Škoda Octavia Combi: The dream of Czech cottagers is 25. It also charmed with its trunk as an RS – Pravda

The modern Škoda Octavia, as the first model on the platform of the VW concern, appeared in 1996. However, station wagon lovers had to wait another year for a completely new practical Škoda. It was worth it. The size of the trunk trumps the Czech station wagon of all competitors, including the Golf Variant. Combi also brought Škoda a 4×4 drive. And there was also a “bloated” Combi RS. Photo: Škoda-Auto Škoda Octavia – the first generation is 25 years old The Octavia Combi was a family dream come true. It stood on a new platform, even earlier than the fourth generation VW Golf. And she was pretty. At the beginning of the nineties, the Czech Škoda took a strategic step – it joined the Volkswagen concern. He had an eminent interest in her, already in the second half of the eighties. The reason was the modern Favorit, presented in 1987. In Wolfsburg, they saw great potential in it and an opportunity to occupy the Eastern European markets, even before anyone could have guessed that the Iron Curtain would collapse like a house of cards in 1989. However, the opportunity came only after the revolutionary events, and Volkswagen did not hesitate. He won the battle with Renault and General Motors and included Škoda in his portfolio as early as March 1991. Photo: Škoda-Auto Škoda Octavia – the first generation is 25 years old Škoda Octavia stood on the new A4 platform. Even earlier than the Golf IV. generations. This allowed her to use a 4×4 drive as well. Read more Is the Skoda Octavia a write-off? It is not excluded. It was the start of a new era, which meant huge investments and development of the company. However, Škoda fans had to wait a few more years for the new cars. Volkswagen first came with action versions of the Favorit, such as Sport Line, Black Line or Green Line, and in 1992 it introduced the first major modernization. Two years later, in 1994, Felicia came along, which was de facto another revision of the Favorit, this time also with design changes. It was these models and their sales success that gave Volkswagen what it needed most – time to develop completely new cars. And it has been running since 1992 under the code name 1U. It was supposed to be a lower middle class model that would expand Škoda’s offer with a second model line. At the beginning liftback Felicia’s successor was logically considered later, at the corporate headquarters, she was assigned a career only from 1999. The new model borrowed its name from history. The original Octavia with a two-door body came off the production lines between 1959 and 1964, but in the Combi version it remained on offer until 1971. However, the modern one technically distanced itself from everything Škoda had produced until then. It was the first platform model with technology from the VW concern. And he really didn’t skimp on Octavia. The basis, in fact, came from the first generation Audi A3. For example, the fourth generation Golf received the same platform, but only a year after the new Škoda model. At that time, Škoda fully felt the power of synergy and safety under the wings of the German concern. Photo: Škoda-Auto Škoda Octavia – 20 years Škoda first introduced the Octavia in 1996 as an elegant liftback. She already had a huge suitcase. A mock-up of the design in a scale of 1:1 was already in the world in 1993. Dirk van Brackel was behind the shapes of the practical liftback with a hinged trunk lid. It was already clear from this concept that Volkswagen wants to make Škoda a family brand. So the Octavia was something like a Golf with added value. In the trunk, it hid a huge space for that time with a volume of 528 liters and after folding the seats up to 1,328 liters. And it still had a spare wheel under the floor. The Audi A3 exceeded the 4.5 meter mark in length, but it still had a relatively short wheelbase of only 2,512 mm. The designers were able to cleverly hide this disproportion, but you couldn’t be fooled in the back seats. There was little space. The greater length of the Octavia often led to its incorrect categorization into the middle class. Photo: Škoda-Auto Škoda Octavia – the first generation is 25 years old Octavia Combi was presented in the fall of 1997 as a concept. However, it was clear that it was a pre-production prototype. The serial Octavia was introduced in April 1996, twenty-five years ago, and caused a great stir. It subsequently made its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show. And she caught on almost immediately. And not only in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In the initial year, customers could choose between two four-cylinder gasoline engines and one turbodiesel. The basis was the 1.6 MPI engine (55 kW), but for more demanding customers, an incredibly advanced four-cylinder 1.8 20 V (92 kW) with five valves per cylinder was prepared for that time. The same progress was represented by the modern turbodiesel 1.9 TDI (66 kW) with direct fuel injection, which at the time was still rather unique than commonplace. However, he was pressured by the head of the concern at the time, Ferdinand Piech. Photo: Škoda-Auto Škoda Octavia – the first generation is 25 years old Octavia boasted a unique 1.8 20v Turbo engine with five valves per cylinder. It had a power of 110 kW. We waited a year for the station wagon. Thanks to this, the diesel Octavia consumed an average of only 5.1 liters of diesel per 100 km. The offer was gradually expanded to include, for example, 1.8 20 V Turbo units with an output of up to 110 kW, the more powerful 1.9 TDI diesel (81 kW), but also its non-supercharged version 1.9 SDI (50 kW). This engine was, by the way, the only atmospheric “diesel” with direct diesel injection. However, the most awaited was a practical station wagon. At that time, Škoda only had one product on the lines – based on the old Felicia. However, this model had its best years long behind it. However, Škoda really “stretched” the eager “cottage owners”. In the spring of 1997, it first presented a completely new station wagon in the form of a concept. But if you looked at this car, it was obvious that it was a production prototype. Photo: Škoda-Auto Škoda Octavia – the first generation is 25 years old The serial Combi was introduced in the spring of 1998. It was six millimeters longer and up to 26 mm higher. The wait ended only in March 1998, when Škoda finally showed the final Octavia Combi. The premiere took place at the Geneva Motor Show. Combi met expectations. The trunk with a volume of 548 to 1,328 liters was incomparably larger than in the contemporary Golf Variant III generation. It basically provided only 465 liters. Dirck van Brackel also did a great job. Many considered the station wagon more beautiful than the liftback. Compared to it, the novelty was six millimeters longer and up to 26 mm higher. In addition, the Combi came with a completely redesigned dashboard, incomparably more solid than the liftback. Škoda simply responded flexibly to criticism from customers. Soon after the Combi, the other versions also received a new dashboard. Photo: Škoda-Auto Škoda Octavia – the first generation is 25 years old Along with the Combi version, a completely new dashboard debuted. She moved the quality of the interior to a higher level. Success did not take long. In the very first year of production, station wagons accounted for 15% of all Octavias sold, the following year it was already 36.7%, and in 2001 even 40.5%. In order to satisfy the growing demand for an extremely practical car, Škoda started producing the Combi in 1998 on new lines in Vrchlabí, where the production of the old Felicia was just ending. Octavia thus became a natural part of the model range and benefited from subsequent innovations. At the end of the decade, for example, the weakest power unit – the 1.4i engine with OHV distribution, which was an unsuccessful attempt to create the cheapest version with Škoda technology that had its roots in the early sixties, disappeared from the offer. Photo: Škoda-Auto Škoda Octavia – the first generation is 25 years old The biggest trump card of the Combi was this trunk. It already offered 548 litres, 83 more than the contemporary Golf Variant. There was also a double floor. A four-wheel drive came with the Combi. The twenty-valve 1.8 20v engine was no better, which proved to be very unreliable. Its place was thus replaced by a “full-fat” cast-iron German two-liter with eight valves, known from the Passats produced in the early eighties. But he pedaled well. The next modernization came in 1999 and with it the first Octavia RS. The offer was not only a liftback, but later also the RS Combi. Also embellished with aerodynamic accessories. The power of the 1.8 20v Turbo engine rose from 110 to 132 kW. The contemporary Audi S3 had exactly that much. It was a dream come true for “petrolhaeds” and enthusiasts. Finally, they didn’t have to explain to their wives why they buy a car with acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in eight seconds and a maximum speed of 235 km/h. Simply because, when needed, this “speedster” turned into a perfect family car. Not even a liter was lost from the trunk. Photo: Škoda-Auto Škoda Octavia – the first generation is 25 years old The real bomb was the Octavia Combi RS 1.8 Turbo with a power of 132 kW. It managed to reach 100 km/h in eight seconds, only two tenths slower than a fast liftback. But that was not all. Octavia Combi can also boast of one first. It was the first Škoda with 4×4 drive. A practical four-wheeler came to the market in 1999. It even had a few millimeters more ground clearance, so it could better drive on unpaved surfaces. You could treat yourself to this version with 1.8 Turbo (112 kW), economical 1.9 TDI (67 kW) or two-liter engines. The Haldex electro-hydraulic clutch took care of the distribution of the drive torque between the axles. Octavia thus received another technology that was reserved for Volkswagen or Audi until then. This model was the predecessor of its current SUVs. After all, the Yeti was only born in 2009. Photo: Škoda-Auto Škoda Octavia – the first generation is 25 years old The Octavia 4×4 from 1999 is a separate chapter. It was the first Škoda with two-axle drive. And it also had a raised chassis. Those who longed for luxury could treat themselves to the Octavia Combi in the luxurious Laurin & Klement version with leather upholstery, sunroof, powerful Symphonie audio and Climatrionic digital air conditioning. In 1999, a more modern 1.4 16v (55 kW) engine was added, and the original naturally aspirated inline-six was boosted to 75 kW. The diesel unit 1.9 TDI increased the output to 74 kW and two years later to 96 kW. The Octavia, including the Combi, already had a facelift, which brought, for example, clear headlights and new bumpers. In 2004, the second generation followed, but Škoda somehow did not want to say goodbye to the first. And neither do the customers. Read more Test: Škoda Octavia Scout – an image station wagon with an excellent diesel The first generation with the designation Tour rolled off the production lines for an incredible six years. Although with limited equipment and a more modest range of engines, fans of the brand could not praise it because of the low price. So the last pieces were created until October 2010. It was also produced in Ukraine or India. The very last pieces of the first generation were assembled in Kazakhstan back in 2011! It was simply a successful, almost 15-year story. Škoda produced 1.44 million copies of the modern Octavia, including 970,000 liftbacks and more than 470,000 station wagons. The station wagon subsequently appeared in subsequent generations. Up to the current fourth. How it will be with the next one, due to extensive electrification, is still in the stars. Estate sales are falling because SUVs have taken over.