Webwombat: First Drive: Škoda Octavia

First Drive: Škoda Octavia

Review by Feann Torr - 10/October/2007

When I was a lad there were a lot of jokes about Skoda. One of them went something like this: What do you do if a Skoda overtakes you? Walk a bit faster. Not very witty that one, but it certainly captured the public feeling towards Skoda vehicles in the '70s and '80s.

But that was then - this is now. Having just driven the new and improved cars, I can honestly say that the Skoda jokes will have be put on hold for now. Even the most cynical among us would be hard pressed to fling insults at the two cars being launched in Australia. They are creative and, well, one of them at least is remarkably quick.

In recent times, Skoda has reinvented itself and with aid of the Volkswagen Group, which bought the company in 2000, has become very successful in Europe. In fact, Skoda is one of the fastest growing brands in Germany and is the company's most lucrative market today, followed by the Czech Republic, and then the UK.

Skoda has entered the Australian marketplace with two new models - the Octavia and Roomster. The first is a mid sized car and the second model is a small people mover. The Octavia is nothing dramatically new, but the Roomster certainly grabs your attention with its tallboy looks and innovative interior.

The Skoda of today is unlike the company that last sold cars here in 1983. It's a European brand with European levels of design, fit and finish, but can be considered a bona fide rival for the cheaper Japanese end of the market when you look at the price tag. Jutta Dierks, MD of the Volkswagen Group in Australia, said that the launch of the Skoda brand in Australia was a momentous event for the company. "This is a very important day for Volkswagen and VW Group Australia, the official Skoda importer for Australia."

She added that launching an entirely new brand in one of the world's most competitive new car markets was one of the most rewarding milestones of her career. "We have worked hard for it and I'm really excited about what the brand can do. We have a clean sheet now, to come into a highly competitive market and they want to prove a point."

Many people relate the Czech republic with its medieval capital Prague, tennis ace Ivan Lendl, their top flight FIFA football team and perhaps some of the world's most beautiful super models. Now you can now add a fully fledged car maker to the list: