It's all about winning friends and influencing people - and Skoda has become the master of both.
Ever since the first Octavia was launched in the mid-nineties, the Czech budget car-maker has gone from strength to strength. This was in no small measure due to the efforts of parent company VW Group and a massive investment programme.
But in raising the Octavia from a budget-price hatchback to a car fit to take on the cream of its peers, Skoda has achieved its biggest single advance since becoming part of the Volkswagen empire.
Diesel enthusiasts have just to wait until January for the arrival of the best-ever Octavia. The smooth and stylish estate looks like it will be a huge hit with motorists who want quality and value for money in one neat package.
Like the hatchback, the estate also uses the underpinnings of the Golf - as do the Touran, Audi A3 and SEAT Altea - but is undoubtedly better looking and boasts even more poise.
Though its contours make it appear compact at the kerbside, the new car is bigger all round than its predecessor and drives into the realms of super-practicality with a class-leading load capacity of 580-litres when the rear seats are in position.
Fold them down in two easy movements and the Octavia's volume potential extends to a massive 1,620 litres - one of the biggest around, irrespective of car size. And when you factor in a payload capability of 660kg, it soon becomes obvious that this is useful transport indeed and just the ticket for both family and business motoring.
Step inside and the impression of upmarket transport is reinforced by clear instrumentation, precise switchgear and extensive use of high-grade materials.
The estate will come in Classic, Ambiente and Elegance trim levels when it goes on sale in January, but all versions will feature anti-lock braking with traction control and brake assist, four airbags, power door mirrors, adjustable headlights and electro-mechanical power steering as standard.
Roof rails and handy hooks for shopping bags are also standard-fit, along with pockets on the backs of front seats, a power socket in the luggage area, storage boxes with removable doors in the boot side panels and plenty of lashing points to secure the cargo.
All versions will also have a unique gadget designed by Skoda - a luggage cover that automatically winds itself back and out of the way at the slightest touch or nudge of the elbow.
The ¯¿½16,000 Ambiente versions have air conditioning, higher grade in-car entertainment, remote locking, lumbar support front seats, split-fold rear seats, tinted glass, a trip computer and a cooled glovebox, while Elegance trim adds alloy wheels, fog lamps, a cooled centre console, cruise control, dual-zone air conditioning and an auto-dimming rear view mirror.
Although three petrol engines will be available, more than 75 per cent of buyers are expected to opt for 1.9 and 2.0-litre turbodiesel motors, each of which can be linked with the sophisticated DSG transmission %u2013 the only sequential auto yet developed to provide flawless upward or downward shifts.
