BACK in 1996 the Octavia was the very first all-new car to emerge from Volkswagen's buyout of the Skoda operation.

This Octavia was essentially a rebodied VW Bora with some of the cost taken out.

The functional, well built tool that actually began the reinvention of  Skoda turned out to be a clever piece of work and, at the time, the vRS turned out to be arguably better than the VW Golf GTi with which it shared its engine.

In 2004, a much improved second generation Octavia pushed Skoda further upmarket, the makers delivering a larger, better built car that set up the firm's reputation for good value and reliablility.

Bigger than a Golf but not as large as the Mondeo, the Octavia proved a success, with the very quick vRS  becoming even more convincing than the original model.

The third generation of the Octavia appeared in the UK earlier this year and moved the car further towards the Mondeo class.

Space has always been a big Octavia plus and now it sits on the extended VW MQB platform its wheelbase has grown by some 108mm, while the hefty tailgate covers a hefty 590 litre boot in which practicality has already proved just the job for the type of buyers who know a decent family motor when they spot one.

The Octavia 3 also  comes very well kitted out and while the base price of the range topping Elegance model here may have increased by some £2,500, there is, says Skoda, around £5,000 of additional kit also included, all for the asking price of £23,240.

The inside story is what one would expect from a VW design team. Along  with the extra length, the Octavia has gained 39mm of elbowroom up front. Surprisingly, the car never really feels too much on the large side. Meanwhile, a new cabin layout adds nicely to driver and passenger comfort.

The Volkswagen four cylinder 2.0 litre diesel engine turned out to be pretty spritely, as its 0-62mph in 8.3 seconds en route to a top speed of 134mph, showed on the tarmac.

It handled well whether linking together a series of twisty bits or cruising the motorway while economy figures also proved generous with a reading of 62.8mpg helped, no doubt by a six speed dual clutch automatic gearbox and a decent stop/start system.