BUSINESS TRAVEL


intelligence PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE Driving to the


future


REVIEW:ŠKODA OCTAVIA BY SUE COOKE


T


echnology advancements in company cars have made British workers around a third more productive,


adding almost £36 billion to the economy says research from car manufacturer ŠKODA. Figures from a poll of 600 company car


drivers demonstrate just how much Brits, whose jobs require time on the road, rely on their in-car gadgetry. When asked which kit they couldn’t ‘work without’, different drivers had their favourites. Around one in six (14 per cent) chose smartphone connectivity systems, while a tenth of the survey respondents selected cruise control and sat-navs. These were also the items that – along with climate control – were cited as being used most often. For bosses, the perk of automotive technology is how much more efficient it makes their employees. The survey reveals the right equipment can save time (according to 42 per cent), make navigation easier (37 per cent) and ultimately save money (31 per cent). And packed with technology for business


drivers is the third generation ŠKODA Octavia, the top selling car in the ŠKODA range, which has contributed to the company’s huge rise in fleet sales. ŠKODA posted 1,770 fleet sales in April 2016 (up from 1,615 in the same month last year) and achieved an all-time high market share of 3.9 per cent for the month. Although


MODEL: ŠKODA Octavia vRS 4x4 PRICE: £27,590 otr ENGINE: 2 litre TDi 184 PS


PERFORMANCE: 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 142 mph


CO2 EMISSIONS: 129 g/km


COMBINED FUEL CONSUMPTION: 57.7 mpg


bigger than the previous generation Octavia, the current model is safer and significantly lighter than before, up to 102kg. The award-winning Octavia, introduced in


2013 is available in hatch and estate body styles, plus Scout and vRS variants. The latter sporting flagship is celebrating 15 years in 2016. The four- wheel drive Scout adds unique wheels and bespoke bumpers. Company car drivers can choose Greenline editions with extra equipment,


You can follow Sue Cooke on twitter @cookecars


improved fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions. There are eight advanced engine options,


four petrol and four diesel. I drove the vRS 4x4 hatchback with the 6-speed DSG auto transmission. The 4x4 technology provides extra grip and surety on potholed waterlogged roads. I also drove the 2 litre petrol with 230PS and a 6-speed manual gearbox. On the SE business model, the efficient and powerful engine returns up to 80.7mpg and emits just 90g/km of CO2 making this the cleanest and most economical Octavia ever. The extra technology has some amazing features such as driver fatigue sensor, useful features such as hill hold and cruise control and a long list of safety equipment. And in-car technology is hugely important to company car drivers, especially if it helps to save time and money. ŠKODA’s poll says the knock-on effect of


advanced technology is an improvement in productivity, with figures showing each worker completes, on average, 33 per cent more work than they would do without their vehicle’s tech. Based on the average British wage, that’s £9,200 per employee who uses a car for work purposes. And gives the ŠKODA Octavia, kitted out with


the best technology that the market has to offer, a distinct advantage over the competition.


JULY/AUGUST 2016 insight 33


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36