Skoda Octavia

05jackd

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Hello.

Other half Is going self employed and we are looking at swapping vehicles around and trading our ssanyong 4x4 in for a Skoda Octavia. As it’s far more economical.

The ones we are looking at would tow 2000kg which is enough for me but does anyone have any experiences?

Are they powerful enough or do you really feel the weight on the back?

Or any other suggestions for estate types that are good towers!

Thanks!
 
Go for it :). They are great all round cars and awesome towers. Mine easily tows an Ifor 510 and a 650kg IDx. Road holding and ‘grunt’ are excellent.

It also happily does 500 mile motorway round trips. Ours is the Scout with the raised ride height, I recommend that over the standard Octavia for towing.

ETA You know a car is reliable when you see lots of taxi drivers and vets driving them.
 
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Had 2, cracking cars IF you have the right engine. The first had 150k on the clock and I'd still be driving it if some pleb on our estate hadn't written it off driving into the side of it cos the sun was in his eyes. That was a 1.9 diesel. It towed like a train, never stopped pulling for you, not a slug and brilliant on fuel, even fully loaded with a roofbox and caravan.

The second was a 1.6 diesel and always felt a bit under powered compared to the first. Nothing wrong with it but you had to drive it like it would go if you know what i mean, it was happy to be a bit of a slug if you let it. Never towed with that one and not quite so good on fuel but I think some of my opinion comes from the first being my favourite car ever.

Boot size on them is awesome (4 border collies) and I'd have another without a second thought.

I now have a yeti with the 2l diesel and although I haven't towed with it, it gives me a similar feel to the first Octavia so I'd say thats a decent towing engine too.
 
Yeah, if I wanted an estate to tow with, I would get a 4x4 beefed-up version of whatever. They are a wee bit heavier but you'll be happier when you drive that trailer into mud, and they feel more convincing. I also have Yeti with the 2L diesel. Haven't towed with it, but I'm sure it would manage. It's a torquey engine. OH has a VW Passat Alltrack -- basically, VW's answer to the Octava Scout, a beefy Passat with the that 2L diesel, raised ride height, and the same 4x4 system as the Yeti, Scout, and every other VAG 4x4. Never towed with it, but I think AmbersEcho also has an Alltrack, and she might tow with it. Being VWs, they are a wee bit more refined than the Skodas. It's quieter than the Yeti, and the interior is a bit posher. Underneath, it's more or less the same car, although my Yeti has 140bhp and the Passat has 170bhp. Yeti feels like it has more torque and pulls a bit sharper at 0-30, but the Passat has slightly quicker acceleration at higher speeds. The Passat is a sweet, smooth, quiet motorway cruiser, while the Yeti, with stiffer suspension, is less refined on motorways but it's more fun on twisty Highland roads because it has less body roll. The Passat has a larger boot when the back seats are up. The Yeti's back seats, however, can be completely removed from the car, making it into a wee van, and when you do that, it has more space than the Passat or any other similarly-sized SUV or estate.

Any 4x4 will get less fuel economy than a 2-wheel drive. The Yeti gets low to mid-40s on winter tyres, and mid-40s to low-50s on summer tyres. OH keeps all-seasons on his Passat and it gets low- to mid 40s.

Both cars have been super reliable (Yeti is a 63 plate and Passat is 13).
 
I have one! It’s a 4x4 but not the scout, I haven’t tried towing with it yet but it’s got a bar on and can tow 2000kg. Generally it’s a great car, I do a 60 mile round trip to work and did 600 mile round trip down to the south and back in one day with no problems. Get about 55mpg out of it without really trying, I’m sure I could raise that if I tried! Fits my two GSD in a crash tested crate in the boot plus 4 fully grown adults and luggage in! It’s easy to drive and is quiet enough for me, I’ve driven a few BMW saloons and while it’s not quite as refined I certainly have no complaints!
 
OH had one -we didn't tow with it but it was a lovely car. I disagree with CI about the Passat being more refined. My dad has a Passat and the interiors are pretty much identical, as is the Seat OH now has.
 
Daughter has the 1.9/2.00 litre diesel estate and it is a super car, loads of lovely bells and whistles too. Having had a Passat and an Audi tbh I think the Skoda is superior in build and finish. Now people know it's built by VW I think the stigma of having a Skoda is long gone.
 
Thanks everyone. I've only ever towed with a big 4x4 so I was a little worried but you've put my mind at rest.
We had an Octavia years ago but never towed with it so it's good to hear people's views.

The yeti would also be an option and a quick look on auto trader seems to put them a lot cheaper than the Octavia for initial purchase. Definitely food for thought!
 
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