2.0 TSI 190 SE L Act DSG 5dr

Boringly brilliant

If you want a family car that does it all, you really can't go wrong with the Skoda Octavia. It's an excellent compromise of reliability, cost and performance, and the range extends from 1.0L 3-cylinder petrol cars, up to the sporty 2.0L vRS cars, which are great fun to drive.

So which Octavia do you want?

Personally, I like big engines, which meant I discounted the excellent 1.5TSI. So that left me with a choice between the 2.0TDI, and either a petrol or diesel vRS. Originally I had my heart set on the diesel vRS, as I like the way diesel cars drive, but my mechanic warned me off modern diesels as I don't do the mileage they need to be driven, and a DPF equipped TDI would be a problem waiting to happen.

So I looked at the petrol vRS, and was impressed with it. But I found it a bit sporty-looking for my liking. I like to be able to park my car and not have to worry about it. I was also a bit concerned about the fuel economy, as coming from a diesel MK3 Mondeo, I didn't fancy a double-digit drop in MPG.

But then I discovered the 2.0L TSI 190PS engined Octavia, a car a lot of people don't know exists. Faster than the vRS TDI, but with the looks of a taxi. You don't get the vRS driving experience, so there's somewhat uncommunicative steering, and handling that nobody would describe as "sharp". The car features 17" wheels rather than the 18" or 19" of the vRS. However you do get a lot better economy than the vRS, via the 2.0L "Budack" engine. I just checked my long-term MPG and it's 44.8MPG. Admittedly that's running on super unleaded, but even so, that's not bad for a petrol car with a max speed of 147mph. On a long run I can easily get over 50mpg.

Inside, the leather/alcantara combination on the seats is very comfortable, and the SE L spec gives just enough essential toys to make life convenient, though misses out on a few more useful features. No heated windscreen, no front parking sensors, no reversing camera, no heated seats, no adaptive cruise control, but all could have been specified from new, and some can be retrofitted. (Mine came with optional heated seats and I fitted a reversing camera myself.) The Columbus entertainment system features sat-nav, and the capacitative screen works well and is a big step up from the 1013-2017 pre face-lift system. It's responsive, and without the bugs of the MK4 Octavia infotainment.

It's a bit of an old man's car in some ways. There's a proper handbrake, there's no keyless entry (keyless entry being a feature I particularly didn't want) and the 2.0 190TSI is only available as an automatic, featuring the excellent DQ381 DSG automatic gearbox. In tone with the sedate nature of the car, no DSG paddles sit on the steering column. All the regularly used controls are buttons or dials, and the speedometer and rev counter are proper dials, though a small screen gives a wide selection of driver information, easily accessed via the control wheels on the steering wheel. Voice control is also feature, but I have found this pretty hopeless, and after trying to get the car to understand me, I gave up.

If you're looking for a Skoda Octavia, want a car that is faster than it looks, but won't be expensive to run, the 2.0 TSI 190 powered Octavia is an excellent car. There is even a 4x4 variant, though only available in estate form. The only fly in the ointment is the fact that there simply aren't many of these cars about.

If you can live with the poorer MPG, the vRS is arguably a better choice for most people, especially as it's a lot easier to find. But if you want a fast petrol Octavia, and don't want to break the bank, if you can find one, the 2.0 TSI 190 SE L is a great family car. (Note the engine is also available in the Lauren & Klement spec.)

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