WHEN four friends came to stay for a long weekend, they hired a Skoda Octavia at the airport and were amazed how big it was inside.

The driver usually spends many hours in an Audi A6 every week, but he might well be changing his allegiance.

It still seems odd that a car based on the VW Golf platform can be so much bigger than the original.

I have recommended a number of friends to buy them secondhand and none has been disappointed. I should be charging commission.

The Octavia is a great car - every bit as good as the Golf and with a stronger reliability record.

But the 1.4 non-turbo petrol engine is not powerful enough for the weight and neither is the 1.9 SDi non-turbo diesel.

Other petrol engines are 1.2 and 1.4 turbos, 1.6 100bhp, (avoid the 75bhp version), 1.8-litre with 125, 150 or 180bhp and 2.0-litre units with 115, 150 or 197bhp.

The turbo diesels are all good, with power ranging from 90 to 170bhp and all come with either five or six-speed manual or the brilliant DSG automatic gearbox.

All ride comfortably - even the barnstorming VRS at the top of the range - and handling and road holding are brilliant in both early and later guises, with the same feel as the Golf.

There ismore interior space and a bigger boot than any other car in the class and although they might seem plain inside, everything you need is there and it all works beautifully.