Review of the new Skoda Octavia Estate 4x4

The central appeal of four-wheel-drive vehicles for many UK customers is the way they look. We tend to like the chunky styling and aggressive image but failing that, there's also something to be said for the raised suspension and the higher driving position. Skoda's Octavia Estate 4x4 has none of the above. In typical Skoda fashion, it downplays its capability, looking for all the world like a bog standard Octavia Estate. Those who take the plunge on this car will have to really want four driven wheels.

We don't get a great deal of snow or ice on our roads compared to our European neighbours and opportunities for driving on dirt, grass or other low grip surfaces don't regularly present themselves to the majority of us. Even if you do live or work at the wrong end of a rutted track, the Octavia Estate 4x4 wouldn't be the vehicle of choice. You'd want a proper SUV or at least an estate car like Skoda's Octavia Scout with raised suspension to lift your car's expensive bits further out of harm's way. The appeal of the Octavia Estate 4x4 is very much as a road car. For towing duties, the security of that extra grip and even the occasional light off-road foray or skiing trip, it will make sense but Skoda freely admits that it will sell vastly more 4x4 Octavias in Europe's more mountainous and snowbound areas than it will in the UK.

Supplying the power for the Octavia's 4x4 system to dole out will be one of three engines. The petrol one is an advanced 1.8-litre TSI turbocharged petrol unit with 160bhp. It can achieve a brisk 8.1s 0-62mph time and a 138mph top speed. That's quick enough to worry a moderately pacey hot hatchback and with the extra traction of four-wheel-drive, the Octavia should prove quite adept on a twisty B-road. The diesels are less impressive from a performance perspective. Both are direct injection units and are less refined than the newer common-rail engines used by rivals. Like the petrol unit, they do have a good slug of torque, however, something that those seeking to utilise the 1,600kg braked trailer towing capacity of the car will appreciate. The 1.9 TDI has 105bhp and 250Nm but takes 12.9s to reach 62mph while the 2.0-litre TDI offers 140bhp, 320Nm and a 9.9s 0-62mph time.

"The Octavia is a solid, practical, no-nonsense kind of a vehicle"

The 4x4 system offered on the Octavia Estate is a modern Haldex system that's also found on some Audi models. It sends the majority of the engine's torque to the front wheels under normal conditions, redistributing it to the rear when they start to struggle for grip. The extra weight does blunt the performance of the engines with the 0-62mph times of the 4x4 models being down on the front-wheel-drive equivalents. The 1.9 TDI suffers more than the others in this regard. The 4x4 transmission is not offered with the DSG twin-clutch gearbox and while the 1.8 TSI and 2.0 TDI engines get a six-speed manual box, the 1.9 TDI makes do with five gears.

In 4x4 form, the Octavia Estate looks much like any of the front-wheel-drive models. The latest facelift, which introduced styling elements of the Superb executive saloon, has improved upon the Octavia's rather uninspiring looks. There's a more imposing grille, topped with a thick band of chrome and the substantial headlamps flank it to form a band across the Octavia's nose. The bumpers and side mouldings have also been tweaked and C-shaped light clusters adorn the rear. The Octavia is still no extrovert but it's a much more eye-catching prospect. The interior revisions have, if anything, an even greater impact. Enhancements to the switchgear, entertainment systems and trim send the cabin up in class a good few notches. The gap between this and the acclaimed interiors of Volkswagen and Audi products is not a big one.

The Octavia was always renowned for possessing one of the biggest payloads in class and the current Estate model does no harm to that reputation. There's an available capacity of 580 litres with the rear seats in place. Fold the rear seats flat and you'll then get a yawning 1,350 litres of room. Passenger accommodation is similarly generous - and that's important since the prodigious luggage space of the first generation Octavia required rear seat passengers to pay in kind. The long wheelbase of the latest model endows it with admirable rear legroom, even when the front seats are occupied by long limbed adults. Rear headroom is better than the swooping roofline would suggest, helped in no small part by a slightly more generous seat back recline than in many such cars.

In the Octavia range, 4x4 is a trim level in itself. It's a step up from the SE models which have the basics like electric windows, remote central locking and a CD changer. The 4x4 models then add a different set of 15" alloy wheels, rain-sensing wipers, an auto dimming rear-view mirror, dual-zone climate control and front fog lights. There's obviously that four-wheel-drive system thrown in as well but of just as much note to safety conscious buyers will be the inclusion of ESP stability control which really adds to the Octavia's safety credentials. The premium over an SE model is around £1,600, not a major outlay for the 4x4's considerable haul of extras.

In the aftermath of the SUV boom, there aren't too many options for buyers seeking a four-wheel-drive estate car for under £20,000. The thinking being that most customers in that price bracket who want a 4x4 would rather have it in the more rugged, lifestyle-orientated shape of a compact SUV. It's undoubtedly a niche market in the UK but it's a niche with few occupants and that seems certain to work in the Octavia's favour.

Sending power to four wheels instead of two is not a good way of enhancing fuel economy or lowering emissions, so while the 4x4 Octavias don't cost a huge amount more to buy, their higher running costs should be factored into the equation. The 1.8TSI engine returns 37mpg compared to 40mpg in the front-wheel-drive car and emissions increase to 180g/km from 163g/km. The diesels suffer more with the 1.9-litre TDI averaging 47mpg compared to the 55mpg you can get from a standard estate and the 2.0 TDI getting 45mpg down from 51.

4x4 drivers in it for the chunky bumpers and the high driving position won't get the Octavia Estate 4x4 but if you need the extra traction or want the extra safety that all-wheel-drive brings in an understated package, this could be the car for you. The Octavia is a solid, practical, no-nonsense kind of a vehicle and in Estate guise, it's got more about it still.

You really do have to want four-wheel-drive to buy an Octavia Estate 4x4. The extra weight of the transmission blunts economy and performance while the front-wheel-drive alternatives are cheaper and visually identical. You don't have to pay too much more to get a 4x4 model, however, and alternatives are rare at the sort of money Skoda is asking.

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