OCTAVIA, you may have noticed, just about rhymes with saviour - very apt, considering that the car was given the task of reviving Skoda's fortunes.

It had to be up to the job, too, because when it was launched here in 1998, it badly needed to be competent, capable, and classy enough to erase three decades of sceptical, snigger-at-Skoda, sales stigma.

Only veteran motorists will remember the pre-War glory years of Skoda, when it was among the cream of European car marques.

Austerity in the 1940s and 50s put paid to plush, powerful Skodas, and the changing political climate in the Czech Republic, and the need over there for cheap runabouts, drove the motors way downmarket.

But times, and fortunes, change, with Skoda today having the last, and best, laugh of all on buyers who still turn up their noses at the brand.

It is backed by the might of the Volkswagen group, and all models are now of the same enduring quality as sister-VWs and SEATs.

But the Octavia did the business for the firm in Britain, and did it magnificently enough to earn an update in 2000.

There is now quite a wide and varied selection of Octavia hatchbacks and estates, and they come if five kit levels: Classic, Ambiente, Elegance, Laurin & Klement, and the sporty vRS. There are nine petrol or diesel power packs, a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes, and front or four-wheel drive.

The range got a further boost a short while ago with the addition of the 1.9-litre TDi PD 130 engine.

It packs punch, without the crunch at the fuel pumps, thanks to state of the art diesel technology.

The "PD" in this Octavia's title stands for Pumpe-Duse, and refers to the pump-nozzle system that controls the fuel injection process. The 130 brake-horsepower unit is liquid-cooled, with an exhaust gas-driven turbocharger, and the greater PD injection pressures result in that higher power output/lower fuel consumption combination.

The real benefits, though, come from the outstanding torque, or grunt, which peaks at a very low 1,900rpm. Translated, that means whip-fast mid-range pace, and a scintillating surge of power available through all six of the manual gears.

While the top speed remains an entirely academic figure in the UK, the Octavia is still chomping at the bit as you hit the legal limit, and can cut away quickly to 62mph from zero in 9.8-seconds.

But it positively purrs around town, and the slow downward drop of the fuel gauge needle occurs even when you are testing the car to the full. There is not much else on the market that offers 61.4mpg country-driving economy in such a roomy, raunchy-engined combination - and all for £14,990 in Elegance trim.

Little wonder that, of all the Octavia models sold this year, around 70-odd per cent have been diesels.

You will rarely find a cannier buyer than a taxi driver - take a look around the private hire ranks, and you will see that this Skoda model figures fairly prominently.

Handling, as you would expect with all this power under the bonnet, is well-balanced and precise, and there is no grumble on the ride comfort front.

The Octavia affords passengers a fair amount of living space, and there are certainly no reliability problems with the excellent engineering.

This model, in fact, holds the 2003 accolade of Best Family Car in the prestigious JD Power survey.

Elegance trim, by the way, features 16-inch alloy wheels, an electric sunroof, full front airbags, and climate control, and you can only buy the 1.9 TDi 130 in this, or Laurin & Klement specification, which costs £1,500 extra.

Updated: 14:53 Friday, November 28, 2003