• Nicely trimmed, excellent fit and finish
• Class-leading tech and displays
• Infotainment not perfect in use

How is the quality and layout?

The cabin of the Skoda Octavia Estate feels comfortably familiar, with much of its tech shared with the Golf Mk8. The driving position is good, and the two-spoke multifunction steering wheel makes using many of the car’s features a piece of cake. On the automatic models, you get a rocker switch on the centre console to select gears instead of a traditional lever, but the best aspects are the big improvements in quality over older models.

The Octavia Estate feels modern inside, helped by the tasteful ambient lighting and high-quality materials. The reduced button count compared with the old model has tidied up the cabin, but not necessarily made it easier to use, even if it betters the SEAT Leon or VW Golf.

In terms of plug-in hybrid specific styling touches, the only obvious difference in Octavia iV models is a battery level meter on the left-hand side of the digital cockpit where the coolant temperature used to be. It’s positioned opposite the petrol gauge and gives a clear and instant view of your remaining fuel and charge. There’s not a whole lot to mark out the vRS from the run of the mill options, save for sporty bucket seats and red stitching everywhere. You also get a three-spoke steering wheel that’s a slightly different shape and metal pedals, but otherwise this is a fast estate that doesn’t shout about its potential.

Infotainment and tech

A large central 10.0-inch touchscreen comes as standard on every model (sat-nav is standard on SE L and vRS models). There’s also a touch-sensitive bar for the volume control and a row of actual physical buttons beneath for shortcuts. This can be very annoying in operation, but compared with the SEAT Leon and VW Golf’s entirely touch sensitive set-up, it could be worse.

The climate controls have also migrated to the screen and this might take a bit of getting used to. On the whole we found the infotainment screen innovative in approach and quite successful in use, but some settings require you to now work deeper into the submenus, and while driving, this can be a bit of a distraction.

Skoda’s voice control system is just as good as in the VW, though. You can tap the touch-sensitive volume bar to adjust the stereo incrementally, or sweep across for larger adjustments, but we found this tricky to manage – it’s better controlled by a front passenger, leaving the driver to stick with the volume controls on the steering wheel instead.

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Comfort

• Ergonomically comfortable front seats
• Three-zone climate control available
• Still a bit of road noise

The Octavia has always offered impressive comfort, and the fourth generation continues this tradition. Long-distance driving comfort is improved with new seats similar to the ErgoComfort ones you’ll find in the Volkswagen Passat range.

A higher degree of adjustability with electric lumbar support and massage function is available in a variety of fabrics and materials depending on the model you opt for, along with ventilation and heating. However, even the standard chairs are supportive and comfortable.

Three-zone climate control is available as an option, so all passengers can set a temperature they want without affecting others. Some areas that require improvement remain – there’s more road noise than we’d like on the move, with most of it either resonating behind you from the boot, or from the windows.