Yesterday I parked near a VW Bora. It seemed almost identical to my Ovtavia - is it the same with different badges? You certainly see more Octavias around than Bora's.

I think their called the Jetta now? They are rare compared because of the saloon shape I guess. However they do make a bargain compared to the Golf!

Jetta is basically a Golf with a saloon back end (and arguably a better looking front end, in my opinion)

They are much cheaper as I believe they are as not as desirable as the Golf (back in the day anyway)

You can get a Sport version of the Bora that has a 150hp diesel engine in it... IIRC

there was even a 200hp tfsi version under the Jetta name, a 170hp TDi version and AFAIK the latest version shares the same platform as the new Skoda Rapid.

there was even a 200hp tfsi version under the Jetta name, a 170hp TDi version and AFAIK the latest version shares the same platform as the new Skoda Rapid.

I don't think the Chinese Jetta (which the Rapid will be sharing with the Jetta and Toledo) has any relation to the UK Jetta I'm pretty sure it's just the UK and US Jetta that share the current Golf & Octavia chassis.

Yesterday I parked near a VW Bora. It seemed almost identical to my Ovtavia - is it the same with different badges? You certainly see more Octavias around than Bora's.

That has occurred to me too, the Bora did look very like the Octavia, in profile particularly. Assuming we are talking about the Bora (rather than the Jetta), they don't really have much in common with a mk2 Octavia, but quite a bit with the mk1. The Bora and Octavia l were based on a mk4 Golf, the Octavia ll is based on a mk5 Golf.

The Jetta is also based on a mk5 Golf but doesn't look much like an Octavia IMHO!

The original, mkIV Golf based Bora, was more different than first appearances would have you believe. The tops of the doors for example went up to the roof moulding line, not just above the glazing line. Plus of course they were a booted saloon, not a hatch. The estate used the Golf body parts, ie boxxy and squared off, not slump shouldered like the Octavia. I think the mkIV Golf/Bora in its estate guise was the German version of the archtypical photocopier repairmans transport - you certainly still see many of them about in Germany, obviously still ploughing the furrow and full of tradesman type stuff.

I always thought it had a neater front end, less cluttered than the Octavia, which despite me owning one for 11 yrs always looked too much like a Rover.

My mate had a Bora, it was really nice. It's not aged badly either to be fair! 130tdi high-line spec I think. leather, heated seats, all the toys for quite a reasonable used price. the only reason I mentioned the Jetta was because we are in the MK2 section

I had considered getting a Bora or a Jetta at various times in the past, both seem nice cars, but after years of having hatchbacks I'm not sure I could live with a saloon again, not as my only car anyway. Its not often I move large stuff but when I do a hatch is very handy.

When I was looking a few years ago it seemed Jettas depreciated so fast they were undercutting similar spec Octavias by about 2-3 years old. Quite a bargain if you can live without the hatchback.

The the UK:

Jetta

Jetta

Vento

Bora

Jetta

In March we found our rental car at Orlando airport to be a petrol 2.5SE Jetta. Except for the colour, I thought I was walking up to my own (Octavia hatch) car at first!