Hybrid Octavia offers a mild dose of upward mobility

Sorry, but I think there is a need for a little ‘hybrid’ chat before I start with this week’s review car. I feel compelled to do so because I think the word ‘hybrid’, as used in several contexts, is confusing people. Certainly that’s the sense arising from the number of queries I get.

In essence there are three sorts of hybrid: mild hybrids, hybrids and plug-in hybrids. Without getting technical, mild hybrid is a low-tech system that gives a simple electric boost to the engine and takes some of the burden at start-up and when cruising. It’s by no means a ‘proper’ hybrid but its workings help reduce emissions by up to 15pc, it is claimed.

Full hybrids combine battery, electric motor and petrol engine for maximum efficiency on the move. This is the most popular hybrid electric/petrol system at the moment.

Plug-in electric hybrids, or PHEVs, have a battery pack that can be charged (hence the term plug-in) to give you up to 50km electric driving before the engine kicks in.

I mention all three because this week’s car is the Skoda Octavia with a mild hybrid set-up and I wanted to be clear about what that means.

Research has shown that mild hybrid car can bring efficiency of up to 15pc. I have to accept that, but I take most official figures with a pinch of salt. However, in a world of tightening emissions stringency, every gram less of CO2 is avidly accepted by the makers.

The ‘mild’ system — a low-voltage battery and electric motor — can give a small electric boost during start-up and acceleration. It also powers the likes of air con and radio.

The important thing to remember is that, unlike a full hybrid, the motor can not power the car on its own. Nor can the vehicle drive in zero-emissions mode.

All I can say after driving the Octavia is that my overall consumption came to 5.9 litres for every 100km I drove. That was only marginally worse than the official figure of 5.3-litre/100km.

I’m not trying to be argumentative (well, all right, I am) but I think my own ‘mild’ driving contributed as much as the hybrid to the overall return. I could have driven the 3-cylinder petrol engine a lot harder for longer. It’s a great little engine, but like so many others it can suffer from poor enough consumption on longer drives as opposed to decent returns on shorter trips. So 5/10 for mild hybrid and 5/10 for me. It’s 9/10 for the engine itself, so quiet and so at ease in response thanks to the seven-speed automatic transmission.

I expected the technical side of the car to make the main impression, but it turned out to be the cabin that gave me the biggest buzz.

I asked myself if I was overreacting by saying the blend and mix of creamy leather upholstery contrasting with the piano-black decorative trim was the best combination I’ve seen in a Skoda cabin.

I don’t like making such sweeping statements, but such was the level and quality of decor that I was genuinely taken aback.

I know Skoda have long left the poor man’s realm and have tried hard to move upstream. Their cars are not cheap any more; the emphasis is on value for (more) money.

I recoil from using the word ‘upmarket’ but I don’t think there is any way to avoid it in this case. This is more than a mild dose of upward mobility. I think this new Octavia has been a bit overlooked.

It’s still got all the attributes, and more, that made the previous generations the practical, popular cars they were. Admittedly the dull colour of my test car did little to accentuate any great leap forward on styling lines.

Overall, I’d say it looked that bit dull. Upmarket dull perhaps? Apart from the classy tone of the cabin, practical realities abound. There was great room front and back and the boot was enormous. Exactly what you’d expect from an Octavia. Perhaps the most disappointing area was the poor enough isolation of wheel-travel thud over hollows and bumps. Handling and ride were only so-so, with a suspension set-up a little on the soft side.

So would I buy it? For that interior, yes. I’m not so sure I’d go the mild hybrid route. Maybe I’d like a good diesel under the bonnet of an Octavia for old times’ sake. Maybe. Such a decision would depend on annual mileage, of course, because petrol, with or without a mild hybrid system is OK, but diesel is just such a strong choice for the 20,000km+ driver.

Facts & Figures: Skoda Octavia mild hybrid:

1-litre, 3cyl petrol, m-HEV, 110hp, 7spd auto, 120g/km, 5.3 l/100km, tax €190. Model price €30,350; with options €32,814. Equipment spans virtual cockpit. spare wheel, dual-zone air con, cruise control, Columbus navigation system, 10in touchscreen, eight speakers, rear-view camera, virtual cockpit, two USB ports front and rear. Extras include Suedia/leather upholstery.