The Business Standard Motoring comparison test of the Octavia 2.0 versus the Toyota Corolla which is in our web links here now works!

(Apologies to the 26 visitors who tried unsuccessfully to read it - but why didn't anyone report that the link was broken? )

Interesting. I wish mine handled like the reviewer's car! I'd love to drive someone else's Octy sometime to see where this "feels completely planted" impression comes from. Mine's like a shopping trolley, especially in the wet. Tyres, tyres, tyres I hear you all say. Yes, soon!!

Mine feels pretty well planted for a FWD on little steel wheels, it's very hard to unsettle

it at any speed so long as you keep it smooth. Random tugging of the wheel combined

with flooring it half way round a corner often provides interesting results though...

Also not sure of the spec levels they were looking at either, as their test car only had

a radio cassette, but in the price comparison it was an Ambiente! They also seem to

have missed the point that different trim colours *are* available, probably for the Toyota

as well as the Octavia.

Rob.

Rob

Indian spec probably differs from our spec tho , the review mentions an Alpine radio/cassette whereas our cars come with Skoda branded Grundigs. There may also be other spec differences through the car. I wonder if they get the RS?

Although they only get a one year warranty in India, I bet their cars are around long after ours have gone to the happy scrapyard in the sky! (Or am I thinking of the Peugeot advert???)

Originally posted by robmawer in this post

Mine feels pretty well planted for a FWD on little steel wheels, it's very hard to unsettle

it at any speed so long as you keep it smooth. Random tugging of the wheel combined

with flooring it half way round a corner often provides interesting results though...

Rob.

What happens if you take it round a small roundabout and give it some gas? In mine it takes off sideways (all 4 wheels) and requires lifting off in order to make the exit! For added fun, do this in the wet - virtually no throttle required then....

Originally posted by ncarring in this post

What happens if you take it round a small roundabout and give it some gas? In mine it takes off sideways (all 4 wheels) and requires lifting off in order to make the exit! For added fun, do this in the wet - virtually no throttle required then....

By coincidence, I actually tried this on the way into work, doing

three quarters of a roundabout - it's quite small, but very

wide so with a bit of room for slip.

Turned in hard, gave it some gas, the back end started slipping,

floored it and the front end did the same. By pure fluke it gave

a perfect line to the exit, I won't even begin to pretend it was

down to driver skill!

The tyres really didn't like going though - despite being pretty

damp, they didn't squeal, just made a reluctant grumbling

noise.

Rob.

Another one is to take a two-lane roundabout straight across in the outside lane and try and keep it in the same lane all the way round. There's a good one coming off the M4 South on the A33 - bit of a racetrack - and I have terrible problems keeping it to the right coming off the roundabout. Shame as once I'm back on the straight and narrow nothing can keep with me (up to 70 mph of course).