Times Online (Enlarge photo)

16/11/2008 07:03. The laws of physics say it is impossible to squeeze a quart into a pint pot, yet Skoda’s Octavia proved that wrong. Built on the underpinnings of a Volkswagen Golf, it had the space to rival the larger Passat — without the price.

Now in its second incarnation, today’s Octavia was launched in Britain in June 2004. A raid on the parent company’s parts bin gave it some of the best bits of engineering without incurring the prohibitive costs of development and produced a car that boasts good build quality at a price that has rivals crying themselves to sleep at night.

Unsurprisingly the engine line-up almost mirrors that of the Golf. Petrol engines start with a slightly bland 1.4 litre and climb to the spicy 2 litre 200bhp turbocharged unit found in the last Golf GTI. For most... // Times Online