Introduction
The Skoda brand may be a little bit new to most Australians, but it has been here for a number of years. The relaunch of the Skoda brand with a mid sized 5 door hatch disguised as a 4 door sedan does make a lot of sense. Since the Sydney Motor Show last year, Skoda Octavia range is a breeze to the local mid size premium car market. The Octavia was not expected to be another reborn Bently, but a real alternative to the Volvo, Saab, Volkswagen or any other leading Japanese brands.

Surprisingly, the mechanical setting of the Skoda is very similar to Volkswagen Golf and Jetta range. As a matter of fact, it has some sort of close cousin relationship. Then, those close ties make Skoda a very interesting investment for daily commuters especially, in terms of more affordable and undervalued option, in providing real performance.

Octavia Elegance
The Octavia Elegance is available with the choice of three outstanding engines.

A new 1.8-litre TFSI (turbocharged and direct-injected) four-cylinder petrol engine delivers an impressive combination of performance and economy. Adopting the engine-control technologies for high performance diesel engine, it helps the engine to deliver 118kW of power and 250Nm of torque across a wider rev range (1500-2400rpm). It complies with the strict EU4-compliant standard on green house gas emissions.

Cabin comfort
In side the cabin, you will find normal things similar to the VW settings. Instrument appointment level is on par with the VW, however, it is slightly a little bit “normal” not of a very innovative design that someone would expect.    I could only say that it has some presentational area to mature. Yet, it is practical and easy to use. Then, we have been wondering where it should position itself in the market. My co-worker and I believe it is aiming towards the Corolla target range with a slightly more expensive pricing but with a better safety equipment level. It has Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and curtain airbags, and things that manufacturers need to improve the crash safety ratings. It is just priced below A$30,000

Equipment level
• 16-inch alloy wheels
• Six-CD/tuner with MP3 compatibility
• Low-light sensing headlight activation
• Rain-sensing windscreen wipers
• Auto-dimming rear-vision mirror
• Climate control air conditioning.

Suspension
Suspension is designed to suit most Australian conditions. It delivered a comfortable and smooth absorbent ride to our harsh road condition. It has strike a real balance in disposition with its relatively normal tyres and sufficient grip on its range.  Coupled with a very refined and renowned chassis and drivetrain, that made the car a real delight to drive.

Safety features
It has an advanced version of Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) that helps driver control by preventing wheel lock-up if an emergency stop is required. Traction Control System (TCS) monitors the driveline continuously for wheelspin.  It automatically reduces engine output to prevent any wheelslip that may compromise the safety of the car.
Engine Braking Control (EBC) prevents the  wheels from locking if the accelerator pedal is lifted suddenly, or if the vehicle brakes sharply due to a kick down on a lower gear for overtaking.

Structural safety
Skoda has inherited the cabin structure safety from its VW cousin. The structural design and engineering mitigate crash performance through controlled deformation.   This provides directed force impact onto its occupants and at the same time providing extra survival space for all passengers.  Working with front, side and curtain airbags that protect the head, the Octavia provides additional safety features to most of its Asian counterparts.

Conclusion
We like the Octavia, It is very spacious and functional with its well disguised 5 door hatch format, but dressed up as a four door sedan.  Engine and transmission match to its wonderful chassis from VW.  As a matter of fact, there is a lot of things from VW that give you extra assurance on quality control, safety and confidence to a very large population of young to middle aged buyers that were born after the Korea war.  Nevertheless, if you like German engineering with a less expensive price tag, then, the European built Skoda is a real alternative to Corolla and even VW Jetta

斯高達可能對大部份的澳洲人是一個新一點的名牌。但它已經在世界市場上存在了多年。去年再推出的Skoda斯高達牌子，特別是以五門掀背房車卻變成四門房車是一個聰明的選擇。自去年的悉尼車展，Skoda Octavia是一個清新的選擇，它立足於名貴的中型車的市場，雖然不是類似英國名牌Bently的再生傳奇，可以卻是Volvo, Saab, Volkswagen 及一些日本名車的另一個好選擇。

很奇怪地, Skoda斯高達牌子與德國的大眾汽車Golf 及Jetta 系列都十分接近， 其實它們都有近親的關係。因而令到購買Skoda斯高達變成一個十分有趣的投資，對於作為日常的交通工具，它是價廉物美及物超所值而表現優良。

Skoda斯高達牌子的優美型號備有三個引擎可供選擇，而我們首先試駕的1.8公升渦輪及燃油噴注四汽缸引擎，可發出118kW的動力及250Nm的扭力；亦產生了高效能及省油的表現。它用上了高效能柴油引擎的設計優點，因而使動力可於1500至2400公轉時發揮得淋漓盡致，當然它亦配合了歐盟四號的廢氣排放法法例。

車廂內舒適情況
車內隨處都可以看見大眾Volkswagen的影子，車內的裝潢都與大眾的優質產品看齊；可是並未有預期的創新設計，可能有待日後的改善。而使用上，它是簡單及清楚容易使用，因而使我們重新思想它於市場上的定位。我的同事認為是對抗豐田Corolla的優質良品，因為它的價錢距離與豐田Corolla實在是十分接近，而它的安全設備上是較為完整及理想。它已按上原廠的(ESP)電子行車穩定設備，而窗簾式汽袋都是表準的裝置，而其他廠家都只是在後面追趕著, 嘗試改善撞車的安全設施，它包括了多種安全的設備，而只是定價稍為低於3萬圓。

其他設備
16吋合金輪圈
六碟式CD/ MP3播放及收音機音響
陰暗光線觸動式車頭燈照明系統
雨點感應水撥
車側後視鏡減光系統
先進空調系統

懸掛系統
它是按照澳洲的地理情況而訂定的，它可以提供舒適及順滑的牽避震以吸收惡劣的道路情況，亦因而同時照顧到以普通車胎及同時享有合理的抓地功能，亦因為它的車架設計優良，並配合轉動的高質要求；因而使駕車時十分舒適

安全設備
它配備了先進的輪胎防鎖裝置 (ABS)，所以，可以防止於行駛中因緊急殺車而鎖著輪胎，另一項安全設備。循跡裝置Traction Control可以監測輪胎打滑的情況，而它可令引擎減少轉動以防止因打滑而可能導致的危險情況；最後的Engine Braking Control (EBC)是防止因加速器被提起或因為緊急殺車因而導致輪胎被鎖上。

結構上的安全
Skoda繼承了大眾的安全本領，而在結構上它以預設的接觸點以承受預料的撞擊，因而使它更安全地保護乘客的安全，亦因而擴展了寶貴的生存空間。亦因而較其他的亞洲車廠更照顧乘客的安全。

總結
我們都喜愛它, 它十分寬敞，特別是設計師巧妙地以五門房車的設計方針使駕駛者誤以為是四門房車；引擎及自動排(波箱)都十分配合，而且車架設計已達至爐火純青的境界；因此十分配合該車的行車表現。而大眾汽車的影響實在可以令買家感到安心，無論品質控制，安全設備都表現出色！所以，於韓戰後出生的駕駛人士都會接受它的表現。無論如何，假如你喜歡德國的製車科技而更喜歡價廉物美的歐洲產品，歐洲製的Skoda是豐田Corolla及大眾Volkswagen Jetta的另一優良選擇。