Matters improved even more after the Velvet Revolution brought down the Czechoslovakian communists and Volkswagen bought into Skoda with grand plans for its transformation.
The first fruit was the Felicia, a Favorit heavily updated with a fresh look, modern safety measures and VW engines. “The Felicia is not only good enough to be mentioned in the same sentence as Fiat Puntos and Peugeot 106s but is also good enough to be put forward as a credible rival to VW’s brilliant Polo, albeit at entry level,” we said.
“In fact, the less expensive Felicias are four-star cars. At the lower price, there’s nothing that can touch this reborn Skoda.” An unimaginable reality just a few years prior, this represented a dazzling new dawn.
Expression of confidence
Three years later came the first Skoda developed entirely under Volkswagen’s auspices – and, in our words, “the Octavia is a perfect example of when the parts bin really works in favour of car buyers.
“It’s unlike anything Skoda has ever built, but the price is still rock bottom. And the buzz within the company must be electric. The only tangible aspect the Octavia lacks beside its established rivals is, of course, image.
“The jokes stopped when the Favorit became the Felicia. Now it’s time to get really serious.” The Octavia went on to prove that Skoda hadn’t forgotten how to entertain drivers, either, as it became the basis for the first RS (later vRS) performance model.
It couldn’t beat Subaru’s hot Impreza, but then nothing could. “There isn’t another car on sale that can match its outrageous blend of space, pace, price and practicality,” we swooned. “The catch?
Apart from the slightly inert steering, there just isn’t one as far as we’re concerned. Which makes this one of the most sensational performance car bargains, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Little wonder this reborn company had the confidence over the next two decades to venture into many more unfamiliar fields, from executive cars to MPVs, 4x4s to crossovers and plug-in hybrids to electric vehicles.
And considering the great success that Skoda has achieved in each of those, who would bet against it branching out further?
