The Škoda Octavia is a 5-door liftback / 5-door estate from Škoda Auto, built from 1996, when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. Under the bonnet: 1.4 L 8v I4. Luc Donckerwolke drew it.
Where it came from
The Škoda Octavia is a small family car (C-segment) produced by the Czech car manufacturer Škoda Auto since the end of 1996. It shares its name with an earlier model produced between 1959 and 1971. Four generations of the modern-era Octavia model have been introduced to date, delivered with five-door liftback or five-door estate styles only. The car is front engined and both front- or four-wheel drive are offered.
Around five million units have been sold in its two decades of presence on the market. The Octavia is Škoda's most popular model; about 40% of all newly manufactured Škoda cars are Octavias. The current generation is available in a wide range of derivatives, i.e. sporty Octavia RS, estate Octavia Combi, four-wheel drive Octavia Scout, frugal Octavia GreenLine and CNG-powered Octavia G-TEC.
Under the skin
Power comes from 1.4 L 8v I4; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. It shifts through a 5/6-speed manual / 4/5-speed automatic. The wheelbase is 2512 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
Its family tree is legible: assembly was at Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Porsche Boxster, the Lotus Elise, the Alfa Romeo 156 — show what else the money bought that year. Nearby in the Škoda Auto catalogue sit the HZS-1 and the Trekka.