The latest Volkswagen Golf was beaten by the cheaper, more
practical Skoda Octavia when we tested the cars as hatchbacks. There could be a
different story with these estates though, because the Golf gets close to its
rival on luggage capacity, and is good at helping you make the most of the
space on offer.
Here we’re testing both cars with their most tax-efficient
engines and in mid-spec SE trim.
What are they like inside?
Let’s get straight to the bit that matters most here: the
boot.
Both cars have plenty of room for the family dog or
flat-pack furniture, and both feature spring-loaded rear seats that fold down
when you pull handles in the boot. However, Octavia buyers have to spend $249
on an adjustable boot floor to avoid having a step up to the folded seats,
whereas the Golf gets an adjustable floor as standard.
Low-speed comfort
is much better in the Golf, and it still feels reasonably agile
The fact that you can raise the Golf’s floor also comes in
handy when you’re loading heavy items because it means you don’t have to lift
them over a large lip.
What’s more, the Golf’s luggage cover automatically stops
half way when you retract it, instead of sliding all the way to the back of the
boot like the Octavia’s. As a result, you’re less likely to have to lean
against the rear bumper and risk getting your clothes dirty when pulling the
Golf’s cover back into place.
The Octavia Estate
handles well, but its ride is too unsettled around town
The Octavia counters by offering a lot more rear legroom
than the Golf, but both cars are spacious enough to seat four six-footers in
comfort. Both also give the driver a wide range of seat and steering wheel
adjustment, although the Octavia offers slightly better all-round vision.
The same touch-screen infotainment system features on both
cars. It has well-ordered menus and is flanked by shortcut buttons that let you
swap quickly between individual functions.
What are they like to drive?
These estates use the same 1.6-litre diesel engine, so it’s
hardly surprising that they’re closely matched on performance. Each pulls
strongly enough beyond 1500rpm, without ever feeling quick, although the
Octavia does have the edge when you accelerate through the gears, simply
because it’s lighter.
Adults will be
happy in the back of the Golf, but it’s not as spacious as the Octavia
The differences in engine refinement are just as small, with
both cars keeping noise and vibration to a minimum unless you rev them hard. However,
the Golf’s door mirrors generate a fair bit of wind noise at motorway speeds,
while the Octavia has the noisier suspension on bumpy roads.
More significantly, the Octavia’s suspension gives it a
fidgety low-speed ride, whereas the Golf makes rough surfaces feel
super-smooth. True, the Octavia’s ride does settle down at higher speeds, but
it’s still not as comfortable as the Golf’s.
The Octavia gives
back-seat passengers more space than the Golf
Even more impressive is the way the Golf manages to combine
this cushiness with tidy handling. In fact, both estates feel very safe and
secure in bends; they have precise, well-weighted steering, and when the front
tyres run out of grip, a slight lift of the accelerator is all that’s needed to
bring them back under control.
Light clutch pedals with well defined biting points make the
cars just as easy to drive in stop-start traffic, although each is let down
slightly by a rather imprecise five-speed gearbox.
The Volkswagen
Golf Estate’s boot has several features that make your life easier
What will they cost you?
Company car drivers paying the top-rate of tax will find
their bill is around $265 lower if they choose the Octavia, thanks to its lower
list price and CO2 emissions, although our real-world True MPG tests suggest
that the Golf will cost you a bit less in fuel.
The Octavia is also around $3,320 cheaper than the Golf to
buy after you’ve factored in discounts, but the Golf should cost you less to
insure and it’s expected to hold its value better. In fact, if you add up all
the costs that private buyers are likely to face over a three-year ownership
period, the Octavia’s advantage shrinks to less than $995.
The Skoda Octavia
Estate has a slightly bigger boot, but a height-adjustable floor
Both cars come with alloy wheels, four electric windows,
Bluetooth, DAB radio, and seven airbags. However, only the Octavia gets
reversing sensors as standard (VW charges $746 for fronts and rears) and it has
dual-zone climate control in place of the Golf’s more basic air-conditioning
system.
As compensation, VW fits remote audio controls, adaptive
cruise control and City Emergency Braking as standard.
