Skoda’s Octavia Combi gets a dash of sportiness with its new Sportline trim, but it remains as practical and compelling as ever

2023 Skoda Octavia Combi Sportline

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Launched December 2023 – Price S$200,900 with COE (January 2023)
Five-door, midsize station wagon, five seats
150hp, 1.5-litre turbo inline-four petrol, VES B, 4.8L/100km

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PROS
Sportline trim adds a dash of sportiness
Still as practical and nice to drive as ever

CONS
High COE means a high price tag

SINGAPORE

We’re big fans of the Skoda Octavia Combi here at CarBuyer. If you’re looking for a car that’s nice to drive and immensely practical, then the Octavia Combi pretty much ticks all the boxes. It’s a shame that wagons like the Combi are rather unappreciated in Singapore, but if you want a spacious family car that’s not an SUV, then there’s few better options out there for you.

Anyway, the Octavia Combi’s been knocking around for a while now, and the local dealer here has now revitalised the car a bit by offering it with a new Sportline package. It’s mostly just cosmetic upgrades inside and out, but it serves to keep the car refreshed in the minds of Singaporean car buyers, who will hopefully give it more attention this time round.

The Sportline trim replaces the previous Style variant that was offered on the Octavia Combi when it was launched in 2021, and which we tested previously. Compared to the Style, the Sportline adds a lot of black throughout. The grille surround is now black instead of chrome, as are the roof rails, wing mirrors and rear badging. There’s also a new front lower bumper lip, finished in, you guessed it, black, and a Sportline badge on the front fender to remind you of all the added sportiness.

The interior changes are a bit more substantial. The trim that stretches across the dashboard is now also black, but there is also a new three-spoke sports steering wheel with Sportline embossed on the lower spoke. It also gets really cool sports seats finished in a material called Thermoflex, which feels like a combination of fabric and leather, and is exceedingly comfortable and snug to sit in.

That’s more or less it for the changes, because under the skin the Sportline is essentially the same as the Style variant. That means that it gets the same 1.5-litre turbo four-pot engine that delivers 150hp and 250Nm of torque, matched to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. 0-100km/h comes up in 8.6 seconds, and the car is suitably punchy, without feeling like too much of a hooligan. The Combi feels absolutely at home on the highway, and is the kind of car that will eat up the miles for hours and hours without breaking a sweat.

Something that’s not really highlighted on the Sportline’s marketing materials though is the fact that the car also sits on 15mm lowered suspension, and while it doesn’t exactly transform the car’s handling prowess dramatically, you can sense that it gives the car a bit more tautness in the corners. To be fair, the Octavia Combi was already a pretty excellent drive in the first place, so the Sportline suspension is really just the cherry on top of the icing.

And of course, the Combi’s trump card is its massive 640-litre boot, capable of accommodating everything your family needs, and then some. It’s really the biggest appeal of going for a wagon body style, but in the case of the Octavia Combi, there’s just a lot more going for it than just space. Of course, the fact that it now costs over 200 grand, versus the Style’s price of under 150 grand when it was launched, does work against it, but that’s just a function of the COE system and not really anything to do with the car.

If you are able to stomach that price though, then the Octavia Combi should be a strong consideration for anyone looking for a family car that drives well and offers lots of space. If you like black as well, then that’ll be a bonus.

Skoda Octavia Combi Sportline

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