cars you can buy for the money. Even though it shares its platform with the VW Golf, it's closer to the D-segment models (Mondeo).

Fifth Gear tested the Golf 7 only a few months before this Skoda and could find very little to separate the two. Of course, if you want to be all German about it, the Volkswagen saved its best technologies for a really long time, such as Adaptive Cruise Control and Dynamic Chassis Control. However, Octavia's trunk is an almost unbeatable advantage.

So why do I say it's successful? Well, in 2016, Skoda sold almost 1,330,000 cars worldwide, of which about 446,000 were Octavias. To put things into perspective, the Rapid came second with about 213,000 units, which is less than half.

The Kodiaq just hit the market and could become more successful in the short term. But because the Octavia can offer plenty of equipment for around €20,000, it's unbeatable in the long run.

Price is something Fifth Gear also brings up. The trio of presenters (Vicki is missing) admitting they would rather have the Octavia and a £2,000 wad of cash in their pockets than the more expensive Golf.

One reason for the added cost is the independent rear suspension, which the Octavia only offers on the RS/vRS and the 1.8 TSI models. But in this gray paint with a dark interior, it's the styling we'd criticize first and foremost. What do you guys think, didn't the Octavia II age a little better than the current generation?

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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