Hi All,

 

Soon to be Octavia III owner, I have opted for the Ambition model as it suits the budget (company car)  My next decision is what shape?

Obviously personal taste makes a lot of decisions on this but I honestly like both shapes. My max luggage load would never fill either boot so space is no issue.

 

So my question is, have any owners come across advantages/disadvantages of either body-styles ?

 

Thanks,

 

Joe

If you want a sunroof it depends how big you want it.  Hatch = ok, Combi = great

 

Water runs into the boot of the hatch when you lift it after heavy rain.

 

One thing that always happened on flat back cars (like the combi) was that (if it had been raining) the drag behind the car would pull the water spray onto the rear of the car so you need to use your rear wiper when driving along (if you want to see out the back).  The hatchback rear window stays clear of water once above 30mph.   Only a little thing but a plus for the hatch and a minus for the combi.

 

Parcel shelf in my hatch rattles, if you shut the boot a bit too hard the parcel shelf pops up a bit and rattles even more.

If you do not need the space of the Combi then best go for the Hatch. It is cheaper to buy, and in my experience hatches have lower cabin noise.

 

I went for a Combi just to keep the dog happy.

I went for the estate purely because I think it looks better.

Estate/combi has more rear headroom - that was the clincher for us.

I prefer the look of the combi, but looks are a personal thing. I also use a roof rack a lot to cart my bike around so the rails are a must.

The tail of the hatch has lower momentum when cornering, of course. Less internal room, so less chance of rear road noise/resonances.

 

Anyway I bought an Estate/Combi because of large family and of AWD (for some absurd marketing strategy, here AWD is only sold for combi).

Edited 17 February, 201511 yr by Genoa1893

Hatch looks meh.. estate looks good.

 

Lots of other considerations to take into account of course.. :-)

I had a hatch for 10 months and replaced it with a combi/estate just because I liked the look of the estate. It looks bulckier from the rear and roof bars add a nicer touch to it.

Estate looks somehow agricultural to me, but I dont fancy the hatch spoiler in vrs version as well. But if there was not a hatchback trunk which makes boot really user friendly, I would definitely go for the estate in the end.

I went for the estate purely because I think it looks better.

Couldn't agree more. Coming from a mk2 vRS hatch I think the the mk3 has the combi nailed whereas the hatchback looks a little plain dare I say.

I had the choice of two similar nearly new 1.4TSI Elegances, one a hatch and one an estate with only a couple of hundred quid difference in price.  I went for the estate partly because it looked better but mainly because it's more versatile.  Two or three times a year I need to shift bulky items to exhibitions and while it would probably be possible to cram everything into a hatch it's just so much easier with an estate.   In terms of practicality the estate will do everything that the hatch does and a lot more if you need it.

Some good points to consider here thank you.  Have another week to decide so time is on my side.  'Im contemplating the estate/combi in black and replacing swapping the standard black roofbars with silver straight away. 

My kids who are much more fashion conscious than I say that Combi's/Estates are boring Grandad cars.

I buy them for the practicality.

If space is no factor (and there isn't much difference in overall capacity, just how you can fill it) I'd go with what looks best. Yes you have to use the rear wiper more often on the estate, but you have one, so may as well.

 

I needed every inch of space, thus the estate, the fact that I prefer the look of the estate helps.

 

My kids who are much more fashion conscious than I say that Combi's/Estates are boring Grandad cars.

 

Interesting, I always thought that the hatchbacks are the granddads car, estates are for young families and 2 seater Porsches are for midlife crises men..Then again there are exceptions to every rule ;-)

One more point, I am not sure if it is just me but I found rear viewing much better on the estate than on the hatch (angled rear screen).

The estate gets the variable boot floor as standard on the elegance which is an improvement over the hatch.

You don't get the water in the boot issue that still plagues the hatch, but most importantly for me, it means you get the full length sunroof on an estate.

Has to be the estate. The hatch, especially the rear is imho, sorry to say the true definition of a Friday afternoon design.... which is a shame...

I went for the estate as I wanted the extra space for occasionly loading it up but I also much prefer the look of it

Two-thirds of the nembers here own estates according to the poll, so consensus will be bias in that direction. Additionally, your average Skoda owner tends to prioritise practicality above cosmetics, so we may not be the best judges of what most people consider to be a handsome motor. Everyone considers their own baby to be pretty, even if it is butt ugly.

I purchased a VRS Estate because it was practical, relatively affordable, and I could live with the looks. If looks were my top priority I woukd have gone for a 335i, Mazda 6 or an Evoke.

Edited 19 February, 201511 yr by Orville

Estate for extra practicality and also I just think it looks a lot better than the saloon.

I also got the estate mainly because I think it looks better, but also because of the added practicality.

In addition, it's a little jab at the popularity of SUVs. Of course, that alone is not a very good reason to spend significantly more on a vehicle. It's almost as bad as spending extra for a higher seat, poor handling, and higher fuel costs...