Skoda
The 2025 Octavia is not a bad car, its roomy and reliable. Its just that Skoda have somehow made it not as good as its predecessor ( my wife has a… Read more
2020 model). The 2025 model, has a less logical software layout, the previously pretty intuitive steering wheel controls have been replaced by a confusing hodge podge, the touch screen is bigger, but the font sizes are smaller, some display options have been removed. There's an interior light behind the mirror which cannot be completely turned off ( distracting when driving in the country), the user manual has been partially replaced by a machine translated searchable database, so your pretty much on your own in terms of trying to figure things out. To top it off, the fuel consumption appears to be about 7-10% worse than before. Apparently a number of options can be controlled through the myskoda app. The app has not been rolled out in Australia. Honestly - find a good used one, or grit your teeth and get a Camry, or buy electric .......
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[Name Removed] Skoda Service department. Treated like an old lady who didn't know what was going on with her car. Told me the battery in the car is… Read more
the reason for all the fault codes. I read on the internet that the fault codes I am getting are almost normal. Wanted to charge me to reset the battery, even though the battery was put in after calling Skoda Customer Care. Service advisor was terrible. I could tell from the minute I walked in that he didn't want to help me because I was booked in for an express service.
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very disappointed with launch edition ,within 2months of ownership the car had been back to dealership 3 times with engine light on. The car itself… Read more
had trim rattle and was very bad with tyre noise and wind noise.Got rid of it and bought a real car.No good at all
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I bought the Skoda as a demonstrator, it was 18 months old, I have had the car just over 3 years, it has now done 92,000KM. It is a great car, loaded… Read more
with equipment and tech, with plenty of space and a huge practical boot. My previous car was a VW Arteon, a very similar car on the same platform, surprisingly the Skoda is more comfortable than the VW.
I have used the car for work doing sales calls etc. as well as commuting and personal use around Melbourne and regular trips to Bendigo, also several road trips to Adelaide, Brisbane and Northern NSW, after driving 1100 KM in a day I still felt fine no aches at all. Now retired and living in Bendigo we still do weekly trips to Melbourne and road trips so it is well used.
I have the car serviced at Deer Park Skoda, where I purchased it, they have been a pleasure to deal with, a very helpful team. I bought it with a 4 year service pack and have just bought a new 4 year service pack, this gives some peace of mind, as does the 7 year warranty and the included roadside assist. I have had no warranty claims, just routine maintenance, I have only had to pay for the usual, brakes, wiper blades and tyres.
If you are looking for a car and like me don't want an SUV, the Skoda might be the car for you, I would definitely recommend Skoda
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ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS – I bought a 2017 Skoda Fabia NJ63ND Wagon and got onto the expressway to turn on the cruise control and it didn't have it. What 2017 model car does… Read more
not have cruise control as standard!!!
To make things worse, you can't add it later.
ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!!!!
DON'T BUY ONE OR CHECK IT HAS CRUISE CONTROL.
Just a salutary heads up for anyone contemplating buying one of the above. They have a flawed dry clutch system DQ200 that at its most minor develops… Read more
a stutter on take off. It can also lead to total failure. This same clutch was used in many of the VW range. My car developed it less than six months out of warranty, not that it would have made any difference as it's not covered by warranty.
I've had the car for 12 months now, this is what I've discovered... The car side mirrors randomly won't unfold, mostly when it's hot weather. … Read more
Random issues with the infotainment system going black, or radio not working. At times the brake warning system alert comes on when no-one is around. So there's no chance of a crash. The maps won't always mirror with my Android s23. But then they do so there's no connectivity issues. When you drive onto an off ramp or an onramp the car pulls a little to much. The main things that annoy me are the mirrors not unfolding, meaning I'm driving without them open which is not legal, and the infotainment going dark. That's a pain as everything is accessed from there. Car is nice to drive otherwise, although the hesitancy off the mark, especially on a slight incline is scary at times. I've learned not to move on unless I've got a big space to do so.
Great small SUV for the price. Pros - drives superbly, like a knife through butter, plenty of pickup - not as squirty as the Volvo EX30, but… Read more
comparable to the EX40, BMW ix. Feels a little more lively than the Kia EV3.
Brakes are a little sluggish as they are for all EVs - on par with the Kia and Volvo.
After 10 years driving a Golf the transition was surprisingly pleasurable. We love the tight turning circle and easy Reverse, Drive and Regen button.
We love minimal bings and bongs and the option to one button on the screen switch off Lane Assist, Start Air Con, or recycle air.
The default sensor warning start to brake is excellent as is the side mirror blindspot warning and standard reverse parking camera. If you’re a nervous parker upgrade to experience the front and overhead cameras of a Polstar or BMW which also has a wide angle front view if you live on a blindspot.
Standard manual seats are very comfy - more than the BMW and Kia. No headrest pushing your head forward, or side swaddlers giving you a hunchback…
And the Cons? Sound system is average in all the cars we tested except the upgraded spec BMW. Our test drive rattled on the driver side and our own rattles on the left! Opening the window helps. Better than the pathetic EX30 tho…
Hate to join the pedantic haters but the driver cup holders are pathetic and too small. The door bottle holders are at 45 degrees so no help with open coffee.
The MAG phone charger is great but not quite enough room for 2 iphones side by side. And if you want to save power, you can’t switch it off and there’s nowhere else obvious to stash your phone.
Boot is slightly wider and deeper than our Golf and much higher - with handy side cubbies, reversible mat and netting in various forms for who knows what - Skoda’s “Simply Clever” is bizarre at times. (I’d rather have a button to switch off the air con without having to press twice and reach over to the far corner of the screen… Talking of Right-hand driving - google maps speed limit is on the far left so not much use for the driver) It’s a shame the rear seats don’t fold down flat. Boot is heavy and you have to really give it a thump to close - so if you’re short, old, often have kids in the back and you care about their longterm hearing - upgrade to the electric boot which also has the foot wave to open. As a surfer and muso and like most Aussies we often have laptops, surfboards, guitars in the car, so the $10k upgrade also has some useful if slightly daggy built in rear side window blinds - also great for littl’uns.
All these slight let downs and annoyances are totally acceptable for us - the swings and the roundabouts - when we consider all the EVs we researched and tested. However one showstopper/elephant in the room remains stubbornly, reminding us that despite hours watching youtube reviews and reading car mags and drooling over the Skoda website and several Saturdays in the company of some sometimes beyond useless car salesman, we may have picked a lemon… nor did our top sales person mention that much of the “Simply Clever” functionality on the info and navigation system is NOT available for Australia. With no date confirmed by VAG if we’ll ever have connected services, and for this reason - there is no MySkoda app. No MySkoda app means you can’t schedule charging from midnight to 6am to only pay evil AGL 8c rather than the usual 37c. (Unless you set a good old fashioned alarm to head out to the car in your pyjamas to start charging.) The car has a clock for christ’s sake - how hard is it? We don’t care about losing out on keyless entry, driver profiles for settings, but needing to have a phone on bluetooth - CONSTANTLY - to play music or use maps is annoying. And if you live in regional or remote Australia and you’re not with Telstra - you won’t have any maps! Do we care about wifi updates? Maybe not but it means and annoying visit to Skoda Service when they spruik service only required every 2 years… Our Skoda salesperson said “I just use Apple car play”, not oh BTW Ignore everything you read about the app and the location functionality on the infortainment where you would nort program in a “home” location with a charging schedule 12 midnight to 6am…. If MG and BYD can do it for about 33% cheaper, and offer free charging on the Evie network and a 10Y warranty , it beggars belief that VAG are taking Australian drivers seriously. #LemonEmoji
