I bought this car in January 2020. My wife and were due to have a baby, so I had to sell my beloved Mk5 GTI and by something newer (safer) and that had an automatic gearbox.
Owner: Blair
- Practicality
- Looks
- Performance
- Standard Tech
- Boot struts are a bit weak
I bought this car in January 2020. My wife and were due to have a baby, so I had to sell my beloved Mk5 GTI and by something newer (safer) and that had an automatic gearbox. I wanted a wagon as I’m not especially keen on SUV’s but obviously wanted the practicality of a hatch but bigger than a normal hatchback. I cross-shopped the Octavia RS with a Mk7 Golf AllTrack but settled on the Skoda as it had that bit extra length in the wheelbase which I figured would be good with getting the baby in and out. The Skoda was nicer to drive and a bit quicker, and I felt the cabin of the Golf was a bit… ‘bland’. It was quality but it didn’t feel ‘special’.
The RS has done a great job of carting the baby and all their baby gear around. Size and practicality have been fantastic, with tonnes of space in the boot for the pram, shopping, baby bags and ‘stuff’. There are a few neat touches that have helped like the bag hooks in the boot, and the velcro separators that stick to the floor so things don’t slide around in the boot.
Driving performance is pretty good too. It has more than enough power to provide a bit of entertainment when no one other than me is on board, and the ride is firm but not jolting. It’s a lot smoother than my old GTI and importantly the baby is quite happy sleeping in the back (if only he were so happy sleeping in his bed). I really like the stop-start function, although I know a lot of people seem to hate it and deactivate it entirely. But it’s easy to control – press the brake firmly when stopped and the engine cuts out, press it lightly while stopped and the engine stays running so you can pull away quickly if you need to… easy!
I have made a few upgrades to it. My car is MY15.5 so it missed out on Apple CarPlay which I have had to retrofit. I also upgraded the interior lights to LED’s as they were a bit dim, especially in the boot. The car does have the Tech pack so it gets emergency braking and stuff which was high on my list of priorities when buying. The Stereo is ‘okay’. It’s the upgraded Canton sound system but it still isn’t amazing. Otherwise the tech is decent for a 2015 car.
I have been a bit disappointed in the reliability, although maybe I’ve just been unlucky. I found oil in the coolant a few weeks back which has meant a replacement of transmission and oil coolers (though I’m still not 100% sure it’s fixed), the coolant reservoir cap failed, resulting in most of the coolant gushed out. The touchscreen on the stereo sometimes has a ‘fit’ and randomly clicks itself all over the screen. Otherwise it’s been okay, and nothing terrible.
I do love the look of the car and find myself looking back at it as a I walk away from it. If I had one wish for it though it would be that it would have all-wheel drive, as if it’s a bit wet and you accelerate firmly the front wheels will spin and you get a little bit of axle tramp.
Overall, I really love my Octavia, as it does everything I want from it.
Owner: Blair
MORE: Everything Skoda
The post 2015 Skoda Octavia RS: owner review appeared first on Drive.
