Both my husband and I have ancient cars that are now both dying. I have an 04 Octavia with 150k miles on the clock and it needs a lot of money to be spent on it so it now makes sense to start afresh. My husband has a 53 subaru legacy with 130k miles. Even though I've done more mileage, our lives have now changed so that he does more mileage than I do - about 25k a year and I'll be about 20k a year. We have 2 children and 3 dogs so space is important, particularly for me as I'm the one that is normally taking dogs and children for walks. My husband is frequently on the motorway but won't have the children and dogs as often but will do from time to time.

So, I"m trying to decide between an Octavia and a Superb - which do you think I should get and what size engine, spec, etc?

My husband is trying to decide between the VW Passat and the Octavia - likewise, what would you recommend for him? (trying to be as unbiased as possible!)

Look forward to your advice

(have also posted this under skoda octavia owners so as to get points of view from both owners)

Superb estate all the way

God yeah a Superb will make u smile every time u drive it best car iv had by far I had an Octavia VRS. Great car but don't compare in anyway to my Superb Elegance 170 CR

Octavia near a model change so maybe hold back.

Passat in all honesty is rubbish compared with the Superb. I had a Passat hire car for a while and could not get a good feel about it.

Also, spec up the VW with all the Skoda goodies and you are into serious money.

The Superb is Audi for Mondeo money.

Just my opinion but just check out the others on the Superb forum. Smiles better.

Phil

Superb...now on third.. first MkI...then MkII Elegance Hatch 2.0 170 DSG..now MkII Elegance Estate 2.0 170 Manual. Go for Elegance spec if you want the best quiet comfortable ride. I have driven all the latest models and would have nothing less than Elegance spec, have a few road tests and you will see why.

I would have to agree, Superb Combi, is by far the best choice, and as already stated, if you spec up the VW Passat, to the elegance spec in the Superb, you will see the difference in price, or in the case of the Superb, the saving, If you are going for 2 cars, go for 2 Superb Combi's and the biggest decision you will have to make, will be, what colour you want. There will be plenty of room for both children and dogs.

I'd have to say the Superb over the Octavia...

I was given a 60 plate Octavia Elegance whilst I was waiting for my Superb to be built. I had it for around 2 months and during that time it performed perfectly ok. It did everything you would expect it to do. I was expecting the Octavia to take the edge of getting the Superb... but I couldn't have been more wrong. The Octavia was how I would expect a Skoda to be... nothing flashy, but perfectly functional. Climbing into my Superb the difference was amazing. It's as if it's manufactured by another company. I'm still "nipping out" for a quick drive . Looking back, the Octavia is a much more dated car now, especially the interior, but it is perfectly functional.

I'd definitely say go and have a sit in each.

The magic word in your requirements was 'space'.

You just cannot buy an equivalent car to the Superb estate for space. Some may have a similar sized boot, but then slide yourself into the back seat and you'll soon see where the compromise was made.

I loved my old '99 plate Octy, but before buying my Superb I sat once in the back seat of the Octy and immediately discounted it. It is tiny and crampled by comparison. The Superb is vast (no exaggeration) and you will not regret buying one.

As for the model, with your mileage, it probably has to be a diesel. As far as specs and engine size, only your budget can decide that for you, but get the best spec you can afford. It should pay dividends for resale values in the future.

Thank you all, I've def decided to go for the Superb and am very excited about it. So as to keep the budget down, it'll hopefully be 2litre 140bhp SE, much as I'd love the elegance spec. Husband is finding it harder to decide. He doesn't need as much space as me as most of the time it will be just him in the car but he's struggling with buying a skoda, even though he knows mine has been so brilliant for the past 8 years. So I suspect he'll get a passat, much as I've tried to persuade him it's a mistake, I think it's a battle I'll lose. Thank you all for your advice.

Just remind him of his choice every time he peers through envious eyes at your Skud. The outgoing Passat sucks I'm afraid.

I have just taken delivery of an SE Estate, I had a 2011 Octavia Elegance as a temporary loan car before delivery - I put 5000 miles on it.

Superb is in a different league to the Octavia: looks, space, finish, comfort, noise there is no comparison.

My other half has a 2008 Passat SE with a few extras. The Superb is bigger, has more kit and is better value, however, the Passat is more comfortable, has better seats, better cruise control and has a better finish - Skoda have needed to save some money and I can see this in carpets, some plastics, seats, glove box etc. The passat corners better, has less roll and feels more agile without compromising ride.

I'm not mocking the Skoda, I am over the moon with mine, but, if mine wasn't a company car and we didn't have to pay for the Passat maintenance we'd probably choose to drive most places in the Passat - especially if it was motorway.

If I was buying one with my own money it would be the Skoda just for the size and value. If I was offered the choice to drive to the south of France and I didn't need space I'd take the Passat.

If it is a company car it is also worth bearing in mind the new passat costs a lot less in tax for the comparable engine/performance, over the period of a lease this could be quite significant...

If it is a company car it is also worth bearing in mind the new passat costs a lot less in tax for the comparable engine/performance, over the period of a lease this could be quite significant...

This is only partially true. The 1.6Tdi Passat and Superb are both in the 13% BIK tax band, however, the 2.0Tdi Passat has far lower BIK than the similiarly engined Superb (140/170) due to stop/start, battery regeneration and other Bluemotion technology lacking from the Skoda.

Interestingly, the 1.6Tdi Passat now has a 6 speed gearbox, while the Superb 1.6Tdi makes do with 5 speeds. The Passat's 10 litre larger fuel tank also gives a longer range which is useful for high mileage drivers.