Skoda Octavia long-term test: report 6

The car Skoda Octavia 1.5 TSI 150 SE L First Edition Run by Allan Muir, managing editor

Why it’s here To see whether the latest Octavia can be more than ‘just’ an exceptionally practical family car that offers fine value for money

Needs to Be just as practical as its predecessors, comfortable in all situations, a relaxed motorway cruiser and relatively cheap to run

Mileage 2255 List price £25,150 Target Price £23,266 Price as tested £26,950 Test economy 40.2mpg Official economy 50.1mpg

17 May 2021 – Spoke too soon

In principle, two is a good number of spokes to have on a steering wheel, as long as the whole thing is strong enough. One (as in old Citroëns such as the XM) is too few and not airbag-friendly, while a third or fourth spoke can in some cases interfere with your ability to hold and turn the wheel comfortably. The leather-wrapped two-spoke wheel that Skoda has started using on several of its models, including on my Octavia, feels very nice to hold, yet I can’t help thinking that something is missing.

Looking at the wheel on my car, it seems as though the bottom spoke has been amputated, because there’s still a lump in the rim with a piece of hard plastic trim embedded in it, right where the spoke would normally meet it. Okay, this lump doesn’t really get in the way when I’m twirling the wheel, but nor does it serve any purpose other than making me picture an invisible spoke. Given that this design also gives the slight impression that the wheel is on upside down, my preference would be to reattach the missing spoke.

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