The Essentials

• Price from £14,425
• What Car? says:
• Fuel economy: up to 68.9mpg
• What is it? Sensible family estate car is a bargain

• Drive

  One of the most sophisticated estates to drive, the Octavia's cool, calm and collected

• Inside

  The driver's seat is incredibly comfy and the dashboard is straightforward but stylish

• Safety

  Good, although stability control is a cost option on the basic models

• Reliability

  No cause for concern here: it's solidly built from top-quality materials

• Space

  No shortage of space, but the boot could be more practical

• Standard and extras

  Only basic models miss out on alloys, CD multichanger and electric rear windows; upgrade further for more

• What's it like to drive?

  Short of putting wheels and an engine under your sofa, there are few more comfortable ways to travel. Fortunately the Octavia is rather tidier around corners and won't attract as much attention. The turbocharged engines are the ones to go for - the 1.4 TSI is our favourite - but the diesels have great pulling power so would be ideal if you plan to tow heavy loads. Can't decide whether you prefer a manual gearbox or an automatic? The optional Direct Shift Gearbox allows you to switch between the two and makes its changes very smoothly. The only let-down is that rather too much noise reaches the cabin.

• What's it like inside?

  Remember that sofa? Well it's just as comfortable in the cabin and there's plenty of seat and wheel adjustment. Everything on the dashboard, which looks and feels very well made, is exactly where you expect to find it. The emphasis is on simplicity rather than style, however. The Octavia Estate has the biggest boot in its class, at a whopping 605 litres, which is bigger than that in the much pricier VW Passat or Ford Mondeo estates. The rear seats fold to extend this to an impressive 1655 litres. It's just a pity that in cheaper models this leaves a stepped loadbay which is a nuisance when loading larger items, and that there's such a high lip to haul things over. Passenger space is very generous so the children won't be fighting for legroom or shoulder space.

• How reliable is it?

  Not likely. The Octavia came top of its small family cars group in the latest JD Power ownership satisfaction survey, and received an excellent score for mechanical reliability. Praise is often awarded to the quality of service at dealerships, too. By comparison the car's safety features might seem a little mean, because it only achieved four stars in its NCAP crash test. Front and side airbags and rear Isofix child seat fixings are standard but that's about it. Curtain airbags and stability control cost extra until you reach the more expensive end of the model range.

• Should I buy one?

  The Octavia Estate is well priced compared with its rivals, and you should be able to negotiate a hefty discount, too. This will help make up for the rather less impressive resale values. It's also cheap to run and eager fuel-savers will appreciate the 68mpg offered in the Greenline model. We'd avoid the basic S trim which offers air-con, electric windows and a CD player, but no option to add Bluetooth for a hands-free phone.