Skoda Octavia Sportline Video Review

Published on 13 October, 2023

Sportline trim adds a pinch of spice to sensible Octavia

Highlights

Overview

Endlessly practical and famously reliable – you'll never go too far wrong with an Octavia

Hands down the most spacious car in its class, the Octavia quite often gives cars from the class above a run for their money, not to mention most SUVs too. With a boot capacity of 600l, there’s not much you won’t be able to fit in the back of one of these. Back seat legroom is equally impressive, leaving plenty of room for passengers to stretch out, even with a taller driver. Several ‘simply clever’ features are found throughout the cabin – an umbrella hidden in the door, an ice scraper in the fuel cap and a clip on the windscreen to hold your parking tickets - small thoughtful touches that collectively make a big impact.

The Sportline trim adds some stylish exterior details including 18 inch alloy wheels, a blacked out grille and window trim, as well as a subtle spoiler on the boot. The theme continues inside the cabin with a flat bottom leather steering wheel, black fabric sports seats and plenty of piano black inserts along the dashboard. The overall effect is subtle, but well-executed.

Some more functional Sportline features include a digital cockpit, and a 10 inch Bolero touchscreen multimedia display. Apple Carplay and Android auto are standard if you prefer to use your phone interface. It’s a decent enough system to use, although the Columbus Nav system that comes standard on the Style model outshines it by a longshot.

Other highlights include heated front seats and wireless phone charging. Whether the Sportline is worth the extra money depends on where your priorities lie really. It certainly gives it a massive lift visually but given that it’s not available on the entry level 1.0l petrol, the starting price of over €40,000 may be a little too spicy for some. 

Our test car was the 1.5l 150hp TSI manual petrol. It also comes as a manual 1.0l petrol, or an automatic mild hybrid, which is an option for both. The ever popular 2.0l diesel options are still available for heavier road users, as are the high performance RS versions (though regrettably, the diesel RS’s days are numbered). Still though, it's fair to say there is an Octavia to suit all lifestyles and budgets.

The 1.5l TSI is a bit of a sweet spot for those who don’t quite do the mileage to require a diesel but would like something with a decent amount of power,  that will be comfortable on longer spins and still offer reasonable fuel economy - which it does at about 5.8l/100km.

The Octavia as always delivers a very confident and composed drive. It’s a nicely balanced set up with good feel to the steering, smooth acceleration and a quick response from the engine when you want to take it up to motorway speeds. Sound insulation is impressive and it’s quite a refined drive overall.

The sports suspension that comes as part of the Sportline package does give it a firmer feel, which while not as rigid as the RS, makes it a less comfortable ride for family buyers. Then again, the clue is in the name and those after a sportier drive will be happy with the more planted feel it gives around corners as a result. Again, it all comes down to priorities.

The Octavia name is golden on the Irish used car market and its reputation for hard-wearing reliability is one of its biggest selling points. We once drove one that had nearly a million miles on the clock and it ticked over like it was bought last week. You can watch the video here) Skodas in general hold their value famously well and all new models come with a 3 year warranty as standard.

Facts & Figures

Sinead McCann

Sinéad is our resident car tester who has the unenviable (-ok, slightly enviable) task of reviewing all the latest new cars to hit the market. You can follow her on Twitter @smcani and on Instagram @whatshedrives