Mk4 iV 1 year review

Well the time has come and I'm moving on from the Octavia. This has been my second Octavia, my previous one being a Mk3 SE L 1.5tsi EVO DSG estate which I had for 4 years.

I was excited to collect my new Octavia in petrol blue after a 16 month wait. I took delivery in December 2023. I only specified the boot lid protector. I was hoping to add the Canton system but they had stopped supply at that point. Anyway, I have accumulated just over 8800 miles in that time. Most miles have been motorway and a-roads. It was a company car so I only charged it for every work journey. 

Pros:

Big step up in interior design and quality over the Mk3

Much better, sharper looks

Fantastic drivetrain, seamless between the EV and hybrid driving modes

Overall space and practicality

Cons:

Not quite as nice to drive as my previous Mk3, mainly due to the weight, and the soft suspension. I could really feel that extra ballast of the battery, although most of the time I was driving at regular speeds so it ultimately didn't matter much.

EV range. I never got any more than 25 miles

Battery charge retention. If I stopped to say pop to into a shop and then returned within 5-10 minutes, I would lose 2-3 miles immediately. It was always poor in that regard. I think the worst I did on a full charge was about 18 miles.

Slightly smaller boot space

Seats not quite as comfy

So, I've really liked my time with the iV. I would definitely consider another Octavia. I'm actually moving to an A3 plug-in hybrid with the same 13kWh battery. Looking forward to that Audi interior.