Hyundai i40 or Skoda Octavia?

Hi,

I have a 131 Hyundai i30 Estate 1.4 diesel that has been reliable, good for bringing family and luggage in etc. I do about 15-20,000km p.a. Fuel economy has been alright if not as good as I expected, as maybe slightly underpowered sometimes and I have to accelerate it more than I'd like. It's a good car, but has always been poor for road noise even with tyre changes.

I am looking to change now to something a bit bigger, either a 151 1.6 diesel Skoda Octavia hatchback or a 142 Hyundai i40 saloon 1.7 diesel, mid-spec levels. I haven't really looked at specific examples of either yet. I only intend to keep the newer car until maybe 2018/19 and both above choices give me a good level of warranty cover until then.

Which do you think would be the better buy? Safety, more quiet on the move and decent handling (as my main everyday route is quite a twisty hilly road) are important to me.

Thanks

Mick, Gorey

Mick Walsh (Gorey)

Aug 2016 Filed under: choosing used car

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Expert answer

Hi Mick,

Well, given the list of priorities you’ve given me, either the Octavia or the i40 would seem ideal, although it’s the Hyundai that will hold on to its warranty longer, as it has a five-year warranty compared to the Skoda’s three-year one. The Skoda is by a very slim margin the nicer of the two to drive though, so you’ll need to bear that in mind. That said, the i40 is more refined overall (not to mention being a bigger car, with more space in inside), so it’s really a matter of deciding which of your priorities gets top billing.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Advisor
@neilmbriscoe