Little Steps Reviews: Skoda Octavia Combi – Your Family’s New Favourite Estate Vehicle

BOOT SPACE & PRACTICALITY

If your kids come with a lot of stuff, this car is your best friend. The Octavia Combi maintains its class-leading boot space, clocking in at a truly massive 640 litres (or up to 1,700 litres with the seats down). To put that in perspective, that’s significantly more than most rivals and pretty much swallows your weekly supermarket run, school project materials, and holiday luggage without needing a complicated packing Tetris session. Daddy's got golf clubs? No worries, it fits in there quite nicely too along with all the shopping and school bags.

But it’s the little things—Skoda’s signature “Simply Clever” touches—that really make a difference for parents:

• Integrated Umbrella Storage: No more searching for a rain guard when a sudden downpour hits.

• Flip-Out Shopping Hooks: Keep those precious bags of groceries from sliding all over the place.

• Rear Seat Phone Pockets: Perfectly sized small secondary pockets on the back of the front seats to keep devices in check and prevent them from being dropped underfoot.

EFFICIENT & ECONOMICAL

While you can get a high-performance vRS version, the standard 1.5-litre mild-hybrid model is the sensible, economical choice we’re focusing on. We're not buying this car to set track records—we're buying it for comfort and efficient cruising.

The 1.5-litre turbo engine focuses on efficiency and can easily average more than 16.4 km/litre. That is impressive fuel economy for a car of this size and is a welcome relief for the family budget.

In terms of the drive, it’s all about being a relaxed, refined cruiser. It feels planted at highway speeds, is comfortable, and has great sound insulation—perfect for those long drives when you just want a little peace and quiet. The chassis is tuned for comfort, soaking up road imperfections beautifully.

TECH UPDATE & FUSS-FREE CONNECTIVITY

The Skoda's interior has received a welcome tech upgrade and we are sold! There’s a new, larger 13-inch infotainment touchscreen and the 10.25-inch virtual cockpit is now standard across all models. The infotainment system itself has been updated with a simpler menu structure, which is good news for anyone who’s been frustrated by over-complicated systems in the past.

You also get better charging options with a 15-watt wireless charger and faster 45-watt USB-C ports. Not only that, pairing Apple Carplay and Android Auto are a breeze with their Wireless Smartlink system! You can effortless access your favourite apps and stay in control with a simple touch or voice command.

One thing to note is that climate controls are accessible with the touchscreen, rather than dedicated physical buttons. It might take a while to get things sorted, but once that's done, everything is within reach with a single tap. Thankfully, Skoda has added quick-access buttons for key functions to make life a little easier.

CLEVER, NIFTY LOCKING FEATURE

Ever had a scenario when your hands are full and locking/unlocking the car meant putting everything down? Well, thanks to the new Keyless Entry Start and Exit System, you can easily lock and unlock the car doors with a touch of the front door handles. Better yet, it unlocks the car when you're within range and locks it too when you walk away with the key!